Watch The Paper dash Domhnall Gleeson’s “High Hopes” in this exclusive season premiere clip

In Panic! At The Disco’s upbeat 2018 track “High Hopes,” frontman Brendon Urie sings, “Didn’t have a dime, but I always had a vision / Didn’t know how, but I always had a feeling.” Those lyrics are personified to a T by The Paper‘s Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), whose unabashed optimism drives his desire to restore the reputation of the floundering Toledo Truth Teller. Having somewhat accomplished this goal in the first-season finale—by adding three journalism awards to a trophy case that had long been gathering dust—it’s no wonder the editor-in-chief turns to “High Hopes” for his grand, post-awards entrance to the workspace the Truth Teller shares with its parent company’s thriving toilet-roll brand, Softees. 

As seen in this exclusive clip from the season two premiere, “The Best Of Us,” Ned goes all out to commemorate the win. He ropes in his staff, including Detrick (Melvin Gregg) and Barry (Duane Shepherd Sr.), to dance straight into the bullpen as “High Hopes” blares in the background. It’s a fitting move for the Office spin-off—practically lifted from the pages ofMichael Scott’s unpublished, unwritten guide to running an office, Somehow I Manage. And just like so many of Michael’s motivational misfires, Ned’s merriment comes to an abrupt halt when he learns that a Softees employee is dead. 

Eric Rahill, who wrote “The Best Of Us,” tells The A.V. Club that he wanted to bring the gang back on a really low note after their victory. “What’s the worst thing that could happen on a celebratory return to the office? That’s how Bill Paterson came to die,” he says. Rahill adds he’s glad they were able to keep “High Hopes,” as the needle drop because it encapsulates exactly who Ned is. “It’s why I wrote it in the script, but I don’t know how much it cost us,” he quickly adds.

The clip reveals that Ned gets heat from CEO Marv (Allan Havey) for the loud and poorly timed music, and for his inability to stop it before DJ Snake’s “Turn Down For What” comes on the speaker. Naturally, managing editor Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore) steps in to take advantage of the situation. She bursts into dramatic sobs to gain sympathy from Marv; it’s a gut-instinct move that Rahill says is meant to convey how Esmeralda remains “pretty schemy” in season two as she clamors to regain the power she lost after Ned was hired.