 M. Giant of Television Without Pity awarded the episode an " A " . Brendan Babish of DVD Verdict gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded the entry a " B " . He wrote that while it was " " a solid episode " it " lacks any of the belly laughs the show frequently elicits . " Michael Sciannamea of AOLTV called the installment " a terrific episode " and wrote that the " Michael Scott [ … ] was at his obnoxious best [ … ] in this episode " . Furthermore , he highly praised the story , noting that " the Jim / Pam scenario has definitely taken a more interesting turn . " During the filming of " The Secret " , the cast of the show discovered that Carell had been nominated for a Golden Globe Award . Fischer later noted that it was " fun that [ ' The Secret ' is ] the episode that airs after his win . " 
