The Office: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Jim & Pam's Relationship
While Jim and Pam were seen as the ultimate aspirational television couple for a long while, some fans have pointed out more recently that they weren’t perfect. While they were definitely better than most of the other couples on the show, there were some things about them that just didn’t work.
Of course, neither of these characters were perfect, and no relationship is going to be completely wonderful all the time. But, there were some things about their relationship on The Office that didn’t make sense.
10 Why Jim didn’t stand up for Pam when she was harassed
The employees of Dunder Mifflin Scranton definitely acted in ways that were totally inappropriate, and Micahel Scott was one of the worst. He might have been the boss, but he often harassed his employees in various ways.
Both Micahel and many of the other men would make inappropriate comments about Pam. However, Jim hardly ever said anything or defended her even when he had more power in the office than her.
9 Why they thought they were so special
One thing that some fans started to notice about Jim and Pam is that they could also be annoying. They were less annoying than some of the more over the top characters, but they still had their moments.
They thought they were better than everyone else around them, and they could be somewhat insufferable. They often overestimated just how charming they were.
8 Jim left a lot of the work to Pam
While at first, it seems like Jim really supports Pam’s goals and dreams, this didn’t completely turn out to be the case. When she was with Roy, he was always urging her to pursue art, and even when they first started dating he did this, too.
But, then, as they got married and had kids, it became more and more about Jim. He also would often ditch Pam to deal with problems with their co-workers.
7 They actually seemed to want different things
While Jim and Pam are presented through most of the series as being nearly perfect for each other, we see in the last season that they weren’t completely a fairytale. They might have had some things in common, and they did want some of the same things such as marriage and children.
However, when it came down to it, they wanted different things for their future. Jim wanted to change careers and move while Pam was happier in Scranton. It seems like they never really discussed these things.
6 The way Jim treated both Pam and Karen
While some fans blamed Karen for things, she actually didn’t deserve the hate. She was a good match for Jim in many ways, and she didn’t know about his past with Pam.
However, Jim led them both on because he still had feelings for Pam but wouldn’t be with her. He wasn’t very upfront and truthful with Karen, and it was really just his own pride getting in the way that he didn’t just start dating Pam sooner.
5 Pam staying with Roy for so long
Pam’s relationship with Roy was really not good. He didn’t treat her very well, and they had very little in common. However, it makes little sense she stayed with him for so long and then got back together.
Even after Jim expressed his feelings, she knew she would be happier with Jim. She was way too scared to change her life for the better for so long.
4 Why Pam didn’t care that Jim treated other women coldly
While Jim, for the most part, treats Pam well, he wasn’t the best boyfriend to the other women in his life. He broke up with Karen pretty coldly and then immediately asked Pam out on a date. He also broke up with Katy while on the Booze Cruise.
While he might have always wanted Pam, this didn’t give him an excuse to treat the other women he dated like they were nothing. But, what’s even weirder is that Pam didn’t seem bothered by any of this behavior at all.
3 Why Pam gave up on everything after being with Jim
The Office doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to its female characters, and they are usually sidelined into only being love interests.
So, it was rather frustrating when Pam’s desire to be an artist mostly went away as she became a wife and mother while Jim continued to excel in his career.
2 How Jim acted with Cathy
While some fans speculate that Jim and Cathy had an affair, others don’t think this happened. However, no matter what, it’s still weird how Jim handled Cathy coming onto him.
She completely crossed the line and was rather harassing, but he also didn’t put his foot down. He used weird pranks to get her out of his hotel bed instead of just telling her to leave. It was really immature and odd.
1 Why Jim thought he could make decisions for Pam
The most upsetting and weirdest thing about their relationship is how often Jim would make huge, life-changing decisions without Pam’s input.
It started out with him buying his parents’ house for them without asking Pam, and then he started Athlead and started changing the course of their family’s future. He definitely wasn’t treating Pam and what she wanted as equally important.