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When you think of the perfect television couple, The Office’s Jim and Pam probably come to mind. They have so much chemistry together, you can practically feel the sexual tension generating from the TV screen throughout the show’s first three seasons. However, a recent BuzzFeed article posits an unsettling theory. What if the lovable Jim Halpert is actually a dick?
Written by Hilary Mitchell, the article goes point by point through Jim’s (John Krasinski) many in-show flaws, largely focusing on how he treated both Pam (Jenna Fischer) and his ex, Karen (Rashida Jones). Altogether, the evidence stacked against him doesn’t look great. Even if you ignore the post-Steve Carell seasons, Mitchell argues that Jim routinely abandoned Pam in uncomfortable situations, didn’t support her, and makes several huge life decisions without her input. Those all kind of suck, but the biggest nail in this argumentative coffin is Jim’s treatment of Karen. Not only does he not admit to Karen that he’s still in love with Pam or that he kissed Pam, he’s pretty distant toward her after she moves to Scranton to be with him. It’s not a good look.
Mitchell takes her argument a step further, arguing that Pam should have actually ended up with Brian the boom mic operator (Chris Diamantopoulos), who is arguably one of the only good parts of later seasons of The Office. Predictably, the internet is very divided (and sad) about this hot take.
If I can add in my two cents on this pop culture argument that has no real weight on the world? Jim kind of sucks. As someone who is in the middle of a rewatch of The Office, his pranks and arrogance now seem a little less charming to me. If John Krasinski wasn’t so attractive and naturally charismatic, I don’t think Jim Halpert would be able to get away with most of his admittedly funny antics. However, Pam isn’t a perfect person either. She can be manipulative, especially when her job is on the line and when it comes to her Roy and Jim balancing act, and she can be really petty. Remember that note asking people to clean out the microwave? They both kind of suck, but in my mind, they deserve each other.
We all need to come to the realization that our favorite TV couple has some problems because everything in 2017 is garbage. Happy Friday, everyone.
