Channel Surfing: Why do "Office" fans think Jim and Pam are real? | greenbaypressgazette.com

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Why do "Office" fans think Jim and Pam are real?

First and perhaps most important: you should never read message board or blog comments ... well, except those on Channel Surfing, which is really easy to do because we barely get any. (Though I do want to commend fine folks like Ms. Quarter and Eileen, who've been with us since day one. Thanks for adding a level of intelligence and expertise to our site.)

That said, you really shouldn't read comments on a story about "The Office," because, well, you're going to find that fans of the show's "relationship humor" are quite delusional. In fact, I'm scared to type further ...

While reading an E! Online story about the possible return of minor league hockey fan/Pam's ex-fiance Roy to "The Office," a few fans got carried away and began -- oh, I don't know -- musing about a possible Jim-Pam (I refuse to use "Jam") breakup as though they were hopped up on crazy pills and heading for the first bridge to jump off of.

Now, nevermind that Roy is rumored to return simply as a bird in Jim's ear -- apparently, something he says spurs Jim to think about his relationship in a new way. Couple that with the subtle tease of Pam's clever new art-school friend and you've got DRAMA, people, DRAMA!

Among my favorite comments (all which make me ashamed to be an 'Office' fan, OMG, OMG, OMG ...):

"The writers know better than to break up Jim and Pam they are the heart of the show. That being said, I would like to see some real life relationship angst for them. We saw a little last week with the webcam frustration and Jim saying he hadn't seen his girlfriend in 10 days. I have always wanted Jim to step up and fight for Pam in a very passionate way. "

"I'd cry. For the zillionth time. Does Hades have to freeze over for these two to get their acts together? Please say it ain't so ... and I don't see Pam doing that to Jim, cause, he's, well, he's Jim, and Roy, well, you know what I'm saying ... "

"They CANNOT EVER EVER EVER break up Jim and Pam ... THEY ARE TV's perfect couple."

"Pam may find comfort in having a Jim-a-like at school, but no way would she ever do anything. Jim is WAY TOO PERFECT."

"The writers BETTER NOT BREAK UP JIM AND PAM BECAUSE THEY WILL HAVE A MOB OF HATERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"I just have to say, that if anything ... and I mean ANYTHING happens to break up Jim and Pam I would be beyond crushed. I just about had a heart attack when I read the title to this article. I worry about them, afraid that it is too perfect, but I don't think I could handle it if they broke up."

Deep breaths, people. I'm not advocating a Jim-Pam break-up ... but it's a TV show. The fate of "The Office" doesn't lie in the hands of their happy coupledom, nor do I particularly care if Jim and Pam get married this week and the rest of their on-screen relationship plays out like ... well, every other boring office romance in the history of mankind.

Love-starved "Office" fans: you can now back to your lonely carton of Ben & Jerry's and updating that Match.com profile in hopes that your John Krasinski look-a-like FINALLY comes calling.

Geez ...

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com

Labels: The Office

7 Comments:

How dare you suggest that Pam and Jim are not real!? You've completely shattered my delusional connection to a pair of characters on a sitcom! How am I supposed to go on living my life now? My existence is meaningless.

/insane office fan

That being said, I would enjoy a little bit of tension in the JAM (yeah, I did it) relationship. Things have been going far too swimmingly, and they planted the seeds last week with the college dude and his uber dorky lecture doodles. They have to keep it interesting, right? Jim and Pam certainly aren't going to be skipping off into the sunset hand-in-hand with their two perfect children tagging along behind, right?

By Anonymous, At October 1, 2008 at 2:05 PM

IF JIM AND PAM BREAK UP I WILL DRIVE TO THE NBC STUDIOS PARKING LOT AND SET MYSELF ON FIRE.

Ha ha, but seriously folks, there are at least two more seasons of "The Office" to go (star Steve Carell recently signed a three-year extension) so what exactly are they going to do with Jelly (sorry, Jam) to keep them watchable? A break-up would be predictable and annoying, but do you really want two seasons of Happily Married Jim and Pam? Borrr-ring.

The other option is a series of B-stories involving their marital strife at home, "Raymond"-style. But that would require the leap of logic that Jim and Pam would regularly let a documentary camera crew into their boudoir every night. Of course, if that means seeing Jenna Fisher in skimpy pajamas on a weekly basis, then logic be damned!

-Adam

By Press-Gazette blogger, At October 1, 2008 at 2:22 PM

NOOO!! MY ENTIRE CONCEPT OF ROMANCE AND RELATIONSHIPS IS BASED ON JAM! THEY CANNOT BREAK UP!

Although I agree that having their relationship go swimmingly well would be boooring, I don't think I can deal with a break-up/make-up storyline, either. Having suffered through the Rachel 'n Ross drama (Sam 'n Diane, McDreamy 'n... you get the idea), I am done with that. So, really, writers have a dilemma. They can either split the pair up -- therefore suffering the wrath of viewers everywhere, allow them to be boring and couply, or do the whole break-up 'n make-up thing that's so mid-1990s.

Either way, someone's not going to be happy.

--Malavika

By Press-Gazette blogger, At October 1, 2008 at 2:48 PM

Surely there are more options than that? I mean, creative writers should be able to do something interesting/funny with a relationship besides break it up! And it's not that I think Jim and Pam are real, but breaking them up would feel wrong considering the narrative they've built for them (you know, the years of longing and being with other people who weren't right for them...). Also it would feel manipulative. And like something of a cop-out.

By Eileen, At October 1, 2008 at 7:57 PM

In addition to the parameters of "shrinkage" and the many and varied ways to utilize the phrase "yada, yada, yada", Seinfeld taught us an important lesson. Comedy does not have to be dramatic or plot driven - it simply has to be FUNNY! I could care less what they do with Jim and Pam, as long as they stay true to their characters and it's hilarious. But, after seeing what they did with Jan, I don't exactly trust the writers to follow my rules.

By Anonymous, At October 2, 2008 at 8:08 AM

Jumping off Adam's point, I think logic has already been shelved if we consider that the film crew followed Pam to art school. I know that seems like a stupid thing to gripe about, but I've long been disappointed that the show couldn't resolve the issue of filming a work documentary and somehow piecing together "personal details" without going ... I don't know, to really uncomfortable and lame dinner parties involving the couples of Dunder Mifflin?

"The Office" has always had it both ways, and yeah, it's necessary for the TV viewer at home, but it also doesn't purely fit the premise of a work doc being shot. Again, that's a minor hangup on my part, but it'll also be why I seriously complain when Pam and Jim go to the zoo with the Halpert family and crazy cracks start to show in their relationship, or something ...

-- Tom

By Press-Gazette blogger, At October 3, 2008 at 9:39 AM

thank u, thank u, thank u...im embarrased to call myself an office fan after what some of these people say...its just a tv show...the office is better without jim n pam together

By Jason, At March 26, 2009 at 9:04 PM