I just finished the first podcast of The Office Ladies podcast with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. I like both very much and I want to say something nice… so I’ll talk about The Office instead. For anyone who doesn’t know, Pam Beesly (played by Jenna) and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) were the central couple of The Office. Their relationship was one of the few carried over from the British version. One thing I did learn from The Office Ladies podcast was that Stephen Merchant suggested to the American showrunners that the show’s longevity would be aided by leaning into the Pam/Jim relationship. Well, Jim and Pam would have celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this year. Insert Chrissy Teigen, who asked the real question: are Pam and Jim still married?
It has been 10 years since Jim and Pam got married. Do you think they are still together, separated, divorced or open marriage
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 13, 2019
As you can see, most folks think Pam and Jim would still be together. But do folks really think they would be together or do people want them to be together because they idealized their relationship? I say the latter, and so did Chrissy. She recognized folks’ optimism, and then crushed their dreams with her dire predictions:
I think they’re together but Philly Jim likes a taste of the high life and bottle service with athletes and Pam still can’t figure out her phone so he never has to answer FaceTimes and he never gets caught
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 14, 2019
They never went to Austin. You know it and I know it. I talk about moving to Austin every other day and here I am. Not in Austin
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 14, 2019
But then Chrissy makes a startling yet statistically accurate assumption:
Actually you know what? Phyllis and Bob are def still together. Dwight and Angela still together. Michael and Holly definitely together. Mathematically (i got a C+) SOMEONE here has to be divorced. It’s Jim and Pam.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 14, 2019
When I started at CB I’d only seen the British version of The Office, which wasn’t my favorite but my husband loved it. Based on many of your comments, I went back and watched the American version since. I liked it fine, but it wouldn’t be in my Top 10 favorite shows. And honestly, I never got the hoopla over Jim and Pam. I didn’t get any more excited about them than any of the other relationships on the show and I never saw how Jim was the greatest guy ever. And now I see I am not alone. Kate Hudson at Pajiba, from whom I lifted this story, started her article by saying that Jim, “was a monster.” I didn’t go into her article thinking that, but she makes a valid argument. I agree with Chrissy in her initial theory, that they are still married but Pam is frustrated because she forsake her career to follow Jim and they live separate and loveless lives. And Pam definitely regrets never using her art degree for anything more that kids’ crafts.
Honestly, I don’t think we should stop at Pam and Jim. There are plenty of marriages we should speculate about. Feel free to add your own:
Ross and Rachel (Friends) – divorced/remarried/divorced but co-parenting well (and unable to sustain a relationship with anyone else)
Ben and Leslie (Parks and Rec) – married. Happy, but only because they focus more on their careers than their marriage
Doug and Carol (ER) Divorced. Doug cheated, repeatedly.
Luke and Lorelai (Gilmore Girls) Divorced. Luke moved and never speaks to Lorelai, although he does call Rory on occasion.
Mindy and Danny (The Mindy Project) Married. I know! But jay-sus Christ are they insufferable to be around. Nobody ever comes to their dinner parties unless Mindy guilts them into it.
Photo credit: Avalon
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