The Office completely revolutionized the mockumentary-style sitcom genre. The show, which was adapted from the same-titled British series, debuted in 2005 and ran for nine seasons. However, despite having a sizable fan base that continued to this day, the show had its fair share of embarrassing moments. One that specifically features Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) at the forefront.
The duo was an embodiment of couple goals on the show. However, some of their earlier interactions on the show might raise concerns. In one particular scene in question, Jim was blamed for crossing a major line. But was he the only one at fault?
Jenna Fischer’s Pam Under Fire for Playing the Victim in a Particular The Office Scene
The hit show ended in 2013, but several scenes and plots are echoed by fans even to this day. Some scenes are remembered for good reasons; others are not so much. One particular scene in question happens in the second season of the show. And the fans on Reddit have their own theory that while Jim was put under fire for crossing a line, Pam, on the other hand, wasn’t a victim in the scene either.
The scene in question (via Reddit) takes place in Season 2, Episode 6, titled The Flight, when the flirtations between the duo take a rather physical turn. In the episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Dwight Schrute (Rain Wilson) plan to have a physical battle to resolve their disagreement over who is stronger. For this, the entire cast heads down to the local dojo to witness the slap-fight sequence.
In the midst of this, Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) start a pretend fight of their own, in which Jim lifts Pam up off the ground. During this, her shirt rides up and exposes her midriff. At first, Pam dismisses it with a laugh and instructs Jim to put her down. But when she sees Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery), her tone immediately changes, and she asks Jim to put her down once more but this time, very seriously. Based on this, a user commented under the Reddit post:
She only got mad when they both got caught. in my opinion, that makes them both in the wrong.
Jim promptly put her down after this, even though he had been dismissing her earlier protests. Jim received a lot of flak for his inappropriate actions at work. Not just this but the show also made sure that his character suffers the consequences of his actions.
Towards the end of the show, Jim was seen composing an email and then erasing it to express his regret for what had happened before. But even after this, Pam was not the victim in this instance.
Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski Had Real Chemistry on The Office
John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer never got together in real life, as Krasinski was married to Emily Blunt and Fisher was to Lee Kirk. However, they displayed genuine chemistry on screen and an unshakable friendship off-screen. This is evident from the several interviews in which the actors can be seen raving about one another. In 2016, the actress elaborated on this (via the Los Angeles Times) and disclosed:
There’s like a real part of me that is Pam and a real part of him that’s Jim. And those parts of us were genuinely in love with one another.
However, the actress quickly provided clarification to ensure that fans did not get the wrong impression. She continued by saying that although the two did have a deep bond because of their time together on The Office, it did not develop into a romantic one in real life.
In the show, their story started off as being friends but took a dramatic turn when Jim confessed his love for Pam in season 2, despite her being engaged to someone else. But their story moved forward when, in season 3, Episode 25, titled The Job Part 2, he asks Pam out on a date, leading to a romantic relationship in season 4.
You can stream The Office on Peacock and buy it on Apple TV.
