The Office: 10 Ways Pete & Erin Were The New And Improved Jim & Pam

For nine long seasons, fans of The Office fell in love with the romance between Jim and Pam. They were torn apart by other relationships and lives outside of work but they eventually came together and gave viewers what they wanted. We saw the pair grow as friends, lovers, husband and wife, and parents. But by the ninth season, a new office romance was brewing: Pete and Erin.

The similarities between Jim and Pam and Erin and Pete are far too great to leave for granted. Was this the writers’ way of introducing a new generation of Dunder Mifflin employees? Was Pete and Erin’s relationship synonymous with their elders, Jim and Pam? Let’s take a look at how Pete and Erin are the new and improved versions of Jim and Pam and how they mirror each other.

10 THEY ARE THE SPITTING IMAGE OF JIM & PAM

Pete Miller joined The Office in the ninth season as a customer service representative along with a fellow newbie, Clark. Together, the two looked almost identical to younger versions of Jim and Dwight, which made everyone take notice .

Funny enough, with Erin’s red hair and bubbly sweaters, she also mirrored a younger version of Pam. With all four of them together, there was too much in common to ignore. Well, externally that is. There actually wasn’t too much to talk about between Jim and Pete and even with Pam and Erin.

9 ERIN WAS ALSO IN A RELATIONSHIP WHEN SHE STARTED HAVING FEELINGS FOR PETE

When we first meet Pam and Jim, we learn that Pam isn’t just in another relationship but she’s seriously engaged to another man who works in the warehouse. Roy and Pam had been together since high school and have a long history, making it difficult for Pam to iron out her feelings between Roy and Jim.

Likewise, Erin was seriously head-over-heels with Andy when Pete came to Dunder Mifflin but her feelings for Andy quickly faded after he ditched her for a three-month sailing trip.

8 THEY BOTH HAD THEIR FIRST KISS AT DUNDER MIFFLIN

Should Dunder Mifflin reevaluate its policy on in-office relationships? We’ve seen Jim and Pam, Pam and Roy, Erin and Pete, Erin and Andy, Erin and Gabe, Jim and Karen, Andy and Angela, Kelly and Ryan, Kelly and Darryl, Michael and Holly, Darryl and Val, Angela and Dwight…

Everyone loves everyone! Office relationships can get tricky but at Dunder Mifflin, it’s where love blossoms. Both couples had their first kisses on Dunder Mifflin’s property. Jim and Pam were in the office while Erin and Pete were in the parking lot.

7 RUMORS ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEGAN SWIRLING BEFORE THERE EVEN WAS ONE

It’s magical for viewers to see love growing between couples before they (or anyone else) even realize it. For Jim and Pam, Angela was the first one to bring attention to it to Pam, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable. As an engaged woman, she didn’t need rumors going around the office about her being unfaithful. Erin and Pete also suffered a similar fate when Nellie chose the two to work on a special project together. At the time, Erin was still technically with Andy and didn’t want Nellie thinking she was disloyal to both her boyfriend and her boss.

6 BOTH PETE AND JIM PROTECT THEIR WOMEN AGAINST BAD GUYS

Are Jim and Pete silent protectors? As admirers from afar, both Jim and Pete have watched over Pam and Erin in their own way. Before they were all linked up as couples, there’s not much Jim and Pete could do to make sure their beloved ladies were taken care of in their time of need but they did so in their own way. Jim was the soundboard Pam always needed when it came to Roy in “Booze Cruise” and in “Casino Night.” And Pete was Erin’s shoulder to cry on in “Work Bus” and in “Dwight Christmas.”

5 DUNDER MIFFLIN IS A GREAT UNOFFICIAL FIRST DATE

What is it about selling paper that brings this company so close together? While both Erin and Pam were in their own relationships with Roy and Andy, they had unofficial first dates with their Dunder Mifflin crushes while their significant others were out of the picture.

Pam and Jim shared an intimate moment together on the rooftop in “The Client” while Pete and Erin were caught canoodling in “Dwight Christmas” watching Die Hard. 

4 BURGER NIGHTS

In a strange cosmic twist, both Pam and Jim and Erin and Pete were seen sharing a special moment around burgers.

In “Dinner Party,” Pam and Jim left Michael and Jan’s dinner party after it ended in a fight and headed to a burger joint. The two were seen devouring their burgers while listening to Jan’s favorite song that she couldn’t stop playing at their home. Then in Season 9, Pete takes Erin to a local diner to grab a burger after Clark filmed a fake audition tape for Erin and Andy. Pete and Erin were seen conversing and giggling through bites.

3 BOTH JIM AND PETE SKIP DRESSING UP FOR HALLOWEEN

In the Halloween-themed episode “Here Comes Treble,” Erin is dressed as a puppy and Pam is dressed as a doctor-Cinderella. As per usual, Jim didn’t dress up as anything and neither did Pete. Pete wasn’t aware of how hard the Dunder Mifflin employees go on Halloween so he didn’t bother dressing up. Jim, on the other hand, never dresses up for Halloween. He once went as a hole-puncher and as Popeye but that’s about as festive as Jim will get. Do Jim and Pete have more in common than they originally thought?

2 BOTH ANDY AND ROY RETALIATED AFTER THEIR BREAKUPS

Roy and Andy weren’t bad people per se, they just weren’t a good fit for Pam and Erin, respectively. Roy took advantage of Pam’s kindness often and never took the time to really listen to her. He always pushed her to the side when she really needed him. Similarly, Andy left Erin in Scranton while he set sail for the Caribbean and didn’t bother to check in with her. When he made it back to Scranton, he was naive enough to think everything would go back to normal between the two but their love had clearly faded.

1 PETE AND JIM SWOOP IN TO KEEP THEM FROM CRYING

From friends to lovers, both Jim and Pete were sensitive and intuitive enough to understand when their ladies needed help. Yes, Pam and Erin are independent women who can take care of themselves but from a romance standpoint, fans loved seeing these men console their women. Pete was there for Erin when Andy rejected Nellie’s adoption application and when Andy dismissed her on his trip. And Jim always picked up the pieces when Roy (and even Michael) upset Pam enough to disrupt her day.

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
(1646 Articles Published)

Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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