The Office: 21 Things That Make No Sense About Pam

Originating as a remake of a UK comedy series, the American version of The Office soon carved out its own place in the television world. Though some of the characters were based on the original, the show managed to include new faces that audiences would come to love. One of the core storylines of the series began around the budding relationship between Jim Halpert and Pam Beasley. Although Pam was already in a relationship with warehouse worker Roy, she continued a very flirtatious friendship with her coworker. Audiences fell in love with the character not just for her romance with Jim, but for the character itself. Starting as a simple receptionist for the workplace, Pam’s character eventually developed with new skills and talents that could take her places. With a budding talent in drawings and illustrations, she showcased her skills a few times during the series. Although starting out very timid and meek, she soon gained more confidence in herself over time. The long-awaited coupling with Jim added to her storyline and the two began a family together. Though her time in the office took her down some hilarious journeys, the character did experience some emotional growth over the seasons. In the end, she became half of one of the most beloved couples on tv.

However, on more in-depth examination of her history on the show, we discovered a lot of incidents and occasions that made us question how great Pam really was. From lying to jealousy and betrayal, we’ve managed to find 21 Things That Make No Sense About Pam.

21 She Let Meredith Take The Blame For The Lice

In the past, we have seen Pam call out her coworkers for their mistakes or attempts to cover up their errors. However, in the episode “Lice”, we witnessed Pam not only bringing lice into the office but then lie about it. Although she tried to clear Cece of lice the night before, she accidentally infested the office. However, she allowed Meredith to take the blame since she is one of the few employees with children. Not only did her cover-up highlight her selfishness but it led to Meredith shaving her own head to eliminate the problem. Pam didn’t even make a move to reveal the truth on her own. Her secret came out when she answered a phone call from her mother and had to use the speakerphone to receive it. Poor bald Meredith.

20 She constantly connected with Jim while engaged to Roy

19 She Blamed Jim for her Parents’ Divorce

One of Pam’s more outrageous moments came during the two-part episode “Stress Relief” in season 5. Pam’s father had been staying with the couple due to problems with their relationship. Since he won’t talk to her about it, she asked Jim to speak to her father. Incidentally, after their talk, she found out that he decided to get a divorce. Instead of speaking to her father for more details, Pam immediately lashed out at Jim that his actions caused their impending divorce. She then began to have anxiety about her own relationship with Jim and the possibility of them not making it. Pretty big irrational jumps there, Pam. In the end, her father realized his relationship with Pam’s mother did not compare to Pam and Jim’s, leading him to end things instead.

18 She lied her way into a fake position (that she created)

17 She basically ruined Jim and Karen’s relationship

16 She nearly had her first child in the office because of her stubbornness

15 She continuously failed at her pursuits

14 Jim encouraged Pam to pursue her dreams, but she wouldn’t do the same

13 She criticized Michael for starting his company and ended up leaving to join him

12 Shen then tried to bail on Michael when she realized the company was going under

11 She obsessed over why Danny didn’t call her back and harassed him

10 She went to huge lengths to prove Jim found another woman attractive

9 Secret Bitterness over Jim buying his parents’ house without consulting her

8 She Seemed To Be Okay With Cheating (But Not Against Her)

7 She got back with Roy but basically blamed Jim for breaking them up in the first place

When Jim returned to Scranton, Pam thought she would finally have the chance to tell him how she felt. However, the arrival of Karen by his side ruined her plans. Her solution? Get back with the fiancé she wasn’t faithful to and didn’t really want to be with. Pam and Roy tried to rekindle their relationship after attending Phyllis and Bob’s wedding. In an attempt to be truthful with Roy, she advised him that she had a moment with Jim at the casino party. Roy reacted violently when she mentioned he shared his feelings for her. Basically, it’s Pam’s fault that Roy almost got Jim beat up and lost his job. Yes, Roy shouldn’t have reacted so extremely but Pam triggered his reaction. Also, she could have given Jim a head’s up about what happened too. Just saying…

6 Her overreaction to Michael and her mom

We all know that Pam truly cared for Michael. Despite trying to avoid his party invitations and being frustrated with his behavior, she ultimately cared deeply for her boss. He always supported her and encouraged her happiness. So when she found out from Jim that Michael was dating her mom, Helene, her reaction seemed pretty extreme (remember Roy’s reaction to Pam?). She berated him publicly for dating her mom and became very belligerent about it. Pam disrespected him on numerous occasion (he’s still her boss despite their causal relationship) and even slapped him in public as a means to appease her. We understand how she might have been slightly grossed out to have Michael with her mom, but this reaction was pretty extreme.

5 She easily gave up on her art career and blamed others for her failure

4 Pam got way too close to the Boom Operator

Jim and Pam fans all reeled over the events of the final season of The Office. Although the couple usually maintained a happy demeanor together, the events of the final few seasons quickly put a strain on their relationship. Between raising two kids and trying to maintain their long-distance relationship, the couple began communicating with each other less and less. However, in that interim, Pam chose to turn to the boom operator, Brian, for comfort. Understandably, Pam needed a friend to talk to during this time, however, their relationship came quite close to being an affair. The two shared many intimate moments together with Brian even coming to Pam’s rescue, breaking the rule of interfering with the show’s stars. After breaching this line several times, he eventually leaves the show. In the end, Pam worked things out with Jim and Brian disappeared.

3 She left her wedding guests waiting for hours with no remorse

2 Her Varying History With Volleyball

This next issue with Pam would be more of a continuity error than an actual issue with the character. Back in Season 4, Pam helped Michael at a Career Fair being held at her former high school. As she wandered throughout the halls, she reminisced about her days in attendance. In particular, she made a comment that she used to fake being ill to get out of playing volleyball during gym. Fast forward to Season 5 and the “Company Picnic” episode, and we get a completely different background for Pam. She actually showcased her volleyball expertise against the other company branches. She later revealed that she spent her summer at volleyball camp as well as having played from middle school to college. Yeah, that doesn’t add up.

1 Pam makes everyone lie to her grandmother about her pregnancy

The discovery of Pam’s unplanned pregnancy made Jim and Pam very happy (of course). However, Pam’s more conservative and traditional grandmother would not be so pleased. So in the events leading up to their wedding, she made it a priority to keep her happy news away from her. Yes, an adult woman is keeping secret from her Meemaw. Incidentally, the plans failed when Jim gave the toast at their rehearsal dinner and mentioned how Pam would not be drinking like everyone else. After soon poor excuses, he eventually admitted that Pam was pregnant. Meemaw then declared she would not be attending the wedding due to the unplanned pregnancy. Michael (of all people) managed to get through to her and convince her to attend, in the end. However, Pam could have just told her the truth in the beginning, right?

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Which one of these bothers you most? Let us know in the comments!

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