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.
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.
She constantly connected with Jim while engaged to Roy
Throughout the series, fans rooted for Jim and Pam to get together. Though they mainly referred to each other as only friends, the audience could see there were deeper feelings between them. However, this didn’t change the fact that Paw was (unhappily) engaged to Roy. She ignored her relationship to continuously spend time with Jim during their time together in the office. Even if their time together looked like innocent fun, Pam always seemed to look slightly guilty when Roy would show up to leave for the day. Though she tried to deny her feelings for him, it was clear she felt something romantic for her best friend and, though she didn’t fully act on those feelings, she put aside her own relationship to flirt with him incessantly.
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.
She lied her way into a fake position (that she created)
When she returned to Dunder Mifflin, Pam found herself failing in sales. Unable to meet her mandatory quotas and land new customers, she decided her best option would be to lie to her company about her job title. Since Pam was failing at her real job, why not create a new one she could be good at doing? She then proceeded to inform Gabe that she had not been paid for her office job she had been given a few months prior. She hoped to take advantage of the confusion of the acquisition of Dunder Mifflin by Sabre and sneaked the new title in. After successfully tricking all of the department heads into g a document confirming her faux title, she almost got caught when Gabe called her bluff. However, she successfully convinced hi and she got the job.
She basically ruined Jim and Karen’s relationship
The moment we had all been waiting for between Jim and Pam finally happened in “Casino Night”. Jim revealed his feelings for her and kissed her. Although she did kiss him back, she said she did not feel the same. Fast forward a few episodes and we find Jim happily dating Karen and Pam being a single woman again. Although she never took the initiative to call Jim and confirm her feelings, she did wait until he returned to the Scranton office to make her move. Pam continued to flirt with Jim and get his attention. Her re-appearance in his life eventually put a strain on his relationship with Karen and he soon became quite unhappy. Pam even added to their burdens by confessing her feelings for Jim to everyone in the office during the “Beach Games” episode. Classy!
She nearly had her first child in the office because of her stubbornness
Jim and Pam were beyond ecstatic when they discovered that Pam was pregnant with their first child. The couple excitedly prepared for the arrival of their firstborn along with their coworkers, family, and friends. The big day finally arrived during the two-part episode “The Delivery,” however, Pam refused to go through with the birth. Why? Because if she delayed until after midnight, she could have an additional day in the hospital. Although her reason made sense (sort of), she still risked the life of her unborn child and herself by being stubborn. She persuaded the office to continue to distract her from the pain of the contractions while Jim became a nervous wreck worrying about them both. In the end, she waited entirely too long to leave for the hospital and nearly had the baby in the office.
She continuously failed at her pursuits
When we first met Pam Beasley, she worked as a receptionist for Dunder Mifflin. Though this wasn’t her dream, job, she still managed to do the position adequately. Eventually, she tried to branch out and pursue her love of art. When she finally made it to art school, we all hoped she would finally be happy. Sadly, she wasn’t successful and gave up on her dream. Next, she tried to find a new career path in sales at The Michael Scott Paper Company. Once again, she failed. She simply didn’t have what it took to be a great salesperson. Upon returning to Dunder Mifflin, she then made up a new position and gained the title of office . And guess what? She failed again, turning to poor tactics, schemes, and lies just to be somewhat successful.
Jim encouraged Pam to pursue her dreams, but she wouldn’t do the same
When faced with the possibility of being a mere receptionist for the rest of her life, Pam found herself wishing for more interesting pursuits. Having always had an interest in art, she eventually started looking into art schools. However, Roy never ed this dream and she placed her ion on the back burner. However, thanks to the ever encouraging Jim, she found the courage to try it out (although she failed). So, when it came time for Jim to pursue his ion at the up-and-coming Athleads, you would think Pam would return the favor. Yeah, not so much. She basically discouraged him from following his ions, guilting him that she needed him instead. Granted, they had two children now, but they still could have worked it out.
She criticized Michael for starting his company and ended up leaving to him
When Michael could no longer take being mistreated by Dunder Mifflin anymore, he bravely decided to quit the company and start his own business. Because it’s Michael, his methods of starting the new business weren’t well thought out (you can’t steal from your old company for the new one). However, he was determined to find his new start on his own. Yet again, trying to be the voice of reason (but being unive too), Pam criticized his hasty decision incessantly. When his actions are finally discovered by Charles, he made one final speech in hopes of bringing some of his employees with him. Surprisingly, Pam decided to him despite initially criticizing his idea. The two leave together in pursuit of their new (foolish) dream together.
Shen then tried to bail on Michael when she realized the company was going under
As expected, things don’t go well for The Michael Scott Paper Company. With few funds to begin the company and very few initial clients, they soon discover they are in financial trouble. Even with the few clients they manage to steal from their former employer, they soon find themselves on the edge of going under. It is at this moment that Pam fully realized she would soon be unemployed. However, instead of finding ways to help the company, she tried to weasel back into Dunder Mifflin. She tried convincing Charles to take her back in her old position which he declined. We understand things were looking grim but how could you betray your friends/coworkers like that?