NBC’s hit show, "The Office," is a mockumentary on the office life of the Dunder-Mifflin staff set in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Michael Scott is the manager of the Scranton branch for the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company. Michael is the type of boss who doesn’t take his job very seriously and reflects inappropriate humorous behavior. His co-workers display a great diversity of personalities, adding lots of flavor into the stereotypical dull office life. There is a particular couple that blossom through all nine seasons of the show, that couple is Jim and Pam. They start as friendly acquaintances and become a dedicated married couple. Here are the five highlights we learned from Jim and Pam’s relationship.
1. Strong Friendship before Loving Relationship
At the beginning of the show, Pam and Jim had obvious skinny love for each other. Even though Pam was originally engaged to another character, Jim and Pam continued talking and eventually became close friends. They developed a unique bond, so when they finally became a couple, they still acted as friends but this time, with the added romance of holding hands and what not. Those are the best kinds of couples; a strong friendship before a romantic relationship can take you a long way with your soul mate. It’s important to start a serious relationship with a strong base, that base being the friendship. As friends, you and your (hopefully soon to be) lover should interact regularly and have a good feel for being yourselves around them. Keep in mind that a sense of trust between the two of you should begin to grow as well.
2. Pros and Cons of Working With Your Partner
Being in the same work environment with your romantic partner can have its advantages and disadvantages. As for disadvantages, there were moments when Jim and Pam would get distracted to set up pranks, or when Jim would steer away from work to visit Pam at her desk. It would be even harder on those who already find it hard to focus on their priorities to be in the same room as their romantic partner. Another thing would be if your partner were to hold a higher position than you. When Jim became one of the side-by-side managers with Michael, everyone had thought Jim picked Pam to be the employee of the month after false information was given to Jim. This would be an example of nepotism. You wouldn’t want this kind of drama swirling in your work environment, so it would be best to display a professional image to you and your partner. In terms of benefits, your best friend is right there to help you in any emergency. When Pam was panicking for the amount of trouble she would get into for being one of the workers who spoke about the malfunctioning printers, Jim spoke to her and calmed her down. Rather than facing the problems alone without guidance from the person you count on the most, your partner can be there in the scene to help.
3. Long Distance Relationships Aren’t Always Bad News
It was hard on all of us to have to see Pam go to Art School or when Jim left to start his new company. It was even harder on us to witness the intense argument Jim and Pam held over the phone after Pam didn’t record the video of their daughters first dance recital. We witness the almost breaking point for our most loved couple on the show. But after a few visits to the couple’s therapist and within the course of time, they seemed to get back on track. But it takes more than just couple’s therapy to get through the hardships of being away from your partner for so long. It takes more work from the couple than the actual therapist to find it in each other to remember the good of staying with the person, it’s a lot to ask for patience from each other. Jim and Pam made the right move of taking initiative of seeking help outside their relationship after acknowledging the situation. Ultimately, the most important element holding a couple through any hardship, whether it be long distance relationship or not, is love. If you love your partner enough to stick with them, to be in it for everything, and they feel the exact way towards you, there isn’t anything that can get in the way of you too. No matter how far.
