Last week, Claire Zulkey and I got into a heated AIM-gument about the current direction of The Office, as it has now become clear that it will be Karen, the gorgeous sophisticated saleswoman played by Rashida Jones, and not distance, keeping Pam and Jim apart.
The Office viewers of course saw this coming a mile away (when Karen appeared in the first episode my friend and I looked at each other and said "oh no!") So this weekend, we thought it would be fun to make tshirts and have a big pretend fight and pit Office fans against each other, because we're apparently not too busy to enjoy doing volunteer work for the underpriviledged folks at the NBC marketing department.
Claire's long-ass essay is below. My short one can be found on her blog. And yes, with the help of Claire's enterprising boyfriend Steve, we really did design tshirts, and you can choose a side and buy one here.
WHY I'M ON TEAM KAREN
By Claire Zulkey
So I was glad when Jim ran away to the Stamford office after being humiliatingly spurned by Pam....
Running away was a sissy thing to do which is why I liked it. Jim could sometimes teeter on the edge of being a little too Lloyd Dobler--too perfectly sensitive and quirky and sincere. I'm glad Jim didn't stand outside Pam's wedding with a stereo blasting Peter Gabriel.
While in Stamford, Jim's met a new co-worker named Karen, played by the supercool Rashida Jones. Unlike the other female characters in the show, Karen is the in the same department as Jim, so they work more closely together. Not unpredictably, to ratchet up the tension, the writers of the show have created a little chemistry between the two. And I'm loving it. I'm maybe one of the few, though, I just went to IMDB and on the John Krasinski message boards, readers are howling about how much they hate Karen and how they'll turn off the show if Jim and Karen get together.
I wholeheartedly disagree. I went from merely liking Karen to cheering for her, now, to get with Jim.
I understand why I'm in the minority. Since Karen is a newer character we don't have as much background on her and we don't empathize with her as much. We don't know how she feels about her job, or what her life has been like up 'til now, whereas we know that Pam really wants to be a children's book illustrator and that her life has been full of sad little disappointments thus far (some that I find due to her annoying passivity). However, if you want empathy, just watch Karen's face as Jim tells her that she should take the job in New York instead of Scranton. Gah. I'm clutching my heart right now.
I also like Karen because, while she's a little awkward like Pam, it's in a slightly different vein. While Pam is more of the sweet dork in Keds and cardigans, I see Karen more as a closeted nerdette who enjoys playing computer games with the boys. I like she-nerds.
Plus, I like the dynamic between Karen and Jim more. They don't know each other as well yet, but I feel like Pam and Jim are more immature together--or maybe I'm just getting sick of all the joking around being so much more. When Karen and Jim flirt, it seems smarter, more adult--it also helps that Jim is (or was) in an office that expected more of him than at one where he was languishing, where his flirtation with Pam served not only as an emotional outlet but as a way to fight boredom as well. Maybe I just like that Karen thought Jim was a doofus when she first met him (and did a great impression of him) which makes it seem less puppy-dog.
However, I told Lindsay that one thing pretty much summed up why I am Team Karen: on last week's episode, while Pam tried subtly to disertain whether Jim would be returning to the Scranton office, Karen looked at the camera and declared "I'm kinda into him." Go Karen--no pussyfooting around!
It might just be of course that I subconsciously always root for the girl with the darker hair. Who knows.
This is all not to say that I am anti-Pam. In addition to being on Team Pam, I am now on Team Roy (Have you seen him lately?) So I hope Pam finds love...with Roy.
Claire Zulkey is a friend of mine and everything, but if you're not on Team Pam, you're an asshole.
Posted by: John Green | November 13, 2006 at 01:53 PM
This was an interesting read, for sure, but Jim and Pam as the new Rachel and Joey? Oh hell no.
Posted by: Nina | November 13, 2006 at 01:56 PM
I totally saw the Rachel/Joey thing too, when Jim and Pam kissed at the end of "Casino Night', but I found it oddly heartwarming at the same time. But I'm digging this new dynamic, or lack thereof, which is caused by their separation. Cannot wait until Jim returns (with Karen in tow) to Scranton this week.
Posted by: Jasmine | November 13, 2006 at 02:00 PM
You're the asshole, John. unless you buy a shirt.
Posted by: Claire Zulkey | November 13, 2006 at 02:06 PM
How about if I boycott both teams and root for Tim/Dawn instead?
Posted by: tankboy | November 13, 2006 at 03:15 PM
in the end, you know it will be another tim/dawn.
Posted by: eeeeeeee | November 13, 2006 at 04:00 PM
Wow-I thought I was Team Pam until I read this. Dammit. Now I'm conflicted. And I thought I was the only one who thought Roy suddenly got hot-when he came to the Diwali festival and saw Pam dancing and then turned around and left, my heart really went out to the big lug.
Posted by: Kim | November 13, 2006 at 04:01 PM
team andy!
Posted by: dan | November 13, 2006 at 06:13 PM
Over the summer they revealed that Angela has a thing for Roy. Wouldn't it be a great storyline to have Angela start a triangle romance storyline between Roy and Dwight? The awesome things Dwight may do to compete. It would give us something to think about until Pam and Jim are finally together.
Posted by: Ellelque | November 13, 2006 at 06:16 PM
I *might* be leaning to team Karen....
Posted by: Jennifer | November 13, 2006 at 07:35 PM
Wow! Way to much time on your hands. Just enjoy the ride!
Posted by: Sam | November 13, 2006 at 07:49 PM
Pam had her chance with Jim and she blew it. GO KAREN:)
I hate when girl's play hard to get and can't make up their minds. Once they see they have lost something then they get interested.
TEAM KAREN ALL THE WAY.
Posted by: sam | November 13, 2006 at 11:04 PM
This argument has about as much credibility as "Scully and Skinner -- whoo yay". So Karen's assertive? Who cares? They could just as well have named her Annoying Plot Device.
Roy and Pam together again. Surely you jest.
Posted by: Alexa Grace | November 14, 2006 at 02:04 AM
I'm on Team Pam (i think). It's a bit scary, since I consider myself a rational person, but have trouble separating Jenna Fischer from Pam. Ex: Have you seen Lollilove?? If Pam has the same sense of humor as Jenna, then I'm definately on Team Pam. Also Pam/Jenna left me a "happy birthday" comment on mySpace. I know, it's screwed up logic, but for now, I'm on Team Pam. Also, on Jim, I like how they hint that Jim is awesome and with it, but it's not over-the-top. The exact contrast would be Seth Cohen, i.e. we all know Jim listens to This American Life and indie-rock, we don't need him to name-drop everything.
Posted by: Long-time listener, first time-caller | November 14, 2006 at 09:35 AM
Can we look at this from Jim's POV? If he ends up with Pam, and Karen sticks around, Pam will drive Jim crazy because she is intimidated by Karen and fears she will take Jim away (like when they go on sales trips together...). But if Jim gets Karen, then he can still be friends with Pam, because Karen won't be as jealous of her. However, the point about Karen getting bored with Jim does make sense, and that's probably how the show will go, Jim with Karen and Pam on the outside until Karen drops him to go produce records with her father.
Posted by: Aaron | November 14, 2006 at 10:14 AM
I was on Team Pam, too, until the Diwali episode and Roy broke my heart a little. Now I think I'm on Team Roy. Which, I suppose, throws my allegiance to Team Karen by default.
Posted by: Nichole | November 14, 2006 at 10:18 AM
I feel that it is necessary to respond to some of the above commenters:
1. Sam: Pam was not playing hard to get. She was ENGAGED. Breaking an engagement is a very difficult thing to do (unless you are my former fiancee, in which case it is fun and easy.) Anyway, Pam had to think long and hard about it before dumping Roy in the off-season.
2. Aaron: Your implication that Karen is hotter than Pam is appalling.
3. Nichole: Oh, come on. Roy can't ever love Pam like she deserves. I love Roy, and I want Roy to be happy, but no way can Pam and Roy ever have a fulfilling life together. Roy needs someone a little tougher, a little more brash: What Roy needs, in short, is Karen.
Posted by: John Green | November 14, 2006 at 11:44 AM
1) Ellegue: My thoughts exactly. Roy mentioned in the parking lot the hottest person in the office was Angela. And Angela mentioned in another episode that she thought Roy was the hottest. No one - besides Pam - has a clue about Dwangela.
I would love to see the craziness ensue when Roy moves in on Angela - and in their demented minds Dwight and Angela decide that she should do a date to keep their love hidden. Oh, the insanity.
Pam. all. the. way.
Although I would rather see this sequence. Three-way sexual tension for 5 episodes. Then with still no signal from Pam; Karen + Jim hotness...then she chews him up and spits him out...and broken, heartwrecked Jim is nursed back to health by Pam who has been waiting for him all along.
Fin.
Posted by: Weierd | November 14, 2006 at 12:37 PM
Team Karen. She is smoking hot and has the voice of a women who drinks. Plus when she imitated Jim looking into the camera, I fell in love.
Posted by: Sean | November 14, 2006 at 01:54 PM
Let's not forget that for two seasons, Pam has flirted and given Jim blue balls. Then she just runs off to Roy. It was definitely flirting, and my boy Jim does not deserve some trick like that. Go Karen!
Posted by: D High | November 14, 2006 at 09:26 PM
Here's the deal: I love Pam and Karen is seemingly even cooler. However, Pam had her chance. She broke Jim's heart and wouldn't admit her true feelings, though we could ALL see it! Karen, on the hand, has already admitted (though not to Jim) that she "kind of into him." She deserves Jim; Pam lost her chance. Sorry Pam, but it's KAREN TIME!
Posted by: Brock | November 14, 2006 at 10:39 PM
But how much better would it be if Karen went after Ryan instead? Then we'd get crazy Kelly fallout galore, Dwight in crisis management mode, and Jim and Pam's boring fruitless flirting could continue for seasons and seasons!
Posted by: laura schrute | November 15, 2006 at 12:48 PM
Hey, I want to buy a TEAM PAM shirt, but I was just wondering about the sizing... where are the shirts from? And the sizes are unisex, right? Thanks!
Also, you people denouncing Pam for "leading Jim on" are crazy in the head. Wouldn't you rather have a girlfriend who's loyal and would never cheat on her fiance?
Posted by: Gwen | November 15, 2006 at 03:24 PM
I think the reason why people are so pro-Karen and Jim is b/c they feel like Pam had her chance and now it's Karen's turn. I don't see it that way. Pam was engaged, for God's sake. I mean, she was realistic in turning Jim down. But she's made a lot of progress and has truly become the Fancy New Beesly. She's not the insecure, dependent woman anymore, but she's more assertive and looks like she's prepared for the fight. Come on, there's a reason why Jim fell for her, and that's just not going to disappear.
Look, i think Jim should give Karen a try, only b/c that just means that Pam has to fight for Jim and earn Jim back. It would be too easy if Jim just stayed single. No, she has to fight for Jim while he's w/ Karen like he did while she was w/ Roy. Karen is needed for competition. Pam needs some competition!
Karen is merely the catalyst for Jim and Pam's inevitable relationship. Yes, that sounded cold and analytical, but it's true.
Posted by: OfficeAddict | November 15, 2006 at 05:17 PM
Pam is the type of girl you could marry and settle down with.
Karen is the type of girl you'd cheat on pam with.
go karen
Posted by: ender | November 16, 2006 at 05:18 AM