The Office S2 Ep5: Halloween
What’s spookier: losing your job or losing the one you love?
'That's why I'm being fired? So you don't look like an idiot?" - Devon
Breaking down Jim & Pam’s love story in The Office one episode at a time…
All Office episode breakdowns.
Beginning
Pam shows her commitment to Jim in this episode, proving this is not a one-sided office crush.
Jim and Pam send out fake resumes for Dwight so he can work far, far away. We are reminded of how much fun Jim and Pam have together when they improvise lines of Dwight’s resume.
“You can have me either way. Plain white Jim, or three-hole punch.” -Jim
But when Pam suggests Jim apply for that job in Maryland, Jim is crushed. He can barely speak and scrunches his face to the side. The audience knows Jim is only at Dunder Mifflin for Pam. Jim knows this. How does Pam not know it, too?
"I'm just trying to figure out why you're sabotaging things." - Angela
Middle
Be careful what you wish for, Pam. Michael has to fire somebody, and Pam looks scared when Michael calls Jim into his office. Maybe Jim will be leaving after all.
When Jim finally emerges from Michael’s office, Pam runs to him and grabs his hand. He brushes her off and walks away. I think this is a big deal. As two people who are in love, but who are not supposed to touch, it’s significant not only that Pam touches his hand, but also that Jim tugs away immediately. It shows how hurt he is. It shows how scared Pam was of losing him.
Angela: Well, I looked through all the budgets. And there is one department that has three people doing the work that could be done by two.
Oscar: This is great….Oh.
Kevin: Yeah. Oh.
Jim stops interacting with Pam. Who can blame him, if she really is unbothered by the idea of him moving to Maryland? Pam is engaged to, living with, and having sex with someone else, plus Jim stays at this boring job for her, plus she wouldn’t care if he left? It’s too imbalanced.
If Pam doesn’t care if Jim leaves this job, it means she doesn’t care if she stops seeing him, which means she wouldn’t really care about him. He needs to know that Pam values him as a partner, not as someone to joke around with at work.
“If any of you wanna meet me for a drink, I'm going to be at Poor Richard's. The rest of you can go to hell.” - Devon
End
At the end of the work day, Pam tries to regain Jim’s good graces. She tells him she is sorry for pushing him to the new job in Maryland and that if he left, she would “blow her brains out.” Jim accepts the repair and the two reconnect. In this way, they cement their nuanced relationship. Pam shows she is committed and that Jim is special to her. She cares.
Jim and Pam need each other, but they also need evidence of the other person’s love or they could feel delusional. Especially for Jim, who doesn’t have the safety net of a fiance at home. The establishment of their relationship is as sneaky and coded as the relationship itself.
In a talking head, Jim talks about how much the “blow my penis brains out” comment meant to him. He confirms what we already knew: that if Pam left Dunder Mifflin, he would leave, too.
Once again, a small moment keeps Jim’s hope alive.
“Happy Halloween. Jan called.” - Pam
