The Office S2Ep6: The Fight
Karate chop my heart
Jim: “How did you know they were back belts?”
Michael: “They told me after.”
Breaking down Jim & Pam’s love story in The Office, one episode at a time…
All Office episode breakdowns.
Beginning
Yes, Michael and Dwight get into a fight. But they’re not the only ones…
“Wash your hands, Kevin.” -Dwight
Jim makes fun of Dwight’s karate and Pam tries to get Michael to sign a “perfect storm” of papers. But Michael is too distracted with Dwight’s karate to focus.
We are used to Pam managing Michael. I doubt this is the only relationship she is the maid/mother/manager…which makes Jim all the more refreshing.
Pam reads Jim’s palm at reception. Last week, Pam grabbed for Jim’s hand and he let go right away. This week, he lets her touch and stroke his hand. She even comments on his “very nice” teeth without looking up. She knows what they look like from memory.
“Staaaaacy” -Kevin
The karate rivalry between Dwight and Michael escalates. Jim finally convinces Pam to participate in his prank in exchange for a bag of chips. He doesn’t tell her any details, which means they already discussed off-camera what Pam will do. This is another reminder that we only see a fraction of Jim and Pam’s relationship.
The two are practically back up dancers for Michael as they follow him to the kitchen. He challenges Dwight to a fight at lunch.
Be careful what you wish for, Jim and Pam…
“Could you practice on the forms?” - Pam
Middle
It’s about to go down at the dojo.
“Did I want to harm Michael? The one man I’ve been hired to protect? No. I did not.” -Dwight
Jim reads Pam’s karate pad “palm.” She taps him playfully and they pretend-fight. Lots of giggling. Touching escalates to grabbing. Before we know it, Jim is carrying Pam and her shirt is all bunched up. For once, someone other than Dwight is showing their stomach.
Pam laughs along until she sees Meredith look at her and Jim. Then her tone switches from playful to pissed. She tells Jim to put her down and walks away without looking back. Jim looks confused and upset.
You could argue being picked up crosses the line for Pam, but she only gets mad when Meredith notices. Coworkers’ eyes have been a mirror for Pam this season. She wakes up and sees herself through their perspective.
Our next couple fights on the karate stage. Jim and Pam watch from opposite sides of the dojo. Pam looks miserable. But Jim, the ever-faithful surrogate character for the audience, laughs along as Michael and Dwight fight.
“God you look like such an idiot.” -Michael
Why can Jim shake it off in the moment, but Pam stays visibly embarrassed?
Maybe because Pam is more self-conscious. When men get in office romances, they can usually keep their reputations in tact. When women date at work, they can be reduced to their sex. This would be heightened for Pam, who is engaged to someone else (so she’d be an adulteress on top of it) and who is not ready to admit to herself that she likes Jim.
“Because it was New Year's Eve and it began to snow at exactly midnight.” - Dwight
End
Angela: “This is illegal.”
Stanley: “I don’t care.”
Back at the office, Jim writes an apology email to Pam, but erases it as soon as he sees the camera spying. He looks embarrassed.
The medium is the message. Jim would rather write an email than talk to Pam about their fight. Pam—someone he talks to all day! The formality of an email could also speak to how big of a deal this was. But, we don’t see him send anything.
I think Jim is hurt. He feels bad, but probably doesn’t understand why Pam suddenly wasn’t okay with joking around anymore. Now, by not explaining herself, Pam is the one tossing Jim around.
At the end of the work day, Jim gives Pam the bag of chips he promised. They say quiet and quick goodbyes. Jim leaves. Pam looks at the chips thoughtfully for a moment then takes them. Maybe this is our clue that she’s forgiven him—she accepts the olive branch. Too bad Jim isn’t there to see it.
Jim: “I'll buy you a bag of chips.”
Pam: “French onion?”
Jim: “Obviously.”
And that’s it! No resolution! At least Michael promotes Dwight to Assistant Regional Manager at the end of their story line.
“Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” -Michael
When confronted with the parameters of their relationship (emotional bonding, but no big touching, and nothing public) both scurry back to the safety of their own desks.
Maybe Jim wants more and feels rejected. Maybe it feels unfair that Pam alone decides what’s allowed.
Maybe Pam feels overwhelmed by her conflicting desires. She wants Jim, but she also wants to stick to the norm. Being with Jim would break the norm—break her engagement, uproot her life, open herself up to scrutiny from family, friends, coworkers. That’s a lot. It’s always easier to do nothing and wait. For Pam, it’s safer to repress her feelings for Jim and stay with Roy.
When moments like this fight happen—and her affection for Jim becomes undeniable—Pam gets distressed. She wants to flirt without self-reflecting.
Until next week…when a very not-the-norm office romance comes on the scene!
“One point for me.” - Pam
