TV and Sympathy

The Office folds 'em - for this season

The Office finishes its second season tonight with a casino-themed finale. There is a ton of Office-related goodness over at Give Me My Remote today and you should absolutely check it out if you haven't already.

The Office has been surprising and wonderful this season. They've made great strides since their midseason premiere back in March 2005, developing their own brand of comedy and distancing themselves from their BBC progenitor. By playing up even the minor characters, finding humor in the most mundane situations, and letting relationships proceed in a natural way, they've built up a devoted following of viewers, many of them fellow cube-dwellers.

While I'm rooting for some action on the Pam-Jim front, I'm hoping it'll be as understated and lovely as the rest of their romantic developments this season. A show like the West Wing, which has been stringing out the relationship between Josh and Donna for 7 years, can handle some strong romantic declarations and consummations as it comes to its end. (BTW, great Josh-Donna article over in the LA Times.)

The "Jam" relationship on The Office, however, is a comparative fledgling. We've only had to watch their attraction simmering for a year and a half, and I think we could stand to watch it simmer a bit longer. While there's no way in hell I want Pam to go through with a Roy wedding, I wouldn't want Jim to tell Pam she's his lobster and for them to do a Graduate-style bus ride into the sunset.


I'm not saying I don't want them to get together. Goodness do I want them to get together - just look how cute they are! I'm just saying I want it to be as slow and sweet and tentative as the rest of their interactions. Their relationship is so great to watch because it feels like real life. In real life, going from good friends to more than friends doesn't always happen overnight with zero awkwardness. I don't expect a Jam relationship to happen that way. I just expect it to happen.

posted by Veltman @ 9:33 AM