The Office Fans Are Still Divided Over Controversial Jim Moment

It has been 20 years since The Office aired in 2005 and 12 year since the last episode aired in 2013. The NBC mockumentary sitcom is widely considered one of not just the best sitcoms of all time, but one of the best television shows of all time. Little to nothing has been done with it since 2013, yet it remains popular and culturally relevant due to streaming platforms such as Hulu and Peacock, and previously Netflix.

As a result, The Office continues to be a widely talked about show, and sometimes a widely debated show. One of the more contentious characters is also one of the show’s most prominent and popular characters: Jim Halpert played by John Krasinski. Not only does Jim get loads of screen time, but he’s one half of the show’s big romance. The other half of this romance obviously being Pam Beesly played by Jenna Fischer.

Jim is contentious among some fans of The Office for many reasons, including his brief romance with Karen Filippelli, who he ultimately dumps for Pam, despite the latter previously breaking his heart.

To this end, the top post on The Office Reddit page this week is a tongue-in-cheek post sharing an image about developing trust issues following the episode where Jim dumps Karen right after “a great night out in NYC.”

Any comments?
byu/cesar002c intheoffice

This naturally attracted the “Jim is the worst” crowd which can often be found in any post that brings attention to his character.

“I been saying for decades and people finally seeing. Jim is the worst person,” reads one of the comments. “As soon as Scranton was back in the picture Jim should have ended things. The most messed up thing he does is tell Karen to move to Scranton in the first place.”

The comment section also comes to the defense of Jim, noting that it was obvious he was never in love with her, and still not over Pam either. Meanwhile, others point out more subtle scenes where Jim learns Karen is not the one.

“It’s because Karen left him in the interview so quickly and when he saw the note from Pam he noticed she would never do that,” reads one of the more popular comments.

A fourth comment adds: “Karen was very much showing Jim ‘her world’ and Jim clearly didn’t want to live there. They wanted different things and Jim clearly saw it. Breaking up with her was the right move. You don’t get into a relationship with someone going in a different direction than you are.”

Of course, there’s a reason why this debate is still being had many years later and it’s because there is very much no clear cut, correct answer. For many fans of the show, it is another notch in the belt of why Jim is not a good person. However, for others it’s not as unreasonable as some present it. It’s a plot point that has been causing fights among fans of the shows for many years, and it will likely continue to divide fans for many more years. All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think.