What an episode for my split personality! This is the biggest division I've experienced since Casino Night. For this edition, I will be reverting to my previous method of discussing arguments via the JAM optimist and the JAM pessimist. Events from The Convention can be interpreted in so many different ways! I didn't have much to work with for Pam in this episode, but nonetheless here are my observations.
JAM Optimist:
1. Pam is dating.
The fact that Pam is dating is huge for the JAM optimist. In the original Pam Dichotomy, this is a huge point. Pam needs to take some time for herself to figure out who she is and what she wants out of a relationship. Pam made the statement that she hasn't been on a first date in 9 years. She needs to get out there and explore. This is the only way Pam can come to the eventual conclusion that Jim is the one for her.
The optimist in me is loving it that Pam is dating. This means she is not thinking about Roy, and is trying to move past that part of her life. She seemed very excited and hopeful the entire day. She was asking for advice and reading her prospective date's cartoons. This is a woman ready to move on. She doesn't care what direction, as long as its away from Roy.
2. The Jim Void.
Pam's dating can also directly relate to Jim. Pam has been without Jim for at least a few months with assumingly little or no contact. She has a massive void that she is trying to fill. Pam initially tried to fill this void with Ryan in Gay Witch Hunt in the conference room. She is dating in a desperate attempt to fill the Jim Void. It's clear that she misses him, but she doesn't know how to initiate contact.
This can be interpreted in a couple of ways. Pam may not have told him that she is not married. She doesn't know what to say, and she also doesn't want to give him and indicator that she is ready for a relationship. Furthermore, this is a man she rejected twice. This is an awkward situation, and Pam doesn't know how to deal with it.
Jim is usually the easiest person for her to talk to and now she is finding him impossible to talk to. This all sounds very pessimistic, but this is indeed in the favor of the optimist. Pam will probably continue to date, but she will never find a suitable replacement for Jim. Pam's first date is a good indication of this fact. She had a hard time on her date. It didn't help that her date was an incredible bore, but that how first dates go sometimes! Nonetheless, Pam was uncomfortable. This date accentuated the Jim Void further.
Subsequent dates will cause her to want to pick up the phone more and more to talk to Jim. I believe she knows she will have to be the one to make the first move. Pam also makes the statement that when she meets someone she likes again she will know it. I can't help but think that Jim was on her mind when she said that. She had that longing look on her face. She is in a peculiar state, she wants him in her life, but she is also not quite ready to have him in her life. Once Pam realizes that there is no replacement for Jim, she will be ready for a relationship with him. The JAM optimist is extremely patient in waiting for Pam to find her place in the world.
JAM Pessimist:
1. Pam is dating.
The fact that Pam is dating can also support the JAM pessimist. Pam is very excited about her date. In her talking head, she seems ready to take this step. She is asking for advice and is hopeful for the evening. This is an indicator that she is ready to move on from not only Roy, but also Jim.
Pam realizes that she has burned her bridges in regards to Jim. She turned him down, not once but twice (three times, if you count both I can'ts.). Furthermore, Jim has moved away. She doesn't see any way to salvage any possibility of a relationship. She feels she must move on without Jim. We may see Pam settle for someone who is better than Roy, but not as good as Jim. If anything, Pam is searching for a way to escape the pain of the whole situation. To her, the best way to do this is to move on without Jim.
2. Pam hasn't contacted Jim.
We can't know for sure if Jim and Pam have spoken since Casino Night, but it is obvious that they haven't spoken since Jim moved to Stamford. For Pam, Jim is a soar spot. She knows she hurt him and she doesn't want to face that head on by contacting him. Even thought it hurts her, she is avoiding him. When Michael asks if she has a message for Jim, she freezes up and utters "um." The look on her face clearly shows that she is not ready to talk to him. She wants to, but she will not take that leap. She doesn't know how, and therefore will not take the risk to call him. She is too afraid of what he'll say. Again, her fear of the unknown has returned.
A Michael moment reinforces her resolve not to contact him. She knows Jim heard about her date via Michael. She didn't want Jim to find out. Now that he has, she is even less inclined to initiate contact. She is fearful of hurting Jim further. She is worried that Jim's awareness of her date will cause him to hurt more. Hearing from her will only make it worse.
This lack of contact is creating an even more awkward situation between two previously close friends (and more). The longer the awkward situation continues, the more likely each side will be less inclined to talk to the other. The closeness of the relationship is dwindling and Pam knows it. She doesn't know how to fix it and therefore will not make the attempt. There is a huge sense of hopelessness with Pam when it comes to Jim. She doesn't know what to do. Pam is too afraid to make the first move.
- - -
Something new that we don't know:
- Does Roy know Pam is dating?
Also:
- We didn't get to see Roy at all in this episode! Any thoughts?
Things we still don't know:
- We don't know if Roy knows about the events of Casino Night
- We don't know if Pam has contacted Jim.
- We don't know how Jim and Pam acted around one another prior to his departure.
- We don't know when Jim left.
- We don't know if Jim is aware that Pam is not married
Chapter End Notes:
This post was written ten years ago so go easy on me in terms of writing style! I've decided not to revise the original posts beyond filling in missing words or fixing wayward punctuation. Call it nostalgia if you will, but there's something to be said for preserving this little snapshot of fandom.
