Pam was fabulous in this episode! She is certainly taking her new confidence for a spin. It was extremely interesting to see Pam's playful side without the presence of Jim. The JAM optimist is still flying high with Pam's current behaviors. She is breaking out of her shell! The JAM pessimist however, is still hanging on. Roy is definitely making things more complicated. Pam seems to be holding to her decision to get out of that relationship. Time will tell if she is strong enough to resist the temptation to go back to him.
JAM optimist:
1. Pam is the new office ringleader.
Pam's humor comes out with flying colors this week. It's interesting to see her humor on its own. Prior to Season 3, we've only seen Pam's humor play off of Jim. He's always been the catalyst for her humor, and their patented teamwork when pulling pranks on Dwight. Now she's doing it on her own!
Pam pulled off three instances of fabulous hilarity. She first gives Michael a hard time, by making him go down and get coffee from the "warehouse," much to the delight of her co-workers. I love how she played off of Michael's sad attempt to entertain the troops. She became the star of his show!
She then plays with Michael's head a little more by starting movie death stories in the conference room grief counseling session. I couldn't help but think that this had Jim's name all over it. It's exactly the same king of thing he would have pulled if he was there.
Next, we see her telling Dwight to get his recorder. Again, she uses the same subtle tone Jim would have used to sound dead serious. Oddly enough, she has taken on some of Jim's mannerisms when pulling off this joke. She did an arm pump (Jim does this a couple of times in Season 2) and looked into the camera (Jim's looks - need I say more!), just like Jim.
It's very possible that she is using humor as a way to cope with the Jim Void. She is still feeling the absence of Jim, but humor does help to heal that wound. It's a way to be with him on some level. He may not be in room, (or even the same state), but his presence can still be felt if she replicates his humor in the office. This is most likely done on a subconscious level.
Pam still isn't ready to face her feelings for Jim head-on. Her antics, however, are helping her get closer. She is eventually going to want to share the laughter with him, as they did in the past. It always brought them close. She will begin to miss him even more. She is going to have to deal with him eventually and humor is helping her get to that point.
Pam's ringleader status can also be attributed to her newfound confidence level. She feels comfortable enough with herself to go at it alone. She seems to be enjoying the attention from her co-workers. She is having fun and Pam really needs that. She is in the middle of huge life changes and a confusing emotional situation. Laughter really is the best medicine.
The optimist is hoping that Pam will pull off a great prank in the near future and she will be unable to resist the temptation to call Jim and tell him about it, (far fetched I know, but I'm getting desperate for Pam to do something, anything the relates to Jim). More realistically, the optimist is hoping that Pam's ringleader status will bring her even more self-assurance. She needs all she can get in order to face Jim at some point.
2. Pam is unimpressed with the "new" Roy.
At first Pam seems happy and appreciative that Roy has "rescued" her from the grief counseling session. She probably would've been happy with anyone who could get her out of the session! We again see her behave civilly and even kindly to Roy. She doesn't mind talking about her car with him, as it is a symbol of her new life without him. She can again show him what he is missing.
However, after small talk, she becomes uncomfortable. Pam is well aware that Roy is trying to win her back. She is being careful not to give him mixed signals. She is probably also aware of her own vulnerability. Anyone who has left a long term relationship, questions themselves on whether they did the right thing. Furthermore, the temptation to go back takes a while to dissipate.
Pam is careful to keep her distance from Roy. She leans on another care and doesn't follow him around her car. She also makes limited eye contact. Once Roy makes mention of her personal habit of speeding, Pam's level of discomfort heightens. She doesn't want to be reminded of her relationship with him, and Roy is bringing it into the limelight. Her expression is one of, Can we go back inside now? She wants the situation to end.
Roy is blatantly trying to show her how well he knows her and that he does pay attention to her. Pam is not buying it. She is too smart for that. She even looks a little annoyed at his attempt. Roy did not make a new impression on her! If anything he has strengthened her resolve to define herself without him.
3. Pam sang.
If this isn't a glowing example of how much Pam has built up her confidence, I don't know what is! Old Pam would never have sung in front of all of her co-workers. Way to go Pam! (Now go get Jim!)
JAM Pessimist:
1. Pam still hasn't mentioned Jim.
It's episode 4 and Pam still is the strong silent type when it comes to Jim. She hasn't uttered a word in talking heads, conversations, or anything! Zilch! As I said last week, she may be trying to avoid him to numb her feelings and make a clean break. The longer she refuses to acknowledge him, the larger the divide will become. If she's refusing to deal with him on the outside, it stands to reason that she is attempting to avoid him on the inside as well. Either way, it does not bode will for JAM.
2. Pam hung out with Roy.
Pam did decide to go on a break with Roy. She was surprised and even a little impressed that he thought of helping her. The pessimist can't help but think that Roy is making some headway in winning Pam back. After all, she is talking to him and has not shut him out of her life completely. There is a strong possibility that these two will become friends despite the cancelled wedding.
The pessimist sees the possibility of Roy taking Jim's place. Roy is mainly an avenue to avoid Jim. Seeing as Pam is trying to avoid all thoughts of Jim, Roy is a natural replacement. There is no mystery involved with him and that is a welcome break for Pam. The pessimist also sees the danger that this can bring. Pam and Roy may spend more time together, thus rekindling their relationship.
- - -
Now its your turn! What did you think of Pam in Grief Counseling??
Questions to Ponder:
1. How much longer before Pam mentions Jim? How will the topic of Jim come up, (talking head, conversation, etc.)?
2. Will Pam tell Kelly about what happened with Jim on Casino Night?
3. Will Pam and Roy become friends? Or more again?
4. Is Pam ready to talk to Jim yet?
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.
