Jim's paradoxical tendencies are at their most apparent in Grief Counseling. He is getting more difficult to read as a result of his amazing ability to think one thing and do another. We know he still loves Pam, but he appears to be flirting with Karen. The man is a walking example of duality! Everything he says and does in this episode stems from the scene in the conference room. He is again pegged as odd man out and this effects his confidence and need for acceptance. This is going to set off a chain reaction of behavior aimed at searching for validation anywhere he can find it. On the other hand, we see much of his charming, light-hearted, and playful personality come out with flying colors.
I will again be breaking it down into scenes, but I will be combining all the chip hunt scenes, as the same observations apply to all. Happy Reading!
Conference Room/Vending Machine:
Jim is still trying to find his way in Stamford. It isn't helping that his co-workers aren't exactly rolling out a friendly red carpet. In the conference room Josh asks Jim to make sure that Karen takes care of a project. Karen immediately gives him the evil eye and Andy calls him a suck up. Jim is again singled out as the outcast. Jim seemed to make some headway with Karen at the end of last week's episode. However, now that seems to have gone out the window. She probably resents the fact that the "new guy" is being asked to watch over her.
Jim now feels the need to find acceptance somewhere. He is desperate for a work friend, like the one he had in Pam. Karen is the likely target as she is the only one thus far who has given any sort of acceptance. Plus she's easier to be around than Andy! Therein, the foundation for all of Jim's behavior has been laid. He is desperately seeking to redeem himself with validation and acceptance wherever he can find it. So, naturally he is going to revert back to his Scranton behavior.
In Scranton, his humor and good natured fun made him popular and well-liked by most of his co-workers. It stands to reason that he can accomplish the same status by using the same strategy. He's already learned that pranks are not the way to go, so good natured fun is the next logical path. Furthermore, he seems to have taken a liking to Karen. Whether this is a real attraction or a simple need to move on has yet to be seen.
Karen's displeasure with the vending machine gives Jim the perfect opportunity to start up a conversation. She again zings him with the evil eye and a snotty remark concerning his authority over her. Jim immediately reverts to his Scranton behavior and turns on the charm. This accomplishes his psyche's two goals: find acceptance and validation. Plus, he can flirt a little with a woman he finds attractive, which may help him move on from Pam.
He is encouraged when his order to go and find chips is met with a smile. Jim needs this. He needs someone to goof around with. He is having trouble relating with his new co-workers. This may help him find some comfort. The "work" part of his new surroundings seems to be going well. But the social aspects have lost him completely. This is an exact opposite of the circumstances in Scranton. This is a situation Jim is not used to. Relating to people has never been a problem for him and now it is. He desperately needs to find someone to alleviate this impediment.
Just like last week, Karen may be the key in helping him find his way. As I've said many times he is a lost soul since leaving Scranton. Hopefully, Karen will help Jim learn a little more about himself so he can find his way back to Pam. (Oooo - the optimist in me is raging this evening!).
The Herr's Chip Hunt:
Throughout the chip hunt sequence it was hard not to notice that Jim treated Karen as if she were Pam, even though Karen is very different from Pam personality wise. When Karen appears to want to give up the chip hunt game. Jim teases her to prod her into playing with him further. He doesn't want to give up this chance to redeem himself nor does he want to lose the opportunity to have some fun. Jim likes to be distracted and this a perfect opportunity.
When Andy jumps into the game, Jim gets to play off Karen's humor in a way he hasn't be able to since Pam. Karen's sarcasm gave Jim the green light to play off of her comments. Jim has been thirsty for this type of humor since leaving Scranton. This is exactly what he and Pam would do to Dwight. He is clearly thrilled to have someone to bounce lines off of again, especially when messing with an annoying co-worker!
When Jim phones the company looking for his "store's" shipment of chips he is further encouraged by Karen. He gets in a little too deep and fails to come up with a convincing store number. Jim is doing this primarily to impress Karen, but comes up a little short. Karen laughs at him and teases him. Jim finds this amusing and takes it for acceptance. He even comes back at her with a playful "shut up."
We haven't seen Jim relate to anyone like this since Pam. Even though Karen is a completely different person, Jim is picking up on her similarities to Pam. She is willing to play along on his little game, she is finding the humor in it, and she is teasing him. Pam would have behaved the same way in this situation. For Jim this little game is about gaining Karen's good favor, but it is also filling the Pam Void. Jim needs a replacement and he feels he has found someone that can at least temporarily (oh I'm so the optimist!) fill Pam's place.
Later, Jim is impressed with Karen when she calls a store in Montreal and speaks in French to inquire about the chips. Part of what attracted Jim to Pam was her intelligence and wit. Naturally, he is going to pick on the same characteristics in Karen, as she displayed them throughout the chip hunt. It stands to reason that he will feel an attraction to someone else that displays the same characteristics.
This whole scenario is a perfect example of Jim's paradoxical behavior. He is clearly longing for Pam, but he is trying to move on without her! He has chosen someone who is very different from Pam, but grasps onto personality traits that mirror Pam's. Let's also not forget the undeniable parallel of chips. Jim once bought Pam French Onion Sun Chips in The Fight. This isn't the first time he's used chips as a way to gain (or regain) favor.
The End of the Hunt:
Jim makes a final dash for acceptance by actually tracking down Karen's chips. In true Jim fashion he plays it down with his usual good-natured sarcasm when Karen acknowledges his accomplishment. He is clearly pleased with himself. The real accomplishment isn't the chips, but in fact it is the acceptance and validation he has received via Karen. The hunt itself was partial validation in that she participated with him. Her acknowledgement of the chips was the final vote of acceptance that Jim needed. He even gives a glance of satisfaction to the camera.
This glance also has a more far reaching meaning. We saw him make a similar look to the camera in E-Mail Surveillance. He's done this before when he thinks he's made headway with Pam or a prank on Dwight. It's again, a search for validation. He got it from Karen and now he is looking to reaffirm it with the camera. This search for validation from Karen, of course has it roots with Pam. Her rejections are still steeping within him. Coupled with his complications in relating to people at work, his search for validation and acceptance has only heightened.
Karen has given him a release that he's been desperate for since he arrived. I hate to say it, but we need to give Karen a break. She is helping Jim heal. We can't very well have Jim mope himself into pathetic oblivion. We need him back to his old self to show Pam what she is missing! Karen may just be the girl to do it!
- - -
As with last week, Jim was a tough case to crack. Help me out here - did I get close?? It is really discombobulating to see Jim relating to Karen as he did with Pam. I'm doing my best to accept it and this analysis was very therapeutic in helping me understand the necessity of Karen. Regardless, Jim needs to get back to Scranton ASAP!
Questions to Ponder:
1. Will Jim ever discuss why he transferred with Karen? Will Pam ever be a topic of conversation between these two?
2. How far will the Jim and Karen relationship go?
3. Will Andy have a similar role of bringing Karen and Jim closer and Dwight did with Jim and Pam?
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.
