This blog is and loves Much Ado About Nothing.
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The West Wing, John Krasinski, The Office, Jenna Fischer, David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Doctor Who, Arthur Darvill, Take That, Mindy Kaling and Amy Poehler. More...
1. Jim’s confession - Casino Night, 2x22
This is the scene in which Jim finally confesses to Pam that he is in love with her, despite her engagement to Roy. They are out in the parking lot for the first part, and Pam is later at Jim’s desk when Jim comes in and kisses her.
I think the reason I love this scene as much as I do is hugely thanks to the breath-taking (and I mean, BREATH-TAKING) acting of John Krasinski as Jim. He is a great actor, both comedically and dramatically, but this scene is his absolute greatest. The way he delivers the first line of the confession like a punch in the gut. I felt sick watching their friendship crumble in this scene, whilst knowing that Jim is absolutely right to tell her. By this stage, it gets to the point where you think Jim might just explode if he doesn’t say it.
The golden moment of the scene is the tear that drops from Jim’s eye, shortly before he walks away from Pam outside. Pam looks conflicted, but as the viewer you can see that she is too timid at this stage to commit to Jim there and then. In a way, just through knowing Pam’s characteristics, you know that she’s not just going to throw her arms around Jim. After cutting the off the silence in Booze Cruise and her reactions in The Secret, subconsciously she can’t quite handle the idea of not being engaged to Roy because she has been for so long.
When Jim does eventually walk away from Pam, the way she’s standing alone isn’t the look of an independent woman who strongly and certainly has turned a guy away. She looks weak, full of regret, apologetic and heartbroken. I don’t think Pam, as a character, had evolved at the time to be strong enough to boldly take that leap, but still she knew that she should have done.
The second part, in the office, shows Jim being beautifully bold in his approach to Pam. Pam’s restraint her is clearly so weak, in her doubts about how she has responded to Jim and when he kisses her, her natural response is to do the same back. I think in that moment, the tables turned. It was bold of Pam to do that. She was always polite and nice and honest, and there she was kissing a man that was not her fiance - but should have been. It was the first step that led to her journey through season 3. Eventually she delivered her own confession to Jim in Beach Games, and in The Job he responded at last by asking her out. But I think this was really the first full display of all-out honesty.
What an incredible, emotional scene with both actors absolutely at the top of their game. It’s scenes like this that completely take you in, and I forget I’m watching television.
2. “Soulmates” - Stress Relief, 5x13
After a conversation with Jim, Pam’s dad decides to pursue a separation from her mom. In this scene, Jim asks Pam if it’s his fault. When she replies yes, he looks mortified. She continues to repeat what her dad had told her Jim had said. It was the most beautiful, loving speech ever. Pam then says, “When you’re a kid, you assume your parents are soulmates. My kids are going to be right about that.”
This is probably one of my all time favourite scenes of anything ever. When my friend was trying to guess what would be number one, she suggested this one, knowing how much I just love it. It’s the way Pam still seems overwhelmed by Jim’s love for her. As anyone would be if they were loved that much. It’s the way Jim never goes very long without finding another way to show her how much he adores her. And it’s way she’s so right about her talking head.
I also think the hug that Jim and Pam share in this scene is the best ever. They are both emotional and it all seems to highlight Pam’s realisation that she will always have Jim, no matter what she is going through. I mean, look at that face - who couldn’t be comforted by a bit of Jim Halpert love?!
Superb acting and writing throughout this scene and it’s within one of the best episodes of season 5. I love it.
3. Jim returns - The Job, 3x23
(Top 20 Moments of Jim and Pam)
When in his job interview, Jim finds a note from Pam with a yoghurt lid attached (throwback to Office Olympics). He suddenly realises where he needs to be and heads back to Scranton. Pam’s in the middle of a talking head when Jim bursts in and asks her on a date. Well, it only took 3 years!
I was kind of torn between the top 3 of which ones should be number 1 because all three are special to me. This scene makes me cry. Like, in no situation would I not well up at this scene. It goes right through me when you just see him at that door. Even though I know he’s going to be there, even the first time I watched it I knew he was heading back to Scranton from the shots of him driving, I still feel stunned. I have the same reactions as Pam, in her shock and then that sheer, unpolluted joy that she has when he turns back to the camera and recovers, with tears in her eyes. What an incredibly beautiful moment of television.
It felt like everything that we had waited for. Up until that very moment, one or both of them was, at all points in the series, yearning for the other. Then they were finally getting together. There was no kiss, there was no declarations. It was understated. It was perfect. It was the beginning of a new era of Jim and Pam.
4. The silence - Booze Cruise, 2x11
(Top 20 Moments of Jim and Pam)
Jim and Pam take a breather from the party as things get a bit rowdy. Out on the deck, Pam says quietly, “Sometimes I really don’t get Roy.” As soon as she says it, having looked Jim in the eye, she seems to regret her words. Jim seems to be preparing to speak, but doesn’t. A long silence between the pair then ensues. They are just looking at each other, before Pam breaks the silence and goes back inside.
This episode KILLS me! The “save the receptionist” scene, the “Never, ever, ever give up” scene… but the silence steals it. I really believed Jim might tell her. My heart breaks as he goes to. And it’s almost as if she knows, but can’t handle it and so she stops him. I don’t get it Pamelaaaa!! So frustrating. It was episodes like this when I just thought, Jim was so, so unhappy - I don’t know how he could even pretend to be normal around Pam in subsequent episodes.
John acts the heartbroken era of Jim so well that I get emotional even when it’s the 50th re-watch. I think the lingering silence encapsulates everything Jim and Pam of season 2. It’s torture, heartbreak, timidity, reluctance, missed opportunities, frustration and just utter, utter L.O.V.E.
5. The wedding - Niagara, 6x04
So, best couple on telly are getting married - but it’s a comedy so, it’s got to be funny. How on earth can they pull this off? They just can when it’s The Office. Best TV wedding ever, and I’m sure that for a lot of fans it’s their favourite Jim and Pam moment ever. It’s such a special, special sequence.
From Jim’s reaction to Pam in the wedding dress, and his very adorable way of her cheering her up to that very, very funny Youtube tribute - this episode was top class. Jim and Pam running off to get married by themselves reminded the viewer that at the heart of the wedding episode, was this special love between them.
I also thought the edit was great, to hold off on showing the boat scenes and to put it under the music, cut between the church scenes. It was all just perfect. Just the right balance of comedy and emotion.
Jim’s speech earlier in the episode was beautiful too, but it was the speech near the end, following the ‘Forever’ montage that really got me. He is a slice of heaven and a half sometimes. How he feels about Pam, and how he puts it so wonderfully whenever he talks about it is what makes this couple so entertaining.
The wedding scenes celebrate the joining of a couple that so many have waited for so long to be husband and wife, and I still get little butterflies whenever Pam is called Mrs Halpert. It’s fun, funny and emotional. And no matter how crazy The Office can be, they do not steal away from the couple at the heart of the episode. Especially not with the way Jim looks at the camera in the very last Jam shot of the episode. It’s so different to every other look he’s ever given the camera over the years. It’s perfect. And that is not the first or last time I’ll use the word perfect about this couple!
6. Italian food - Money, 4x04
Dwight is heartbroken over Angela and is curled up in the stairwell, so Jim goes out to talk to him.
“Did I ever tell you why I left Scranton?” Jim pauses whilst Dwight makes a crying noise before continuing. “Yeah, I didn’t think I had. Well, it was all about Pam. Yeah, I mean, she was with Roy… and I just couldn’t take it. I mean, I lost it, Dwight. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t concentrate on anything. And then weird stuff, like, food had no taste. So my solution was to move away. It was awful. And it is something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. And that includes you.”
After offering some comfort to Dwight, Jim walks back into The Office where Pam begins to talk to him about dinner before he interrupts her with a kiss. She looks stunned and smiles, before Jim suggests Italian for dinner. In a talking head with regards to the scene, Pam says Jim’s just really passionate about Italian food. A very happy looking Jim adds, “In fact, I’m in love with Italian food.”
It’s that gorgeous moment when Jim puts it all into context. It’s one of the only times that Jim or Pam ever contemplates their lives before their relationship. Jim broke my heart so many times in season 2 because he was so desperately in love with Pam, and I thought this episode was great for reflecting on that. To compare Jim’s life then to Jim’s life now, the smile is understandable.
When Jim marches back into the office after seeing Dwight, it’s just a moment where Jim almost seems to want to remind himself of what he has. For so long, he couldn’t do it and he used to be the tortured one in the office, not Dwight. Now he and Pam are together. And the kiss is almost a celebration of that.
There’s a beautiful connection between Jim talking about how his heartbreak made him feel like he couldn’t eat and how food had no taste, to Pam then asking about dinner and Jim saying he’s in love with Italian food.
The added, “I’m in love with Italian food” comment perfects an already perfect scene. Everyone and their mother knew Jim was in love with Pam but it’s always nice to hear. Man, do I get sucked in with these two!
7. “Not a bad day.” - Diversity Day, 1x02
It was one of the earliest true displays of Jim’s feelings for Pam. He has a terrible day with work, having had Dwight steal his biggest sale of the year, losing a big commission. It is the distractions that Michael creates that are to blame. But, towards the end of the episode, everyone is in the conference room and his mood all changes. As everyone is leaving, Jim notices that Pam has fallen asleep on his shoulder so remains sat down, not wanting to disturb her. She eventually stirs before a talking head of Jim is shown, with him saying those lovely words, “Not a bad day.”
Yes, it is the reason for my tumblr URL. It’s the only season 1 moment in my countdown, and is an extremely subtle moment - but brilliant in its subtlety. Even now, I watch that episode back having seen Jim and Pam have a family together, and get caught up in it. When you have a crush like that, it’s those little moments like that that mean the world. Jim’s face… it was like you could see the butterflies in his stomach.
8. The reunion - Business Trip, 5x08
(My Top 20 Jim and Pam Moments)
Pam’s been away for weeks at art school and Jim’s missing her like crazy. Things are made even harder for the couple when Pam has to stay longer to retake graphic design. As Jim comes to terms with how much he misses his fiance, he leaves work and she’s standing in the car park, waiting for him.
It’s just so different to the awkward season 3 reunion. It’s warm and cute, and Jim’s face lights up in a way that only the man Krasinski can deliver. The grin he wears when he sees her - I was just so happy for them both that she came back when she did. There’s been so many times when I’ve just thought Jim doesn’t deserve to be as sad as he is - particularly through season 2, but in this episode it had a happy ending.
I love that Pam makes such an effort for Jim not to feel guilty, or like he’s to blame for her not fulfilling her arts school dreams. I think Pam and the audience, by this point, are both aware that those thoughts might come into Jim’s mind. So, I love that Pam makes sure that they both know, her premature return will never cause resentment.
I also love that Dwight interrupts a beautiful, serious moment with demands for Pam. Insensitive as ever, Dwight.
9. Emotional embrace - Company Picnic, 5x26
After Pam hurts her ankle during the volleyball game, Jim carries her off to the hospital. Outside the hospital room on the phone to Dwight, Jim goes in to hear the doctor’s news. Watching it, nothing is heard but from the shock on Pam and Jim’s faces, you can conclude that the couple are having a baby. The lovely embrace they share, before Jim’s teary-eyed closing shot makes this seem an even more likely explanation. As does hindsight.
I think The Office does things like this so well. Having the scene silent, but still so transparent. There’s little doubt as to what the shocking news is. I love that despite their shock, they are both overwhelmed and overjoyed. It’s still funny to watch scenes like this and think back to the early seasons when he would just gaze at her from his desk.
The way it’s filmed from outside the room is great too, because I think it would feel intrusive if the cameras came in. Ah, another perfect moment. I think I say that any time John has an emotional scene - he does them SO well.
10. Jim buys Pam a house - Frame Toby, 5x09
Jim surprises Pam by buying his parents house for them to live in. She is silent and expressionless as he shows her round the place. He shows her a space he suggests can be her art studio, whilst she looks shocked. He insists if she hates it that much, they can move. She suddenly breaks out into a shocked smile and becomes overwhelmed by emotions.
Whilst I know Pam better than to dislike such a beautiful gesture, it was still tense waiting for her true reaction. That made it all the better when she did embrace Jim happily. Once again, I want a Jim. For a paper salesman from Scranton, that is quite a gesture. I love this scene because once again, Jim just puts himself out there with the confidence that his relationship with Pam gives him. Most of the time I love the opposites attract story, but they are so similar sometimes that this love story is the exception to that. It’s just another big step in their relationship that neither seems the slightest bit nervous about - just excited. Happy times.
