Pam Beesly
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| Pam Beesly | |
|---|---|
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| First appearance | Pilot |
| Statistics | |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 20s |
| Occupation | Receptionist |
| Portrayed by | Jenna Fischer |
| Created by | Greg Daniels |
Pamela Beesly is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer. She is the receptionist at the Scranton branch of the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company. Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley.
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[edit] Office life
Pam often teams up with Jim Halpert in his office antics, which usually involve pulling pranks on Dwight Schrute, another office worker. She has the same level of apathy towards her job as Jim does (evidenced by the fact she often plays various different forms of Solitaire on her computer), and has basically the same opinion of her co-workers also, especially boss, Michael Scott. She often must order Michael to do his work or deal with him almost in the way a mother deals with a child. There have been moments when she (and Jim) have been friendly with Michael, much to their later regret. She occasionally takes pity on Michael, as evidenced by the time she helped organize a funeral for a bird who died outside the office in order to help Michael deal with the death of a retired co-worker.
[edit] Romantic life
[edit] Jim
Pam is the object of Jim's affection although she was engaged to be married to Roy Anderson, a warehouse worker at the office. Although Pam has never explicitly expressed any romantic feelings for Jim, her feelings for him seem to go beyond being just friends (she is overheard being quizzed about him by her mother in "Sexual Harassment", and her embarrassed response reveals that she has discussed him in private). Jim's crush on Pam is accidentally revealed to the entire office thanks to Michael, with Jim covering it up by saying that he only used to like Pam but dropped it when he learned that she was engaged. However, Michael again slips up by implying that Jim's crush "wasn't that long ago." It is not explicitly stated whether Pam is aware of Jim's feelings for her until the final episode of the second season. It is revealed in the episode "Conflict Resolution" that Jim had complained to Toby about Pam's making wedding preparations in the workplace, although he claimed previously that it does not bother him. Pam and Jim kiss after he confesses his love for her at the Dunder Mifflin Casino Night. She tells Jim after the kiss that she still intends to marry Roy. Pam does call off the wedding, but not until after Jim has transferred to Stamford. Jim admits he moved because of Pam and had heard that she is now available in "The Convention" but it is not specified when.
[edit] Roy
The three-year open-ended engagement of Pam and Roy has become one of Michael's running gags and a sore spot for the receptionist. Roy eventually announces a June wedding, adding to Jim's heartache. Pam has been with Roy for about nine years at the point that she calls off the wedding. Their first date was nothing short of a disaster: he took her to a hockey game, brought his brother along, and forgot she was there when the game ended while she was in the bathroom. Their relationship during their engagement is similarly unpromising; Jim comments in season two that Pam does not like to "bother" Roy with her "thoughts or feelings".
It is later revealed in the episode "Gay Witch Hunt"—which takes place months after "Casino Night"—that Pam gets cold feet before her wedding and does not marry Roy, but as she states, "still had to pay for all the food." They break up soon after and Pam moves into her own apartment. By this time, however, Jim has already transferred to the Stamford branch of Dunder-Mifflin.
[edit] Other
- Michael - Occasionally it seems as if Michael might have a tiny crush on her as well (although no where near as big as Jim's). He has stated he likes her "boobs" and her legs and believes she is "hot". The love interest of his movie character, "Michael Scarn" (who happens to be named "Catherine Zeta-Jones") in his screenplay Threat Level:Midnight appears to be based on Pam, as the character is Scarn's secretary. He also tries to kiss her in the episode "Diwali"
- Toby - When he determined Pam is again single, Toby considers asking her out several times but doesn't go through with it in "The Convention"
- Kevin - Despite his own engagement, Kevin also has a crush on Pam. He has numerous times throughout the series called her "hot" and told Toby in "The Convention" that if he were not engaged, he would "so hit that."
[edit] Career goals
A college graduate ("Boys and Girls"), Pam does not wish to remain a receptionist, remarking that no little girl ever dreams about becoming one. Pam enjoys drawing and would like to perhaps find a career in graphic art instead. She is aware of a graphic arts internship offered by Dunder-Mifflin, but is unsure about taking it after arguing with Roy, who objects to the opportunity while Jim supports it. After breaking up with Roy, Pam begins taking art classes outside of work.
[edit] Friends
During the first two seasons her best friend is obviously Jim. The two do a great deal together, mostly playing pranks on Dwight. Since Jim's transfer Pam has been spending more time with other people in the office, especially the other women, and most notably Kelly Kapoor, who had assisted her with wedding invitations, convinces her to buy flashier clothes, stages a lunchtime fashion show, and sets her up on a double date. Pam has never had a close friendship with Angela (who hints in many catty ways that she considers Pam to be a "hussy") and almost gets away with not inviting her to the wedding. Pam also chats frequently with Phyllis Lapin, one of the older women in the office. She was also the one to call Toby to rescue her and the rest of the staff when Michael locks them in the conference room.
[edit] Trivia
- Pam is a Sudoku buff, and can complete a moderate level of puzzle in 18 minutes or less, as she bragged in a voice mail to Jim.
- She won the "World's Longest Engagement" award at the Dundie Awards for consecutive years, until Jim complained to Michael about it in 2005, when she won the "Whitest Sneakers" award.
- Both IMDB and Jenna Fischer's myspace.com page spell the character's last name "Beesley". In her Myspace blog, Jenna confirmed that the correct spelling is Beesly. (In a deleted scene for Conflict Resolution, however, Pam's security pass reads "Beesley". In addition, in Season 1, a message appears on Kevin Malone's computer that states "From the desk of Pam Beasly".)
- If Pam and Roy had married, and Pam had taken Roy's last name of Anderson, her name would have been Pamela Anderson.
- Pam's desert island Top Five movies: Fargo, Edward Scissorhands, Dazed and Confused, The Breakfast Club, and The Princess Bride. However, none of these five is her all-time favorite movie.
- There are only four episodes in which Pam doesn't wear her hair pulled back in a clip: "Halloween", "Valentine's Day" "Diwali" and "Casino Night".
- She can type 90 words per minute, which by most standards, is well above average.
- Pam Beesly was named the all-time favorite TV character in a list of all-time top 25 characters by director James Gunn (Gunn is married to Jenna Fischer).[1]
- Pam's dislikes include frisbee golf, country music, hunting, Pig Latin, and the Six Flags television commercial "with the old guy".
- Pam drives a Toyota Yaris hatchback, first seen in the third season.
- It is revealed in the Pilot that Pam's favorite flavor of yogurt is mixed berry.
[edit] References
- ^ Blog entry at JamesGunn.com
| Characters of The Office – U.S. version |
|---|
|
Main Characters |
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Michael Scott | Jim Halpert | Pam Beesly | Dwight Schrute | Ryan Howard |
|
Minor Characters |
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Accounting |
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Miscellaneous Characters |
|
Katy | Devon | Carole Stills | Bob Vance | Josh Porter | Billy Merchant | Tony Gardner | Stacy | Brenda | Hank | Ed Truck | Mose Schrute | Stacy |
