What You Never Noticed About The Halperts On The Office

Since "The Office" aired, viewers have been invested in the relationship between Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer). They loved the little glances Jim shot toward the receptionist desk, the subtle hints that Pam felt the same way even though she was engaged, and their overall friendship. (The teapot? Cute!) It is always exciting to watch Jim burst through the door and ask Pam out just when she was ready to accept he had moved on. 

Though Jim and Pam have their problems — both before and during their courtship — it is clear the two really care about each other and the family they eventually make. However, they are far from perfect. Fan discussions have pointed out that the two can be pretty toxic; this has led to some disliking the couple, both together and separately. There are several reasons why some feel this way, but there is one that has often been overlooked. 

Jim and Pam are committed to each other and share in each other's joys. However, this attitude doesn't extend to others, whether in their workspace or in their personal lives. They are only ever seen with each other, and even when friends such as Jim's roommate and Pam's landlady are mentioned, they don't seem to have an impact on their lives. While this can be explained by the lack of time — the mockumentary can't cover every aspect of the employees' lives — neither appears to be on good terms with their colleagues either. 

Jim constantly pranks Dwight (Rainn Wilson), an employee who works very hard, and Pam encourages it. Pam clashes with Angela (Angela Kinsey) multiple times, and it doesn't end there; her relationships with both Phyllis and Karen are also strained. Though they have nice moments with their boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carell), they are often annoyed by him. Jim fakes an emergency to get out of a party, while Pam berates Michael for dating her mother. Also, let's not forget that Jim's prankster ways even lead to Andy (Ed Helms) punching a wall and having to go into anger management.

By the end of the series, Jim and Pam do have a better relationship with Dwight, but it does not negate anything that happened previously. They seem to have little to no regard for their coworkers, and this makes them come off as kind of awful, even to those who have been rooting for them all along.