The Office lasted for nine seasons, and the characters from the series had a lot happen to them over this season. While the women of Dunder Mifflin weren’t usually the ones with the most important jobs, they were often some of the most engaging characters.
While some of the female characters ended up with story arcs that did them justice, others did not. There were some of the women who got the respect they deserve, both on the show and by audiences, as well as those who didn’t.
Did: Jo Bennett
Jo Bennet was a minor recurring character played by Kathy Bates. She played the owner of Sabre, the company that bought out Dunder Mifflin after they declared bankruptcy.
While she wasn’t a main character, or even on the show for very long, she was one of the few female characters who had a lot of business power and a high-ranking job. This was refreshing to see and definitely something that The Office could have used more of.
Didn’t: Meredith Palmer
Meredith Palmer is the character who is the office alcoholic. She does a lot of ridiculous and inappropriate things such as getting drunk while at work and lighting her hair on fire.
Meredith never really had much of a character arc until the end of the series where she revealed that she had been working through college the entire time the filming crew had been there. If this were true for the character, it’s a shame that she was only ever portrayed as a one-dimensional alcoholic.
Did: Holly Flax
Holly Flax was the only love interest for Michael Scott that ever made any sense. Unlike many of his other girlfriends, Holly’s character did get some character development.
She isn’t just defined by her relationship with Michael as she makes decisions to break up with him and do what is best for her career and herself. In the end, Michael leaves with her to Colorado so they can be together, and this was a great ending for both of them.
Didn’t: Erin Hannon
After Pam quit her job, Erin was hired to be the receptionist after her. Similar to Pam, Erin was never really respected in the office. Most of her co-workers thought that she was dumb, and they never really took her seriously.
As far as how the character was written, she didn’t get much development and seemed to just be given as a love interest to multiple male characters even though none of these relationships ever made much sense. It seemed like the show never knew what to do with her.
Did: Phyllis Vance
Phyllis Vance was actually given some great moments and storylines throughout the series. She was able to break out from under Angela’s thumb and get some respect from her co-workers. She also falls in love and gets married, and she seems overall to be pretty happy with her life.
While people like Michael might not have given her enough respect, she had the last laugh as she got most of what she wanted in life.
Didn’t: Jan Levinson
Jan Levinson’s character was handled in a really strange way in The Office. While she started out as a career woman who had somewhat of a good head on her shoulders, her arc turned her into one of the most ridiculous, problematic characters on the show.
It’s unfortunate that the route the series took was to make Jan seem like a much worse person than Michael. Given how few women on the show were actually focused on career, this seemed like more than just a misstep.
Did: Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Kapoor was one of the funniest characters on the series, and this is probably because Mindy Kaling played her and also was a writer for the show. While Kelly might have been ridiculous and sometimes an awful person, her arc made total sense for her.
She ended up with a good boyfriend who was a catch, but she ditched him for Ryan again. While this might have been a bad thing to do, it made sense for her character.
Didn’t: Karen Filippelli
Karen is another character who got portrayed badly because she was really just there to create drama and story between Jim and Pam. There was nothing wrong with Karen, and, in many ways, she was a good match for Jim.
She was confident and smart, and she had ambitions for her career. However, The Office made it seem like this wasn’t great and that Pam was a better person than she was. Plus, fans didn’t respond well to her because they just wanted Pam and Jim to be together.
Did: Angela Martin
Anglea Martin was never a kind character. She could be extremely judgemental and even cruel, and the show actually handled her arc well. She had to go through trials and get some karma for the way she treated the people around her.
However, after all this, she was able to get a happy ending with Dwight and seemed to find happiness and peace within herself. She never let people walk over her, and she went on one of the most interesting arcs of the show.
Didn’t: Pam Beesly
Pam Beesly is the main female character on the show, but this doesn’t mean she got the respect she deserved. Pam never got the respect she deserves from her co-workers or anyone around her. While she did learn to respect herself and find self-confidence, it’s a shame that the character didn’t get more.
Her relationship with Jim defined her, and even he didn’t always respect her as he would make big life decisions without her. Overall, the character could have been given something more than just the relationship as everything else she tried she was bad at.