Jim and Pam are television royalty. Their epic romance is often cited as goals for all couples in love and is a triumph for The Office. John Krasinski's Jim Halpert and Jenna Fischer's Pam Beesly stole most audiences' hearts with their infectious chemistry, but some are a tough crowd.
Contrary to popular opinion, many viewers disliked the cute couple and found their storyline flawed from the beginning to the end. Some didn't like that they cemented their affections for each other while being with other people, and many felt that they became too big for their boots after getting married. A glance at Reddit's forums reveals these unpopular thoughts about the iconic Jim and Pam.
The Cuteness Was Cloying
The knowing glances between the pair, their romantic tension, and the obvious excitement that Jim and Pam spoke with about each other to the cameramen was loved by most fans, but some Redditors thought it was sickening and cloying from the beginning. They didn't enjoy the way Jim gushed about Pam during one-on-one interviews, or their misty-eyed gazes to one another and the camera.
These little moments of love in The Office were not appreciated by these fans, especially between Jim and Pam because they thought that the pair were overrated.
Their Behavior To Their Wedding Guests Was Atrocious
Ever since Jim and Pam got engaged in a very special episode, they became insufferable for some viewers. They felt that it was absurd that they would become narcissistic enough to tell the guests at their wedding how to behave and whom to speak to. It was pompous and uncalled for, and also unheard of. It wasn't like it was the royal wedding.
It seemed as though the couple was intent upon getting the office to obey them after they got married, which included the time when they tried to dictate what people should eat and not eat to comply with Pam's pregnancy triggers. Redditors thought that this was unacceptable, arrogant behavior.
They Thought They Were Better Than Everyone
Not everybody hated Jim and Pam from the start, but some did feel that their appeal faded after they got married. Till the time they were "almost married", this Redditor loved them but felt that they became too uppity after their wedding.
They acted like they were above the others in the office, and tried twisting or making rules that would only benefit the two of them. While it makes sense that they loved each other and wanted only the best, trying to rule the roost at the workplace and being selfish with an attitude was not the way to go about it.
They Never Should Have Got Together
Arguably the most unpopular view about the couple, but this Redditor firmly believes that the winding, extensive timeline of Jim and Pam's relationship was unnecessary, and should have been quashed by writers after season 2. Both of them deserved different people, not each other, and they should never have gotten together at all, let alone get married and have babies.
It's hard to imagine what the show would have been like without its leading pair, but some people can and would prefer watching the characters go in different directions in the show.
They Were Socially Aggressive
No character in The Office was perfect - the point of the show was to derive humor from flawed, politically incorrect people. Objectively, Dwight and Michael were terrible people, but Redditors felt that the supposedly perfect Jim and Pam were socially aggressive too.
They were certain that in a real-life office scenario, both of them would have been those people who would not accept newcomers in their midst or tolerate anyone disagreeing with them and their ways. Jim and Pam would undermine anybody who was an outsider, but try to get promotions and benefits for only themselves, just like they did in the show with Pam lying to become administrator and Jim scrambling for manager every few months.
Their Interactions When Pam Was Engaged Were Borderline Cheating
Both Jim and Pam received hate after they got married (and as standalone characters for their villain potential), as well as when they were just friends. Some fans of the show debate that both of them were emotionally cheating on their respective partners at the time with their flirtatious interactions. Jim would cross boundaries all the time to get closer to Pam, and she knew exactly what he was doing and encouraged it, despite being engaged to Roy.
Their behavior with each other was wholly unacceptable - Jim professed his love to Pam, an engaged woman, and then kissed her, after which Pam was still going to lie and marry Roy. This was not okay for some viewers.
Jim Has No Other Interests Apart From Pam
A keen Redditor has a problem that Jim was pretty one-dimensional in the show. He had no remarkable hobbies or interests, nor did he enjoy doing generally interesting activities like dressing up for Halloween. He was a boring guy, and his only interest and obsession was Pam, which seemed unhealthy.
Jim lacks passion or drive for anything except for his partner, which is sweet but also makes him a vanilla, uninteresting man with no personality. Even though Jim and Pam were soulmates, he could have had other hobbies.
Karen And Jim Were A Better Couple
Jim dumped Karen in an unsavory manner to be with Pam, and that inevitably led to comparisons between which couple was better. Redditors were annoyed at how Jim treated his girlfriends Katy and Karen before Pam (not well), but they also felt that Karen and Jim made for a better couple than Jim and Pam.
Karen is liked better than Pam for having more of a backbone and being more personable, so Redditors ponder whether Karen is better for Jim, or if she is altogether too good for someone like him.
They Were Lame
Many fans are of the unpopular opinion that Jim and Pam were fun and cute to watch only for the first time. They were obsessed with the couple in seasons 1 and 2, and enjoyed it when their romance came to a head in the latter and they kissed, but the more they rewatch the show, the lamer Jim and Pam seem.
Reddit regulars feel that they were rarely funny, if ever, and seemed more and more inconsequential in a show that was known for its humor. They feel that now they just want to watch The Office, but with the Jim and Pam scenes cut out.
Their Wedding Was Too Cheesy
While "Niagara" is one of the most appreciated episodes of the show across the globe (even received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination), some viewers feel that Jim and Pam's much-awaited wedding was extremely cheesy.
It isn't clear what made them feel that way, but it could be anything from the Chris Brown music, the coordinated dancing by Jim and Pam's colleagues, Andy's risque accident, or that the two were so in love that Jim cut off his own tie for Pam.