Phyllis Vance has been a dedicated worker at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch for far longer than the documentary crew was there. She was the office's only saleswoman before Karen and Pam switched gears and joined the sales force, and she was good at her job, too. While Andy, Pam, and Ryan struggled to make a sale, Phyllis never complained.
As a character on The Office, Phyllis was around the same age as Michael but was viewed as matronly because of her style and passion for knitting. But as sweet and demure as Phyllis was, viewers are torn on their perception of her. Some adored how sweet she was while others took to Reddit to claim how sneaky and snarky she was. Similar to her coworkers, fans are torn on whether they love her or hate her.
Love Her: Fans Stood Up For Her While Others Walked All Over Her
Phyllis had her snarky moments on the show just as much as her coworkers. More often than not, however, Phyllis was on the defense, which made fans sad. Michael treated her like she was his elderly grandmother, Dwight left her in the middle of a bad part of town to lose weight while walking home, and Angela treated her like garbage. It was hard for some fans to not feel protective of her when others treated her horribly.
Can't Stand Her: She Blackmailed Angela
After years of being treated like a nobody by Angela, Phyllis finally felt like she won the lottery after walking in on Angela and Dwight being intimate in the office after hours. Phyllis was disturbed by what she saw, especially since she had no idea that Angela and Dwight were a secret item.
Knowing that Angela was engaged to Andy and sleeping with Dwight on the side meant that the ball was in Phyllis's court. She took advantage of it and treated Angela just how she was treated. Fans, however, felt like Phyllis went out of her way to ruin Angela's relationship and career. Her rudeness was unnecessary.
Love Her: Her Love Of Christmas
In "Moroccan Christmas," Jim told Phyllis that she was able to play the role of Santa at the company Christmas party. Until this episode, no one knew how badly Phyllis wanted to be Santa. For years, Michael portrayed Santa because he's the star of the show and Michael loves being the center of attention. But now, it was Phyllis's turn. While talking to the camera, Phyllis had tears in her eyes by all the excitement. Seeing this side of her made fans adore her purity. She was anything but unlikable here.
Can't Stand Her: She Ruined Andy's Chance Of A New Computer
When Pam became the office administrator, she used her magic to get a new computer for front reception. As the former receptionist for years, Pam knew how slow the computer really was. Adorably, Erin gave her new computer to Andy after realizing his computer was bad too.
Phyllis, however, had a huge problem with Andy getting. a new computer when she too could have used new technology as well. By Phyllis's broad reaction, Pam had no choice but to make Andy and Erin switch back before finding another solution.
Love Her: Her Relationship With Bob Vance
There are plenty of couples on The Office that were better apart than together but Phyllis and Bob Vance weren't one of those couples. They seemed better together. Once Phyllis got together with Bob, she became more confident and more vocal at work. She was no longer taking Michael's jabs to heart because she had a happy life outside of work. Just as fans adored Jim and Pam, there were plenty who loved a Phyllis who was in love.
Can't Stand Her: Her Views On Pam
As sweet as Phyllis genuinely is, she has made some incredibly rude comments regarding Pam. Her issues with Pam hit viewers wrong because Pam was nothing but kind to Phyllis. Phyllis compared Pam to a trout after insulting her, she made plenty of digs about her sleeping with Jim, and she said a horrible remark about Pam being a bad wife on her wedding day. With Pam being one of the main characters in the series, there were plenty of viewers who were protective of Pam and didn't think she deserved the shade Phyllis threw her way.
Love Her: Her Backstory With Adoption Gave Her Storyline Substance
Just like Stanley, Creed, and Meredith, not much was known about Phyllis outside of the office. Besides going to the same high school as Michael and being married to Bob, what else was there about Phyllis? Once Erin joined The Office, it was revealed that she grew up in the foster care system. Coincidentally, Phyllis had a teenage pregnancy and gave her baby up for adoption around the same time Erin was born. The idea that Phyllis and Erin could be related was exciting. It didn't hurt that Phyllis and Erin had an adorable connection that gave them both substance.
Can't Stand Her: Her '50 Shades Of Grey' Moment
If Phyllis wasn't working at her desk, she was probably knitting or chatting with Stanley. But in one episode, Phyllis found a new love: books on tape. However, she wasn't just listening to any book, she was listening to the sensual Fifty Shades of Grey; a very inappropriate book to be reading (or listening to) in the middle of the work day. To make matters worse, Phyllis was moving her chair back and forth and making delighted sounds that disturbed her coworkers. Funny enough, it wasn't just her coworkers who hated it, some fans did too.
Love Her: She Helped Dwight In His Time Of Need
As cruel as Phyllis was to Pam and Angela, she had an endearing moment with Dwight. When Angela and Andy began dating, Phyllis found out that Dwight was hurting. Instead of ignoring her coworker's heartbreak, Phyllis gave him sound advice and an ear to listen if he needed her. Dwight ignored her at first but he soon realized he needed to let off some steam. Because of Phyllis's advice, Dwight was able to confront Angela in a way he wasn't able to before.
Can't Stand Her: She Stole Pam & Roy's Wedding
When Phyllis and Bob got married, Pam was single and no longer engaged to Roy. However, there was one point where both ladies were engaged at the same time.
At the wedding, Pam took one look around and noticed that Phyllis's wedding to Bob was actually Pam's dream wedding to Roy. From the color scheme to the table flowers to their initials, Pam was heartbroken to attend her would-have-been wedding. Once again, this was another subtle jab at Pam that viewers didn't appreciate.