What’s up everyone! We’re back at it with another blog. This week, we’re diving into the ladies of the office…
*spoilers may appear from this point forward*
Pam Halpert and Angela Martin, played by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, are definitely the two most significant women in the show. Not only do they end up marrying Jim and Dwight (who you now know are two very important men), but they also have lots of roles in the show, which often leads to them driving the plot forward. For these reasons – as well as the fact that Fischer and Kinsey are best friends outside of acting – I thought I should group them together for this post. Let’s start with Pam…
Pam Beesley Halpert goes from being the receptionist, to a salesman of the Michael Scott Paper Company, to a sales rep back at Dunder Mifflin, to the Office Administrator. Not only that, she went through two (well, kinda three) engagements, art school in New York, a marriage with Jim, and the birth of two children. So yes, Pam does a lot for the office.
Pam is the “level-headed” one in the office. When her coworkers start to have crazy ideas (especially Michael), she normally is the one who brings them back down to Earth (yet occasionally, she’ll play along). A great example of this is when Michael wants to propose to Holly, but has just one-too-many bad ideas (a scene before this one is more convincing). Many of the others call her the office’s “goodie goodie,” poking fun at her never wanting to cause confrontation and always following the rules…which is why when she finally does, everyone is so shocked (See Episode 8 of Season 9, “The Target”).
Pam is also the one who always tries new ways to keep work from being miserable. Early in the series, Pam helps Jim create the Office Olympics when Michael is away. And, as Office Administrator, she comes up with many new ideas to get everyone involved…however, to no one’s surprise, some don’t go as planned.
Finally, Pam has the final lines of the series. Honestly, she couldn’t have said them any better.
Then we have Angela. Although Angela is the other main female character in The Office, her personality is practically the opposite to Pam’s. Angela is stern, cold, irritable, and conservative; many would put her in the “small but mighty” category. She is an accountant, obsessed with cats, and the Head of the Party Planning Committee.
Angela often snaps at her coworkers, especially when they do things she does not agree with (which is an extensive list). She is rarely afraid to tell anyone when they are offending her. This is especially apparent with both Phyllis, her assistant on the Party Planning Committee, and Pam. Many times, we see Angela bash Phyllis for her decisions on a party, as well as Pam for “getting with everyone in the office” (I had trouble finding specific scenes, so I’ve included these two videos that have many examples).
Yet, with Angela, she has a very soft center to her hard shell. Throughout the series, we see her in an on-and-off (and sometimes secret) relationship with Dwight, and the audience can clearly tell that she cares deeply for him. For example, she gifts Dwight his own bobble head for Valentine’s Day and often tries to help him on his quest for office authority. However, when she feels she needs to “get back” at him, she resorts to hurting him; this is why she gets engaged to Andy and marries Senator Lipton. As we all know, though, she has a child with Dwight and they end the series getting married.
Pam and Angela may be very different characters, but they both play huge roles in driving The Office’s plot forward. Without either of them, the show could not be a show.
Thanks for tuning in! Stop by again next week as we look into two more characters who are, as the British say, “hated, adored, but never ignored.”
Another terrific post. I had no idea that Jenna and Angela were friends outside of the show. I think that adds a whole new dynamic to the acting that they do, especially in scenes together, because you would never know it from just watching the show. I like how you compared Pam and Angela, calling them opposites, which is totally spot on. I thought adding the clip of Jim’s proposal to Pam, and the final words of the show, were two perfect clips to add. Terrific Job and I look forward to the next installment.
I really appreciate you telling the characters’ full stories throughout the whole series. I have seen The Office enough times that I have lost count, and this blog is definitely written for veterans of the show. You have a very engaging style and do an awesome job at linking specific moments of the characters. As another commenter said, describing Pam and Angela’s connection outside of the show adds a great element to the show.
As a huge fan of the office, I love this blog already. Additionally, I think you did a great job in your analysis of each character. I would never think to combine Pam and Angela into one blog post having known the show, but you did a great job combining and contrasting them perfectly. I also commend how much time you put into linking so many clips into the blog, so that those who have not seen the show can still fully understand the background information of the show itself. Overall, great job and I can’t wait to read next week!
I really liked the post, and love your passion blog theme! You did a great job characterizing the shows personalities while giving some background as well. I also really appreciate how you almost treat your blog like a radio show as we “tune in” and you relate directly to the reader. I would argue that Meredith and Phyllis are also very important female characters in the show as well as Erin, but I would agree that Angela and Pam are probably the most key female roles. The last line made me laugh and I look forward to reading another one.
I spent the entire beginning of the class period reading all of your passion blog posts up to this date. Truly a wonderful blog idea, especially given the fact of the show’s popularity not only around the PA area, but also on a nation wide scale (the show is literally based in Scranton, PA and it truly brings light to a state commonly thought of as “boring”). I know there are many avid Office fans, like myself, at PSU–fans that crave for more insight or Office related content, and your blog provides just that. Outstanding job and look forward to reading more 🙂
I’m back again, I love this post! I really like how you made a post about 2 completely different characters really flow and come together at the end. Also like the part where you talk about the softer side of Angela because it’s seems like a rarity in the show. Loved reminiscing and watching the clip where Dwight proposes to Angela, such a good scene! Excited for next week!
I loved this post! The Office is one of my favorite shows, and I loved your analysis of these two characters. I had no idea that they were friends outside of the show, and that is so cool to me. I liked all of the links that you included, I thought they added a really cool element to your blog. This is actually the first time I’ve been on your blog, but I look forward to reading more!