The Phenomenon Known as JAM

In the decades since television shows invaded the subconscious of the average American viewer, there have been hundreds of thousands of TV couples. Lucy and Desi. Captain Nelson and Jeannie. Ross and Rachel. There are great romances, there are disasterous romances, and the most addictive of all...the "will they/won't they" romances. It's one of the classic hooks of television shows; two people who seem destined to be together, but can never quite make it work. So, what makes the relationship between fictional characters Pam Beesley and Jim Halpert on the NBC show, The Office, different from all those other relationships? To understand the lure of the Pam and Jim romance, you must start at the beginning. Not just at the beginning of the show, but at the beginning of Pam and Jim's relationship. If you are a dedicated Office viewer, you will refer to them simply as JAM...an affectionate nickname developed through Internet chat rooms and blogs.

Jim Halpert(John Krasinski) is a salesman at Dunder-Mifflin, a paper supply company located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has worked there for over five years and, despite comments that he would have to throw himself in front of train if this became his career, continues to resist opportunities to change jobs. One reason for this may be the relaxed work atmosphere, but most likely it is his unwillingness to leave his best friend and unrequited true love Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer). Pam is the soft-spoken receptionist at Dunder-Mifflin, who, when we first meet her, is enduring a three year engagement with no end in sight. Her fiancée, Roy Anderson, works at the Dunder-Mifflin warehouse, and prefers to hang out with his co-workers or his idiot brother than bother setting a wedding date. The extended engagement is a point of contention for Pam, but she finds solace in her friendship with Jim, whom she regards as a "big brother."