Skip to main content

The Office fans know it’ll always be Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer), but some viewers couldn’t help but feel sorry for Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones).

For the most part, Karen was Jim’s rebound when Pam turned him down to marry Roy Anderson (David Denman). Meanwhile, Karen didn’t understand the depth of the couple’s relationship before she started things with Jim. Then in a recent episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Fischer and Angela Kinsey recapped “Branch Closing” and sided with Karen. Here’s why and what they really thought about Jim at the time.

What happened to Jim Halpert, Karen Filippelli, and Pam Beesley in ‘The Office’ episode ‘Branch Closing’?

Rashida Jones as Karen Filippelli, John Krasinski as Jim Halpert on 'The Office'
Rashida Jones as Karen Filippelli, John Krasinski as Jim Halpert on ‘The Office’ | Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

In The Office Season 3 Episode 7, the Stamford branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company closes and is absorbed by the Scranton branch. At first, Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) offers Jim the number two position under Michael Scott (Steve Carrell). Jim hesitates but takes the job. He also tells Karen she should consider transferring to Scranton.

Then in a confessional, Karen reveals she’s happy Jim wants her to go. “I don’t think he’s into me or anything,” she says. “But I’m kind of into him. So… there you go.”

Meanwhile, Pam still isn’t honest with her feelings for Jim. “I was expecting some severance, some time off. But maybe this is good,” Pam says about the merger. “Finding another job is a pain. There’s another annoying boss, another desk, I’d have to learn everything all over again. So there are reasons to stay.”

Of course, The Office fans can see Pam is excited Jim is coming back to Scranton. Though with Karen’s feelings out on the table, everyone knows things are about to get awkward. 

What Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey think of Jim and Karen after ‘The Office’ Season 3 Episode 7

In the July 8 episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Kinsey and Fischer called out Jim and rooted for Karen. Kinsey loved that Karen was “unapologetically into this guy.” Meanwhile, Fischer reminded The Office fans Jim didn’t give Karen a heads up about Pam at all. 

“Jim doesn’t even tell her, apparently, about what went on with Pam,” Fischer said. “So she’s walking into Scranton and she has no idea that he kissed the receptionist. She has no idea that there was this four-year flirtation. She’s just like, ‘I like this guy, I’m gonna go to Scranton and see what happens.’”

Kinsey also added Jim didn’t have the decency to tell Karen he was in love with Pam before heading back to Scranton. Then Fischer said, “We’re being very Team Karen Filippelli right now.”

Related

‘The Office’: Jenna Fischer’s Pam Was Supposed to Split With Jim and Enter Love Triangle With Surprising Character

Though Kinsey pointed out that there was a reason. “We are because Jim is spiraling, let’s be honest,” she said

Nevertheless, Fischer defended her on-screen husband, suggesting we’ve all been there at some point in our lives. 

“Listen, I can justify Jim’s choices and his behavior,” Fischer said. “He has a broken heart, he’s confused, he’s crushed. We’ve all been wishy-washy. We’ve all kind of done versions of this in our life and have had versions of it done to us.”

Whether or not you wanted to see Jim and Pam together on The Office, it’s clear Karen deserved better. But hey, at least the whole situation led her to a new journey in Pawnee, Indiana — we mean Dunder Mifflin’s Utica branch.

Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook!

Best in Entertainment