The Office Article: The Curse of Sam and Diane: Is JAM still interesting?

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The Curse of Sam and Diane: Is JAM still interesting?

posted by Gstine

Looks familiar, right?

Like most Office fans, I was enthralled by the early series chemistry between Jim and Pam. It was a huge part of why I started watching the show. However, since they've started dating, I feel like their relationship has lost some of it's appeal to me. OK, I'll be honest: It's lost all of it's appeal.

I feel like the writers are struggling to keep things interesting. The hint of a marriage proposal mere months after getting them together seems to me like a desperate attempt at creating some kind of drama/suspense in an otherwise drama/suspense-free relationship.

It's a problem that has plagued television ever since Sam and Diane. When you base your main love interest on "Will they/won't they?" tension, how do you keep things interesting once you've gotten them together? Cheers never fully recovered from Diane leaving the series. Friends had to break Rachel and Ross up and get them back together, ad nauseum.

I feel like a bit of a hypocrite for even writing this because I wanted Jim and Pam to get together as badly as anybody else. However, now that they actually are together, I feel like it's become too much of a good thing... like that time last week when I had a craving for choclate ice cream and, instead of pacing myself, ate the entire pint in one sitting. Although, JAM doesn't actually make me throw up after watching them but I think you can see my point.

Anyway, I know that I'm preaching to (literally) about 5000 JAM fans so feel free to bombard me with the inevitable "Are you insane?"-esque comments that are sure to come. I'm a big girl. I can handle it.

Could it be? Too much of a good thing?

megloveskyle, brislegeag26 and 20 others like this

kateliness2 I love, love, love them together. But I completely see where you are coming from - I can tell how much the writers are struggling to keep things interesting. I don't want them to break up and get back together again and again. For now I'm just putting my faith in the writers.

shannieannie i completely agree with you. they're awesome together, absolutely awesome. i really hope JAM doesn't fizzle out and become just another tv couple. they really had something great going.

maybeastarbucks I agree 100 %. They were much better when they were all flirty in season two.

Temptasia I feel the same way. I also think that Jim and Pam have gotten a little mean in a way too. I am not 100% invested in their relationship anymore. I think that it may have been a poor choice to have them start dating this early in the series. I think they could have waited at least one more season and people would have stayed invested in the show. I think that maybe even they could have had the whole flirting thing and not the relationship for awhile. But who knows, the writters could suprise us!

nosemuffin Their relationship is fine to me. But I was never really that in to them as a couple to begin with. Not that I was opposed to them, they were always cute. But I watched the UK version first, so I had already been there with Tim and Dawn and so these two had a little less impact for me. I do wish that there would be more pranking going on, but that's about all I can say they're lacking in my opinion. Good article!

theraconteur I DEFINITELY agree with you! What frustrates me even more though is that the writers (as far as I can tell) have no intention of breaking them up (and inevitably have them get back together, a la Ross and Rachel). Their relationship is too perfect and it has been awful boring as of recent. Thanks for this article. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks JAM has been a snoozefest this season.

iluvjesse I disagree. I love them together and I LOOOOVE the whole marriage/proposal thing. I'm completely happy with the way they are now. Maybe they need a little spice, like Karen meeting up with them and wanting Jim back or something, but whatevs. I'm happy.

_lina_ I sbsolutely love them together, but the excitement isn't there, I think. I loved the whole proposal thing, but I think the whole cutesy/flirty/funny thing they had going for them before is gone, not because they're dating, but because the writers haven't added it in.

krazykray No.

Office_001 **SPOILER** the new office coming out on thursady is about JAM because pam is staying at Jims and finds something wrong. and it might be a bad habit jim has and pam will break up with him, and the whole Toby tuching Pam's leg was funny. I LOVE JAM I DON'T THINK IT WILL EVER GET BORING!!!!!!

Office_001 I think this is last season for the office that's way their pushing JAM so fast!

Gstine That's not true. It's already been renewed for a fifth season.

75Claudia Hmm I actually like Jim and Pam together. I think they suffered enough apart. I would really like the writers to focus on what made them great in the first place like thinking up pranks together and let them talk about their coworkers on the way home - you know things real couples do. What can I say I love JAM ;)

Kerro21 gotta agree with 75Claudia. i'd be pissed if they kept that whole will-they won't-they shite going for another season... they're together now, which is great, leave it at that... but they could make it more interesting i.e. more pranks or whatever. it's because of the writers strike that they seem to be jamming(pun) as much PB&J in to this season as they can. they probably had an idea for them in season 4, and with it being cut in half they've decided to keep it rolling. happy days

illini_1 I also love Jim and Pam being together but I kinda agree with the lack of excitment becuase I loved the flirtiness of season two. I am excitied for a posibble marriage proposal though!!!

chel1395 I am very conflicted about JAM. At times, I'm totally thrilled that they've finally gotten together. I think it mostly happens whenever I watch old episodes. I'll see Jim pining after Pam and Pam pining after Jim and I'll be all, don't worry guys, you'll be together soon. Jim and Pam are so much happier this season, which is why I love them being together. However, there are times during this season when I think maybe they've lost that spark. For example, in 'Night Out', Pam is lying her head on Jim's shoulder and I wish that Jim would give that little smile that he made in the first season. Now that Jim has Pam, he seems to be taking her for granted. And, then again, he bought an engagement ring just a week after they started dating, which is just too cute!! See, this is what I mean by "conflicted." I want them to be happy and I also want to see some conflict. I'm such a bad JAM fan. ;D

tessajanuary I definitely see where you're coming from. I was very surprised about the storyline of the engagement - it's only 10 eps since they got together! Are they really running out of story for them already? I agree with many of the comments above about missing the season 2 JAM - I love their repartee. I just don't understand why keeping a tv couple together is so difficult. Monica and Chandler were together, pretty much always happily, for 5 seasons and I never got tired of them!

HannaK I have to see more episodes where Jim and Pam are together, for now, I'll just have faith in the writers

Happyhour I agree the spark is fading - but as unsure as I am about this whole engagement thing in tv world they've been going out nearly a year, and there were years before that of flirting, so it's not exactly a sudden thing.

Gstine True but Jim did say that he bought the ring one week after he and Pam started dating. I'm sorry but I don't care if it is JAM: TV's Most Perfect Couple; buying an engagement ring one week after you've started dating someone is really pathetic.

maybeastarbucks I thought the same thing about that being pathetic, but I feared I'd get virtually wailed on.

immisterkevin One hand, they CANNOT keep the will they/won't they thing going on forever. That would seem like the writers were desperate to keep them apart. On the other hand, the reason why writers ALWAYS break up couples is because they can't figure out how to make it work/make it interesting. Sure, the writers may be trying to figure it out, but that's because I think they're trying to do something that has rarely happened before. Not break up the main couple. Point. Match. Game.

shannieannie jim buying the ring a week after they started dating DID seem a little rushed, but he's loved her for years.. i can see where he's coming from. *edit* oh. my. gosh. after this past thursday's episode, how can anything go wrong with JAM?? :) i loved that kiss at the end. it made the whole episode THAT much better. :)