No one expected a mockumentary comedy series on NBC to teach us the meaning of true love but then we met Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer). He was the poor paper salesman who was destined to live in the friend zone while she was the shy receptionist engaged to another man. Their love seemed impossible at times, but eventually, their slow-burn relationship made fans fall head over heels while, at the same time, inspiring a batch of #RelationshipGoals that are still in place.
Here’s a look at 11 times Jim and Pam showed us the way to the perfect relationship.
When Pam fell asleep on Jim’s shoulder.
It took Jim and Pam a while to finally get together but it says a lot about their romance that even when they were “just friends” they were still just making us all envious. Case in point: when the office celebrated Diversity Day in the show’s first season. Jim kept missing calls from his biggest client thanks to Michael’s interruptions and ended up losing the sale to Dwight but all it took to make him feel better was Pam using his shoulder as a headrest.
Goal: Find someone who you can be comfortable around
When Pam got banned from Chili’s for drunk and disorderly conduct and Jim became her sober babysitter.
The Dundies were Michael’s annual awards show for the office and his favorite opportunity to stand up in front of a handful of unsuspecting patrons at the local Chili’s to share some offensively bad jokes. Usually, Pam walked away with the award for “World’s Longest Engagement” but this year she won for “Whitest Sneakers.” Unfortunately, spending hours chugging margaritas and beers (and stealing other diners’ drinks) meant Pam gave a pretty sloppy acceptance speech, kissed Jim, and then proceeded to cause a disturbance outside the restaurant.
Luckily, Jim was there to make sure she didn’t go home with any randos and help her into Angela’s car.
Goal: Find someone who has your back when you’re not at your best.
When they worked together to make Dwight’s life a living hell.
Jim gets credit for pulling off some of the best pranks during the show’s run but many of them wouldn’t haven been possible without Pam. She was always game to gaslight Dwight at a moment’s notice and often joined in on the fun. As a Christmas gift to Jim one season, Pam created an elaborate prank to play on Dwight which involved sending him encoded messages over the period of several months. Eventually, Jim got in on the scheme and convinced Dwight that the CIA was tracking his every move, ending with him destroying his phone. As the saying goes, the couple that pranks together, stays together.
Goal: Find someone you can goof-off with.
When they braved a weekend at Schrute Farms Bed and Breakfast.
Nothing says romance like a beet farm and an outhouse. When Jim and Pam discover Dwight has been using his beet farm as a form of agritourism, they decide to book a room for the weekend. Shoveling manure, beet wine-making classes, a table crafting demonstration and a nightly reading of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows are all on the menu but even when Jim catches Dwight moaning over Angela and Pam is spooked by Cousin Mose’s trip to the outhouse, the couple still manages to have fun and do some good for their friends. If you can survive a two-night stay at an 18th century inn with morning goose walks, you can survive anything as a couple.
Goal: Find an adventure time running mate.
When Jim got down on one knee in front of a gas station… and Pam still said yes.
Proposals are hard. No one’s arguing that. And Jim gets some bonus points for having the ring picked out as soon as he officially began dating Pam, but if your boyfriend chooses to ask you one of life’s most important questions in the pouring rain outside of a rundown gas station and you still want to say yes, you know it’s love.
Goal: Find someone who is full of surprises.
When Jim cut his tie in solidarity.
Looking good in your wedding dress is one of the most stressful things a bride has to deal with on her big day. Pam has a meltdown before the wedding ceremony begins and phones Jim who rushes over to comfort her and then goes a step beyond when he decides to cut his fancy tie after discovering Pam’s wedding veil had ripped. We expected you to hold her hand and spout off some bullsh*t, not make yourself look like a hobo who got a hold of a pair of garden shears, man.
Goal: Find someone who will do anything to put you at ease.
When they went with Plan C and got married at Niagara Falls.
What’s great about Jim and Pam’s wedding – besides it having that completely over-the-top bridal procession – is that the couple decided to get hitched on their own, in secret, before sharing their love with their family and friends. What makes the whole thing more special is that Jim recognized how much time he wasted sitting in the friend zone (and that he predicted Michael would want to recreate a viral dance video on his big day which Pam probably wouldn’t have appreciated if they hadn’t already been married).
Goal: Find someone who can anticipate your needs.
When Jim gave Pam’s parents love advice.
Pam went through a rough patch during the fifth season of the show when her parents separated. She tasked Jim with talking some sense into her dad, but after their conversation, he decided to move forward with the divorce. Pam blamed Jim for her parent’s break up but when she confronted her dad about everything, he admitted that it was Jim’s unconditional love for Pam that made him realize he’d never felt that way about her mother. So, on the one hand, your husband is partly responsible for breaking up your parent’s marriage, but on the other, he really, really loves you and you’re probably soul mates.
Goal: Find someone who isn’t afraid to tell the world how they feel about you.
When Jim warned Pam about eating expired yogurt
In season four, when Jim and Pam’s romantic relationship is just beginning, the two sneak away during an office launch party to reminisce about their first meeting. Pam reveals the moment she knew she liked Jim was when he warned her before she ate a cup of bad yogurt – probably mixed berry flavored. So not only is Jim strangely observational, he also respects the expiration date on food labels. Always a plus.
Goals: Find someone who picks up on the little things.
When they wore Bluetooth headphones to secretly communicate
Pam and Jim try to make the best of their long distance relationship when Pam heads to New York City for art school. Unfortunately, the company frowns upon eight-hour personal calls at work so Pam buys a pair of the world’s smallest Bluetooth earphones so that she and Jim can talk to each other without anyone else knowing. Secretly chatting with your boyfriend for hours during the workday while simultaneously sticking it to the man is the new Netflix and chill.
Goal: Find someone who will go to extremes to talk to you.
The air high five.
Because what is the greatest representation of true friendship if not the symbolic meeting of hands in mid-air?
Goal: Find someone who you can develop a geeky shorthand with.
