The Office: Pam's Labrynth

Viewers of The Office have seen Pam Beasley work on her chutzpah this season. For Pam, being open and speaking her mind has been one step forward, two steps back. She saves the biggest hurdle for last this season, finally admitting to Jim how she feels about the distance between them.

We first see Pam asserting herself at the bar, correcting the bartender about her drink order. Baby steps, Beasley. That goes well, so she shares with Roy what happened with Jim the night of the Booze Cruise. This results in a drunken rage from Roy, which ends of their relationship. Now that they're through, Pam is on the market again. But Jim is involved with Karen, and The Office has advertising dollars to earn. They can't afford to get Jim and Pam together anytime soon. We're not tuning in every week to swoon over the sexual tension between Dwight and Angela. Well, I'm not.

At the office Pam is still her relatively meek self. She kind of blends into the neutral landscape that is Dunder Mifflin, and doesn't even have Jim to snark around with. We see her going through the motions at her job, watching Jim and Karen together and telling the camera it doesn't matter. You can see in her face that it does though. Fear not, dear Office fans. The honesty and candor she'd like to exhibit is welling up inside of her.

Waiting to come out at the office beach party. Pam draws her strength when she is outside of the office, apparently. After being sidelined by Michael all day she walks through the coals and returns to the group. In a "where did that come from?" monologue she lays it all out on the line for everyone. She's tired of being ignored at the office and by the way, Jim, she misses your friendship. Here she is to the point, though thankfully she doesn't go so far as to say she has romantic feelings for him. Karen is there; Pam is aiming for honesty, not trying to be malicious.

In the last episode there's a scene at the office between Karen and Pam where Pam is unapologetic about her beach confession. This is even more surprising than the beach speech itself, as she has had time by now to feel good and self-conscious about it.

For anyone that's ever felt underemployed and voiceless, seeing Pam go for what she wants is fun. It's hard to say whether or not she and Jim will end up together. In either case, it would be great to see her able to develop her career. But it's that sense of boredom with her job that makes her who she is, makes her need Jim, and makes The Office such a great slice of life.