The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (2024)

When people think of The Office’s best couple, they tend to think of Jim and Pam. However, Pam isn’t the only woman Jim dates during the series. In Season 3, Jim begins a relationship with a saleswoman at the Stamford branch named Karen, believing that the woman he really loved, Pam, would get married to Roy. While the Jim-Karen romance didn’t ultimately work out, it had its high points. Obviously, it had some very low points as well. We’re here to look at both.

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It’s time to journey back to Dunder Mifflin. Here are Jim and Karen’s five best (and five worst) moments.

Best: When Jim Helped Karen Track Down The Chips She Wanted

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (1)

Karen is disappointed that her favorite flavor of Herr's potato chips is missing from the vending machine in "Grief Counseling" (S3E4), so naturally, Jim sets out to find them. He spends all day checking various stores and vending machines. When it seems that all hope is lost, he makes a breakthrough.

Karen smiles when she sees the chips waiting at her desk. The extra effort Jim put in was sweet.

Worst: When Karen And Jim Fight About Where She Should Live

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (2)

Though Karen has been in Scranton for a while by the time “Back From Vacation”(S3E11) begins, she still hasn’t found an apartment and is living in a hotel. She gets excited when she sees a “for rent” sign in Jim’s neighborhood, but he objects to the idea of her moving, saying that it would be like they were living together.

Jim eventually comes around, but the two don’t handle the situation well. Rather than talking it out and trusting their feelings, Jim turns to Pam for advice. Even though Pam supports Karen in the argument, dragging an ex-lover intoan argument with your current significant other can't be healthy.

Best: When They Traded Chairs

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (3)

Jim and Karen's friendship continued to grow in the following episode, "Initiation".

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Karen is annoyed when she finds out that Jim swapped chairs with her, and so she does her best to get it back. There's a lot of flirtingthat happens between these two, whichhelpstransition the couple'sworkplace relationship to a romantic one.

Worst: When Jim Can’t Decide Whether He Wants Karen In Scranton

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (4)

In “Branch Closing” (S3E7), Dunder Mifflin’s employees learn that the Scranton branch will close and the Stamford branch will absorb a few of its employees. However, this decision gets reversed, and the workers at Stamford are forced to decide whether or not they want to work in Scranton if they are offered a job.

Jim isgiven the No. 2 position in Scranton but has a difficult time deciding whether he should or shouldn’t accept it. Additionally, he tries to convince Karen that Scranton isn’t that great. He suggests that she shouldn’ttag along. While he changes his mind by the end of the episode, hisencouragementtoward Kareninsincere. His wishy-washy attitude is confusing and inconsiderate.

Best: When Jim And Karen Bonded At Phyllis’ Wedding

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (5)

In “Ben Franklin (S3E14), Jim and Karen tell the camera crew that things have been tough, but they’ve been working through it. In the next episode, “Phyllis’s Wedding” (S3E15), however, they share afewsweet moments. Though Jim still takes notice when Pam leavesPhyllis's reception withRoy, he and Karen still get the opportunity to slow dance. As they do, he sings to her.

When Karen later joins the band to sing “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” Jim pulls out his phone and waves it through the air in time with the song. Though he definitely should have been more present for Karen during the wedding, they still managed to have a little fun.

Worst: When Jim Told Karen About His Relationship With Pam

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (6)

Phyllis tells Karen that Jim had a thing for Pam in “Traveling Salesman” (S3E12). When Karen confronts Jim about this, he glosses over the details and pretends that his relationship with Pam was only a crush. Karen doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t speak up.

The lack of communication between these two didn’t do them any favors. This was yet another instance when a little bit of talking could have gone a long way.

Best: When Jim And KarenBroke Up

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (7)

Though we don’t get to see Jim and Karen’s actual breakup, we see the moments leading up to it and after it. It’s clear that while Karen is committed to making her relationship with Jim work, he isn’t all there.

Though breaking up had to hurt, it ended up putting both Jim and Karen in better positions. While Jim finally got together with Pam, Karen ended up marrying the love of her life and getting a manager position at a different branch. While the pair never figured out how to hit their stride together, they did find a way to becomethe best versions of themselves apart from each other.

Worst: When Jim Said He Still Had Feelings For Pam

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (8)

While viewers might have been thrilled to see Jim admit his lingering feelings for Pam during “The Return” (SEE14), Karen ended up on the bad side of his confession.

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Jim tries to get Karen to pull a prank on Andy with him, but she is too busy to help because sheis busy sorting outtheclients she inherited from Dwight. Jim eventually teams up with Pam, and Karen notices. When she confronts Jim about his feelings, he is honest; He still likes Pam. Unfortunately, this admission came a little too late and hurts Karen in the end.

Best: When Karen Pranked Jim

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (9)

BecauseJim is usually thebig prankster, Karen decided to pull her own stunt on him. Yes,shetotallygot him.

While at David Wallace's house for a "Cocktail Party" (S3E18), Karen pretends to continually run into ex-boyfriends. Jim takes it seriously and starts to get annoyed with Karen, which is when she reveals her joke. While this moment wasn't the most romantic, it did prove that the two could have some entertaining chemistry together.

Worst: When The Couple Witnessed Pam’s Beach Games Speech

The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (10)

Aftera long day of "Beach Games" (S3E23), Pammusters up all the courage she can to share her true feelings with the Scranton employees.

She admits to Jim, in front of Karen and everyone else, that she called off her wedding for him.Pam admits that she's okay withJim dating his new girlfriend, but she wishes they could be friends again. Though this moment was huge for Pam, it couldn't have been comfortable for Jim or Karen. Theyprobably had to have a long talk about Pam's random speech.

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The Office: Jim And Karen’s 5 Best Moments (& 5 Worst) (2024)
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