Actually, Jim from "The Office" Totally Sucks
Fans of "The Office" have always seemed to feel that Jim is a catch. Charming, funny, and sweet? Seems like the complete package. However, a lot of the stuff Jim did was PRETTY messed up, making him one package Darryl (of warehouse fame) might decide not to sign for. Here are 7 horrible things that Jim Halpert did that everyone just totally ignores.
1. Drunk Driving; Season 8, Episode 12 "Pool Party"
No one is arguing that a pool party at Robert California's mansion isn't a setting for hilarity to ensue; it is and it certainly does. The problem is at the end of the episode, Jim, who has been guzzling wine the entire night, recklessly drives away to escape the party. Unlike hiding a man's phone in the ceiling and causing him to have an emotional breakdown in front of his co-workers, drunk driving is NO laughing matter.
2. Bullying; Season 3, Episode 8 "The Merger"
If there was an award for "person who made us cringe from awkwardness the most" it would surely go to Michael Scott! One such time was when Michael embarrassed new and plus-size employee, Tony, to the point that Tony quit. Jim made his disapproval of Michael's actions clear when he took off Michael's pants, said, "These belong to me now," and proceeded to stuff them through the paper shredder. This caused Michael to have to do business in his underwear for the rest of the day! (Business is traditionally done in slacks or other more formal attire.) Talk about a short fuse, Jim!
3. Killing Phyllis; Season 3, Episode 7 "Branch Closing"
One of the things "The Office" boasts is a wealth of beloved side characters. That's why Jim's murder of Phyllis came as such a shock. After Michael spills the beans that Jan is planning to close the Scranton branch, Jim decides to take matters into his own hands. Despite his co-workers protests, Jim sacrifices Phyllis to "the Glowing Orb" (the moon?) believing it to be the only way for Dunder Mifflin to be blessed with good profits for the next quarter. In the end, the Scranton branch doesn't even get closed and Phyllis was killed for nothing. Yeah, great going, Jim.
4. Dressing Up as Mussolini for Halloween; Season 8, Episode 5 "Spooked"
Many have attributed this one to writer's fatigue, since it's an episode that comes so late in the series when some say the show was running out of ideas. Jim was never one for Halloween costumes, so his co-workers were baffled when he showed up dressed head-to-toe as Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Initially, the employees of Dunder Mifflin did not recognize his costume, causing Jim to excitedly exclaim, "I'm Mussolini!" When his co-workers were rightfully offended and asked him to change, Jim got defensive and called them all "the PC police" and told them they "didn't get comedy" before storming off in a huff. Sorry Jim, but we're gonna have to side with you co-workers on this one; not one of your best "pranks!"
5. Using Cece as a Vessel to Unleash the Antichrist into the World; Season 6, Episodes 17 & 18 "The Delivery"
After nearly 7 seasons of shipping Jim and Pam, we finally get introduced to the next generation of Beesly and Halpert. However, we were left scratching our heads when Jim declared their child, cute little Cece, was actually Satan's spawn. Matters got complicated when Satan used Cece to enter our world and brought about the Armageddon; Scranton became a battlefield for an army of Angels to duel Satan's minions. Luckily, the end of times did not mean the end of wacky office hijinks, as the show continued for an additional three seasons.
6. Leaving Kevin for Dead; Unaired season 5 episode, "The Office Goes to Jurassic Park"
Okay, this one may be cheating since it never officially aired, but I'm going to include it since most diehard fans have sought it out anyway. In this cross-over episode that connected the worlds between the gang of Dunder Mifflin and the folks at the Lost World of Jurassic Park, Jim and Kevin find themselves face to face with a pack of velociraptors. When trying to outrun them, Jim pushes Kevin to the ground so that the dinosaurs will attack him and Jim can get away. Though the episode never made it to American televisions, the writers have said in interviews that they still consider it canon and that led to their decision write Kevin out of future episodes.
7. Jim is the Unabomber; Season 6, Episode 8, "Koi Pond"
Leave it to Michael to fall into a koi pond during a meeting with a client! This is also the episode where Jim walked into Michael's office and told him he was the Unabomber. "What? That's Ted Kaczynski." Jim smiled, pulled his hoodie over his head and put on a fake mustache and some sunglasses. "Do you believe everything the papers tell you, Michael?" Jim replied. "Why are you telling me this?" Michael shouted. In one of the wildest moments in "The Office" history, Jim leaned in, kissed Michael, and said, "Because they'll never believe you." He then removed the disguise and left Michael's office to put a whoopie cushion under Dwight's chair, who was NONE too pleased.
Next time you watch an episode of "The Office," see if you notice any of Jim's jerk-like tendencies. And if Dunder Mifflin is a family, then Jim Halpert may be the relative we pray doesn't come to Thanksgiving dinner!
