THE OFFICE: Jim & Pam Get Married
October 8, 2009 by Kath Skerry
“Plan A was marrying her a long, long time ago. Pretty much the day I met her.” – Jim
For those of you worried that tonight’s episode was going to be an hour long sappy lovefest dedicated solely to celebrating Jim and Pam’s love, I give you puke. From the literally nauseating cold open to the ridiculous yet touching final moments of tonight’s episode, “Niagra” was THE OFFICE through and through.
It’s well documented that THE OFFICE is one of my favorite shows of all time. And without getting overly sentimental, it has been a very important show in my life on a few different levels. It’s been my go to show from it’s very first episode (ok, that was a lie, I was hooked with the second episode, “Diversity Day”). I’ve seen the good (“The Injury”), the bad (sorry, but “Phyllis’s Wedding”) and the perfect (“Casino Night”). Tonight’s episode might not have been perfect. It was a bit predictable at times and a little self indulgent, but to me it was satisfying. I’m not sure you can ask more than that.
The episode showcased the ensemble so well and reminded us all that whether we want to believe it or not, Michael Scott got what he wanted – the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin is a family. An incestuous, completely dysfunctional family, but family all the same. And tonight we got to see the family at their finest (which of course is also their worst).
The episode started to really get going when we entered the “The Beesly-Halpret Wedding Rehearsal Dinner in the Passion Package Room”. Jim’s speech was beautiful and sweet. A toast not only to Pam but to all the viewers that have stuck by the couple since the beginning. It was a fantastic toast – well at least the part before he spilled the beans that his fiance was pregnant. As Jim talked about how long he waited for Pam to be his wife, the mental montage of all their moments throughout the years couldn’t help but be played in my mind. John Krasinski’s delivery was so perfect. Whether he was caught in the moment, or is just a really good actor (I vote for both), true emotion could be heard through the slight tremor in his voice.
“Four years ago I was just a guy who had a crush on a girl who had a boyfriend. And I had to do the hardest thing I ever had to do, which was just to wait. Don’t get me wrong I flirted with her. Pam, I can now admit in front of friends and family that I do know how to make a photocopy. I didn’t need your help that many times. And do you remember how long it took you to teach me to drive stick? (Pam: Like a year). I’ve been driving stick since high school. For a really long time that’s all I had. Little moments with a girl who saw me as a friend. And a lot of people told me I was crazy to wait this long for a date with a girl who I worked with, but I think, even then I knew, I was waiting for my wife.”
Although I was hoping they would resist the urge to go there, the writers of course included not one but two speeches from Michael. The first was a just a little bit of Michael’s free standing comedy. I mean what wedding rehearsal isn’t complete without some timely smart car jokes, right? Michael’s second speech was of course his attempt to save Jim’s major flub of outing Pam’s pregnancy. Michael being Michael made a bad situation even worse. What with all the talk of sexual accidents, different sensations, and stuff that blocks that…well you know what ‘m talking about.
The most beautiful scene for me was the special moment that Jim and Pam (and by extension, John and Jenna) shared before the ceremony. Pam’s veil ripped, everyone was driving her crazy, and she just needed Jim. Knowing exactly how to make things right in the way only he can, Jim cut his tie in honor of her torn veil. And in that super sweet moment, I along with Pam, took a mental picture of her husband to be.
Needing their wedding to be about them and not the bevy of crazies waiting for them in the church, Pam and Jim snuck out the back and made their way to the Maid of the Mist where the captain of the boat married them. Whether it was intentional or not, there was a beautiful synergy in having Pam and Jim having this special moment on a boat. This time around Roy wasn’t at her side, and Captain Ron wasn’t offering to marry them. Nope, this time Pam got it right. And as he always said he would, Jim saved the receptionist.
Mr. and Mrs. Halpert returned to the church, now content as a married couple, and ready for anything. Not even their co-workers and family commandeering their wedding and dancing down the aisle could break the magic of their moment. Their eyes met and they laughed. I cried.
I’ve been in enough weddings to know that something inevitably will go wrong. But Jim Halpert, being about as close to a perfect a guy that there is, was determined not to let anything ruin their day. It took four years for he and Pam to find their way to the alter, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let a YouTube video stop them.
“I bought those boat tickets the day I saw that YouTube video. I knew we’d need a back up plan. The boat was actually Plan C. The church was Plan B. And Plan A was marrying her a long, long time ago. Pretty much the day I met her.”
As the episode came to a close, the camera panned in on Jim holding Pam as she rested her head on his shoulder. As Jim once said, all those years ago, “Not a bad day.”
— To waiting.
I was taking mental pictures of so many moments throughout the episode, but then I remembered I had a DVR so I stopped. I didn’t want to waste the battery. But here are a few of my mental pictures…
- Bravo to Pam Beesly Halpert for the well-played puke card. That will show them to peel eggs and where bad smelling soap. And why is Phyllis always smelling so bad? First the pine perfume from Orlando and now the soap. Stick with Ivory, Phyllis.
- Michael: “You are going to be sleeping by yourself for the rest of your life so you should just get used to it.” — Toby, why do you even bother?
- Little girl to Dwight: “Why would they make the bad man your boss if you’re so much smarter?
- Ryan: “I was the youngest VP in company history.”
Meredith: “More recently he worked in a bowling alley. Tell her one of your funny bowling alley stories.”
- Pete & Tom: “Pam, you’ve got the greatest smile and your body is really fine. Hoping it will make our wives kick it up a notch. A little mo-cardio.”
Michael: “That’s not appropriate.”
- Jim: “Is there something about being a manager that makes you say stupid things?”
- The Dunder Mifflinites love to dance. We saw some of their smooth moves back in ‘Cafe Disco’ and tonight they were back at it. Andy beat Meredith in the robot-off, but was anyone else disappointed that there wasn’t another Andy/Kelly dance-off? Speaking of Kelly, she was dancing a bit too close to that Ryan fellow. Stay away, Kapoor.
- Pam: Are you pushing me off the phone?
Drunk!Jim: No, let’s talk for a long time.
- I’m not sure I ever wanted to hear that much about Andy’s scrotum.
- Am I the only one already pulling for an Andy and Erin happily ever after? Oh geesh, this is what happens when I go to weddings. I get all sentimental.
- You can try to deny it all you want, but Dwight Schrute is a complete stud. He’s a love her and leave her type of guy. What is it about the beet farmer that get hot women all hot and bothered. I guess it was too much to ask for a little Dwangela action. Maybe he should wear that Howlin’ at the moon shirt to work. How long until NBC.com starts selling Dwight’s ‘Howling at the Moon’ shirt?
- Dwight: I’m ravenous after a night of love making.
And finally….
The Do’s and Don’t of Pam & Jim’s Wedding
- Do: Have a good time
- Do: Dance when its appropriate
- Do: Eat dinner.
- Don’t: Make a big scene
- Don’t: Cry
- Don’t: Talk to our family — VERY BUSY!
- Don’t: Firecrackers
P.S. I would imagine that viewers not familiar with the famous YouTube video of Jennifer and Kevin Heinz’s wedding entrance might have been a bit confused. But I loved it. And here’s to hoping that Jennifer and Kevin are OFFICE fans. What a thrill for them.
If you haven’t seen the original video, here’s the inspiration for tonight’s grand entrance.
And as a wedding present to all of you gals, here’s John Krasinski in his tighty whites. And no, I’m not kidding.
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Filed under #1 featured, Jenna Fischer, Jim Halpert, John Krasinski, Pam Beesly, The Office, The Office Recaps
ahhh. that was so cute! I loved the whole Chris Brown dance down the aisle. but i wish there would have been more moments between jim and pam. i felt like it didn’t focus on them enough. but overall it was one of my favorite episodes!
I can’t muster the proper wording right now. I know that I’ll be rewatching probably two more times just tonight and maybe then I’ll be able to come up with something coherent. There was not one bad second of this ep. I love these people.
Words cannot express how awesome that was. And that last moment with Jim regarding plans A, B, and C… Wow.
Words cannot express how awesome that was. And that last moment with Jim regarding plans A, B, and C… Wow.
Overall I think it was a great blend of humor, nerves, and sappiness.
And I’m not afraid to admit that this time I really did cry…wasn’t having sweaty eyeballs or making a lasagna.
That wasn’t what I was expecting but I loved it. Jim and Pam are married. Now it’s time to break them up. Where’s Roy. I’m kidding.
Can’t wait to read your take on the episode, Kath.
Wow. Just wow. On so many levels. As much as I would have loved to hear their vows, I think the show handled that perfectly. And when Jim explained that he bought the tickets as soon as the youtube video came out, it killed me.
There is so much to digest in this ep. I think we all know Michael was going to end up in someone’s bed. I’m just glad it wasn’t the grandmother. And this is going to provide a minefield of storyline fodder for awhile, I think.
Everyone had a bit of the spotlight tonight, and some characters came very close to stealing the show from Jim and Pam. Particularly Andy and Kevin. When the hotel threw out Kevin’s shoes I almost cried. And that last scene with the ice will be tatooed on my brain for the rest of my life.
But back to Jim and Pam. The wedding was not anywhere near perfect, which is everything we could have expected. But Jim and Pam and their marriage was completely, utterly perfect.
Despite being an emotional, sentimental episode there were so many laugh out loud moments too! Loved the opening puke scene, Kevin tripping because of his Kleenex box shoes while he was dancing, Dwight kicking the bridesmaid in the face, etc. Lots of cringe inducing moments as well but I expect that from The Office. Overall, I agree that it was really satisfying. Wondering if what happens in Niagara stays in Niagara regarding Michael and Pam’s mom?
I admit I didn’t love it; but it’s probably my own fault for being too excited about it. The dance down the aisle smacked of High School Musical to me, and I was annoyed with it.
But I really liked that Jim and Pam did their own thing, that was very special. And Jim’s last talking head and smile to the camera were perfect.
Loved Kevin.
I’ll watch again to see if I was being too snobby about it. Totally possible.
And oh my to the tighty whities. Oh my.
What a great episode. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was.
I was totally thrown by Jim’s slip-up at the rehearsal dinner! That I was not expecting. Even for a show as unique as The Office I was not expecting that level of their brand of awkward. They broke their own mold with that one. I think the writers really pulled one over on us, I certainly did not see that coming.
The episode hit all the right notes in all the right ways!! Jim + Pam Forever!!
I loved it!! I agree there wasn’t enough Jim and Pam this episode which feels weird to say but overall I thought it was a great blend of seeing everyone in the office and how fantastic they are and how excited they were to see Jim and Pam finally get married. I loved the YouTube thing, I think that ties in perfectly with something they would do. They are usually late with popular clips i.e. Extreme Walking but this tied in perfectly and really showcased how talented those office folk really are 🙂 Loved the boat and Jim’s last talking head it was perfect!!!
Major Cheese.
It just didn’t sit right with all of the typical looks between pam jim and the camera. I guess the camera work and the actors saying their lines were not spontaneous enough. It wasn’t fresh. But now that this wedding is overwith things can really get interesting.
And how lucky those extras were on the maid of the mist. They got to be in Jam’s real wedding!
Overall, I really enjoyed it. But…
A couple parts were just too cringe-inducing (the toast scene, and any dialogue involving Andy’s scrotum).
Was anyone else reminded of HIMYM’s wedding ep, when the bride and groom ran off to get married on their own terms before the ceremony, because of how badly it was going?
I felt Kevin really brought the funny tonight.
I don’t remember a second until the end. I loved the song before the Youtube video, I loved the Youtube video and I FREAKING LOVED the end of this episode. I was smiling from ear to ear the whole time, and for the next six times I watched it. The boat totally brought me back to Booze Cruise and I loved every cheesy second of it. Perfect job.
LOVED IT!!! Absolutely perfect, including the squeamish moments (by which I mean Jim’s oops in his speech, not the puking scene — although I can definitely relate to the pregnancy morning sickness stuff). My hubby and I met at work 31 years ago and have been married for 29 years, and I think that’s why I have such a soft spot for Jim and Pam. This show is the highlight of our viewing week! And my hubby is still my favorite first husband and still a hunk! How cool is that?!!!
Really cool Greenbean! I met my husband at work 16 years ago and we’ve been married for 9. I always saw us in Jim & Pam also, which just goes to show what REAL couple they are. Loved the wedding & pregnancy stuff too (though the scrotum stuff may have been a little extra cringe-worthy…) Yay Jim & Pam!! ♥♥♥
An instant classic. THIS is how you do a “very special wedding episode”. The cold open was a little hard to stomach (har har), but from there it kept climbing until Jim’s plans A-C and the beautifully content look on his face on the boat. Now about Michael and Pam’s mom…
Oh my gosh! I hadn’t even thought about Booze Cruise. Good point, Michele.
Actually, Dwight’s shirt has been on sale for quite some time now…
http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Mens-Three-Short-Sleeve/dp/B002HJ377A
Hey, I just wanted to make a note about that shirt Dwight was wearing in the episode. It’s actually already available to purchase through Amazon. The shirt was yet another witty little cultural reference the writers were making to what is essentially a sort of internet meme. The shirt is called the Three Wolf Moon shirt from a company called Mountain Men. For one reason or another, the shirt really caught on with people over the internet a year or so ago. Go here:
http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Mens-Three-Short-Sleeve/dp/B002HJ377A
and read the hilarious comments from “buyers.” It’s part of what made the shirt so popular, and it also appears that the Office writers may have borrowed bits and pieces from the comments for the dialogue about Dwight’s attire in the episode. It’s definitely worth your while. Great episode by the way. I haven’t enjoyed an Office episode like that in a while.
D’oh! Someone beat me to it!
Loved the episode, teared up a few times 🙂
Am I the only one who finds it funny that in Season 2 Dwight didn’t know what the “female vagina” looked like and now he’s some sort of stud?! I guess he owes it all to Toby!
That was such a perfect episode. Love your post episode write up! And that tighty whities scene is the best thing the Office ever filmed.
I cried like a baby through the whole dance/maid of the mist scene. Every character truely did get to shine. I was a little annoyed at the promos for this episode because they totally gave away that they were going to do the youtube/chris brown wedding thing, but I still loved it. Each character’s dance was pitch perfect for them, and Jim and Pam going off to get married on a boat by themselves was perfect. Then when Jim gave his list of back of plans I cried a little more, and just when I didn’t think I could cry any harder we see Jim’s face as Pam has her head on his shoulder- WOW! What a good day it was on Diversity Day when the girl he loved fell asleep on his shoulder – and now here she is as his wife. I’m crying again just writing about it!
Another moment I wanted to add to the good moments of the episode was when Michael is watching Dwight eat his breakfast after his night with Pam’s bestfriend and listening to him talk about how she isn’t for him. I love how to Michael this is like his dream scenario! He would LOVE to date Pam’s best friend. I felt like you could see in Michael’s eyes all the possibilites of that, and how much he waned that.
Good episode, great ending!
I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get to hear the vows but perhaps that would have been a little too ‘Days of Our Lives’ and maybe the vows were already contained in Jim’s rehearsal dinner speech. But I have invested a lot of time in this relationship and did want to hear the words “I James Halpert…’ It is sort of similar to how I felt about the proposal filmed from a distance in the rain at a rest stop. Maybe I was looking for a little full on schmaltz, but that isn’t The Office, I guess.
I feel a little prescient in that I cited Booze Cruise as containing my personal favorite JAM moments on your night before posting, GMMR. The real wedding was most assuredly a call back with a much happier ending.
I didn’t cry until the Chris Rock song started and then the dancing began and Jim and Pam exchanged those knowing smiles we have grown to love. Then there was no stopping the tears.
Oh and I actually liked Kevin’s hair. I’m looking forward to seeing it again.
Reading your recap has brought tears to my eyes- I need to go rewatch it immediately! I was so overtaken with all the funny and awkward in this episode that it was hard for me to truly stop and enjoy the sweet Jim and Pam moments: the mental pictures! the glances in the church! Thank you John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer for once again bringing these two to life and making all of us fans so proud 🙂
I LOVED that we did not get to hear their vows- it was just like the gas station proposal, the revealing of the pregnancy and it was perfect. I have always appreciated that the writers and director do it that way because a) it keeps Jim and Pam realistic- that we are getting a small glimpse into their life and b) JKras and Jenna can say more with their facial expressions than most can with words.
Overall, amazing and I’m sure I’ll love it even more after repeated viewings!
A great line- Angela: “Some of us have to be our own grandmother” hahaha!
Are you pushing me off the phone?
No, let’s talk for a long time!
Oh my gosh, SUCH a good episode. A little cheesy, a little self indulgent, but c’mon. This documentary isn’t just about Pam and Jim, its about the entire office and I’m so so glad that so many other people got as much screen time as they did. The dance was fantastic.
But sidebar, umm Michale and Pam’s mom???? Hello! I hope hope HOPE that isn’t just a hook up, the comedic possibilites of that arch are endless!!!
Yeah, I was gonna mention Michael and Pam’s mom, too, as an awesome mental picture.
I love this show, but I think I might be too squeamish for the wedding, including, the puking, Michael’s sex toast, Dwight eating breakfast with food falling out of his mouth and Andy in Pam’s car saying something about “her stupid wedding.” Maybe it reminded me too much of my own wedding.
I really was looking forward to a tearjerker, I was just in the mood. I did cry right at the end, but on the whole it wasn’t tender and emotional enough for me. I know, I was probably looking forward to a different T.V. show…
wedding.
I really enjoyed it. The puking at the beginning was so unexpected and inappropriate for a big wedding episode – hilarious! It was a very touching episode, a classic Office with awkward moments, inappropriate speeches, and JAM sweetness. I rolled my eyes at the “Waiting my whole life” part the first time…such a knock off – but after re-watching it – it is SO Office, and it was very sweet.
No wedding vows? Sure, the show was funny, but they should have alloted time for an emotional payoff for the fans. As much as I am glad that Pam and Jim are married, I was left feeling let down because I didn’t atually SEE A WEDDING.
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Not even a sappy kind of gal but the every thing Jim said and did in this episode was an A. He swept me off my feet that’s for sure. As for the rest…it was just so…Office:) Not to mention I got really excited about Dwight’s “Howling at the moon” shirt because I’m proud to say my grandma has sported that exact piece of fabric for the past 15 yrs. I used to make fun of her…now I’d buy the shirt off of her if she didn’t love it so much. Kudos to the Office, and my grandma for that matter. Absolute success.
PS — Thanks for clearing up the whole youtube video thing. I was very confused, but it’s all so clear now:)
I love you forever for having that image from behind on the boat. I just re-watched the clip of the end of this episode for the first time in ages and got weepy. That picture is worth a thousand words.
BJ NOVAK IS NOT ONE OF US.
DECEPTION DISGRACE EVIL AS PLAIN AS THE SCAR ON HIS FUGLY FACE
DECEPTION(AN OUTRAGE!) (HE CANT CHANGE HIS STRIPES!)DISGRACE(FOR
SHAME!) (YOU KNOW THESE OUTSIDER TYPES!)HE ASKED FOR TROUBLE THE
MOMENT HE CAME(SEE YA LATER AGITATOR!)DECEPTION(AN OUTRAGE!)
(JUST LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE!)DISGRACE(FOR SHAME!) (TRAITOR GO
BACK WITH YOUR OWN!)HE ASKED FOR TROUBLE THE MOMENT HE CAME.
(SEE YA LATER AGITATOR!)
BORN IN GRIEF RAISED IN HATE HELPLESS TO DEFY THE STUPID OFFICES
FATE LET HIM RUN LET HIM LIVE?BUT DO NOT FORGET WHAT WE CANNOT
FORGIVE!
AND HE IS NOT ONE OF US HE HAS NEVER BEEN ONE OF US HE IS NOT PART
OF US NOT OUR KIND SOMEONE ONCE LIED TO US NOW WE’RE NOT SO BLIND
FOR WE KNEW HE WOULD DO WHAT HES DONE AND WE KNOW THAT HE’LL
NEVER BE ONE OF BJ NOVAK AND RYAN ARE NOT ONE OF US!
DECEPTION DISGRACE DECEPTION DISGRACE OOOHHHH DECEPTION.
REST IN HORSESHIT BJ FUCKING JEW NOVAK YOUR AS CREATIVE AND SPECIAL
AS SHIT AND PISS IN THE FUCKING TOILET AND I REALLY WISH YOU WOULD
GO AWAY YOU SNIVLING LITTLE CREEP.
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