While Michael Scott might be the ostensible hero of The Office, the show’s finale proved who its real lead character was all along. The Office was a workplace sitcom and, like any entry into this popular sub-genre, the show relied on strong performances from its large ensemble cast. However, while Brian Baumgartner’s Kevin and Mindy Kaling’s Kelly provided a lot of laughs throughout the show’s nine seasons, there was little doubt over whom the main character of The Office was. Steve Carrell’s Micheal was the tragic antihero of The Office or, at least, seemed to be until his early exit proved this assumption false.

When Michael left the series in season 7, Jim and Pam’s relationship proved The Office had hidden its real hero for years. Upon a re-watch, it becomes clear that Jenna Fischer’s Pam was the real heart of The Office since Michael left two seasons early and Jim spent the entire show’s run explicitly saying he never wanted to stick around in Dunder Mifflin. Pam is the character who cares about everyone in the titular workspace, who rarely feels like her personal ambitions actively clash with her work in Dunder Mifflin, and who, for the most part, seems genuinely content to be part of The Office.

The Office Series Finale Did Right By Pam

Pam's ending in The Office satisfied all aspects of her character arc. Not only did Pam end up romantically happy with Jim in The Office series finale, but her mural also suggested that she found personal fulfillment as an artist thanks to Jim and Michael’s shared belief in and of her. To reaffirm this, her painting is the last shot of the series, with The Office ending on an image created by Pam to celebrate her colleagues.

Where How I Met Your Mother season 9 forgot that its heroine Lily even wanted to be an artist (or anything other than a wife and mother), The Office series finale managed to honor both Pam’s personal goals and her romantic life at the same time. This not only highlighted how multifaceted she was as a character, but underscored just how far she'd come. As such, she is one of arguably very few long-lasting sitcom characters to get a truly satisfying ending to her story.

Why Pam Is The Heart of The Office

During the years that The Office spent cycling through various replacements for Michael Scott, Pam was the most consistent character in the series. Jim’s attempts to get Athlead off the ground led him to frequently leave the eponymous office behind and, even when he was at work in Dunder Mifflin, he felt more distracted and restless than the slacker who viewers had come to know and love. Meanwhile, the likes of Kelly, Ryan, and Gabe all left The Office early, while Dwight was always a semi-villainous figure and Andy Bernard was a late arrival in the show.

While some divisive episodes of The Office questioned her choices, later seasons of The Office proved Pam was the show’s real heart. She was the only character who both wanted to work in Dunder Mifflin (unlike Jim, Andy, Ryan, and arguably even Michael, who always wanted to avoid actually working) and liked her co-workers (unlike Dwight, Kelly, and Ryan). Not only that, but Pam’s artwork proved that she didn’t feel her artistic ambitions were thwarted by her work in Dunder-Mifflin. Instead, Pam’s art displayed an appreciation for all she learned during her years in The Office, and the series finale rewarded her with a happy ending.