Roy Anderson was the blue-collar warehouse worker from The Office that was lucky enough to be engaged to Pam. Office fans are torn on how they felt about Roy because he kept The Office’s favorite couple from being together for three seasons. But as the series goes on, nothing—not even Roy—could keep Pam and Jim apart
But Roy wasn’t all that bad, was he? He may not have been Pam’s perfect partner but he still loved her. Through the good times and the bad, let’s take a look at five times Roy was actually the good guy (and five times he wasn’t.)
Good Guy: He Got His Life Together After Pam Called Off The Wedding
Once Jim left Scranton, Pam had the courage to call off the wedding with Roy. She obviously had some unresolved feelings for Jim and her and Roy were no longer compatible.
After their break up, Roy said he hit rock bottom but was on the mend. He started working out, he lost weight, he began bettering himself and putting effort into things. In the ninth season, we learned that Roy started his own company and it was a huge success. He now had a huge house and a beautiful wife named Laura.
Bad Guy: Did Roy Have A Crush On Angela?
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Roy and Angela appear to have a little crush on each other. There’s even a theory that they slept together behind Pam and Dwight’s back. But just in case an affair wasn’t involved, let’s take a look back at “The Fire.”
After Ryan sets the office aflame, everyone is waiting outside for the fireman playing games. Roy was asked who from the office he’d sleep with and instead of saying his fiancé, he said Angela!
Good Guy: He Finally Showed Intrest In Pam's ion
Pam loved art and made that known throughout The Office. She enjoyed doing watercolor and illustrations but never knew what to make of it. It took her to break up with Roy and call off the wedding to start focusing on her own art.
And thankfully, Roy was kind enough to show for her ion and came to her art show when no one else from the office did. That was a big moment for the couple.
Bad Guy: He Neglected Pam's Desires
Pam and Roy had been dating since high school. They’ve been together for at least 10 years and were obviously so comfortable with each other that Roy got lazy.
We saw this laziness when Pam explained the digital art internship with Dunder Mifflin and Roy turned it down, telling her nothing would come from it. He also told Jim during the basketball game that he was happy they were friends because he was tired of hearing her talk all the time. In a nutshell, Roy was so comfortable in his bland relationship that he became controlling and negative.
Good Guy: He Encourages Pam To Go After Jim If That's What She Wanted
Once Pam breaks up with Roy for the second time, she tells him that she and Jim kissed. The thought of them kissing drove Roy mad and he started breaking things at the bar.
When everyone calmed down a few days later. Roy and Pam met up to talk things out. Instead of hating her for kissing a co-worker and calling off the wedding, he asked her if she was going to go after Jim. To his surprise, she said no. He humbly said he didn’t understand her and didn’t understand why she wasn’t fighting for the one thing that she ruined everything for. It was Roy’s words that really got Pam thinking.
Bad Guy: He Hit Rock Bottom After His Breakup From Pam
Roy May have acted like a jerk here and there in his relationship with Pam but he got worse when they broke up. When the camera crew asked Roy how he was holding up after the breakup, he itted to letting himself go. He started drinking heavily and got a DUI.
At Phyllis’s wedding, Roy tried to smooth things over with Pam by talking about the wedding, but Pam wasn’t having it. Phyllis's wedding was nearly identical to Pam and Roy’s potential wedding but Roy didn’t even realize that because he was never involved.
Good Guy: He Was Protective Of Pam
Both Roy and Jim were pretty big guys whereas Pam was quite small. It appeared that Pam liked feeling protected, which is exactly what each man did when they were with her.
We saw Roy try and protect Pam numerous times in his own way. More notably, he stepped in when he thought Jim was trying to “cop a feel” in “The Alliance.”
Bad Guy: He Gave Her A Knockoff iPod
Roy wasn’t a horrible boyfriend and fiancé to Pam but he was lazy. He didn’t care about her love of art, didn’t push her to succeed outside of being a receptionist, and the romance seemed to die off.
In the Christmas episode where Jim gets her the special teapot, Pam chooses a Video iPod in the White Elephant. When she tells Roy, he’s elated because now he can just get her something silly like a sweater instead of spending $400 on an iPod. The thought of her fiancé only getting her a sweater made her die inside, so she gave back the iPod so Roy could get her a real gift.
Good Guy: He Seemed Like A Great Husband To Laura
In the ninth season, Pam and Jim are invited to Roy’s wedding. Pam wasn’t expecting much from his wedding and literally showed up eating a banana because she didn’t even think he’d have food.
Funny enough, Roy’s outdoor wedding was a beautiful event at his mansion of a house. He seemed to be in a great place and seemed to adore his new wife. He even learned how to play the piano for her!
Bad Guy: He Forgot Pam At A Hockey Game
When the office is talking about their worst dates, Pam claims her worst date would beat everyone’s. She went to a hockey game with her boyfriend and his brother and when it was time to go home, they forgot her! The two men left her at the rink.
It’s because of that date that Pam now hates sporting events. Jim pressed when this happened and wouldn’t you know, it happened with Roy.