I wonder how the writers meant for us to interpret Karen. I think when it initially aired she was seen as the bad guy (whether intentional or not), the one who was coming between Pam and Jim, but honestly in all my re-watches I've always felt so bad for how shafted she got by Jim.
She was like Roy in that she was essentially a human prop to create and elongate drama with Jim and Pam.
I was actively rooting for Karen. She was honestly more likable than Pam in the beginning of Season 3.
i think Karen was meant to be disliked simply because she was further separating Jim and Pam. and then by the end of season 3 we weren't supposed to give a shit that Jim dumped her because now he was with Pam, yay! but they didn't write her or the season that way because i always liked her, she was never the "villain" even when they came back to Scranton. they wrote (as they should have) like a normal person.
Idk I don't think that we are not supposed to like Karen. I don't even think we were supposed to be happy Jim dumped her. I think it was supposed to just be a realistic situation. Jim was trying to move on from Pam, and gave it a real effort with a good girl, but it didn't matter because Pam was his soul mate. I think that's the point of Karen.
i read a whole article once that someone write, like a dissertation, on why Karen and Jim were better for each other than Jim & Pam and it was interesting to read but at the end of it all i really got from it was that the writer had entirely too much free time.
at least they gave her a proper send off in Branch Wars were she was a branch manager and pregnant with a man she loves.
Yeah it was when Pam and Michael were on that seminar trip thing and Pam got closure from seeing Karen at that branch, then Michael wanted closure with Holly.
Yea cause I remembered when Michael makes the "Is it Jim's?" line is when Pam is present. Binge watching blends these episodes together
"Well, ya know, Michael is a great delegator. He never does any work himself. Ever. And one time, I walked in on him naked, and his thing is so small... If it were an iPod it would be a shuffle!"