Thursday's going to be fun, isn't it? That's when we get to see the worlds of Stamford and Scranton collide on The Office, as Jim returns to his old office. Pam's going to be there, and that reunion's going to be fun to see. But guess who else is coming? Karen, who has been carrying on a fun flirtation with Jim since the beginning of the season, and openly admitted to the "cameraman" on the show that she was into Mr. Halpert.

It looks like people are already taking sides. Recently, my friend Claire Zulkey started a blog debate with Lindsay Robertson about which of Jim's suitors should win out. Claire's on Team Karen, citing the fact that Karen actually came out and said she liked Jim, and that the flirtation between the two seems more adult than what Jim had with Pam. Lindsay's on Team Pam, because she thinks every woman's got a shy, semi-nerdy Pam inside of them, and that's something to root for. They're even selling t-shirts that will give people a chance express their choice in the form of cotton and silk-screening.

(By the way, our Mike Canfield seems to be on Team Karen, judging by his previous comments.)

Personally, I haven't come down on either side of the debate, yet. As sweet as Pam is, I've been on the Jim side of an unrequited office romance (shameless plug: see the Novemeber issue of Jane for my essay on that topic), and I know how painful it is; I can definitely understand why Jim needed to get out of there. And Karen is not only unencumbered by a boyfriend, but she's much more up-front with Jim about her intentions (she hasn't told him, but the look on her face when Jim suggested she avoid moving to Scranton spoke volumes, even to Jim). Besides, I just want to see how the competition between Karen and Pam plays out.

To their credit, the writers have made Karen, played by Rashida Jones, into a very likeable character. She's a little nerdy (remember, she played the same war game the rest of the Stamford office was... and kicking Jim's ass), but in a sexy way. Usually, you don't want to make the third person in a love triangle likeable, but I think it works here, since it delays the inevitable hook-up between Jim and Pam that might ruin the comedic balance on The Office. The longer we stay away from the whole Jim and Pam mishegas, the more we'll have a chance to see the other characters, and their stories, develop.

What team are you on? Let me know in the comments?