Last Updated on September 18, 2024
The Office was highly praised for the way it approached domestic abuse. Whereas most shows either portray a woman victim or make light of a man being abused, often even questioning his masculinity or even going so far as to imply that he deserves it for letting a woman abuse him, The Office showed Michael Scott as a sympathetic victim of Jan Levinson’s emotional abuse. But did Jan’s behavior meet the standard for domestic violence?
Proof of Domestic Abuse Between Michael and Jan
Like many couples, Michael Scott and Jan Levinson don’t seem to be in a dysfunctional relationship when observed by casual outsiders, but when Michael’s friends dig deeper, they find that Jan exerts a disturbing level of control over him. They discover that she even sexually assaults him. Finally, in front of his friends, she destroys one of his most prized possessions, which serves as the final straw in their relationship and brings the police to their doorstep.
Jan Rapes Michael
The first red flag about Michael Scott and Jan being together is when Michael goes to the mall with his female co-workers, who learn that she forces him to participate in bondage against his wishes and then ignores his safe word. She also records his sex sessions and shares this footage with her therapist against Michael’s wishes. His friends give him support and encouragement to break up with Jan, but he changes his mind when he sees her and her new breast implants.
While few victims of abuse change their minds about leaving their partner due to cosmetic surgery, many victims find it hard to leave their abusers, particularly when their partner comes before them with a sincere apology for their behavior. The difficulty so many victims face in leaving their partner is one of the reasons emergency stay away orders are issued as soon as someone is arrested for domestic violence.
Emotional Manipulation and Abuse
As time wears on, Jan starts showing up randomly at Michael’s place of business and acts aggressively jealous of Pam simply because she works close to Michael. Jan consistently tells Michael she is out of his league, is embarrassed by him, and that he will never be able to get someone as good as her again —a standard line used by abusers. At Mike’s disposition in her wrongful termination suit against Dunder Mifflin, Jan uses Michael’s diary as evidence —without his permission, showing a complete disregard for his privacy.
Cheating, Sleeping Arrangements, and Vandalism
The “Dinner Party” episode reveals how problematic their relationship really is. When Michael and Jan have his co-workers over for dinner, we finally see all the cracks in their partnership. For one, it’s strongly implied that Jan had or is currently having an affair with her former assistant, Hunter.
Then, we learn that Jan sleeps in the bed and forces Michael to sleep on a small bench at the foot of the bed like a dog. Similarly, though Michael owns the condo, Jan has taken over and claimed both a workspace and a home office.
Eventually, the two start to argue, and in an attempt to reclaim his power, Michael hangs up a neon Saint Pauli Girl beer sign she wouldn’t let him display before. His act of defiance leads to a shouting match that ends with Jan taking one of Michael Scott’s beloved Dundie awards and throwing it into his prized $200 plasma TV. As the guests leave in the wake of this act of vandalism, the police arrive.
A Realistic Look at The Office’s Dinner Party
While the awkwardness is played for laughs, the interaction between the couple and their guests is fairly realistic for a couple in an abusive relationship. What isn’t accurate in the episode is that the police are satisfied when Michael says he does not want to file charges before leaving to stay the night at a friend’s house.
Instead, when police perform domestic violence well checks, they first interview everyone present at the scene, attempting to keep the victim away from the aggressor as much as possible. In reality, the officers would interview Michael, Jan, Dwight, Dwight’s babysitter, Jim, Pam, Angela, and Andy, as well as the neighbors who reported the incident.
Once they established that Jan damaged Michael’s property, they would have arrested her, even if he didn’t want to press charges or offered to “take the fall” for her. The police would also likely take the television and Dundie as evidence.
What Charges Would Jan Levinson Face?
Jan would need to call a local domestic violence lawyer because the District Attorney’s office would almost certainly file charges with so much evidence. Many people would assume that Jan would be innocent of the most serious domestic violence charge, corporal injury to a spouse or inhabitant, because she never actually hurt him physically. However, by ignoring his safeword, she technically raped Michael, which could open her up to domestic violence and sexual assault charges.
Her actions would certainly qualify for domestic battery charges, which apply when someone uses violence or force against a partner or threatens violence in conjunction with emotional abuse. She performed enough abusive acts, particularly emotional abuse, to meet the standard for this charge. In some rare cases, people can even be charged with domestic battery based solely on the level of emotional abuse they inflicted, though usually these involve massive levels of stalking and harassment.
Of course, many domestic violence incidents go unreported. It’s possible Michael and those at the party would have only reported what happened the night the police showed up, not all of the disturbing behaviors Jan demonstrated in the past. In this case, Jan would most likely only face domestic violence vandalism charges, which carry mandatory minimums higher than standard vandalism charges, including at least 3 years of probation, 1 year of battery classes, $500 in fines, a restraining order, mandatory community service and restitution to the victim for the damaged property.
While the situation in The Office between Michael and Jan may seem humorously disturbing, the reality is that Jan would most likely end up behind bars for what she did. Domestic abuse charges are serious offenses that require the assistance of an experienced attorney. If you have been accused of any of these serious charges, please call (760) 643-4050 to schedule a free initial consultation at Mr. Liss’ office right across the street from the courthouse and jail in Vista.
