Phyllis Vance was the only saleswoman at Dunder Mifflin Scranton until Pam came aboard in The Office. It’s not known if Phyllis really loved her job but she did take pride in it and worked hard to make her clients happy. Over the years, viewers saw Phyllis’s relationship with her co-workers and her partner (Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration) transform into loving interactions.
But as supported and loved as Phyllis was, she’s had plenty of moments in her life that are determined as upsetting. Whether it’s the problems from her youth making themselves known in her future or the way she’s treated by her so-called “friends,” Phyllis has had as many sad moments in her life as happy ones.
Michael Constantly Calls Her Matronly
Phyllis’s sweet nature, love of purple sweaters, and knitting hobby give her a matronly vibe, according to Michael Scott. Michael constantly acts like Phyllis is the grandmother of the office but they’re actually around the same age.
The two went to the same high school! But no matter how many times Phyllis reminds Michael of this, he continues to degrade Phyllis by insulting her looks and how old she acts. Phyllis deserved better.
She Gave Her Baby Up For Adoption
When Erin started working at Dunder Mifflin in the fifth season, she made it known that she grew up in the foster care system and was never adopted. Never having her own room, things or parents really affected Erin. It could be the reason why Erin acts so young even in her mid 2o’s.
To connect the dots between Erin and Phyllis, Phyllis once told cameras that she gave up a baby for adoption after getting pregnant in high school. The look on her face and how she told the camera crew proved how upsetting that situation was for her. And when Erin and Phyllis did bloodwork to find out if they were related, Phyllis wasn’t ready to admit to Erin that the test came back negative.
She Wonders If Anyone In The Office Likes Her
In order to create a healthier work environment, Dunder Mifflin created a contest among the branches. The branch that collectively lost the most amount of weight won a prize. But as always, the Scranton branch took things too far. Kelly swallowed a “tapeworm” she bought from Creed and had a minor meltdown.
Michael put Kelly in the middle of the conference room and asked everyone to say nice things about Kelly. The compliments really worked for Kelly. When the cameras cut to a talking head of Phyllis, she sadly looked at the ground and wondered what her co-workers liked about her. She made a joke at the end of her question but the pain in her voice was real.
All She Wanted For Christmas Was To Be Santa
In the episode “Secret Santa,” Jim and Michael are co-managers, which meant they both had a voice regarding big and small office issues. Months before Christmas, Phyllis asked Jim if she was able to be Santa Claus for the office’s holiday party, to which he said yes.
Phyllis was beyond excited to play the part of Santa. She had tears in her eyes and called the opportunity a “journey.” It’s then that viewers realized how badly Phyllis wanted to be Santa for years but was denied the opportunity because of Michael’s own selfishness.
She Was Flashed
In the episode “Women’s Appreciation,” Phyllis is beside herself when a stranger flashed her in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot. She had just parked her car and was walking inside when a man with a map asked Phyllis for directions. When he moved the map, Phyllis saw that the man was exposed and she ran inside.
Everyone in the office treated Phyllis with love and care — except for Angela and Michael. Angela judged Phyllis and reminded her that she was a married woman. And Michael made light of the situation and pretended to flash her as well… In reality, Phyllis should have called it a day and gone home.
Her Gifts Weren’t Appreciated
Phyllis does most things with love. She has a big heart and treats those around her with respect (as long as they treat her with the same respect). However, her efforts are overlooked.
Michael got so mad at her homemade oven mitts during a Secret Santa that he changed the game to Yankee Swap so he could get rid of them. Her efforts as a member of the party planning committee were also overlooked and criticized by both Michael and Angela.
She’s Bullied By Angela
Just as Toby’s bully is Michael, Phyllis’s bully is Angela. To be fair to Phyllis, Angela isn’t nice to many people and treats everyone with the same disdain. However, due to their relationship in the party planning committee, Angela is especially hard on Phyllis.
She hates all of Phyllis’s suggestions and gets mad when Phyllis misinterprets her original meaning. It’s sad because Phyllis does everything out of the goodness of her heart and didn’t deserve that kind of heat.
She Questioned Her Relationship
The Office fans are obsessed with Pam and Jim but it’s Phyllis and Bob Vance who deserve the gold medal for best couple. Bob is obsessed with Phyllis and treats her like a queen. The two keep things “spicy” and aren’t shy of public affection. And as confident as Phyllis was in her relationship with Bob, she did question it when she saw Bob’s new secretary.
His secretary was essentially a younger version of Phyllis, and Phyllis recognized that immediately. Thankfully by the end of the episode, Phyllis knew Bob would never hurt her but it was sad to see her second-guess herself.
Does Phyllis Suffer From Depression?
When Phyllis helps Michael plan Toby’s going away party, she calls a number looking for an antigravity machine (classic Michael). But when the woman on the other line didn’t know what an antigravity machine was, she offered Phyllis antidepressants.
Instead of hanging up or calling another number, Phyllis agreed to the number for antidepressants. Does this mean poor Phyllis Vance suffered from depression?
One Word: Basketball
In the episode “Basketball,” a fun game of basketball is played between the office workers and the warehouse staff. When Michael was picking his dream team, Phyllis volunteered to play because she loved basketball. Sadly, Michael turned her down.
And when the option came up for Phyllis to cheerlead instead, Michael made a horrible remark about cheerleading being worse than her playing. Throughout the game, there were clips of Phyllis jumping in and playing anyway and she was far better than Michael and Stanely! She was just never given the chance.
