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Review : The Office Season 1 on DVD
This weekend I saw a truly awesome TV series on DVD. The Office is a very smart very short British TV series made by the BBC and is showing on BBC America. Kymberly purchased the us DVD set of the the first season. The entire first season is only six shows long and there is a second season that has yet to get to US DVD so in total the show is only twelve shows long.
The Office is a fake reality show comedy or mocumentary that can be compared to the movie This is Spinal Tap
The show is about an minor office of a branch of a British paper manufacturer. The humor is so dry and sardonic that is is pure brilliance. The show is not as over the top as the movie Office Space but absolutely everyone who like Office Space will love The Office. Hell even folks who did not like Office Space will like The Office.
David Bren is the Regional Manager of the Slough Branch of the paper company and he is the star of the show but a total bastard. He is inept, short minded, totally incompetent, self absorbed and a total ass. He is obsessed with low brow jokes and is fixated on the rest of the office thinking he is a funny great guy but everyone plays along do to his power. He is one of those cubical drivers who is so inept that it makes you loose all faith in the system if a prick like that can get ahead of everyone else.
Gareth Keenan is Assistant to the Regional Manager (sometimes he refers to himself as Assistant Regional Manager). He is a worm of a man who is religious to ass kissing and bullshit macho posturing that he gets from his three years that he spend in the British territorial army. That is sort of a volunteer civilian army reserves. You just love to hate this guy.
Tim Canterbury is a Sales Representative who is college educated and is wasted on his position. He is actually a nice guy but his spirit is under duress from working for a prick like David.
All of the events that happen are funny, disturbing, and believable. he sarcasm is so thin at time that you are engaged in the situation because you see it happening to you. The show inspired side splitting laughter, flashbacks to my dot-com cubicle days, and an uncomfortable feeling of subversion. There are some truly great British comedies out there. I love this show not because it is British but because it is brilliant, refreshing and a guilty pleasure. I can't wait until I can see Season 2 on DVD.
Jake at December 22, 2003 
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Comments
BBC America is awesome. I just love watching the brit shows , and cry when American tv tries to copy it. The only one that works is Queer as Folk.
Posted by: rah at December 22, 2003 5:59 AM
I feel the same way.
Posted by: Kymberly at December 22, 2003 9:12 AM
"The office: is coming to America. There is no way it will work on American TV. They won't be able to replicate the humor or wit. Most Americans won't get it and it will fail miserably, which actually is OK for me. But because it is coming to America no more seasons of "The Office" on the BBC. In addition The Actor who plays David Bren also wrote the show. I think he is brilliant. I absolutely love this show and even though I have seen most of the episodes numerous times, I still find myself laughing hysterically.
Posted by: Kymberly at December 22, 2003 9:16 AM
I think that the US version of The Office is doomed to failure because it will lack the origial chemistry of the cast. I don't think you can just put the magic in a bottle and expect other people to have the same magic. Just look at the failed US versions of Iron Chef, Coupling, and Red Dwarf?
Now the US Queer As Folk.. that is good TV.
Posted by: Jake at December 22, 2003 9:39 AM
They just can't do it.
The best example is Red Dwarf - even with the British writers and Terry Farrell, they couldn't do it. Twice.
Posted by: Matt at December 22, 2003 11:32 AM
You're wrong about absolutely everyone. I love Office Space and I love Brit comedies but I can't stand The Office. It's that centering the show on a pitiful bully that just turns me off.
Posted by: Dunsany at December 22, 2003 11:52 AM
Well we love to hate David Bren. He is such a bastard and that is why I think the show works.
Posted by: Jake at December 22, 2003 12:19 PM
How could you not love the office. David isn't a bully, he is just a pathetic typical middle management type who knows he has reached his peak. I don't think anyone truly feels threatened by him, they are all laughing at him behind his back. Well except Gareth maybe. Everyone knows he is full of shit and they usually let him know one way or the other.
Posted by: Kymberly at December 22, 2003 3:32 PM
I admit, I did not like the office the first couple of times I saw it, but it has really grown on me now. I'm actually going to buy it for my wife for Christmas, if I can find any stores that still have it, that is. I know, a little late on the christmas shopping, but I have a reputation to maintain :)
David - best...idiot...ever??
Posted by: pellinore at December 23, 2003 11:02 AM
This show rocks! This guy David Brent is so believable it scares me..there are times when I forget these people are actors. I can't wait for the 2nd series.
Posted by: templeton at January 25, 2004 4:13 AM
It is showing on BBC America and is already out on DVD in the UK. They guy who plays Tim is going to be Arther Dent in the new Hitcher's Guide to the Galaxy movie.
Posted by: Jake at January 25, 2004 5:08 PM
