He's an EMBARRASSMENT (Office, The)

Name: thehud

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Product:	Office, The
Date:	02.10.02 (725 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gervais, Everything

Disadvantages: Painful at times

The Office was the surprise comedy hit of last year, a spoof documentary set in the Slough offices of a paper merchant called Wernham Hogg, which was so true to life that it was exceptionally difficult for the first episode or so to tell if we were actually seeing a real documentary or not. It was shot in standard documentary mode, with interspersed interviews with the main protagonists mixed in with the set piece general scenarios.

There has been another occasional series of programmes featuring Chris Langham from Kiss Me Kate as a reporter visiting businesses, and that was funny enough, but it is The Office, spitefully focused and designed and unerringly hitting its target, which is the real achievement. Written by its star Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it is an extraordinary achievement and the latest example of a low budget, cult show which unexpectedly takes off in a way which catches all of us by surprise.

I was one of the lucky souls who got in at the start, when it was first showing, and quickly got totally mesmerised by this wonderful epic. I was an addict for the rest of the series and couldn't miss any episodes, it was that good. Such genius doesn't come along every day and when it does you have to really treasure it.

Gervais is an up and coming talent and is the star of this show, playing the vain and frankly embarrassing David Brent, the manager of the Slough office of the company. Also on the staff are the twin saddoes, Tim and Gavin, who compete for supremacy in the office. They detest each other, and each consider the other to be very much their inferior. Tim is just about tolerable, but the abysmal Gavin sees himself very much as Brent's right hand man, and God's gift on just about everything. In actual fact, he's a completely reprehensible character, prejudiced, dim and conceited, a complete laughing stock in the company.

I'll come back to these three individuals a bit later.


The first series can best be captured in the following summaries of the six episodes, and hopefully you get a picture of what goes on in the terrible world of Wernham Hogg.

Episode 1 - David Brent learns that his branch of the paper merchants might be closed down. But he promises his staff, that under his regime there will be no redundancies.

Episode 2 - Donna arrives on work experience. But her first day at work is dominated by a dirty picture of her boss that's been e-mailed around the office.

Episode 3 - It's Tim's birthday. But it's also the annual quiz night. Will Brent and Finchy be able to beat the young pretenders Tim & Ricky?

Episode 4 - Rowan, a management consultant, has come to Wernham Hogg to give the staff a special training day.

Episode 5 - Even though some of the staff may be made redundant, Brent decides to take on a new secretary. Naturally, he chooses the prettiest woman.

Episode 6 - It's judgement day on whether the office is to be downsized.
The series ended with Brent getting the good news that Swindon is to be the branch surviving with him in charge, although his rival has been appointed over him as his new boss, much to his dismay, although he is convinced that he actually decided to stay on in the job out of loyalty to his staff.

The second series began on September 30, with Brent welcoming the former staff of the Swindon branch to his empire, and embarrassing himself thoroughly in the process with his asinine welcome speech and pathetic impressions. It was as if this bunch had never been away and things look exceptionally promising for the new series. Everyone else seems to think so too, and the BBC website carried the following news the day after the first episode was screened:

"BBC Two's The Office swept aside all competition to top Monday night's ratings. Ricky Gervais's critically acclaimed sitcom attracted f
ive million viewers. Gervais, who plays paper company boss Dave Brent, attracted more viewers than either of the other four channels when the show went out at 2200. 'The ratings for The Office are fantastic and we are pleased to have the hottest comedy talent on BBC Two,' the channel's controller, Jane Root, said. The show - which has a documentary flavour to it and no laughter track - averaged 4.8 million viewers - more than triple the number who tuned in for watch its first ever episode last July. The figure will top five million once video recording of the show has been taken into account. That means one in four viewers were tuned in to BBC Two at 2200. The news on BBC One lost out to the sitcom, attracting an audience of 4.3 million. ITV1's News at Ten drew 3.5 million. Five's film, Clint Eastwood blockbuster In the Line of Fire, had 2.5 million viewers, while Channel 4 documentary The Private Lives of Pompeii drew just 1.4 million."

Now, that's what you really call a success.

As promised, I'll come back now to our chums, the people who populate the office. Tim and Gavin are weak, flawed individuals who each think they're destined for better things, but can both bask in the glory of knowing that there's someone equally pathetic around in each other. What can also gladden their hearts is the fact that there's an even bigger clown around, and that's their beloved(!) leader, David Brent. He considers himself the best boss in the world, a genuine comic talent with a marvellous ability at music. He thinks he's a born entertainer and that he makes life a dream for his little family, who he is convinced adore him totally and absolutely. In reality, they know he's an embarrassing, pathetic dolt, who is childish, self indulgent, conceited and thoroughly obtuse.

All great comic inventions have a touch of evil about them. Think of Basil Fawlty, Victor Meldrew, Hancock, and many other
s. They're all flawed individuals who annoy us at best, and repel us at worst. It's almost a prerequisite for such horror to accompany the laughs, and certainly Brent comes with both in spades, he's a total pain.

Much of his performances in the first series plumbed the real depths of the human character, but the new series sees him sinking yet lower. He's an absolute EMBARRASSMENT. And we love/hate him for it.

If you only ever watch one comedy programme this year, make it this one.

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