| Product: |
Office, The |
| Date: |
11.06.03 (697 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: funny, often true to life, original
Disadvantages: none
Office addicts like my sad self will recognise the above title as one of David Brent?s sayings. For the uninitiated it goes something like 'you?ve got to look at the whole pie with regard to the current development situation?' This is the kind of waffly, nonsensical, management speak that he delights in.
Before I go any further I originally wrote this review about the video of episode 1 that I've got I can't find it on dooyoo, so I'm putting it in with the general tv show.
The Office is a spoof documentary style series which is based in the Slough branch of Wernham and Hogg paper merchant.The characters are what make the office unique. Most people who have worked in an average working environment will recognise traits from these characters.
DAVID BRENT (Ricky Gervis, co-writer) is the manager of the office. He likes talking in silly management speak to make himself sound brighter than he is and to try and cover up when he doesn?t know the answer to something. I'm sure a lot of people have had bosses who are guilty of that. He thinks he's a lot funnier than he is, most of his jokes are feeble and he seems immune to the blank, bored looks he gets from his staff. He's overly politically correct, in a way that suggests he may be a bit prejudiced. David is convinced that the office is a fun, crazy place to work whilst in reality its humdrum and monotonous.
GARETH is the assistant to the regional manager (David) or as he would put it assistant regional manager. He's a bit of a jobsworth and apart from David is the only person to be happy to be working at Wernham and Hoggs. He used to be in the territorial army and considers himself to be a bit of a military man. He's obsessed with the army and military techniques. What makes this funnier is Gareth is quite weedy, with a sparrow like face and he talks about how he could kill a man if it was absolutely necessary.
TIM is a normal, regula
r bloke. He lacks confidence and drive thus his job involves describing paper and quantities to customers and boring himself silly. He has a crush on Dawn, the receptionist. He has to share a desk with Gareth who drives him to distraction with his pedantic nature and military talk. Tim's slightly raised eyebrowed looks that he gives the camera after one of Gareth?s ramblings is very funny.
DAWN is another normal one. She has a crush on Tim and a boyfriend from the warehouse. She is bemused by David most of the time.
KEITH is in accounts, he is one of the side characters, but very funny. There is something very deadpan about his face that is funny. His voice is slow and almost comatose which is very funny. It doesn't sound that great, but you have to see it to see the funny side.
CHRIS FINCH is a sales rep and David's ideal. Chris is flash, cheesey and prone to sexist remarks. However, he thinks he's quite something and David is desperate to be his mate.
Tim and Dawn are the 'straight' characters that illustrate the humour in David and Gareth's actions. If you have a funny line from them and then Dawn and Tim's bemused faces and reactions makes it funnier.
The video covers all six episodes in series 1
EPISODE 1 Introduces the characters. The best bit from this is Tim hiding Gareth's stapler in jelly, I just think that scene is hysterical
EPISODE 2 Donna (who is staying with David), daughter of David's friends comes to work in the office and David trys to show her how fun and zany the office is whilst she is very underwhelmed. David has a meeting with the staff to say that either the Slough or Swindon branch will incorporate the other depending on profitibiity. Porn featuring David's head is found on a computer and Gareth with his special 'interrogation experience' is asked to try and find the culprit.
EPISODE 3 Tim's 30th birthday and Da
vid?s philosophy whilst talking about his senile dad is 'he's now a vegetable and thats what we?ve all got to look forward to' The company quiz and David is in a team with Chris Finch, they?re both overly obsessed with winning the quiz. David is disturbed by blockbuster appearing temp Ricky's general knowledge.
EPISODE 4 The office has a training day. This highlights some of the great truths about staff training, cheesey videos, pointless diagrams, pointless objectives, but a day of work. David has an external person to run the session, but isn't pleased with that, because he of course thinks he knows better.
EPISODE 5 In episode 5 David interviews for a new secretary when he is supposed to be making people redundant. He's rather taken with the lady applicant and you just know that the male applicant doesn?t stand a chance. In the evening they descend on a local nightclub which is a bit of a naff place. David finds out who in the office Donna has been sleeping with.
EPISODE 6 In this episode the decision about which branch will be incorporate is made. Also there?s the end of financial year party with a chance to win a printer in the raffle
I've not gone into too much detail in case you?ve not watched it. Wernham and Hogg office is set in Slough Trading estate because it's dreary and a bit depressing (no disrespect if you actually do work there!). There?s a lovely shot of a bus coming out of Slough bus depot and the main roundabout in Slough, it?s the sort of dreary start to the day that will not inspire you for a day at work.
The Office is often painfully funny, because although it's exagerrated a lot of it strikes a chord. It?s full of characters who hate their jobs and can?t think how they ended up with them. Incompetent people have responsible jobs. Bosses talk in management babble to make themselves sound good. David Brent thinks he?s a lot funnier than he is and is forever tellin
g bad jokes, but doesn't like to be on the receiving end of humour. Workdays are monotonous, there are some great clips in the office of people staring blankly into space or tapping at a computer, this makes it seem less 'staged' than a lot of comedy programmes.
The documentary idea works really well, because of the 'asides' characters have when they explained their philosophies on life, which usually turn out to be funny. Well all I can say is that I hope they make a third series.
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