The Office Special

[iembalm]

Beautiful.

[refriedwhiskey]

Yes.

[dgrunert]

This show is so far and above better than any American sitcom. There are a handful of shows (Curb, Arrested Development) that come close, but nothing beats Ricky Gervais' brilliantly hateable David Brent. And the Dawn/Tim storyline is simply womderful. Just when you think the show's going to go one way, Gervais and co-writer/co-director Stephen Merchant go another way.

Bloody brilliant!

[refriedwhiskey]

I like David Brent, but he's hard to watch because he's such a complete idiot. That's why I liked the first season of The Office more than the second; season 2 put too much focus on David and gave us too little of Dawn and the show's real viewpoint character, Tim.

Tim is the sane foil for David's and Gareth's insanity (not to mention the madness of various supporting characters). He's the one we identify with, so he's really the unsung hero of the series. Plus, he can make me laugh out loud just with his silent reactions to what's going on around him.

The best thing about the special is that it brings a little bit more of the spotlight to Tim -- and to his relationship with Dawn (and, yeah, that story line was perfect).

[Tuco]

It's 'car-crash' tv every time Brent's on screen. You sit squirming in your seat anticipating the inevitable mess that's about to unfold in front of you. But I think that's part of the brilliance of the show, and the character. He's this giant-ass, kick-in-the-balls waiting to happen and yet you can't take your eyes off him for a second. He's totally addictive...

I mean virtually everyone claims they can identify with a Brent-type character at some point in their lives; this insensitive, egotistical, annoying jackass who makes any bad situation worse, everytime. Yet despite that, you can't help but feel for the guy.

****SPOILERS****

Who among us, who's seen the 'Special', wasn't hoping against hope that he didn't f*ck things up with his new girlfriend at the end? I remember just sitting there, watching the screen through my fingers, praying he didn't screw it up. To me, that's sublime writing. Being able to take you on this journey, where you're constantly on the other side of nearly everything this guy does, yet, somehow, when all is said and done you're actually rooting for things to turn out well for the guy. Brilliant!


Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning ? -- G W Bush, Florence, South Carolina

[iembalm]

I don't know, I wasn't really thinking about David much after Dawn opened Tim's gift in the taxi; I was having too much trouble keeping my eyesight clear and trying not to wake the wife with my sobs.

[refriedwhiskey]

Heh. That was so great.

I just watched Love Actually for the first time. It was a bit of a shock to see Tim in such a...different role. :lol

[jeffkantoku]

Just got the Office Specials on DVD and watched it.

What a perfect way to end the series.

PS there's an easter egg on the DVD...

Go to the extra features menu and move down to “If you don’t know me by now”. When the photocopier goes, press left, and you’ll get a hidden treat...

http://homepage.mac.com/elliottday/theoffice/gallery3/brentsignedphoto.jpg

[refriedwhiskey]

:lol

Brent reminds me so much of a guy I used to work with. He's English, too.

Hm.