matty_b
Posts: 12839
Joined: 19/10/2005
From: Outpost 31 calling McMurtle.
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The Office (UK) - series one.
What Gervais and Merchant failed to realise in their subsequent sitcom follow ups to the mockumentary that made their name, is that no-one else probably finds the concept of being famous as inherently amusing or fascinating as they clearly do - and even if we do have an interest in it, it's hard to empathise, seeing as how we're all plebs. That is precisely why, over a decade later, this still stands as their best work by a considerable distance and a sitcom to rank alongside any other. The US version is fine, and sufficiently different to stand on its own merits, but it does lack the tightly-knit cohesion that you can only get in a six-episode run where everything, from the dialogue to the performances, has been sharpened to maximum effect and there is no dip or lag to it. It also lacks the essential drabness that Gervais and Merchant absolutely nail here - the feeling of days passing by aimlessly in a blur of phone calls, facts and figures that all coalesce into one faceless routine where the inertia is slowly killing you. The few times we step outside of the office itself also keep the same tone, the rundown function room and bar where they have the pub quiz is a depressing, dour, smudge of brown that's full of flat pints of lager and the faint whiff of stale crisps. In that sense, it's quite a downbeat series, but that is precisely why it pings with such uncanny authenticity - at some point (perhaps even now), we've all been stuck in a dead-end job that is slowly sapping our will to live and eroding every bit of potential we've ever had, whilst at the same time forcing us to sit alongside people we'd happily leave any other room to avoid and listen to a boss who thinks we work at the cutting edge of rock and roll technology. The humour is in the torture of this existence.
It's also best summed up in the performance of Martin Freeman as Tim, the decent guy in the office, who's also too lazy or timid (heh) to actually do something about it and change his outlook on life - or when the chance comes along, he chickens out. His droll reactions, eyebrows almost permanently raised in a "oh, what now?" expression, childish outbursts to alleviate the inanity of his everyday existence paint a figure that we understand all too keenly. He also has one of those faces that says so much without dialogue; his realisation that life is slipping away from him, his wonderment at how stupid Gareth is (Mackenzie Crook creating one of the all-time great supporting characters - impossible to imagine that the original brief for Gareth was that he was to be more of a strapping six-foot guy who would be more realistic as a TA member) and his growing feelings for Dawn (Lucy Davis, perky and lovely, but genuine with it) - all these feelings are clearly seen through Freeman's gaze, not quite vacant, but staring off into some future he's frankly terrified of.
It's very easy to dislike Gervais now, and not without good reason, but Brent is an instantly iconic character to rank alongside Basil Fawlty or Fletch. A mixture of toe-curling inspirational and motivational slang, and body language that speaks of a man desperate to demonstrate a charismatic, star-making sense of humour he simply doesn't have, he's an utter nightmare, and all the worse because he's so relatable. I remember vividly when The Office first aired the amount of people who claimed to have worked with someone just like him. Gervais and Merchant had total control of the show because it was so cheap and it shows. What also shows is that they knew this might be their one and only chance at success - the plots are pitched perfectly between narrative necessity whilst keeping the realistic milieu the show depends on (something the US version never really gets right - the amount of stuff a documentary crew simply wouldn't show is mindboggling), every performance shines (well, apart from a couple of very minor ones in the nightclub episode) and it sparkles with a memorable line every other minute. They've been coasting ever since, secure in the knowledge that they'll always get another chance with something else. The Office, however, with its ironically bland backdrop is still the sharpest, funniest and human thing they've ever done.
Best episode - training day. An entire day wasted on infantile exercises and a Peter Purves video, interrupted with an unexpected acoustic session. So close to the bone it hurts.
(5)
< Message edited by matty_b -- 9/5/2013 11:32:43 AM >
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RE: Top 100 TV/Radio Shows: 2013 - 
will hopefully make a nice replacement for Dreadtime Stories.
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