And so it came to this. Two series that were critically acclaimed wherever they went. The only British sitcom to win a Golden Globe, even outdoing the likes of Only Fools and Horses or Faulty Towers. This is The Office…Christmas Specials
At the end of series two, the boss everyone loved to hate, David Brent, had been made redundant by the powers that be at Wernham Hogg. But two years on, the 'documentary' makers have returned to see what life is like for the people that worked at the office.
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant were more or less forced into writing these two episodes, quite simply due to public demand. They managed to get all the old cast back - Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis, and did they disappoint?? Of course not. These two episodes aired during Xmas 2003 (yes, that long ago!) are brilliant, so let me explain a little bit about them…
Episode one reacquaints ourselves with everyone - David is now, basically, a door-to-door salesman having lost his job, Gareth has taken up David's position behind the desk in his office, Tim is still stuck in a rut as he was beforehand, and Dawn is living in Tampa, Florida with her fiancée Lee. The 'documentary team' thus invite Dawn and Lee back to England for a few days to go to the office christmas party, and meet up with old friends.
We also find out that David is doing the rounds as a 'celebrity' - going to various clubs, getting paid stupid sums of money, all in an awful attempt to be 'noticed', a lot like you see 'z-list' celebrities doing around universities (being a student myself I've taken great notice of this!)…But of course, he has released his own single since the end of series two! "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (by Simply Red originally, I think) released on Juxtaposition Records (yes you guessed it, his own record label) managed to reach number 113 in the chart! Good effort!
But Episode two is where it all happens. The office's Christmas party is set to take place, with David having been allowed to come, but now banned from the office in a showdown with Neil. Dawn is back in Slough too, and is also set to make an appearance, much to Tim's delight. In the meantime though, David's been 'trying his hand' at the dating game, having signed up to a dating agency website with the help of Gareth…and so far, no good it would seem. To quote Mr Brent - "I'm honestly thinking of asking for my money back."
When the party gets going towards the end of the episode, David arrives with an attractive and intelligent woman. (But not too intelligent, as he later informs us!) And the big story is…well I won't spoil it for those completely unaware, but if you're a fan of the Office you'll know what I mean when I say "two people get together" who we were all expecting to…a brilliant way to finish the programme, the series, and The Office.
A few choice quotes for your reading pleasure…
Interviewer: "When was the last time you had an actual girlfriend?" David Brent: "I don't look on it as when. I look on it as who, and why."
Interviewer: "So are you looking for a relationship?" David: "I'm not 'shopping' for a relationship. I'm browsing, looking around. If I see a bargain, I've got the money. So… That's a metaphor. I'd never pay for it." Gareth Keenan: "I did learn a lot from David. I learnt from his mistakes. We're very different people; he used humour where I use discipline. And I learnt that nobody respects him. And in a war situation, if you want your platoon to go over the top with you to certain death, it's no good saying to them 'Please come with me lads, I'll tell you a joke.' It's a direct order 'Come with me.' And they'll go 'Yes, he's got good leadership skills, let's all go with him to our certain death'." Gareth: "Right, her details. Her marital status: single, divorced-" David: "Not divorced. Nah, husband might still be around, might be a nutter. I'm not getting into all that." Gareth: "Widowed?" David: "I'd bloody love her to be widowed."
David: "And they're looking in Oxford and Cambridge. No. Dr Dre…Ice T, they're the equivelance of Wordsworth."
Whenever I seem to review a DVD, I always skim over the extras with little or no appeal, basically because they're all the same. Thankfully, this one is somewhat different. Yes, you have your director's commentary, but it also includes a featurette on them winning their Golden Globes, a making of the Xmas Special documentary, similar to how series 1 and 2 had 'making of' segments, and full versions of "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "Freelove Freeway" (from Series 1) to keep you fully amused.
To obtain yourself a copy, you can get the DVD of it from Amazon for £14.98, which is arguably a bit steep for what is primarily just two (extended) episodes of the programme. However, you can buy it "used & new" for just £6.89…much better!!
Of course, some people just don't 'get' the humour behind the Office - it's too dry, and even annoying in many places. Some people, myself included, think it's absolutely genius. That's the wonderful thing about comedy - it can be so different to everyone. But those that do love, or like it, this is for you. Fact.
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The two-part conclusion toThe Officebids farewell to David Brent and his long-suffering ... more
co-workers in a surprisingly poignant not to say dignified manner. Supposedly accompanied by the fly-on-the-wall documentary crew three years after his highly undig...
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