THE STORY: Based on the popular British comedy of the same name, THE OFFICE takes place in and around the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Using the same mockumentary style as the original, the series succeeds in capturing the quiet desperation of the poor souls working in this socially stifling environment under the direction of delusional boss, regional manager Michael Scott. Comic actor Steve Carell beautifully inhabits the role, playing a man so eager to be liked, he completely alienates people with one stupid antic after another. Blindly believing himself beloved by his employees for his laid-back nature, Michael fails to see that, with the exception of nerdy and bizarre Dwight (Rainn Wilson), he is resented and despised by all. Carell perfectly walks the line between despicable and pathetic, enlisting his audience’s sympathies just moments before doing or saying something horribly inappropriate. The second season is even better than the first, with several romantic storylines getting into full swing in episodes like “Email Surveillance,” “Sexual Harassment,” and “Booze Cruise.”. THE OFFICE may be a remake, but it has charms of its very own. SEASON TWO contains all 22 episodes from the season.
THE REVIEW: As funny as the first season was—the second season feels like everyone is more comfortable with their characters. No longer do we think about The Office as being based on a BBC show. We know who the characters are, what they are about, and now they really come out of their shells.
Right from the start the Officeis out of the box running with Carell acting like an idiot and the beginning of a possible office romance. The second season also brings the rest of the cast out from the background and into the forefront. The characters are rich and offer a lot of great subplots. One of the best is definitely Kelly who is as odd as they come—well all except Creed. The characters always take every moment on screen to knock it out of the park.
There are rare moments of emotions—particularly the way Roy treats Pam. This is a good way for the show to get the audience to cheer for Jim who tries to have a relationship with Pam. There is tension but you never know if it will go beyond simple flirting or further after their initial kiss. It’s a classic move for an ensemble show—two of the cast flirt and keep some tension about a possible relationship. The Office doesn’t reinvent that wheel—but they know how to make fun of it. There is also another hook up which includes Michael and his boss Jan. This turns out to be quite a funny situation as Michael finds it impossible to keep his mouth shut.
THE EXTRAS:
Disc One:
– Deleted Scenes
– “The Dundies” Commentary with John Krasinkski, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, David Denman, Editor Dave Rogers and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
– “Sexual Harassment” Commentary with Brian Baumgartner, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Oscar Nunez, Paul Lieberstein, Angela Kinsey, Melora Hardin, and Larry Wilmore
Disc Two:
– Deleted Scenes
– “The Client” Commentary with John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Melora Hardin, Brian Baumgartner, B.J. Novak, Paul Lieberstein, Writer Mike Schur, and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
– “Performance Review” Commentary with Rainn Wilson, Oscar Nunez, Paul Lieberstein, Angela Kinsey, Melora Hardin, Writer Larry Wilmore, and Director Paul Feig
– “Christmas Party” Commentary with Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Kate Flannery, David Denman, Editor Dave Rogers, Writer Mike Schur, and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
– “Booze Cruise” Commentary with Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, David Denman, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Director of Photography Randall Einhorn, and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
Disc Three
– Deleted Scenes
– “The Secret” Commentary with John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, and Writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky
– “Valentine’s Day” Commentary with John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Mindy Kaling, Melora Hardin, Writer Mike Schur, Co-Executive Producer Kent Zbornak, and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
Disc Four
– Deleted Scenes
– “Drug Testing” Commentary with Rainn Wilson, Paul Lieberstein, Jenna Fischer, Oscar Nunez, Brian Baumgartner, B.J. Novak, Angela Kinsey, Director of Photography Randall Einhorn, Writer Jen Celotta, and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
– “Casino Night” Commentary with Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Melora Hardin, Paul Lieberstein, David Denman, Brian Baumgartner, Director of Photography Randall Einhorn, and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
– Behind the Scenes of the Commentary Sessions Commentary with Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, David Denman, Kate Flannery, Editor Dave Rogers, Writer Mike Schur, Producer Kent Kbornak, and Executive Producer Greg Daniels
– Fake PSAs – Some of these are really funny—so its worth wading through the lesser bits for the really funny ones.
– Webisodes from NBC.com: The Accountants – A funny episode that is a must see.
FRANKLY: The Office Season Two proves that this show isn’t going away any time soon. Each episode is hilarious and the growing cast and subplots keep each and every scene interesting and fresh. The second season also proves that Michael doesn’t have to be at the center of The Office to keep it funny.
+ Charlie Craine
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