TVSquad

(S05E14) Last week's episode of The Office was kind of like a one-night stand that happens after way too much drinking: good for what it was, but ultimately unsatisfying.

Tonight's episode is like finding the girl you're going to marry. And then realizing that she's rich. And also that she believes that Han shot first.

In a return to form not seen since Paul Crewe came back into the game in The Longest Yard, tonight The Office found its way back to that perfect old- school alchemy of discomfort, satire, and heart. Oh, and Creed. Lots of Creed ...

I am so incredibly giddy about this news, I don't even know where to begin. As a hardcore fan of the original The Office, my heart fills with glee whenever I see a mention of the show or one of the cast members. It's not that I want a third series, I just still need little things to guide me through this four year case of withdrawal. Heck, I spent the entirety of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy being the only girl who wasn't swooning over Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom because I was so happy to see gangly, wooden-eyed Mackenzie Crook onscreen.

Well, good news for anyone else who is still in need of some Office love. July 1st's Concert for Diana in London will feature a multitude of stars to celebrate Princess Diana's life. Among those stars will be Office stars Ricky Gervais and Mackenzie Crook, performing "Free Love Freeway" before introducing Sir Elton John.

I finally watched the original, British version of The Office, and it's quite good. I still like the American version more though. That has nothing to do with the quality of the British version, really, it has more to do with the pace, the rhythm, the American-ized problems that the show focuses on, and the cast. Though I do think it's just funnier too.

This UK critic agrees. Though he thinks the Ricky Gervais original is a masterpiece and that some of the darker nuances have been lost in the American version, he thinks it's more entertaining and hasn't had that feeling that it had to burn out after a dozen episodes. He loves the fact that after three seasons it's still "remarkably fresh," and likes that Michael Scott is a different sort of annoying boss than David Brent and appreciates the real drama in the Jim/Pam relationship.

These paintings are rather good and quite inexpensive.

They're drawings of the cast of The Office (the U.S. version, though there are pics of David Brent, Dawn, and Gareth from the original too). The mouth on Kevin is just about perfect, Pam looks especially worried, and Toby looks...well, exactly like Toby. You can also buy pics of Michael, Jim, Dwight, Angela, Ryan, Kelly, Stanley, and Jan.

And the paintings are only $8.50! That's not a bad price at all to get a print that you can hang in your cubicle. Or maybe you won't want to hang it in your cubicle. Hard to say. It could either be a funny reminder that there's a TV show that understands the pain of working in an office day after day after day or it could be a sad reminder that you work in an office day after day after day.

[via Best Week Ever]

As much as the title sounds like flamebait, I assure you it isn't. I'm actually 100%, from the bottom of my heart, curious as to what everyone else thinks.

You see, when I read the AV Club's interview with Ricky this week, I really didn't know how I felt about it. On the one hand, you have a groundbreaking comedian trying to set the bar a little higher for himself. On the other you have a pompous windbag. I've been flip-flopping between the two.

Damn! In his post-Emmy Q&A, TV Guide's Ausiello dashes all hopes of an American-British face-off of The Office casts. He says Ricky Gervais told him that rumors are false of the British cast appearing on the American version of The Office this season. Boo! I wanted to see Tim and Dawn revived... and a face-to-face with Gareth and Dwight would be priceless. Of course, it would also mean the show totally jumped the shark so (secretly) I'm a little glad it's not happening.

Gervais also told Ausiello that he's writing an episode for this season of The Office in which Michael tries to be PC, while Jim and Dawn mess with Dwight. Um. Yeah. That's what happens in every episode. I guess that's Gervais' way of not telling what's happening this season.

[Via TV Tattle]

Joss Whedon took a cue from screenwriter James Gunn's list of the all-time best characters on television and made his own. Whedon's list includes George Michael Bluth, Josh Lyman, and Lou Grant, among many others. Gunn's list, which also includes rules about no Muppets or cartoons, includes Buffy, David Brent, Jack Bauer, and Creed and Pam from The Office (Gunn's married to Jenna Fischer).

Without putting too much thought into it, here are a few of my faves (and my list shows a far inferior knowledge of television):

• Claire Huxtable, The Cosby Show, the perfect balance of cool mom, tough love mom and working mom;
• Elaine, Seinfeld, for being one of the guys;
  
• David Brent, The Office (British version), because he's wickedly, uncomfortably funny;
• Capt. Mal Reynolds, Firefly, for being a funny, loving man underneath a thick shell of mean;
• Fox Mulder, The X-Files, for not giving a rat's ass what others think and believing in the wholly unbelievable;
  
• Dana Scully, The X-Files, for being the perfect complement to Mulder.

Who are your all-time favorite television characters?

[Via Pop Candy]

Actors Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant play their respective characters from The Office in these mock training videos for Microsoft UK. Brent offers some good advice, such as keeping all of your ideas to yourself so nobody steals them. He also chats a bit about Bill Gates, insisting that no one watching the video has ever met him, and that it would be easier to speak to Osama Bin Laden. There's also a hilarious run where he talks about women in the workplace, and his feelings on conception and pregnancy. I could go on listing all the funny bits, but I'd run out of room, so just go check it out. There's two videos, each roughly twenty minutes, but trust me, they're worth watching.

[via The Cartoonist]

(S02E05) I always refer to this episode as "the one where Tim and Gareth kiss" or "the one where Tim and Dawn kiss". However, everyone else does a lot of "um"-ing and "uh"-ing until I mention David's infamous dance. Yes, yes. It's "the one where David dances", but, gosh, so much more happens. All the events in this episode prepare us for the season finale, when feelings are sure to be hurt, hearts are sure to be broken, and fools are sure to be... uh... made... out of.

(S02E02) There was major development in the Tim/Dawn relationship (or lack thereof), thanks to a budding romance between Tim and one of the new girls. David's seething jealousy towards Neil also hit a new high. Plus, Keith's appraisal is in this episode. In other words, this episode is jam-packed with awesome.

(S01E06) The episode started with David firing the same guy that he hired at the beginning of the first episode. The forklift-operator being fired, Alex, was furious with the news and asked David if firing him instead of Anton, the 3' 4" midget working in the warehouse, was just positive discrimination. David defended himself, explaining that being short isn't a disability (in fact, many children are short). And then some guy working on David's computer(?) popped out from behind the desk and Gareth showed up next to the window. Haha, it was really unexpected. Everyone kept asking Alex the definition of a midget and a dwarf... and then an elf. When asked how he knew so much about midgets, Alex sighed, "It's called an education" and left. As the scene changed, we briefly saw a many with some paper rolls walk through a door and silently glare at the camera (see picture). Fun Fact: That's co-creator Stephen Merchant's dad.

(S01E05) Although this episode had its share of funny moments, the amount of character development cannot be ignored. This half-hour took Brent's desperation, Tim's exhaustion, Dawn's confusion, Finch's perversion, everyone's everything to a higher level. Plus, we got to see some of Slough's rocking night-life. Sweet.

(S01E04) Not counting the Christmas specials, this episode is my hands-down favorite. There are so many glorious (and musical) moments that perfectly capture the spirit of The Office, I find hard to believe it's all contained in less than half an hour. This is why I always choose to show Episode 4 when I am attempting to drag another ignorant innocent into a state rabid fandom. It'd be wrong for me to paraphrase the really good moments because every single word is important for the joke. So, I'm going to be doing a lot of quoting. Consider this fair warning.

(S01E03) The thing I really like about this episode is how all the events leave a terrible taste in my mouth. It's bitter and frustrating and everything good that happens dies a slow and painful death. Brilliant.

The episode starts off with Tim explaining to the camera that it's his 30th birthday and his mother woke him up (I love that he lives with his parents) to give him his present, HatFM, a radio to wear on the head! Meanwhile, David's all excited for the annual pub quiz (it's like Trivial Pursuit with a lot of people... at a bar) and calls up his quiz buddy, Chris Finch (the guy that indirectly made an appearance in the last episode). Finch tells him a joke over the phone, which Brent simultaneously repeats for the cameras. "What's black and slides down Nelson's Column?" Brent repeats, before pausing for an answer. "Winnie Mandela?..."

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of your favorite shows, in order, every week.

(S01E01) In the beginning, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant decided to create a mockumentary comedy about the painful emptiness of office life. And it was good.

The Office debuted in England in 2001 and later aired on BBC America, where I promptly fell in love with the show. I think I was watching Monty Python's Flying Circus on BBCA when a commercial popped up, promoting the premiere of The Office. It featured a scrawny fellow named Gareth (played by Mackenzie Crook, who would later be the wood-eyed pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean) talking about office relationships. He had a horrible bowl haircut and dark circles under his eyes, and yet I thought he was the most hilariously adorable thing I had ever seen. At that moment, I promised myself to watch. Little did I know I would soon have a new favorite show.

I suggest you American-version fans rent or buy the DVDs and watch along. You might even notice that this episode bears a striking similarity to the American pilot. That's because a large portion of the US script was pulled out from this episode word-for-word (save for a few Americanizations, like changing "Camilla Parker-Bowles" to "Hillary Rodham-Clinton").