For new potential fans of
"The Office," the
DVD set of the break-out second
season is a must-see. Start recording the third
season now (premieres Sept. 21) and save those episodes, but don't watch them until you've watched the complete second [url=ww.stardvdcity.com/the-office-seasons-16-dvd-boxset-p-452.html]season[/url].
For devotees like myself, the
DVD set is a just reward for loyal viewing. The
show came into its own this year. I had watched fitfully until the stretch of episodes starting with "The Injury," "The Secret," and "The Carpet" hooked me for good. I am now going back to watch the whole
season again and the
shows hold up very well upon repeated viewing.
Strengths of the
season: Steve Carell gets the award for Most Improved Characterization. It took about a dozen episodes (starting with 6 in the first
season) for the
show to settle on a tone for Carell's incompetent boss. For a while I wasn't sure what to make of him, which kept me from getting attached to the
show. But this
season he evolved from a mean jerk to a clueless, lonely man who really just wants everybody to be his friend. While the Michael Scott character still has plenty of totally inappropriate behavior and tons of cringe-worthy moments, his core of pathos and vulnerability humanizes him. I am even rooting for him to find love with Carol or Jan. As we saw this
season, the fumbling results will surely be funny.
Now that Carell provides a solid anchor for the cast, the rest of the supporting actors can truly come into their own. From Rainn Wilson's complete dedication to the serious idiocy of
office suck-up Dwight Schrute, to the smaller roles of wild-card Creed and eternally suffering temp Ryan, the ensemble has truly gelled.
And of course the
slow-motion unfolding of Jim & Pam's romance provided the heart of the
show throughout the
season. Just about anyone over the age of 30 has been either Jim, Pam, or Roy at sometime in their life, and the bittersweet agony of the whole journey provided the summer's biggest cliffhanger. In my online poll to find the "Top Mom Crushes," both John Krasinski and Steve Carell have been nominated.
Finally, the
DVD extras are truly great. The deleted scenes for each episode range from about 4 to 11 minutes and they are really funny. The discipline of 22 minutes works in the
show's favor keep the stories tight, but the extra scenes are a worthy bonus for true fans.
This is a fantastic
show, and a great
DVD set. Even if you didn't
watch the British version of the
show (which I could never quite get into) give the American version of
"The Office" a chance. What separates
"The Office" from any other current "sitcom" is that much of the humor comes from what is left unsaid, rather than having a barrage of lame one-liners hitting viewers over the head.
"The Office" is absurd, laugh-out-loud comedy with a heart--and if you are part of a couple, it's appointment
TV that you can both love.
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