Showing posts with label Steve Carell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Carell. Show all posts

Friday, 19 June 2009

The Office (US) Season 4

Season 4 of The Office now viewed. This was the season that was heavily affected by the wriers strike so we only got 14 episodes. This series was probably the best I've seen so far, lots of character development and Pam and Jim together at last!

My two favourite episodes in this season came back to back and featured the troubled relationship between Micheal and Jan. Deposition (Episode 8) was hilarious thanks to Micheal cocking up the interview for Jan's lawsuit against Dunder Mifflin for unfair dismissal. But it was also pretty sad when Micheal got to hear that Jan did not rate him as a manager and that David Wallace (DM head honcho) didn't really consider him as a serious contender for Jan's old job. We also got to see how little Jan cared about Micheal when she submitted his personal diary as evidence in the lawsuit. But in between the sadder moments we got some comic gems like when Micheal drops his catchphrase 'that's what she said' during the lawsuit hearing and then tried to back track without much luck.

The following episode titled 'Dinner Party' delves deeper in to Micheal and Jan's strained relationship. This is very much apparent during the 'tour' of the house where it's obvious Jan dominates and Micheal is forced to the sidelines. In quite a sad moment, it is revealed that Micheal sleeps on a stool at the foot of the bed whilst Jan takes the whole bed because she has 'space issues' Things steadily get worse as the night goes on and Dwight invites himself dragging along his old babysitter as his date! Things eventually spill over and Jan smashes Micheal's beloved plasma TV with his beloved Dundie award!

One other person who really came in to prominence this season was former office temp turned high flying exec - Ryan. As the season wore on, the now semi-bearded Ryan went from trying to do his job well to grade A douchebag. In the epsiode 'Night Out' we learn that Ryan is a drug addict and gets his ass whooped by a bunch of girls. But Ryan gets his just desserts when he is arrested in the season finale for fraud and carted off by the cops. Goodbye Ryan and goodbye Dunder Mifflin Infinity!

The season finale saw the exit of a Dunder Mifflin regular Tobey as he headed off for Costa Rica, but not before he was given a rock with a note saying 'suck on this' from Micheal! Talking of Tobey, he was involved in one the most akward moments of the season when he patted Pam on the knee which turned out to be a full on grope! Tobey's replacement Holly, played by the awesome Amy Ryan (she's awesome because anyone who was on The Wire automatically becomes awesome!) clicks with Micheal despite a shaky start. The best part of Amy's debut was her interaction with Kevin who she thinks is 'special' thanks to some misinformation from Dwight!

Series 5 is shaping up to be a cracker thanks to the introduction of Holly and the fact that Jan is pregnant (even though Micheal is not the father) Plus what will become of the love triangle that is Andy - Angela - Dwight! And will Jim get to propose to Pam?

Monday, 13 April 2009

The Office UK vs The Office US

When I heard there was an American version of the Office being produced, I was pretty underwhelmed. The UK version was legendary, Ricky Gervais's potrayal of David Brent was flawless and to think someone else was about to attempt the same character seemed to be suicidal. I'd never heard of Steve Carell until I watched 40 Year Old Virgin and after seeing that I was intruiged as to how he would do as David's reincarnation as Micheal Scott.

It turned out I had very little to worry about, although the US Office stays true to the UK version in style and content, there are slight changes to the format which makes it different. The US version focuses on a lot more characters where as the UK Office was dominated by David Brent and the romance between Tim and Dawn.

Steve Carell is brilliant although his character is a lot more cartoonish and goofy where as Gervais did play it a lit more realistic. Jim and Pam are a perfect fit and they have great chemistry much like Tim and Dawn their British counterparts. But the best bit of acting has to be that of Rainn Wilson who plays Dwight Schrute the assistant to the regional manager! I never thought anyone could beat Mackenzie Crrok's Gareth Keenan but I honestly think Dwight shades it!

I've just finished watching season 1 and have moved on to season 2, both series have been very strong. The great thing is the fact that I am safe in the knowledge that the US version is still running (5 and counting!) so I won't half to worry about it ending anytime soon!