Rating: 
Summary: Vacation's over -- back to "The Office"
Review: Everyone's favorite insane British office workers are back in the second series of "the Office," England's short-lived but quite funny answer to "Dilbert." While the second series isn't quite up to the standards of the first, it's still entertaining and bittersweetly wacky.At the end of the previous series, it was announced that the Swindon branch of Wernham-Hogg would be incorporated into the Slough branch. Now David Brent (Ricky Gervais) is boss of a bunch of new employees, and they're actually used to doing work. What's more, David finds himself competing with Neil (Patrick Baladi), who happens to be his new boss. More bizarre problems follow, starting when David starts making off-color, racist jokes at the welcoming party. A dildo is placed in David's office during a meeting. Then he goes to give a disastrous motivational speech, complete with a soundtrack. Tim (Martin Freeman) starts dating a pretty new employee, which inspires Dawn's (Lucy Davis) jealousy. Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) tries to score with every woman who doesn't curse at him. And finally, a comedy day turns bittersweet when Dawn says she's leaving, and David is given some bad news... Only a few shows -- like the immortal Brit comedy "Fawlty Towers" -- end before they have a chance to go downhill, and "The Office" is one of those few. The series stops on a bittersweet note, with David's gradual deterioration, and the reality about Dawn crashing on Tim's head. But despite the darker note it ends on, it's still uproariously funny along the way. There's a reality-TV quality to the way this is filmed -- monotone workrooms, ringing phones, bored peons, worthless meetings. And there are plenty of funny moments -- the sex toy, Gareth's "tight trousers" phone call, the obscene Dirty Bertie doll, and Gareth hopping all over the office on one foot. Perhaps funniest is David's frenetic dance, which brings to mind a spastic monkey trying to scratch a back itch. The most unsettling part of the second season is the finale, especially since Tim's love for Dawn is dealt with in a rather disappointing manner. And the writing is a little more blatant than last season, especially since David is made even more obnoxious. But it's still laced with great humor, such as David's terrible poetry. "Take this cool dark steeled blade/steal it, sheathe it in your lake/I'd drown with you to be together/Must you breathe?/'Cause I need heaven," he reads to the hapless Dawn.
Ricky Gervais first makes us love to hate David, with his grotesque attempts at comedy, then does a 180 by making us feel sorry for him. This is a guy with great acting talent. Martin Freeman does a good job as everyman Tim, but often the scenes are stolen by the wonderfully corpse-like MacKenzie Crook, or Ewan Macintosh as the seemingly brain-dead Keith. "The Office" manages to be poignant and funny at the same time, which isn't an easy thing to do. Even if it has its flaws, "if you want the rainbow, you've gotta put up with the rain."
Rating: 
Summary: Sublime...
Review: I first caught this show when I was working over in London and have been stuck on it ever since. How trajic that we will only get two seasons of what is undeniably a masterpiece. I'm buying both seasons and putting them up on the mantle alongside the other comedies I own that are two sublime for words ("Office Space", "Airplane!", "Shafted!", Bottle Rocket", "The jerk" and pretty much the entirety of Monty Python material available on disk...
Rating:
Summary: What about special features?
Review: Ok so a few people didn't find the series 2 funny, but most people agree it is still hilarious, just not as "fresh" or revolutionary as the series 1 was. But how come nobody is mentioning the complete lack of substantial "extras" in this DVD? What we get in this DVD is a few minutes of deleted scenes (understandable), but the "Video Diary" was horrible, and half of it was just Ricky Gervais being a complete baffoon while "working" on the second series. Did they really say everything they wanted to say about The Office in the "Making of" extra in the first series DVD? I find that hard to believe, sounds like it was just them being lazy and pushing this DVD out before it was ready. Aside from the Christmas specials... this is it, series 1 & 2 are ALL WE HAVE. It's disappointing that they couldn't have added more. And what is up with certain things being censored on the episodes (screensaver pixelated, piece of paper on outtakes blocked out)? This is the stuff we want to see!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful stuff - watch Season One first, though
Review: The second season of "The Office" is, like the first season, brilliantly executed, with its trademark fly-on-the-wall pseudo-reality show/observational documentary style, its particular brand of humor, and its portrayal of painfully realistic conversational and social awkwardness, as well as its depiction of the mind-numbing tedium of a day (after day after day) in an office, stuck with a bunch of people you probably would never want to hang out with if you had a choice. The characters from Season One are all back, with the addition of some new characters: the Swindon branch of Wernham Hogg has joined the Slough branch, and David Brent has a new boss.
So it's still great fun and it maintains its place in the pantheon of classic British comedies. I watched Season Two of "The Office" all in one sitting immediately after getting the DVD from Amazon. At the same time, though, do yourself a favor and watch Season One first. The main drawback to Season Two is that David Brent has become a bit too much of a caricature of himself. I think the fact that he has moments of self-doubt is entirely realistic but, at the same time, some of his behavior in Season Two is just a little too "over the top". I can understand that Gervais wanted to push the envelope of David's obnoxiousness even further, but in a few places, he crossed the line. That being said, buy this DVD! It's great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: In many ways, a letdown. A brilliant letdown, but a letdown.
Review: The first season of the Office ranks as one of the funniest things I have ever sat down and watched, when I could bear the awkwardness of what I was seeing. This time around, the Office cranks up the awkward as they send David Brent spiraling off into redundancy (unemployment). Were it not for the BITTERsweet Tim/Dawn storyline, this series might not have much to recommend it, as it increasingly departs from a sense of realism.
That said, it is funny. VERY funny. Granted, one needs a dark and often dry sense of humor to enjoy this, but it is funny. But somehow, it did ultimately feel like the show's legs started to tire at toward the end, and began to fall back on Ricky Gervais's willingness to do anything in front of the camera.
I realize this review has a very negative tone for one ranking it so highly, but as time has gone by, I have not often popped this disc into my DVD player, though I have gone back many times to Season 1. If you enjoyed the first season, by all means get this one. You will want to see what happen to all the characters you have come to know, and you will have many laughs along the way. But if you have never seen The Office, go get the first season. And if you didn't like the first season, this one has nothing to offer you.
Rating:
Summary: Might as well have a good laugh while the world goes to $%#*
Review: The results aren't in quite yet but it looks like the W will get another 4 years to fatten up the richest 1% of Amerikans....what to do? Plop down on the sofa and watch the BBC's "The Office"!!! Disenfranchised or not, a good laugh will make this 4 years goes by quicker! So, yes by all means get this very funny series! If you are a novice to Brit humour (notice the spelling), put on the subtitles--it will save you from endless playbacking. And for the same reason read the enclosed guide that explains some of the more obscure lingo! I found I needed to refer to it often and I used to live in the UK! Seriously, (but hopefully NOT) get "THE OFFICE"...you're going to need a good laugh!
Rating:
Summary: F*&% Brilliant!!!!!
Review: I was told about this show by a Brit while I was on vacation in S. Africa. I saw my first episode on BBC America 6 months ago & have been hooked ever since. I will tell anyone who gets the British humor this is a must have DVD. It will demand you have both seasons. I haven't laugh so hard at the TV in years & the more you see it the more you laugh. The humor is as painful as a car crash, but you dare not turn away afraid of missing the next line or scene.
Rating: 
Summary: The Quality Goes Way Down In Season 2
Review: During the end of "The Office" Season 1, it was apparent that the show had run out of ideas and started to get repetitive. In Season 2, the show goes way down, and instead of "The Office" it becomes "The Ricky Gervais Comedy Show".
Ricky Gervais is a very funny man - however the show at this point revolves INTIRELY around him, and he can't carry everything.
Virtually every scene goes exactly like this:
1. People standing around talking.
2. David Brent joins the conversation.
3. David Brent says something inappropriate.
4. Awkward Silence.
5. David Brent gets worried look on his face.
6. David Brent leaves the conversation.
This exact scenario happens at least 37 times an episode, and becomes boring after a while.
The only other scenes in Season 2 involve either one of the two:
1. Dawn looks longingly at Tim from afar.
or
2. Tim looks longingly at Dawn from afar.
This happens about 19 times an episode.
Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
P.S. Again, this DVD is VERY overpriced in regard to the amount of material on the disc.
Rating:
Summary: Do it yourself, I gotta save some Africans!
Review: I am encouraging all readers to GIVE IT A GO. The series is like an epic, so get the first series if you don't have it. It came and it went so fast in all of its perfection. It will leave you wanting more! Hilarious!
Rating:
Summary: Sublime...
Review: There isn't much you can say about The Office that hasn't already been said. It is without a doubt the boldest, freshest and funniest comedy series this century. Good enough to make all it's stars famous and all it's lines repeated endlessly around the globe. Buy this DVD, if for nothing else, for Keith's Appraisal & "The Dance". They absolutely begger belief. Each episode is capable of being watched at least 10 times without it becoming boring, and let me assure you, you will find yourself watching The Office again and again. And again - until you know every line off by heart.
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