Office Special

MY REVIEW ON THE SPECIALS PROPER

I could never figure out why people go to horror movies. I spend a good deal of my life avoiding fear, so it never made much sense why people would actively seek it out, and then pay $10 for the privilege of shrieking in terror. By this same token, I don't often find many guffaws in shows that mine comedy from uncomfortable situations. If I wanted awkwardness I'd walk around naked in public. Why would I want it from something meant to make me laugh?

Judging by the above, it would appear that I am the least likely person to consider "The Office" the closest our zeitgeist has come to creating the perfect sitcom. And yet here we are. The mockumentary-style show follows an insufferable middle manager, David Brent (Ricky Gervais), his oblivious second-in-command, Gareth Keenan (Mackenzie Crook), and will-they-or-won't-they underlings Tim (Martin Freeman) and Dawn (Lucy Davis), as they "walk around on the same piece of carpet for 8 hours a day" at Wernham Hogg, a paper merchant in Slough, a drizzly little town in the south of England. While there, they manage to throw in a bit of commentary on the human condition, and a whole load of more-than-memorable situations. I've watched my DVD copies of seasons 1 and 2 so many times, I've nearly worn holes in them. If I had the foresight to charge every person who's ever borrowed them rental fees, I'd have enough money to feed all the starving people in the world. Even the ones who can't speak English!

And yet I always thought I watched the show differently than most other viewers. I would hear stories about how some would only watch it through their fingers, so uncomfortable did David Brent and his "chilled-out entertainer" antics make them. Or how the pain of Tim's situation -- he's crushing on Dawn, while she's stuck in a loveless engagement -- was too relatable to bear. I felt those things, but never had the violent physical reaction that others experienced. I just rolled along with the jokes, felt joy and cheer and sitcom-styled pain when appropriate, and loved the show to bits.

"The Office Special" is another animal entirely. Set three years after the original documentary, the pair of 45-minute episodes purports to catch us up on what the characters have been doing in the interim. Dawn and her fiancé have been in Florida, living on the cheap. Tim is still stuck at Wernham Hogg, ruing the day he ever suggested the military-minded Gareth be his boss. And David Brent, made redundant in the last episode of Season 2, sells dusters door-to-door in the daytime, makes personal appearances at night, and still believes the world owes him its attention.

The key difference is that we already know these characters. And, due to the documentary conceit, we know that these characters know themselves. Or at least they know their TV-selves. So when they do something dumb or inconsiderate this time, we know that they've seen themselves do this very thing in the past. And been embarrassed by it. In front of family, friends, and the entire United Kingdom. And yet, like an insane person, they think that the outcome will be different this time around. It's for this very reason why I finally found the joy of pain that so many others have found in "The Office": the characters have self-awareness, and yet still can't help but live out their destinies. Here that fact comes through loud and clear.

Even worse, it's seeing the pain coming, anticipating it with every new situation, that makes the "Specials" such a joy. Watching David Brent sit down with a blind date, knowing in your heart of hearts that he's bound to screw it up in some monumental way, gives you a joyful cringe. When he does wind up screwing it up, in a way even more monumental than you could ever imagine (droning on and on about the cleavage of one date's dead mother is just the mildest example), it's almost a relief. You were right, sure. But you almost wish you hadn't been. For all involved.

Part of this humour comes from the writing. Stephen Merchant and Gervais co-wrote all the "Office" episodes, and have a fine ear for real-sounding yet totally ridiculous dialogue. And they have a knack for co-directing (and in Gervais' case, acting out) divine moments of self-induced humiliation. At one of his appearances Brent participates in a "Dating Game" for D-list celebrities. And for some reason he turns up dressed up in an Austin Powers costume, complete with velvety suit, medallions aplenty, and a ruffled collar. When asked his first question, the following exchange occurs:

BACHELORETTE KIM: Contestant number 2: everyone thinks...
BRENT: [interrupting, and jumping up out of his chair] Shagadelic, baby! Groovy! Oh yeah! [uncomfortable pause, as everyone tries to figure out who this loony monkey is]
KIM: [to host] What was that shit?
BRENT: Don't judge it. Don't slag... Come on.
HOST: Let's just have the question. Come on, Kim.
KIM: Everyone thinks the character I most resemble is Pussy Galore. Which character do you resemble?
BRENT: Austin Powers. That's what I was doing. Before you... ruined it. [an even more uncomfortable pause]

It's that ellipsis, between "Before you" and "ruined it" in Brent's last line, that kills me every time. It's a momentary pause, true. But you can almost hear the argument Brent is having in his own head. Does he play nice to Kim, and let his feeble attempt at humour die? Or does he lash out, putting the blame for his failed bit of comedy on her bare shoulders? Either way, he knows he's going to look bad. He knows because he's done this very thing before, and seen it go out all over the country on television! And yet he can't help himself. It's that bit that makes "The Office" special, and makes "The Office Special" even more so.

Less cringe-inducing is the Dawn-Tim storyline. She's now got a bronze tan and white teeth from having lived in the Tampa sun for three years. He's developed an even hunchier slouch, and an even more ragged appearance, from the boredom that's slowly killing him every day at work. But when the documentary crew decides to intrude on reality, and offer Dawn (and her insensitive fiancé Lee) plane fare back to Slough for Christmas, the viewer can't help but root for this pair of star-crossed lovers to make good on their last chance. Tim is rooting for it too. Check out the barely-restrained look of glee he gets on his face -- Freeman is nothing if not a master of the comic facial expression -- when he hears the news of Dawn's imminent return. Suddenly it looks like the downer ending we got in Season 2 will be redeemed.

Some would argue that the only way this quasi-misanthropic series could end would be with everybody at Wernham Hogg dying in an electrical fire. I wouldn't disagree with that; it would be most fitting, if a bit too dynamic for this crowd. Others root for Tim and Dawn to get together at last, for David to find the love he so wants, and for Gareth to, well, continue being as Gareth as he can be. I was rooting for that myself. Without giving too much away, let me say this: "The Office Special" ends on a satisfying note. It's like the Friday that ends a hard workweek, before a weekend full of possibilities. Take that any way you want.

NOTES ON THE DVD (NOTES PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER)

Though Merchant and Gervais take great pleasure in mocking the kind of socially-woeful loser that would spend a sunny day indoors watching DVD special features, they load their disc up with enough extras to choke even the pastiest-faced geekboy. Or girl.

"The Office: Closed for Business" is a 22-minute long behind-the-scenes interview-style documentary, that reminds everyone who watched the "How I Made The Office" on the Season 2 disc of just how smart and funny these people -- the actors included -- can be. It's a thrill watching Gervais trying to ruin every take by making Freeman crack up, or listening to Davis' sunny recollections of her time on the set, or noting just how bird-like Crook really looks. The real joy is the interplay between Merchant and Gervais. The two riff on jokes, back and forth, like a well-oiled comedy team. What a joy it must be to sit in on one of their writing sessions (though I'd suggest bringing earplugs, for whenever Gervais gets going on one of his bray-like fits of laughter).

A five-minute featurette chronicles the gang's trip to the Golden Globes last January, where, despite a universally pessimistic outlook, the show took home Best Comedy Series and Gervais picked up Best Lead Actor in a Comedy. At the time of the show I hadn't yet seen "The Office" for the first time. But Gervais so charmed me from the stage, it was only a matter of time before I let him charm me on DVD too. Much good fun is had watching the cast soak up the attention (even though nobody at the time knew who they were).

For those of you interested in David Brent's failed musical career, woo your loved one with the complete video for his cover of 'If You Don't Know Me By Now'. Be forewarned: it features footage of a chubby little man in white pajamas and no socks. Emoting. We also get a look at the recording session for the single's b-side, the immortal 'Freelove Freeway' (Season 1, Episode 4), featuring Noel Gallagher on guitar and Gervais delivering as frenzied a vocal performance as he can. If it weren't all a put-on, I'd bet on the whole thing becoming a massive radio hit.

Finally, we have Merchant and Gervais delivering a less-than-insightful but still highly-entertaining directors' commentary track on episode 2. It's a chance for them to take the piss out of each other one more time, while saying "goodbye" to a show they have obvious affection for.

Odds are anyone buying the "Specials" DVD will have already seen the first two seasons of "The Office". It only makes sense. For those who haven't, stay away, at least until you're familiar with the Wernham Hogg gang. Those who buy the "Specials" DVD without having seen the episodes first (as I did), please heed this word of warning: don't look at the back of the DVD box. One of the pictures printed there contains a spoiler (a HUGE spoiler, in fact). If you have to look at the back of the box, keep your eyes peeled on the right-hand side. You may have to endure another shot of a shoeless Brent, lounging on a sofa, but at least the end of the show won't be ruined.