UNTITLED rought notes
by Jon Dunmore ©


Genius Ricky Gervais forges one of the greatest comedy series in history, co-writing, co-directing and starring in THE OFFICE.

Before we proceed with this joyous excursion, let us turn to venal things and clarify the world in which we live in (thank you, Paul!): there is only *one* THE OFFICE. That is: Ricky Gervais's and Stephen Merchant's astounding British import. There is *no* "American version" of THE OFFICE; there is something mutated and ugly and autistic and amateur and writhing in plagiaristic puerility (albeit authorized and executive-produced by Gervais) that has the unbridled audacity to term itself "The Office," featuring beige Steve Carell whom marketers have to continually keep reminding you is funny.

It's ironic that every new American comedy series or team invariably compares itself erroneously and impertinently to Monty Python, while THE OFFICE is a British comedy that is blood-linked to Python due to their cultural pedigree, but are too classy to mention the link. Because they are nothing like Python (as all the American sketch shows are nothing like Python, but have no qualsm in declaring themselves Pythonesque anyway).

THE OFFICE takes the idiot reality show idiom and unlike every single useless, muttonheaded. trailer-trash demographic American reality show, it actually makes it entertaining. Filmed exclusively on hand-held cameras, which are MEANT to be filming for a doc for an office so everytone is aware of the carems sometimes looking at the cameras, somtimes talking to the cameras or about them, and there are talking heads aawell. It's almost a mockumentary, almost a reality show, definitely the funniest thing to come out of BRitain since... well, since Monty PYthon.

Stephen Merchant andRicky Gervais.
The repu for Slough seems to be one of disdain.


There is only *one* THE OFFICE. And this is it.


a pathos in THE OFFICE a beating heart that drives the motivations of the lead character, something which the American version of crap that dares call itself by the same name (as if it had ANY RESEMBLANCE AT ALL to Ricky Gervais's creation) absolutely lacks.
cheeky, intelligent, uncomfortable, deadpan, there is a sadness and a claustrophobia as well.

The only American show that comes close is - no, not the putrid, stillborn American OFFICE - Gary Shandling's brilliant THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW.

episode one
We meet th echaracterw, all seemingly fully formed. If you watch Season One or Season Two, there is never any inconsistency. The makers and actors seem to know these charactes so well, and we know them as well consequently, bcuas ethey are stereotypes from our office lives. Better than OFFICE SPACE, better than
series Opens with David Brent, the office manager, and his insecure personality self-aggrandizing and hiring a forklift driver. The comedy is like nothihg we've ever seen.

We meet Dawn Tinsley, Garret , Tim
IT's a spaper company called wernham-hogg.

We also discover a tentative chemistry between Dawn and Tim and realize immediately that it is unconsumated with the appearance of Dawn's working-class boyfriend (a forklift driver in the warehouse).

They've taken the reality show and launched it

the smoking hot boss Jennifer
Redundancies! he assures his branch he personlaly will not let any of them meet redundancies, even though we know and he knows that he has no such power if the corporate heads makes the deciasions.


Brent is intent on making it seem like the office is rolling in laughter privded by him (as a de facto comedian and funny drunk)


David BRent - pathoshe's lonely, he tries too hard to be entertaining and likeable - in real life, this would be a terribly sad character, aperson whom everyone else would feel sorry for yet try to avoid.

captures the pathos perfectly, walking that line between comedic and revulsion for this man.


episode two

Brent hires sexy new girl Donna, while Brent and Garret puff out their chests and advetise their masculinity in different ways - BRent with his suposed easygoing maner, Garret by highlighting his "Territorial army" experience, bringing in a gun holster to hold his phohnen.
while a photoshopped porn picture of BRent circulates

We meet big Keith in this ep/

amidst the uncomfortable comedy there is a black analogy to the American presidency - made without intent by these filmmakers. Bent is told that the porn picture was made by Tim, so as a display of strength to his boss Jennifer, he confronts tim and fires him. When told that the pic was made by his mate Chris Finch, suddenly Brent's attitude changes, his exact words ."Let's not dwell on who made the picture, let's agfree to stop degrading women" Doesn't this sound like the American govt. decrtying torture when others were doing it, then when the bUSH admin decided to do it, the next administrationh doesn't want to prosecute, Obama's words, "lets move forward and just say that America doesn't torutre FROM NOW ON."




episode three tim's 30th birthday - where we see a deeper side of him, lives with his parents, questioning his future.
of WE meet chris Finch the bullying loudmouth sale res who Brent believes is a goo dmate of hims but who only uses him as a foil. Brent vicariosuly lives his comedic presence though Finch who is a life-of-the-party kind of guy.

The annual office quiz - BRnt and Finch 6 years running winners. Brent doesnt realize (or realizes it and keeps it subsumed) that finch is a bully, using Brent only as a foil for his hurtful derogation to all and sundry.

Wedding plans for dawn and Lee

call themselves th eDead PArrots, sore losers, bad sports, do anything to win cinludingin cheating and changing the rules. After they lose the intellectual comp, finch decides that the final challenge is throwing a shoe over building to deicde winner

Theier nenesis is the new young guy, Ricky, whom Brent has a running inteleectual banter about Dostoesvsky, which he has to constnatly run back and look up more info on.



episode four
Dawn and Lee on rocky ground
Staff training day - BRent intent on telling us that he's better than the trainer, had more experience.
cheesy office video training

Brent with guitar, fancies himself a rocker who could've taken that road, bu chose the paper industry instead. adopting the rocker attitude, "Yeh ,man," etc. Garreth soaking it up, vicariously living off BRent.

in training BRent wants to play Basil Fawlty in a demonstration.
Thre are so many references to Python passim the series.

Tim asks Dawn out - AFTER she gets back tiwh Lee - AWK-WAAARD. very embarrassing. He quit the job.



episode five


DAvid hires an assistant even though his office is trying to cut back on expenditures. cute blond. choice is between a welldressed gentlemenad and the blonde - obviously the blond - underDavid's inscrutable ete - gets the job.

Dawn and Tim uncomfortable between them.
Garth tries it on with Donna - health and safety training seminiar.

the office crew hit a night club on the pull. It's loud, raucous, crowded, everyone is drunk and it's ultimately tragic.




episode six

David opens firing a froklift operator - HE started the series hiring this very same guy - they get into a discussion about the differences between midgets, dwarves, elves, and goblins

Shows his secretary Karen around office.

againthe subject of asking Dawn out comes up when David asks Tim why he's leaving.

Jennifer is promoted, Slough is going to be closed and Neal the manager from Swindon, would take over both branches, consolidating both offices.

David is made regional manager, and is more than willing to take the job and betray all the people in his office whom he promised he would never make redundnat.
As it happens, David fails the medical and then makes it seem like he stood by his principles.

When it's written out so clinically, it becomes apparent that David would be a TERRIBLE boss to work for - but seeing his selfishness on such open display is what makes THE OFFICE so darkly funny.

Final Words: Brent: "I don't do it for the laughs, or the money or the fame. I do it because one day someone will go, 'There goes David Brent. I must remember to thank him.'"

Well, for entertainment above and beyond the call of Monty, thank you, David Brent. Thank you so bloody much.


END