The Office 1x01-1x22

[oyceter]

sophia_helix brought over S1 of The office and made me watch. Well, she didn't really have to twist my arm, given how much I've heard about it from co-workers and vonnie_k.

What I've gathered so far:

1. Dwight sucks.


2. Michael grates on my nerves and I want to strangle him.


3. Jim is really funny in the show, but would drive me crazy if I had to work with him.


4. Pam looks very quiet and shy, but harbors an inner demon.


5. I still hate love triangles, particularly when two corners of the triangle are engaged.


6. I am so glad my work environment isn't like that!

The characters are more caricatures than characters right now, though I suspect that's the intention. sophia_helix also tells me that there's more character development in the next season.

I also find myself liking the mockumentary format, particularly the interviews, the sideways looks at the camera, the long pauses and awkward silences. I particularly like how the show uses silence and pauses. It feel real and awkward, not at all like the ba-dum-CHING effect of laughtracks in most sitcoms.

Michael annoys me so much because I've had bosses like that, who wanted to be liked so much that they ended up not doing their jobs. I'd almost rather work with Dwight, because at least he's straight forward in his nastiness. Michael's two-faced-ness really, really, really gets on my nerves, and I end up wanting to shake him or whap him or something. I mean, it's funny. It's very, very funny, but it's funny in that painful, wincing kind of way because I recognize that character all too well.

Given IBARW, I was particularly amused by the second episode, in which the entire office has to go through "Diversity Day." I started laughing hysterically when Michael described himself as "Irish, German, English, Scottish, with a little bit of Native American."

"How much?" someone asks.

"Two-fifteenths."

I'm looking forward to watching more, just for entertainment value. I'm not sure how fannish I am about it though.

Comments

[vonnie-k.livejournal.com]

Woo-hoo, The Office!

"Diversity Day" is my favourite S1 episode, hands down. I can't even look at those silly cards on the foreheads without going into hysterical giggles. So cringey, but really, not that implausible.

I do echo the others re. the S2 being much more nuanced and rich. There are some Michael moments in S2 that are so painful and tragic, they make me want to cry. Then he reverts back to being, you know, Michael, and I want to strangle him all over again. It's a tricky balancing act, and the show gets better at it as the S2 goes on.

Now, Dwight, I've actually come to ADORE. Not in any sense of wanting someone even remotely like him anywhere near me, but I find him absurd and hilarious and delightful to watch, almost as if he were some fascinating alien specimen.

You've got Pam pegged. As for Jim, I'm really interested to see if you're going to be the first person of female persuasion in my acquaintance who's going to be relatively immune to his charms (and the Jim/Pam uber-OTP-ness, which is... hmm, problematic when regarded rationally, but apparently the rational part of my brain has stopped functioning where these two are concerned. Heh.)

[oyceter]

I LOVE "Diversity Day." Especially after IBARW and all the other things going on online!

I actually don't mind Dwight as much as Michael, I think because he's at least up front about his absolute insanity. Or, uh.... because he doesn't have enough awareness to conceal it ;).

Michael just hits so many of my personal "ARGH" buttons that it'll be interesting to see what I think later on.

And since I seem to be the only person of female persuasion who still doesn't like Logan from VMars, we'll see! I think he just bugged me because he was going after someone who was engaged. I mean, yeah, to a jerk and whatnot, but... still.