The Office

As most of you know I am a big fan of the Ricky Gervais podcasts, and for a while all my days were spent listening to all the Karl Pilkington drivel that was possible. Despite all this, I had never watched The Office.

I watched Extras and really enjoyed it, but I put off watching The Office. I couldn't bring myself to do it, because I feared that the cringe-factor would just be too much for me to enjoy, and might tarnish my opinion of the other work.

I decided to take the plunge. Yes, at times the show is incredibly difficult to watch but I did thoroughly enjoy it. I laughed and laughed, but, I must admit, there were many moments where I actually covered my eyes and looked away because it was just too much. Funny, but too much.

This past weekend, I started watching the US version of The Office. I had heard that it was really good, but I was skeptical. I feared that it would be a watered down version of the orginal. I immediately enjoyed the show. The pilot was more a "best-of" of the original, and I was curious to see where they would go once the US writers took over.

I have watched 37 episodes, and am a big fan. While still difficult to watch, I love the supporting characters and the sharp writing. Kevin and Stanley are amazing. There are two moments that spring to mind that I had to pause so that I could properly laugh.

1) Clip 1.

2)

Though YouTube is full of clips, I recommend watching the show from the beginning. I would not recommend the marathon kind of watching schedule that I did simply because when you have reached the end, you will feel dejected and heartbroken that now you have to wait for the television schedule for your next fix.