Work Experience

I'm wondering how many reviewers on here actually realize how old this series is. The UK version came BEFORE the American version. It started in 2001. Pay attention, people. Most of the stuff y'all think started in the US was "borrowed" from other countries.

The second episode of The Office is just as embarrassingly and painfully funny as its predecessor: the laughter here is a means to cover the horror as we witness acts of involuntary cruelty between coworkers and traces of not-so-latent sexism and misogyny in the workplace. And oh, yeah: Ricky Gervais is still a riot.

Having introduced us to everyone, David finds it convenient to hire someone new: Donna (Sally Bretton), his lodger, not to mention his best friend's daughter. Because of a few unflattering remarks from the male staff, he decides to give everyone a pep talk about gender equality, but the whole thing degenerates after-wards when a doctored pornographic image of him is discovered and he asks Gareth to find out who's behind it.

The Office is, in a way, a lecture about hypocrisy: Brent tells the BBC interviewers one thing, then he behaves in the exact opposite way with everyone else (and on camera, on top of everything). Exhibit A: his speech about sexism is proved wrong by his reaction to an insult addressed to Jennifer. Like no other show, Gervais and Stephen Merchant's creation juggles scenes that are shockingly awkward (any scene between David and Donna) and ones that are very funny (Tim, Dawn and Gareth). Then, of course, there's the wonderful combination of the two - David and Gareth discussing women with big boobs. It's as politically incorrect as they come, and that's why people love it.