Review: 'The Office Season Two' is a perfect TV on DVD release
Posted Friday, September 15, 2006 at 10:47 AM Central
by Tim Briscoe
The Office: Season Two is another perfect case for why TV shows are great on DVD.
NBC's ratings for the sophomore series were good last season but probably could have been better. Had people known the series was going to win this year's Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, they would have more likely tuned in. Well, those who missed many of last year's 22 episodes (myself included) can now enjoy them fully on DVD.
But even if you did religiously watch every Thursday night broadcast, there's something for you. Each episode on this release's four discs contains deleted scenes not shown on TV. Plus, the set has the widescreen versions only seen by those lucky enough to have 16:9 HDTVs. Not to mention the chance to re-watch some great comedy.
For those unfamiliar, The Office is an export of the equally brilliant British show created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. This American version has Steve Carell as clueless boss Michael Scott. Michael leads a motley crew of half-hearted office workers at the Dunder-Mifflin paper supply company's small Scranton, Pa. branch.
The tremendous supporting cast is anchored by Rainn Wilson as the well-intentioned but weird Dwight, John Krasinski as the likeable Jim, and Jenna Fischer as receptionist Pam. However, the cast is much deeper than that. The depth of well-developed characters can only be outdone by one other TV comedy, The Simpsons. (Not so strangely, The Office was developed by former Simpsons writer-producer Greg Daniels.)
The most unusual aspect of the show is the documentary style in which it's shot. This isn't your average sitcom shot in front of a studio audience. The Office has no laugh track -- and it's better that way. There are also interview segments where the employees get to share their thoughts MTV Real World-style.
The episodes themselves are magnificently-written works. "Christmas Party" will go down as one of the best holiday-themed TV shows of all time. The morale-building retreat aboard a cruise ship (or as Michael admits, a "Booze Cruise") is also one for the ages.
The DVD's bonus features are a wealth of frosting on an already triple-layered cake. About a dozen of the episodes can be seen with audio commentary from select members of the cast, writers and producers. (Alas, no Steve Carell.) There are also the "The More You Know" fake PSAs which cover some under very appreciated subjects.
The set also contains a series of short web-premiered episodes starring the Scranton D-M accounting staff. They have to find which employee made out with the $3,000 missing from the books. I'll give you one guess which dimwitted manager they believe is the culprit.
Plus there are gobs of great deleted scenes. The deleted scenes prove how hard the editors' job is whittling the shows down to just 23 or so minutes. Some really hilarious stuff ends up on the cutting room floor. Case in point, the cut scenes of Creed rocking out on the "Booze Cruise." (Creed Bratton, the actor, really did play for the '60s band The Grass Roots.)
The Office: Season Two is an excellent collection loaded with more than you can imagine. If you have a dead-end job like those at Dunder-Mifflin, these episodes are an excellent way to unwind after a hard (or lackadaisical) day in Corporate America.
