Hugely successful and brutally deadpan, "The Office" when it was first released made its mark, commenting on the often awkward nature of social interactions between employees in what can only be described as a dreary workplace, shifting paper to the highest bidder in Wernham Hogg.
Now before everyone's favourite David Brent moves onto life on the road, it's a good time to take a look back at the show that collectively launched the careers of both Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as well as being regarded as one of the best British sitcoms of all time. The latter of which I'd be inclined to agree with. It begins as something unassuming but by the time I hit the third episode and Tim is given a certain inflatable birthday present I honestly couldn't stop laughing, bizarrely what could be considered the most immature joke of the series is what made it click.
You start by squirming in your seat as you're presented by these clumsy social scenarios but as you become accustomed to the humour on offer, it's the gift that keeps on giving, it's short length allowing it to maintain its freshness and never loses steam which is ultimately funny in itself given the situation that these characters find themselves placed in. A dead-end job in the paper industry with a desire for something more, ranging from psychology and illustration to the certainly more ambitious reunion of Foregone Conclusion. The mockumentary style that it is presented in works not only in the manner that it certainly saves a few quid but also in accentuating what it strives to be. The people who you see are their characters and this is just their way of life, showing further insight into what they're thinking with a straightforward interview format to justify their actions and make it so a certain Brent isn't completely detestable.
Whilst there's no question as to whether or not you should give this a watch, you'll certainly find out quickly if it is indeed your thing, "The Office" is not the first of its kind, at least in style. Ranging all the way back into the '60s with the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" to the modern vampire undertaking seen in "What We Do in the Shadows" the mockumentary has been staple in both film and television for decades with its often absurd nature, especially in the latter film. It's potential for parody is immense and can often be used to shine a light on certain issues or topics that it may feel relevant to discuss from the perspective of characters who may unwittingly be apart of the issue present. A prominent example of this would be in "The Office", whilst the show does not center around this, the character of Gareth is hardly a gentleman, let's say.
A short and unsuspecting series about office workers proves to be a hilarious romp with an interesting angle to back it up, leaving me waiting for the return of Brent, coming sooner rather than later thankfully. As the former Wernham Hogg boss rather optimistically posed: "Live fast, die old."
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