Saturday, September 27, 2008

The Office: Review/Thoughts/Stuff

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I decided I wanted to write my first official blog entry on The Office.

Before I ever saw it, or knew what it was about, or even knew who was in it- it was recommended to me by multiple people. People who I respect and have an awesome sense of humor, and I highly value their opinions. I finally saw it for the first time when Haley showed it to me on a computer screen at the Phisters while their kitchen was being remodeled. We stood in the living room looking at this tiny window on the screen and for some reason it had subtitles in another language.


I was an instant fan of Dwight while watching the Halloween episode where he is dressed as a "Sith Lord" and keeps saying "quiet you..."

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After that, B and I got the DVD's and have been addicted ever since. I can remember a few times when I was working at The Office Shop (not only similar in title- but in work environment as well, which made it that much funnier at the time) I would specifically come home on my lunch breaks in order to watch the show. I even put them in at 7am and watched them before work once or twice. I remember Bronwyn devoting pretty much a whole Saturday, if not, the whole weekend to The Office.
There have been times when I couldn't watch any more, fearing I might not be able to ever laugh again because my stomach muscles hurt so bad.
Sometimes I would laugh so hard I would almost (or maybe a little bit) pee my pants, but hesitate to go to the bathroom because I didn't want to miss anything. You might think I'm kidding...

Last night, we watched season 4 disc 2. Poor tired B fell asleep during the first episode, and I ended up watching 4 or 5 more by myself. After season three, I didn't think that the show could get any funnier, I honestly had that thought, yet every episode in season four seems to one-up the previous one. I almost lost it last night during the dinner party episode, falling off the couch laughing so hard all alone.
It blows me away how they can pack that many funny lines into such a short amount of time. I always have to rewind it because I miss so much do to my own loud laughter. I swear it takes me twice as long to watch an episode because of all the rewinding. (probably annoys the hud out of B)
I think part of the reason that show is so funny, and Amy agrees with me on this, is that all of us know someone or have known someone that is at least a little bit like every character in that show. It's amazing to me how they can take the most annoying, nerdy, know-it-all, rude, selfish, insecure, racist, air-headed, controlling and just weird personalities- exaggerate them, and yet still make it hilarious and enjoyable to watch! We don't enjoy character traits like that in real life, it usually sucks to spend more than 5 minutes around people like that!
But the script writing, improve, acting, and everything else involved in making that show, make it my favorite TV show of all time. (which isn't really saying much... What TV shows have I ever been into?? Sorry for the anti-climatic ending.)

16 comments:

Pops said...

Matt: you convinced me that I better watch the Office. I will put it in my todo list

Emily said...

I had heard about it forever and never saw it. My bro in law got me the Office season 1 on dvd for Christmas some years ago, but it was the British version. It was funny and I like that one a lot, so that was my Office experience (a dvd that was a casualty of the great Pugh Robbery of 07). Anyway, I knew I would like the American one too. I just knew it would be a show I would love, yet I just never saw it. This May, I finally broke down and discovered that Netflix offered them as an instant watch on your computer, so I had no excuses. I was totally hooked. The first episode is almost word for word with the British one, by the way (a little trivia). The rest pretty much branch out as their own thing.
Anyway, I watched all 4 seasons in like 2 weeks. I had a great time. Here are some little thoughts and musings.

-I love Dwight. Every move he makes is funny. I love his and Jim's relationship. I took a "which office character are you?" quiz on facebook. I was Dwight. That took me a little aback. I read the stats and percentages and like 60% of the people that take that quiz are Pam, 30 are Jim and a lousy 3% are Dwight. On a side note, I was Ned Flanders on the Simpsons one. Am I THAT big of a nerd??????????

-Creed is HI-larious. www.creedthoughts.gov/www./creedthoughts
PLUS he is the guitarist from one of my favorite 60s bands, The Grassroots, I still pop in that cd randomly, and I don't do that much anymore with the cds I have from that era, but I make an exception with these guys.

-Andy was really funny to me, then he got really annoying to me (I think he just played his part too well) then he got funny again to me and man I just laugh at him so much.
Favorite Andyisms: Beer me that cd (it gets a laugh about 25% of the time), Ompa Lompa doopity dausom, Dwight is now gone which is totally awesome, why was he gone he was such a nice guy?- no he was not he was a total douche-- Doopity doo." And his Cornell singing group "here comes treble" is too much fun, and how he sings with his hand guiding the octaves. and "break me off a piece of that fancy feast! Cat food. Nailed it."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOoR2zucvvw

-I find the character Phylis very funny. I find Meredith however, just a little too over the top. She is the only one I find over done.

I guess that will be all for now...

Sue said...

Remember when I took the Office quiz and it said I'm Angela? What the heck is that all about?

I'm really glad you like The Office Matt. I had watched quite a few episodes of the british version, and thought it was really funny. When I found out they were doing an American one, and Steve Carrell was going to be the boss, I knew it would be good. The first couple of seasons, I kept forgetting it was on. I'm really bad at keeping track of what nights and channels shows are on.

Dwight is the best. His hair is awesome. That episode where Jim walks in and is dressed as Dwight, then a couple days later Dwight comes in dressed as Jim is so funny. And the beach games episode is great. Not just for the names they use for their teams, but that scene where Dwight tells the Aristocrats joke is so funny.

I love Andy too. He was one of my favorite reporters on the Daily Show, when I saw he was joining the Office I was very happy.

Matt Wright said...

I forgot to rate it...5 stars. Fo Sho.
I must say that Andy is my favorite charicter. I love how Emily found him annoying because he played the part so well. That cracked me up. I think my favorite Andy scene was...wow, I don't know if I can pick one, but ONE of my favorite Andy scenes was in season 3 and he was the biggest kiss up ever and was fighting with Dwight in the elivator and they were just saying the dumbest stuff about each others cars. I almost died. I also loved him on the daily show, though I only saw it a few times.

I am becoming more and more of a Kevin fan as well. I love how he talks with his mouth really wide, and makes everything so dramatic. "you've GOT to be KIDDING me"
I love Mose a lot too. When Jim and Pam go stay at the beet farm and right when the drive up the first thing they see is Mose just running along side there car. HA HA HA HA.
More on the office later.

Emily said...

Mose is indeed very very funny. I love it when he runs with the car.
Kevin is funny to. Have you seen 4's finale yet? Some very funny Kevin stuff in that one.

Ryan got a heck of a lot funnier in season 4. I liked the change in dynamics, it did very funny things to him. Trying to tell Jim how great NYC is and not letting Jim accept any of it was so funny to me, and of course when Dwight thinks his friend is a hobbit is classic.

Sue said...

Dwight thinks someone is a hobbit? I missed that one! I like Kevin too. I love the one where that lady thinks he's retarded. Was that the season finale? Should I have put Spoiler Alert! before I typed that?

Matt, in the few Daily Shows you caught with Andy in it, did you happen to see the one where he was at the beach in New Jersey? He went to this beach in a city that had passed a law banning thong swim suits. He went on the very last day you could wear one, and he had one on. He was interviewing people at the beach wearing this thong and showing people his butt asking them if they were going to miss it. I don't think I've ever seen Cam laugh that hard, except for once when we were watching Reno 911.

Emily said...

I totally saw the beach/thong thing and it was so funny. The hobbit one one of thes last episodes of season 4. Dwight and Micheal go to NY to go to a club with Ryan and Ryan is obviously doing coke. His friend is very short (in the bonus material they talk about how everyone is Ryan's "entourage" has to be shorter then him, but it was cut out, so all you really see is Ryan hanging out with a very short dude.) Anyway, Dwight thinks he is a hobbit and the episode is peppered with Dwight asking him questions like, "do you live in a regular size house?" and "do have powers?" But my favorite is when Ryan admits that his "friend" may have a drug problem, Dwight says, "I think his species might have a higher tolerance then ours". The episode is called Night Out, check it out.

Sue said...

I didn't see that one! That sounds hilarious! Did you know that Rainn Wilson orginally auditioned for the part of Michael Scott? He didn't get it (obviously), but I guess he was going through the script and realized he had to be Dwight, so he auditioned for that.

I'm SO bad at remembering when shows are on! Is the office on Thursdays?

Matt Wright said...

Em: Yes, I saw the finale of season 4 yesterday, and I think it was my favorite episode ever. (the one Sue mentioned with Holly the HR thinking kevin is retarded.) If you missed the deleted scenes from that night club/hobbit episode than you missed the best dwight/hobbit part. The short guy comes to the office to fill in for Ryan, and when they all start watching the video on youtube of Ryan getting arrested, somebody asks him "do you know anything" and Ryan's friend says, "maybe I do, maybe I don't" and Dwight gets all flustered and says "that's enough of your magical riddles"
HA HA HA!!
Sorry Sue, I don't know when The Office is on TV. We just let the Phisters by them for us. Heehee.
I never saw the whole thong daily show episode, but it does sound really familiar. Maybe I saw clips of iton a commercial for it or something.
Oh, and just so you guys know, you don't really ever have to worry about the "spoiler" thing with me. I usually never really mind when I hear the end of a movie or whatever. It doesn't ruin it for me bad enough to care.

Sue said...

I have to watch that Hobbit one! I just need to buy all the seasons!

I'm with you on the whole spoiler thing Matt. I don't care enough to let things like that bother me.

Emily said...

I want to buy all the seasons too! Especially since I think they are taking them off instant Netflix soon. I am really going to miss that.
Matt, I remember that hobbit comment, it was the best, it just didn't come to me while trying to think of the lines.
I'm usually cool with spoilers too (exceptions would be like the 7th Harry Potter book, I cut myself off from civilization until I had read it) Or like my boss (Rich Ipakchian) told me that Bruce Willis was really dead before I went to see the i see dead people movie (I just forgot the title!) The whole time I was watching it I was like, man! I wish I didn't know that, Rich you jerk!
Otherwise, it isn't a problem. Take for instant while watching a reality show program, I don't mind knowing in advance who is going to be kicked off, you get to watch their demise.

B said...

I can't believe the season is over so fast... it's like saying good-bye to friends. I agree with Em. I never thought I'd see the Sixth Sense, so I let people spoil it for me, and it would've been way cooler to now know. And I would have char broiled anyone who told me the 7th Harry Potter ending. But knowing the ending to the Notebook would've saved me a lot of time. So you can spoil it if there's nothing huge.

And I'm just B now, so our posts won't get confused. *Sniff*.

Sue said...

Matt should change his bog name to Rarnee. That is how I have him in my phone.

Matt Wright said...

Yeah, for stuff like the Six Sense, or Prestige, or Primal Fear (best gerbil butt guy movie ever) where it totally makes the movie when you find out the truth- Yes, that does suck. I agree.

Pops said...

I'm reading this post comments for the first time now (sunday night, 11:30) and see that Matt mentions "Primal Fear". I made reference to that on another posting yesterday.

Matt Wright said...

"eeuuhh...Little comment..."