From creator and writer Greg Daniels (The Simpsons and King of the Hill), comes the DVD release of the second season of the U.S. adaptation of the wildly popular and hilarious BBC sitcom The Office (creators Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant).  The first season of the show was only six episodes long and did not really develop into a hit.  But it did have just enough of an audience to get a second season and it developed into a huge success by the end of it (and it just recently won an Emmy for this second season).  This 4-disc DVD set includes all 22 episodes as well as a multitude of extras and goodies (including those webisodes that have been playing since the season finale of this second season).

The show revolves around a regional manager of a paper supply company whose egotistical, insensitive, and completely incompetent behavior is driving his staff nuts (but who mostly stay quiet because he signs their paychecks).  The show is in “mockumentary” style (like Spinal Tap), where a documentary crew is hanging around the office taping footage of everyone.  There is no laugh track and the show is built around uncomfortable silences and moments.  The manager is Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin paper supply company in Pennsylvania, who thinks he is the funniest and coolest guy in the office, as well as a guru on business that anyone would be lucky to be mentored by.  Problem is, he isn’t.  He’s a complete moron who knows absolutely nothing about what a manager should be, how to interact with people, what’s funny or how not to be such an incompetent and insensitive idiot.  His staff basically just puts up with him, making fun of him behind his back (or in some cases right to his face without him getting it). 

The second in command at the office is Dwight (Rainn Wilson), a nerdy jackass who thinks he is running the show even though no one listens to him because he is just an assistant to Michael.  The everyman hero in the sitcom would be paper supply salesman Jim (John Krasinski) who is the most outspoken of the staff against both Michael and Dwight’s lunacy and is always the first to make fun of them, especially Dwight who he tortures (and to good measure as Dwight is a complete jerk).  Even so, Jim is stuck in this crappy job and knows it.  He’s fallen for the receptionist, Pam (Jenna Fischer) whose fiancé Roy works down in shipping and treats her badly.  But Jim is too nice of a guy for his own good, not letting Pam know how he feels or saying what he wants to say to Roy.  And Pam feels the same way for Jim, but they are just stuck in their situations and flirt more and more with each other.  That flirting starts to get much more serious in this second season and comes to a head in the finale.  The second season even sees a romantic angle for Michael with his corporate boss Jan (Melora Hardin).  Even Dwight has a relationship going with accountant Angela and they try to keep it a secret throughout the season.  This second season also gets into the rest of the staffers’ lives and gives them more opportunities to grow.  The episodes introduce us to these characters through their daily office interactions and their dealings with Michael, who obliviously offends just about everyone he can.  

CRITIQUE

The first season of The Office, which was only six episodes long, was a minor success in that it garnered just enough of an audience for this second season and that it started to branch away from being a straight remake of the wildly successful British series and become something funny and interesting on its own.  This second season continued in that fashion and the series really just began to click in every way.  It started to become a hit, gaining more and more viewers (they may have come because of The 40-Year Old Virgin popularity but they stayed because of the quality of this show), and it also managed to balance that delicate act of straight comedic lunacy mixed with perfectly timed character building. 

Steve Carell, from The Daily Show and The 40-Year Old Virgin, developed his character of Michael, who was just a complete boob in the first season, into a hilarious (as he is still an idiot) and yet endearing and even charming guy.  This was one of the big keys for this shows’ enormous second season success.  He brought more humanity and moments of kindness and genuine emotion into this character (but not too much), which makes all his other antics more bearable (and actually funnier).  The romantic angle added on with his boss also added to his newfound humility and you found yourself rooting for him throughout the season.  Michael has become a Homer Simpson-esque character who is a very endearing and constantly self-effacing moron. 

The other huge reason for the success of the show is the emergence of the full supporting cast.  In that first season all you really got was Michael, Dwight, Jim and Pam, but in this second season every one of the characters that work in the office had significant screen time, scene-stealing moments and character building scenarios.  This again is very much like The Simpsons success where that series has always took the time to flesh out its supporting characters and give them multiple opportunities for scene-stealing comedic moments.  The supporting cast in this second season of The Office constantly stole scenes from the main cast and became an integral part of the shows’ hilarity.  The sales staff (of Phyllis, Stan, Creed and Kelly), the accounting team (of Angela, Oscar and Kevin) and the HR manager (Toby) all get their time to shine and not one person in this terrific supporting cast misses a beat.  Also, the main voice of reason in the show was Jim but added to this is now Ryan the Temp (B.J. Novak).  Novack is hilarious as the deer in the headlights “normal guy” who is caught in this incredibly weird (and yet true-to-life) office.  His observances and reactions to Michael and Dwight are a constant highlight.   

The backbone and emotional undercurrent that really makes the show a worthwhile season long event is mostly due to the ever-blossoming relationship of Jim and Pam.  And the two actors hit every note of emotion with perfection.  John Krasinski has that everyman quality that hooks the audience in and gives them something and someone to root for.  Many shows have failed because that key actor just didn’t have that rooting interest, but Krasinski draws you in.  Jenna Fischer as Pam is even better; she has some amazing scenes during this season where she shows this inner torment going on in Pam with just a few glances or a small conversation.  She should have won an Emmy for this amazing performance; hopefully it will be recognized in this third season.  Rainn Wilson is somewhat all over the place as Dwight; in some episodes he is way too over the top, but in other episodes he is spot on hilarious.  And when he’s on, he’s one of the funniest characters since George Costanza. 

The writing (which is done by a cast of writers including some of the supporting cast who actually write for their individual characters) is spot on and provides each character with blisteringly funny dialogue and situational comedic moments that are true gut-busters.  The direction is also first-rate, highlighting the brilliant writing and hilarious performances.  The show is truly riotous and really hits on the office life in America.  Who hasn’t had a boss or coworker like one of these characters?  It is so easy to relate to the situations and characters, and I really had a ball with the show and look forward to season 3.

THE VIDEO

The transfer is presented in 1:78.1 anamorphic widescreen and it is outstandingly crisp, clear and vivid in color.  I was impressed by the enhanced DVD transfer, time was obviously put into it as the show looks much better visually than it did on air.  The environment of the show is very bland looking (as most offices are) with bright and vivid colors mixed in (from post-it notes, clothes, etc.) that make for some nice contrasts that look exceptional here.

THE AUDIO

The Office is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and the presentation is a huge improvement over the first season.  The dialogue is crystal clear and (really) that is all you need for a show like this.  The surround and the subs will definitely not be getting a work out, but the balances all seemed perfect.

THE EXTRAS

There are tons of extras throughout this extraordinary set.  First there are ten commentaries offered with various members of the cast and crew through different episodes.  These are interesting and funny commentaries but there are two huge missing pieces.  Steve Carrel and John Krasinski are no where to be found (turns out they were shooting movies).  But even without their involvement, these tracks are worth a listen.  My favorite is season opener “The Dundies” because that seemed like an episode that would have been a blast to be a part of it and the cast confirms it.  It seems like the cast is very close and that there is a significant amount of camaraderie. 

The Deleted Scenes are really the highlight of this set.  There are over two and a half hours (!) of deleted scenes, and most of them are worth a look.  For the most part, deleted scenes in television DVD sets are something to skip but these are very funny and just give you more character development and more embarrassment for Michael.  There is more time with some of the secondary characters like Creed and Toby that are a must see for fans of the show.  These can be viewed by episode or all at once. 

The ten webisodes that NBC created for the bridge between this season and the new third season soon are included here which I was very happy to see.  I didn’t want to download those or play them on my IPOD so I figured I’d never see them.  These are very funny and clever bits that involve the accounting staff looking for a $3,000 discrepancy in the books where they start investigating and interviewing the rest of the staff.  Again, this is a great opportunity for the supporting cast to shine and they hit all the right comedic notes.

Another highlight of this outstanding set is the fake PSAs that aired on NBC during the second season.  These are those “The More You Know” ads with the cast that I found hilarious.  There is also a very funny and long blooper reel (over 15 minutes!) that shows the cast having fun and flubbing lines.  “The Faces of Scranton” is a mini-film that Michael put together on the show and it is aired in its entirety here (about 2 minutes).  There is also a promotional piece for Steve Carell for The 40-Year Old Virgin where he is interviewing himself which is actually quite amusing and worth a look.  There are also some Olympics promos with the cast as the Olympics were going on at the time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Office is a hilarious show that hits on what office life is like and what it’s like to work for idiots (which many of us can identify with).  It is unconventional (no laugh track, uncomfortable silences bring the laughs) and full of great comedic performances (especially from Steve Carell), and season two is when it hits on all cylinders (and just won an Emmy for it).  It has also now come into its own as something other than just a remake.  And this DVD set features a boatload of great extras and is a must own for fans of the show.