I’ve decided that the American version of The Office is fairly brilliant. Not brilliant in an original way, of course, what with it being an adaptation of the British Office, but brilliant nonetheless. I admit that I’m prone to hyperbole, or to what LMV thinks is the uniquely British tendency to pronounce things to be either the best thing ever or the worst thing ever, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the US version.

This comes after watching last night’s episode, the first to have been really written specifically for the US cast. The pilot, which aired last week, was pretty much a direct copy of the first UK episode. I forget the names of the new characters, so I’ll just refer to them by their British names. But Steve Carell is inspired casting. No David Brent, of course, but I think he’s probably a better choice than Steven Colbert (who, out of confusion, I’d thought had the part). American Gareth is as good a US Gareth as there could be, annoying in all the ways that an American Gareth should be annoying. I’m not sure being a voluntary sheriff’s deputy on the weekends will serve as an adequate replacement for the Territorial Army, but obviously the US Army Reserve was totally off limits (comedically, as much as politically). But American Gareth has the right combination of smugness and arrogance, all in a specifically US sort of way. And I’m glad they didn’t try to find a regional identity to echo UK Gareth’s Somerset roots.

I’m constantly annoyed by American Tim’s hair. It’s too much like English Tim, or Rob Thomas, or something. If his hair was different I’d probably be willing to think of him as more than an English Tim imitation. Perhaps when I see Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent I’ll finally be able to let go, but otherwise I guess American Tim is doing a good job. American Dawn is about right though.

Anyway, I’m optimistic. Last night’s “diversity training” episode gave me hope that the specifically American scripts will be good. Yes, it’s still got nothing on the original, but all in all I’m relieved that they stuck close to the tenor of the UK version, and pleasantly surprised that they haven’t totally fucked it up. So there.

Addendum: This would be a good time to post a link to the UK Gareth’s web site. So here it is.

Posted by B. W. Ventril in Reviews

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 30th, 2005 at 9:52 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

8 Responses to “The American Office”

  1. minty says:
    I agree with you on all counts, BWV. I was fully prepared to hate this show and have been pleasantly surprised.

    The pilot was somewhat annoying since it was basically a show I had seen, but with different people. And somehow “Jim put my stapler in Jell-o” does not come across as funny as “Tim’s put my stapler in jelly again.” But last night’s episode did rather rock.

    The show has been translated well for the US and the values of the original remain intact. American Tim smiles more than British Tim does, but he’s kinda cute. I think as it goes along I will think of these characters more as themselves than as US versions of the UK characters. Dwight is not Gareth, and I’m sure as episodes continue he will seem less Gareth-y and more Dwight-y.

    March 30th, 2005 at 11:35 am
  2. holagatita says:
    Well, despite your overall positive review of the show, B-Dub, I have to say I will now certainly never be able to watch it knowing that Jim’s snap-on Fisher-Price-Man ™ hair (props to LMV for the first adj.) is only a poor, pale, plasticky shadow of Original Tim’s ™.

    How I love Tim. I actually met someone who knew Martin Freeman. Said he was a swell guy. (Oh, and that Mos Def is nice, too, but a ho. And I was all, ‘And?! You can still give him my number!’ But that’s another story.) I may even wade through the waves of arrogant male nerds to see the Button movie. I mean Hitchiker’s. It has a website: http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/

    Ah, Tim. *sigh*

    March 30th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
  3. holagatita says:
    P.S. Speaking of websites, Tim’s got one, too. http://www.martinfreeman.com/

    Who’s Gareth now?

    March 30th, 2005 at 12:10 pm
  4. B. W. Ventril says:
    The Hitchhiker’s Guide movie site is wondrous, and makes me even more excited about the film. As do the trailers. The opening shot of Tim/Arthur Dent’s bedside table shows he’s reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Slapstick and that he works for the BBC. This is a very good sign.

    March 30th, 2005 at 1:03 pm
  5. holagatita says:
    Tim plushies!!

    No, really. I’m obsessed now. Go here: http://www.planetmagrathea.com/toys.html

    And remember that my birthday is in November.

    March 31st, 2005 at 5:13 pm
  6. Bear Left says:
    Wow! That’s the BEST blog entry EVER!

    March 31st, 2005 at 5:18 pm
  7. holagatita says:
    No. The best blog entry will be after I get my Tim plushy. ;)

    March 31st, 2005 at 5:26 pm
  8. B. W. Ventril says:
    Um… what exactly do you intend to do with it? This isn’t that sort of blog you know.

    March 31st, 2005 at 5:55 pm