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swetepete
Joined: 01 Nov 2006
Location: a limp little burg
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 Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| rawiri wrote: |
| The secret to comedy is timing and the bbc office had their timing spot on. They knew when to quit in order for the show to gain cult status, the exec's at NBC or whoever does the am. version are going to flog it till they jump the shark, that's why i respect and admire the bbc version a lot more than the american one. |
I agree that NBC will eventually be flogging a dead cash cow with this show, but I figure that's a while off yet.
I guess I respect the BBC version more, but in terms of 'how many laffs has it given me' the US one has, by dint of episode volume, wildly exceeded the original, and my expectations. |
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rabbitsaregood
Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 4:12 pm Post subject: Re: The Office (US) |
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| huck wrote: |
I would definitely recommend this show. And for those of you who say, "The UK version is so much better..." well, I say you have to watch at least the first two seasons of the US version before saying that.
If you watch the US version thinking, "That's not how the characters were in the UK version," then of course you're going to complain about it. But if you just accept it as it's own show, and learn to appreciate the characters, well....I personally think this is one of the best shows on tv. |
I watched it a bit, and it surprised me how well it was acted and directed and how subtly it was written. But I did have a problem with the characcters - the Brent end characters are still good, but the Tim and Dawn equivalents seemed to be missing their flaws.
In the UK version, Tim is smarter and more 'normal' than the idiots in charge, but in his own way he's quite weak and feckless. He talks about going to university, but he keeps putting it off. He talks about reading Proust to prove his intelligence, but never backs it up by trying to achieve anything and never puts his head over the parapet.
Dawn knows she can do better than her job and her boyfriend but is also too weak and scared to move on.
It's this that I found missing in the parallel characters in the US version, and sorry, but it bothered me. It's good, but not as good. |
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khyber
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Compunction Junction
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| Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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the Brent end characters are still good, but the Tim and Dawn equivalents seemed to be missing their flaws.
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Pam (the US dawn) had virtually the exact same "flaws" as dawn (spineless, scared, quiet) but has only recently grown out them (permanently?) when she walked over hot coals.
Jim is a slightly more complex character. He is a bit more normal than Tim and it is true that his flaws aren't drawn out in enough depth (for me). Actually, i sometimes get the impression that the jim character hasn't been written 100% consistent. There definitely should be an episode next season that shows jim's faults a little more clearly. |
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swetepete
Joined: 01 Nov 2006
Location: a limp little burg
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| Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| khyber wrote: |
| Quote: |
the Brent end characters are still good, but the Tim and Dawn equivalents seemed to be missing their flaws.
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Pam (the US dawn) had virtually the exact same "flaws" as dawn (spineless, scared, quiet) but has only recently grown out them (permanently?) when she walked over hot coals.
Jim is a slightly more complex character. He is a bit more normal than Tim and it is true that his flaws aren't drawn out in enough depth (for me). Actually, i sometimes get the impression that the jim character hasn't been written 100% consistent. There definitely should be an episode next season that shows jim's faults a little more clearly. |
Yeah, I think they should mar Jim more visibly. He's a bit of a chicken, but there's not much wrong with him. He needs more flaws.
But what's left? We've already got, in the Dunder Mifflin office: a klepto, a drunk, a rabid hypocrite prude, a doormat (Toby), dwight 'n' michael, an MBA jerk, a clubwit bimbo, a fat moron, and (not saying these are flaws per say, but they're kind of written as if they are) a fat woman, a homothexual, and a grumpy black person. What's left for Jim? |
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venus
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: Near Seoul
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| Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 10:02 pm Post subject: Re: The Office (US) |
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| huck wrote: |
Say what you will about the Office, but last night's season finale was one of the best season finale's of any show ever....
I would definitely recommend this show. And for those of you who say, "The UK version is so much better..." well, I say you have to watch at least the first two seasons of the US version before saying that.
If you watch the US version thinking, "That's not how the characters were in the UK version," then of course you're going to complain about it. But if you just accept it as it's own show, and learn to appreciate the characters, well....I personally think this is one of the best shows on tv. |
The one problem for me is that the characters in the UK version are at least believable. a few (not all) of the characters in the US version seem somehow two dimensional or unbelievable.
I mean Dwight..?
I do love the show though |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with rawiri about them NBC probably planning on bleeding the show to death. I've already noticed this season a serious decline in comediness. A lot of it is predictable because the characters are, as was said, two-dimensional. However, the season finale had me cackling, especially Creed's comment about au naturale boobies: Swing low, sweet chariots. hahah.. they should show more of Creed. That dude is a bustup.
| khyber wrote: |
| Quote: |
the Brent end characters are still good, but the Tim and Dawn equivalents seemed to be missing their flaws.
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Pam (the US dawn) had virtually the exact same "flaws" as dawn (spineless, scared, quiet) but has only recently grown out them (permanently?) when she walked over hot coals. |
I wonder if this scene was at all inspired by the Penn & Teller Bullsh!t episode where they mocked some college-aged girl for considering walking over coals to be a life-changing experience. |
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