The Office (UK) S1 E5 - 'New Girl' Review


Showing Respect.

David hires a new assistant despite financial struggles at Wernham Hogg, meanwhile the crew go out to Slough's premier nightclub 'Chasers' to blow off some steam.

 As we enter the penultimate episode of the series, it is hard not to be disappointed with how shallow the overall plot has been throughout. It's a minor thing, as the comedy is what makes this show so good, but I just wish there was a stronger underlying narrative across all six episodes.

 Anyway, 'New Girl' introduces a couple of new ideas, as we see Tim struggling with the consequences of his rejection by Dawn in the last episode. The pair share a number of awkward interaction which feel natural given the circumstances, but just enough lingering glances to confirm they are both still into each other, despite their inconvenient circumstances.

 Finchy makes his grand return this week as the group go clubbing in a dive bar in Slough. Once again, the bigot's tongue is loose and he drops a number of great, disgusting one-liners which earn at least a smile. One thing I will never understand is just how the man pulls though, as I had assumed he was just making things up before but it appears he really does have the ability to win over attractive girls.

 Unlike David Brent, who spent all episode quivering around new girl Karen, who he instantly hires over her male counterpart. His relentless babbling and inappropriate jokes are funny to a point, although one definite highlight was when he brought the football out to simultaneously scare and then hurt Karen. It all came to a head in a difficult to watch scene near the end, where a drunken David is rude to a girl in the club, who slaps him accordingly in front of the whole group.

 A couple of other great gags this episode worth mentioning was David's disappointment that Dawn would never invite him to hers and Keith being savage towards Tim. Overall, this episode had a few laughs but wasn't one of the best offerings from season 1.

 RATING - 7/10

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