The Office (US) S1 E5 - 'Basketball' Mini-Review



Power.

The sales team took on the warehouse team in basketball in an entertaining episode. The seldom-seen warehouse crew are explored further here, expanding the background cast and encouraging a greater sense of scope to a show mostly filmed in one room. There are again hilariously inappropriate comments from Michael about basketball and race, some of which are truly brilliant. It was fun to see the group in a different setting too, a setting which allowed the Jim/Roy rivalry to come to the forefront once again. One simple scene summed up that situation, at the end where Jim grins after being praised by both Pam and Roy for his basketball skills, before hearing the pair flirt wiped the smile from his face as he realised that Roy was the true victor. 'Basketball' is the best entry in the season so far and provides needed depth to a number of secondary players.

BEST MOMENTS
  • "African-Americans!"
  • "You still getting it regular man?"
  • "Stanley, of course" - actually almost cried at that
  • Phyllis getting savaged by Michael when she asks to play, then saying "yuck" when she offers to cheerlead! poor woman!
  • Amusing shots of both Kevin and Oscar nailing their paper basket throws
  • Phyllis slotting her basket was sweet
  • Kevin is amazing at basketball!
DID YOU KNOW?!*
  • Michael's line, "Try not to look too gay on the court", was improvised. The look on John Krasinski's face is genuine
  • According to the commentary on Season 1 Episode 5, the scene in which Jim is hit in the face by Roy was an accident and real. David Denman (Roy) backed into John Krasinski (Jim), and hit him in the face, resulting in John bleeding. The cameras kept rolling and they kept the shot in the show. But, as a result of the injury, a photo shoot scheduled for the next day had to be cancelled because John's lip was so swollen
  • John Krasinski shows off his actual basketball skills. In college, Krasinski coached youth basketball at Gordon School in East Providence, Rhode Island
  • Actor Brian Baumgartner (Kevin) actually made 14 shots in a row, as revealed on the DVD commentary. Much of the basketball game was improvised
  • Phyllis volunteers to cheerlead while actress Phyllis Smith is a former cheerleader. She cheered for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970's
  • Michael and Dwight discuss Todd Packer's pickup game. In reality, Todd Packer does not appear on screen for any of Season 1. Actor David Koechner first appears in Season 2, Episode 2 "Sexual Harassment."
  • Part of the stakes of the game is that the loser has to buy dinner at Farley's. Farley's is a restaurant/pub at 300 Adams Ave. in Scranton.
RATING: 7.9/10






*Trivia from IMDB

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