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Downsizing. The Office (US) season 1 attempts to imitate its British counterpart, however the result feels underwhelming and disappointing as the show struggles to create its own identity. That isn't to suggest that this season was awful, because it wasn't. I still enjoyed many a laugh across the six episode long debut series, its just that the standard has been set so high by the UK version of the show. There are some things however, which were certainly improved in the American counterpart. The first of these is Michael Scott. Personally, I loved  David Brent as the world's worst boss in The Office (UK), but the character's trademark savagery and rudeness meant that he alienated many viewers, including at times myself. By contrast, Steve Carell delivers a more nuanced performance, as his character manages to maintain as inappropriate as his British counterpart, albeit with a more lovable personality than Gervais' Brent. I already feel as if I am going to ...

Business Model. Michael and Dwight go to war over an attractive handbag seller who stops by the Dunder Mifflin offices. Their bickering and awful attempts to flirt and woo is amusing, although still doesn't elevate the episode into the realms of The Office (UK) . I enjoyed seeing a change in dynamic for Pam and Jim, as for once it was Pam's turn to be jealous over Jim, although to be fair, the resemblance between Pam and Katy is striking (I always used to confuse Jenna Fischer and Amy Adams as a result of these similarities!). Given Pam's longing look at the end of the episode, I doubt the star-crossed lovers will be with their respective partners for much longer come next season! Overall, 'Hot Girl' is a fun jaunt and provides some solid gags, but leaves a lot to be hoped for moving in to season 2. BEST MOMENTS "Techno Babble" "It's another person for Michael to interact with" [Abruptly] "Toby's divorced" ...

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?" "Stan...

Scuttlebutt. The Office (US) delivers another solid, if a bit unspectacular episode filled with chuckles aplenty but too few good laughs. Jim messing with Dwight through their alliance is a very amusing side story, particularly when Dwight sat in a box in the warehouse, but the main drive here was seeing Michael fail once again to connect with his employees. His party was supposed to bring the office together, but instead he repeatedly offended Meredith with some cringe-inducing jokes, before boasting about how much he accidentally gave to charity. It was another episode which felt heavily influence by the UK version of the show and again, struggles to escape its shadow. The show has been fine so far, but needs to up its comedy levels and find its own way if it hopes to grab my attention further. BEST MOMENTS Michael's heart attack! lol "I think green is kind of whoreish" "I don't appreciate condoning corporate fraud though" Michael...

The Lion. Dwight is tasked with deciding the workers' health care plans whilst Michael scrambles desperately to improve morale. Dwight is given chance to shine in this episode and embraces it, with some hilarious savagery on his part. Michael is also on top of his game this week, as he stumbles from failure to failure in an attempt to sort out a surprise for his employees. Unfortunately, he falls flat in his endeavours, leading to an ending which feels reminiscent of The Office (UK) 's trademark bleakness. It's another decent, if unspectacular entry in this first season. BEST MOMENTS " I thought you said you were inventing new diseases. That's spontaneous dental hydroplosion" "Right now, this is a job. If I advance any higher in this company, then this would be my career. And, uh... Well, if this were my career, I'd have to throw myself in front of a train" Stanley is extra-sassy towards Michael in this episode and it is just so, so ...

Gookie-Gookie. Control freak Michael takes over the Diversity Day training when he deems it not good enough. Instead, we are shown an incredibly offensive and inappropriate talk about equality in the workplace. It's a very funny ride, amplified by the fact that Michael genuinely doesn't realise just how racist he is being whilst attempting to reduce racism. We are treated to some quality one-liners too, particularly some solid moments with Mr Brown and Stanley as they react to Michael's inadvertently rude comments. This episode improved upon the pilot by further implementing the background characters, providing a more varied palette from which the show-runners can work. BEST MOMENTS: "Too soon for Arabs" Michael's suspicion over 'Mr Brown'! Just brilliant! Jim gets a rod on after Pam lies on his shoulder. It's adorable, but also gives me the feeling that this is going to be a VERY long will they/won't they ordeal! Of course, honora...

Bring It On. 'Pilot' is a grotesque yet somewhat amusing doppelganger of the very first episode of The Office (UK) , sharing many of the same lines and extremely similar characters, albeit with different names. There are a few chuckles spread throughout this hit and miss first episode, however the English scripted humour doesn't quite sit naturally in an American format. The show needs to forge its own path if it can hope to reach the levels of understated drama and hilarity that its British counterpart achieved. Jim and Pam are at least far more realistic than Tim and Dawn, and Michael Scott is more likeable than David Brent, but thankfully just as inappropriate. I'm sure time will help the viewer grow closer to the plethora of characters, as this pilot simply served as an introduction to the crew of Dunder-Mifflin. WHO IS WHO?! How do the characters from the American Office  fit into their British counterparts? Michael Scott = David Brent Jim Halpert = Tim ...

The International Phenomenon about the beauty behind everyday office work. Having now completed the original British version of The Office , it is time to embark on the marathon that is The Office (US) . With 9 seasons lying ahead and an INSANE number of episodes, expect a different format with this franchise review. Since episodes are short and meant more for comedy than depth, I will be putting out mini-reviews - a challenge where I have just one short paragraph to review the episode in. I will then add a list of the best moments, some trivia and ranking at the end.  So without further ado, it's time to throw open the doors to Dunder Mifflin and begin the 201 episode binge watch! Season 1 1. Pilot - 7.2/10 ( https://entertaindomain.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-office-us-s1-e1-pilot-mini-review.html ) 2. Diversity Day - 7.7/10 ( https://entertaindomain.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-office-us-s1-e2-diversity-day-mini.html ) 3. Health Care - 7.7/10 ( https://entertaindomai...