Your pencils are creating a health hazard. I could fall and pierce an organ.

There are very few television shows I follow religiously, but I have recently found myself addicted to The Office. After catching repeats of most episodes from recent seasons on TV I needed to know how it all began, so I obtained and thoroughly enjoyed Season One of this unique and very funny show. This DVD set would make a great gift for any The Office fan or, in fact, anyone whose ever worked in an office, whether they have seen the show or not.

About The Office
The U.S. version of The Office took its premise from a popular BBC series, which I have never seen. Season One, and subsequent seasons, follow the adventures (or lack thereof) of the employees at Dunder-Mifflin, a Scranton, PA-based paper supply company. Steve Carell stars and kind of runs the show as socially awkward boss Michael Scott. Other important characters include Jenna Fischer as the much put-upon receptionist Pam, Rainn Wilson as slightly unstable wanna-be second in command Dwight Schrute, and John Krasinski as loveable office cutie Jim.

The Office’s Season One consists of six half-hour, blissfully laugh track free episodes filmed in the show’s traditional mockumentary style. Various familiar office topics surface in this season, ranging from diversity training to office sports to healthcare plans. As so often happens in a real office, one little event or occurrence tends to blow up to gigantic proportions and then occupy an entire episode. In terms of extras, the set also includes literally tons of deleted scenes, all organized by episode.

Should I Buy It?
Yes! There’s a lot to like here, and very little to dislike. Anyone who has ever worked in an office, for even the shortest length of time, will appreciate some of the humor here. For example, who hasn’t had problems with their employer-subsidized healthcare policy? A series of scenes which show Dwight demanding that each employee write down all preexisting conditions with specificity had my husband and I cracking up over the terribleness of our own policies. The show throws joke after joke out and even though it occasionally misses, the overall effect is a truly entertaining documentary that most of the working public will be able to identify with. Steve Carrel completely becomes Michael Scott, and his dry humor makes me laugh out loud at least three or four times per episode. I will admit that this show is simply not for everyone – some members of my family dislike the fast-paced, darting camera delivery to the point where they wont even let me watch an episode in their presence.

The Office actually tackles some fairly heavy material, but it manages to make the viewer think about things by sort of sneaking up on important topics. Diversity Day is my favorite episode in this set, as Michael’s totally non-PC treatment of women and minorities causes the entire office to undergo sensitivity training. In the end, as always, Michael is the one who ends up with egg on his face, and hopefully most of the viewing public is sophisticated enough to recognize the show is really jabbing at bigoted bosses everywhere, rather than at the over-the-top training techniques necessary for dealing with such individuals.

While I love practically every episode of The Office ever made, I’m a special fan of this particular six DVD set. It’s the perfect intro to what The Office’s subsequent seasons have to offer, making it a great gift for anyone new to the series. At the same time, it has enough yummy deleted scenes to make it a worthwhile buy even for the veteran who has seen already seen all six episodes. The deleted scenes follow a chronological format and have enough material that viewing them feels like watching a whole different take on the same six episodes. Best of all, the whole shebang comes on just one DVD, which should make Netflix users very happy. The only downside? If you want to buy this set in store, I’ve noticed that it now almost always comes packaged with all of Season Two. If you want Season One only, you’ll probably have to order online.

Overall…
I spent summers in an office for six years and am now committed to spending every day in one until my retirement. The Office makes the daily tribulations of office life a little more bearable by poking fun at them. Whether you’re a big fan of The Office or have never watched a minute in your life, I highly recommend adding Season One to your collection or at least renting it.