david brent vs. michael scott

it seems to me that michael scott is a much better boss than david brent. my concern, however, is the thought that this is a cultural thing, as opposed to a straight logic thing. it seems to me that scott is a much more sympathetic boss, perhaps due to his lack of overtly sexual innuendo and behavior. he seems much more innocent than brent.

now to a certain extent that helps the american office. it means that the show, and the office, can stay under the management of scott longer (because already they have been on for 13 more episodes than the uk show already) without the audience thinking he should be fired. i remember at about episode 2 of the second season i was saying to myself, and others, "why has david not been fired yet?"

i mean, david brent gains redemption during the christmas special, but michael scott gains his redemption one small step at a time. throughout the show, michael proves that he is not a douchebag by small steps--not ditching his company, making a great sale, or by kissing oscar full on the lips...i'm not sure that last one counts.

that being said, i think david brent being the worse boss makes him a better character. while michael scott is redeemable, david brent pushes, and in fact rips, the envelope with his edgy awfulness. while michael steps back to perserve legitmacy, and therefore staying power, david walks on through unknowingly, destroying the boundaries of what is good and right almost too easily.

as well as michael scott being a better boss, there is another aspect of the american office that lets it go on much longer than it's english counterpart. that is the depth of the supporting actors. while donna and ricky were a quick sideshow, and rachel made things awkward for dawn for a bit during the second season, none really had a life of their own...except perhaps keith. in the us version, you have oscar, toby, stanley, phyllis, and of course angela. each has their own idiosyncracies and ways of dealing with michael. i think it was important to broaden these characters to make the show viable for anything longer than 14 episodes.

still, i worry about the show going on too long, and ruining the legacy that to this point it has honored. please...know when to stop.

dr. who

so i watched the first two episodes of the new season of dr. who. now when i was a little tyke, i used to watch it with my dad and jim. i loved the long scarf, the tardis, and of course, the daleks. but when i watched the new season it seemed too dr. who. the most exciting part of the show was when they played the theme song. man i love that theme song. the most disappointing part was the monsters. they were marginally better than the ones that i saw in the late 80's, but still not as good as i expected to see. this is the 21st century--i need good monsters. and for that matter, a good, edgy plot. unfortunately, it was the doctor, running around, hiding and saving people from the same plastic (literally) monsters.

it's like when hook used to be my favorite movie. then, i watched in college. it was awful. my advice is to stay away from anything you enjoyed as a child. don't ruin those precious memories.

further instructions

lost is a pretty rediculous show. i dig the crazy sci-fi stuff that happens, and i think the format, with character-specific flashbacks, is a great idea. the new season is good--the division of storylines agrees with me quite well.

but what is making me write now is the great vision that locke has in episode 3, "further instructions." without giving anything away, the setting is perfect, the parallels it sets up are right on, and it has a bit of a creep-out factor that any good hallucinogenic vision quest should have. A+, lost.

freak show

david cross has been a hero of mine ever since i watched mr. show the first time. the way they linked the skits together was genius, and if you have ever seen the drugachussetts episode, you know what i mean.

his new project is called freak show. it is about a crack team of freaks who go missions given to them by the parking attendant at the white house. even though i'm a big fan of david cross, i'm not a huge fan of freak show. there are a few barbs pointed at our society, government, etc, but it doesn't push it over the hump for me. perhaps if i was in an altered state, i'd feel differently.

i am neither a fan of aqua teen hunger force, and they seem to have that audience in mind. it is the same type of animation, the same type of bizarre setups, and many of the same voices, as well.

it's just not david cross enough.

extras season 2?

i'm not sure i can handle this second season of extras. the office was great. i guess in the middle of the run it got a little rough, but there was always dawn and tim buoying it up. and in the first season of extras, things were on an uphill climb. but now in the second season, i'm not sure if i can bear it. he seems to be at the top of his career as a wig and glasses wearing, catchphrase saying actor. it is brutal. it is exactly where he would be had he not done the office right.

i've decided that the big problem is i'm watching it alone. there is no one to share the collective groan with, so it becomes internalized and soul crushing. then again, i've only seen the first two episodes. and maybe i'm just a light weight. either way, it's gonna be tough for me to get through 4 more episodes.

but i love ricky gervais. and no, i'm not having a laugh.


ed. note: you can watch the current extras episode featuring daniel radcliffe on the bbc 2 website here.