The Freeway's Long

I don't like The Office. Specifically, I don't like the American version. I like Steve Carell, but I dislike his interpretation of Michael Scott as a fool, a tool, and an ass. As a talented comic actor, I'm sure his choices are intentional, but they completely miss the target set by Ricky Gervais with his sad, pathetic David Brent.

I've watched about a half-dozen episodes of the American version (and even blogged about it when Joss Whedon was directing) and have never had more than a couple chuckles. I don't care about Jim-Pam or Pam-Jim or whatever it is the 'shippers call that star-crossed couple, and other than the pranks, find nothing compelling at all. I know I'm in a small minority amongst tv-philes, but I just don't dig it.

I'd heard for years about how funny the British version was and how much I'd like it. Last year, visiting friends, in went episode 1.4 - "Training". Hell yeah! This is what I wanted from the American version! I finally got around to getting the DVDs and ripped some episodes to my Zune this weekend past. I've been watching while working out and my initial sense of Gervais' version stands. David Brent's not just a fool and tool. Gervais played him with such subtlety that I can see the little boy who was, running around the house with a towel for a cape and a colander for a helmet, or telling jokes at his parents' parties, trying to get laughs. And key to Gervais' performance is believing that David Brent could get those laughs and could get that attention. In an interview earlier this year with critic Alan Sepinwall, Gervais indicated just that:

Brent's motivation was fame and glory. That's why he's acting like that. He's in free-fall, in a bit of a breakdown, and he's going, "I'm going to show the world now that I'm not just this jerk. I'm a philosopher, I'm a philanthropist, I am a singer/songwriter, I am a poet." He can't get to it quick enough. And, of course, the lesson learned is, if someone's filming you all the time, they're going to show the bad bits, too. Through the power of editing.

But what were the good bits for David? Do you envision there were times when he successfully delivered a joke?

Yeah, but why would a documentary team put that in? The important thing there is, you're not in charge. TV's in charge. TV's in charge.

I don't think Steve Carell has that much confidence in or sympathy for Michael Scott. And because of that, I don't. Why should I care about a character when the actor portraying him doesn't seem to?