The Office

For quite a while there hasn't been anything really worth watching on TV. Now with the return of The Sopranos and The Office this week there are two shows. They are both on after 10pm, which is a bit of a pain, but nothing that can't be overcome with some careful planning.

Last night was the series return of The Office, and it was fantastic. I know a lot of people refuse to watch this as it doesn't measure up to the UK original, and I kind of understand where they're coming from. I was one of them for a while. But I gave it a chance, and it has got a lot better after the first few shows.

Last night began with Michael Scott (the David Brent character) being confronted by the company's HR manager Toby about him calling Oscar (one of company's accountants) "faggy". Toby explained to Michael that Oscar was, in fact, gay, and found this extremely offensive. Michael then apologised to Oscar but did it in front of several colleagues, inadvertantly "outing him" to the rest of the office. Sure, doesn't necessarily sound hilarious on its own, but the writing is tremendous. Here's a sampling of a few of the lines from the show:

Michael Scott: Did you know that gay used to mean 'happy?' When I was growing up, it meant 'lame.' And now, it means a man who makes love to other men.

Michael Scott: You don't call retarded people retards. It's bad taste. You call your friends retards when they're acting retarded.

Michael Scott: Can you tell who's gay and who's not?
Dwight Schrute: Of course.
Michael Scott: What about Oscar?
Dwight Schrute: Absolutely not.
Michael Scott: Well, he is.
Dwight Schrute: Well, he's not dressed in women's clothes, so...

Michael Scott: There could be others. I need to know. I don't want to offend anybody else.
Dwight Schrute: You could assume everyone is, and not say anything offensive.
Michael Scott: Yeah. I'm sure everyone would appreciate me treating them like they were gay.

And from perhaps the most awkward scene likely to be shown on TV this year:

Michael Scott: Maybe we could go out for a beer sometime, and you could tell me... how you do that to another dude.
Oscar: (horribly embarrassed) That sounds like a great, wonderful idea. Let's do that.