The Office

[Oban]

My takeaway from that episode was the fact that NBC sanctioned downloading movies.

[Sky]

Only the first scene had us wondering, and my theory was that it was a fake, quickly realized :)

Of course, my fiancee has long believed that Black and I are secretly twins separated at birth, and given my attraction to older women, that fake movie didn't help much!

I also scored points with her because I set up the DVR to record the news, figuring that most NFL games run long. But of course I didn't mention that, and the recorded episode abruptly cut off. Unfortunately, my ball-busting was brief because she had noticed the nightly news on the DVR earlier. Dammit.

[tazelbain]

"What is a two-way petting zoo?"

[Abagadro]

Idris Elba is awesome. I just wish they would have let him use his real accent.

[tazelbain]

Saw the UK Office on Cartoon Network.  I was expecting something more "different" since people say they like the UK one better.  But it seemed pretty much the same.

[Tebonas]

I bought the premise better in the UK version. You believed it could really be a documentary gone horribly wrong, with a boss and coworkers that could really be that way. You saw the self destruction of a person in front of cameras due to him being the way he is.

The US version is more over the top and more sitcom. Some of the characters aren't believable as real characters anymore, they devolved into caricatures. And the "documentary filmcrew" has access to places and scenes they wouldn't have in real life.

[Der Helm]

Holy shit, I just made the connection between this show and "our" take on it.

I think our version (called Stromberg) to be incredibly funny, but sadly I can't watch it. The main character is such an unbelievable asshole, socially akward and at the same time cringeworthy pitifull that actually watching more than a few minutes of the show causes me pain.

Also we got this
(probably not so funny for people who don't understand German  )

And now I have to watch "your" versions, maybe I can watch them. 

[Samwise]

I think our version (called Stromberg) to be incredibly funny, but sadly I can't watch it. The main character is such an unbelievable asshole, socially akward and at the same time cringeworthy pitifull that actually watching more than a few minutes of the show causes me pain.

Heh, that's my fiancee's reaction to the US version as well, so you might be out of luck.  She can't watch Seinfeld either because George makes her cringe so much.

[Tebonas]

Stromberg has other problems  as well.

First, the claimed they never saw the original, even when recycling the exact same plots. Thats cheap and spitting the makers of the original idea in the face. They since admitted that claim was bullshit, though. Stromberg is equally pitiful and cringeworthy to the British original. Carell makes the US version more likeable. Thats the core difference.

Also, German Jim is an Asshole to German Pam. The fact that he is the exact opposite to her, at total sweetheart, in both other version, humanized him. It is the core dynamic of the fucking series. You don't have anybody to root for in the German version.

[Oban]

Also, German Jim is an Asshole German to German Pam. The fact that he is the exact opposite to her, at total sweetheart, in both other version, humanized him. It is the core dynamic of the fucking series. You don't have anybody to root for in the German version.

[Tebonas]

Since I know Germans that aren't complete assholes to their girlfriends I must respectfully disagree here. Thats not even one of the prevalent prejudices against them, so where does that come from? Watched too many Nazi movies in your childhood?

[Oban]

Thats not even one of the prevalent prejudices against them, so where does that come from?

Dealing with Germans in Germany and seeing how they treat their wives.

EDIT:  And holy shit, you have never heard that Germans are considered rude?

[Samwise]

Also, German Jim is an Asshole German to German Pam.

I know Germans that aren't complete assholes to their girlfriends

The way you phrased this makes it sound like the exception.  

[Tebonas]

We Austrians have many choice prejudices against Germans, rude isn't even in the top ten. Thats why I am surprised about this.

[Merusk]

CreepyGif disagrees with your hotlink.

[Samwise]

What the fuck is the point of providing BBCode to hotlink your image if you disallow hotlinking?  I ask you.

[Der Helm]

Dealing with Germans in Germany and seeing how they treat their wives.

EDIT:  And holy shit, you have never heard that Germans are considered rude?

Fuck you.

[Engels]

I don't think one can make generalizations about being rude and Germans. Sure, I met a bunch of total twats in my time in Berlin, but met complete sweethearts there too, not to mention incredible hospitality when travelling to smaller towns like Dresden.

Same goes for France. Paris, ass-hat city. 50 minute drive from Paris, milk of human kindness.

[Tebonas]

I don't think one can make generalizations about being rude and Germans. Sure, I met a bunch of total twats in my time in Berlin, but met complete sweethearts there too, not to mention incredible hospitality when travelling to smaller towns like Dresden.

Well, Berlin is the second largest city in Europe. Among 3 million people you are bound to find some twats, statistically speaking. 

[schild]

Same goes for France. Paris, ass-hat city. 50 minute drive from Paris, milk of human kindness.

Unlike Germany, it's actually hard to find nice people in Paris outside of REALLY nice hotels, in which case their only job is to be nice. Waiters though? Pfah. The entire service industry outside of hotels in Paris is a bunch of jackoffs.

I will never regret not getting back to Paris. I have no desire to go there ever again.

[Der Helm]

I don't think one can make generalizations about being rude and Germans.

Aparently some part of this "misunderstanding" about Germans being rude is language relatet. German is pretty straigt forward and several (lets call the "social") phrases commonly used in English are simply not present in German. That makes it difficult for us to adapt to foreing levels of "Niceness", especially if we just translate literarly from German to English (happens a lot to Germans who are not exposed to a lot of English during their daily lives)

I'd like to think I do much better in this regard.  

I do not agree with most of the points made here, but the German English used there is  

[Tebonas]

Thats what I heard as well. The example I heard is being invited by somebody in Germany and the US. "You should visit us" is something only said by Germans if they mean it. In the US it is a phrase and people would likely be shocked if somebody took them by their word and stood at their doorstep. It is only true if said repeatedly.

[Oban]

Fuck you.

 

[Der Helm]

Fuck you.

 

Sorry, could not resist.   

[Signe]

Isn't the rude German rap something to do with towels?  Anyway, the only thing that keeps me from spending some time living in Germany are the infinite number of awesome record shops.  I'd never see my husband again!

[March]

Not to ruin the German riff... but other than what I can only assume is a network first vomit daisy chain, as well as finding sufficient context to justify the lead female saying "he's in my room icing his balls," I'm going to have to lodge a formal complaint for lifting a bad internet joke straight in to their wedding pay-off without any apparent irony.

[Abagadro]

There was plenty of irony, mainy Jim knowing immediately upon seeing the video that the Pavlovian meme followers (Michael and his brothers) would try to copy it and ruin the wedding so he pre-bought the wedding-before-the-wedding tickets (not to mention the kick to the face).

One of my favorite parts of the ep was Dwight wearing the 3 wolves shirt and turning into a hot- bridesmaid-scoring playa.

[Samwise]

network first vomit daisy chain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eYSpIz2FjU

[Ookii]

Best TV wedding ever!

The writers are really outdoing themselves.

[March]

  ... will need a ruling on whether cartoon characters trump real people vomiting.

Still not sold on the wedding as a good piece of writing...there were moments during the episode, sure... but the final wedding dance?  Nope, not seeing it as anything other than a lame cast montage in lieu of something clever.

You be the judge: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/the-office-wedding-video_n_314916.html

[Threash]

I think the fact that they managed to have the crazy hyjinx that everyone expected without it ruining the wedding was a pretty good bit of writing. 

[Threash]

Well i just watched the "booze cruize" episode, when Roy tells Pam he's finally ready to set a date the boat captain pipes up that he can marry them right there.  Pams answer? "i don't want to get married in a boat, i want a real wedding with DANCING!".  That sirs is genius writing.

[HaemishM]

Best TV wedding ever!

The writers are really outdoing themselves.

Yes. That episode was worth the wait. If the series had ended on that episode, I'd have been entirely fine with it. "I know entirely too much about Andy's balls!" was just a killer line.

[Righ]

Isn't the rude German rap something to do with towels?  Anyway, the only thing that keeps me from spending some time living in Germany are the infinite number of awesome record shops.  I'd never see my husband again!

Sadly, I think that most of the great record shops in Germany have gone out of business in the last decade, just like they have in every other part of the western world. Fortunately the ones that haven't are online and ship internationally, so there's no need to go to Germany now.

[Samwise]

I'm just now catching up on the last season of The Office on Netflix and wanted to say it's far surpassed my expectations.  The A.A.R.M. episode almost killed me.  Would recommend to others who tuned out after Steve Carrell bailed that it's worth picking up again.