The Office (Season 2) DVD Review

One of the best new comedies on television, The Office chronicles the inner-workings of the fictional Pennsylvania paper company Dunder-Mifflin. The name itself sort of alludes to a bureaucratic labyrinth administered by dunderheads, and in reality, it is. Unfortunately, what makes The Office so outrageously funny is the frightening ability of its millions of viewers to relate to the onscreen happenings. Dunder-Mifflin is mis-managed by the politically-incorrect, borderline lunatic Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Deploying his twisted logic as the basis of company policy, substituting worn out clichés for real leadership, and offering an endless array of ever ridiculous group activities to “increase morale,” he fosters a white collar environment that makes the comic strip world of Dilbert seem desirable in contrast.

Carell, one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, shines in the role of the crazed and eccentric office manager, and his talents are well complimented by Rainn Wilson in the role of Michael’s butt-kissing, rule-Nazi sycophant, Dwight Schrute. Dwight’s over-the-top antics regularly conflict with the rest of the office, particularly co-worker and desk neighbor Jim Halpert (John Krasinski). An unspoken office crush between Jim and Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) makes for an interesting and recurring subplot. The two epitomize the rest of the Dunder-Mifflin employees who convey themselves as logical, well-reasoned, and normal individuals; normal people trapped in a bizarro world where bumbling idiots like Michael and Dwight preside over their work week. Similar in theme to the hilarious feature film Office Space, the show provides viewers with a much more excitable Bill Lumbergh lording over an army of Peter Gibbons-like worker bees. For creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who first experienced success with the concept in the United Kingdom, it’s a surefire recipe for pure, unadulterated laughter.

The Office (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “The Dundies” in which the annual staff awards, “The Dundies,” are handed out by Michael. Michael struggles with the event due to some corporate complaints about his past handling of the event, while still managing to offend each and every one of his fellow employees. Following a fight with Roy, Pam gets hammered and the spends the evening joking around with Jim. The two end up kissing before Pam catches a ride home with another coworker… Other episodes include “Christmas Party” in which Michael screws up the office Christmas party with another one of his erratic decisions, and “Conflict Resolution” in which Michael’s efforts to improve relations within the office result in a worse situation.

Below is a list of episodes included on The Office (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 7 (The Dundies) Air Date: 09-20-2005
Episode 8 (Sexual Harassment) Air Date: 09-27-2005
Episode 9 (Office Olympics) Air Date: 10-04-2005
Episode 10 (The Fire) Air Date: 10-11-2005
Episode 11 (Halloween) Air Date: 10-18-2005
Episode 12 (The Fight) Air Date: 11-01-2005
Episode 13 (The Client) Air Date: 11-08-2005
Episode 14 (Performance Review) Air Date: 11-15-2005
Episode 15 (Email Surveillance) Air Date: 11-22-2005
Episode 16 (Christmas Party) Air Date: 12-06-2005
Episode 17 (Booze Cruise) Air Date: 01-05-2006
Episode 18 (The Injury) Air Date: 01-12-2006
Episode 19 (The Secret) Air Date: 01-19-2006
Episode 20 (The Carpet) Air Date: 01-26-2006
Episode 21 (Boys and Girls) Air Date: 02-02-2006
Episode 22 (Valentine’s Day) Air Date: 02-09-2006
Episode 23 (Dwight’s Speech) Air Date: 03-02-2006
Episode 24 (Take Your Daughter to Work Day) Air Date: 03-16-2006
Episode 25 (Michael’s Birthday) Air Date: 03-30-2006
Episode 26 (Drug Testing) Air Date: 04-27-2006
Episode 27 (Conflict Resolution) Air Date: 05-04-2006
Episode 28 (Casino Night) Air Date: 05-11-2006

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The Office (Season 2) DVD.

Related Information of Interest:

The Untimely Death of Music Videos On TV
In 1986 music was forever changed with the debut of MTV. In the twenty years
since, music videos have become a way for the artists to express themselves
visually. When music videos first came out, it was mostly just the musician or
band playing the song--today music videos are more akin to mini movies featuring famous actors and actresses. The very
first music video played on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles,
and in a sense it was true. Most bands have a music video before the ink has
even dried on the recording contract. MTV may have been the first music videos
channel, but definitely not the last. There are now several channels that show
music videos like MTV, VH1, GAC and Fuse TV just to name a few.

MTV now offers 4 different music video channels--MTV, MTV2, MTV hits, and MTVu.
MTV also has its own awards show just for music videos. VH1 caters to adult
contemporary music videos, GAC is the MTV for country music videos. Fuse TV is a
relatively new channel and focuses more on rock and metal music videos. The
newest kid on the block is The Tube Music Network, it features mostly mainstream
rock and indie rock videos. It is a throwback to the early days of MTV, a video
channel that actually plays music videos.

One of the most notorious musicians known for her controversial music videos is
Madonna. Madonna’s video for “Like a Prayer” in the late 80’s caused an uproar
with the Christian community over the depiction of an African-American Jesus who
kisses Madonna and featured Madonna dancing in front of a field of burning
crosses. Her music video of “Justify my Love” in the early 90’s was so
controversial that MTV banned the music video from the lineup. Perhaps the most
controversial genre of music videos currently are the rap and hip-hop music
videos, which typically feature scantily clad women, sexual situations,
violence, and drugs. It seems as though musicians are constantly competing for
the most extreme of music videos, whether it is sexual content, special effects,
obscurity or violence there are always music videos who push the envelope just a
little bit further.

John Fair is a noted producer and author. He resides in the United States and contributes to www.CampusRights.net

The best of the best I have ever watched
Watching DVDs is one of my most favorite past times. It relieves my stress, brings me to a lighter mood and can even ease the problems I have. Three of the best stories from the past that really catch my attention and even touch my heart are The Six Million Dollar Man, Married with Children and Voltron the Defender of the Universe. These three have different themes, each of this DVDs have its own original stories that could give impact to your lives and make you learn things, no matter how simple or complex it may seem. The Six Million Dollar Man DVD focuses on the story of Colonel Steve Austin. As he was testing an aircraft, he crashes and got badly injured. He is an astronaut and test pilot. OSI, a covert government agency is willing to help him and pay for all the expenses for his prosthetics. He lost his legs, eye and arm. The new prosthetics which is made of Bionics will make him faster, better and stronger. But in return OSI want him to become their cover agent. Married with Children focuses on the life of Al Bundy who is a former High school player, who is now a salesman. Peggy his wife always terrified and nag him. They have two children namely Kelly who is gorgeous and attractive and Bud their son who is not so popular but indeed very smart. Voltron the Defender of the Universe focuses on the legend of Voltron. He was a mighty robot, who is loved by good and feared by evil. Peace invaded the galaxy and as well as the planet earth. An alliance was formed at Earth, The Galaxy Alliance. You can get original copies of these DVDs and other stories from the past at TvDvdPlanet. In addition, you can expect high quality products from them with a 100% guarantee. Affordable prices of these DVDs await you.

Donna Dyan Dayrit is a member of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialists for TvDvdPlanet www.tvdvdplanet.com

Curb The TV Habit In 3 Easy Steps
So you're not quite ready to throw the TV away, but you're limiting the time spent viewing television in your home? Here are some easy tips that have worked for me.

1) Identify when and why you watch and change your habits

Do you usually turn the tube on when you get home from work? Why? Do you turn it on in the late afternoon when the kids get home? Why?

Sometimes the TV goes on when we're tired or bored. If you're tired, you either need to: get more sleep or get more exercise. So instead of automatically flipping on the television, why not go for a 10 minute walk to refresh yourself? Or, take a nap!

If you're turning on the TV to "zone out" and decompress after a busy day, try developing a new, healthier habit.

Some examples:

Brew a nice cup of hot tea and drink it slowly.
Write in a journal.
Put your feet up on the couch and listen to music.
Do crossword puzzles (a recent study showed that people who do crosswords on a regular basis are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease.)

2) Make TV watching inconvenient.

A TV does not belong in the bedroom! Keeping one there is bad for a marriage and bad for your love life! It also contributes to insomnia. Put the television in an inconvenient place like the basement. Unplug it. Cover it with a blanket.

3) Give up cable.

I decided a long time ago that I would never have cable. I can think of about a thousand other ways to spend $50 a month (Starbucks, anyone?) plus my husband would probably spend all his time watching the Discovery channel instead of talking to me!

If you live in a semi-rural area, you might not even get any channels if you cancel your cable service. But that would be a good thing if you're trying to limit TV! You can use the TV as a "movie machine" and rent DVDs so that you can at least control the content better.

Here's to turning off the TV and turning on life!

InsteadofTV.com is a valuable resource for families wanting to kick the TV habit. Sign up for your free "101 Things To Do Instead of TV" at www.InsteadofTV.com