The Office (UK) "Christmas Special" (2003)

Three years have passed since we left David groveling for his job rather than face life without the office, Dawn turning down being with Tim over Lee and Gareth assuming leadership of the Slough branch of Wernham-Hogg. This special is in the format of a follow-up to a documentary (the first two seasons) which aired in 2002. It's now 2005, and a new crew returns to the hallowed halls of the office to see how much has changed, and more interestingly what has stayed the same. First thing, to get it out of the way now, if this is supposed to be three years later much of the characters act if not that much time has passed. For starters, David refers to the receptionist as a "new Dawn", but obviously there would have had to been other receptionists between now and then if this girl is new. It's possible this is for the benefit of the camera crew. The other thing is why has David been allowed to stop by the office he was made redundant at, practically every day, and distract the employees for such lengthy periods. It's actually in the second episode Neil takes issue with this, but after three years? Also Jennifer Taylor-Clark was made a partner and they mentioned how the name would need to be changed but the company is still just Wernham-Hogg. I assume she's still with the company because she shows up at the party in the next episode, but is not listed as a "blast from the past"? Maybe they're waiting for a good rate on changing all the signs. Just bothered me a bit, but now that I've pointed it out, we can forge forward.

Aside from David and Dawn, and a conspicuously absent Rachel last seen telling Gareth to fuck off when he tried to comfort her, the office staff has pretty much remained the same. Gareth's temporary appointment into David's job is still ongoing, much to Tim's consternation. Without Dawn, he's forced to pull pranks on his own, with the new receptionist not willing to go along with his antics against the boss man. Tim was right to turn the position down for himself seeing as how he was sure it wouldn't be just for the short-term, but he also hasn't moved along any more since we left him. He's more miserable now due to a combination of having lost his best friend and having the the person he dislikes the most in power above him. The environment has changed as well with Gareth enforcing a military-like discipline over the casual, somewhat chaotic dynamic of the Brent regime. His replacement desk mate, Anne (Elizabeth Berrington) is as obnoxious as Gareth, she even looks a bit like him, but most likely due to her being pregnant, Tim suffers silently while she natters on about sometimes wildly inane topics, such as scamming her way to the front of the Space Mountain queue.

Dawn meanwhile is living with Lee in sunny Tampa, Florida at Lee's sister's house where he makes ends meet with some payment under the table jobs while Dawn spends her days caring for Lee's sister's baby. It seems they are still engaged and living quite illegally in the States not returning after their holiday stay visas had expired. She's uncomfortable talking about Tim asking her out and her refusal, twice on both counts, but seems unsatisfied with her current life. Lee remains oblivious to her suffering and leaps at the chance to return to Slough for the Christmas party, while Dawn is wary of seeing Tim again.

Gareth appears to the best off of the series regulars, he's in the job he always wanted, authority over the office has left only Tim still treating him the same, it's not so much that he's respected, but rather as the boss people aren't going out of their way to mess with him. He's more confident and vocal about his feelings, particularly with David who continually pops into the office and makes a general nuisance of himself. Their exchange from playful to serious regarding whether David should call ahead before he visits the office is a great highlight to the change in their friendship. Gareth derides his old management style and is more willing to point out David's flaws when he tries to gloss over them. Gareth was really only David's friend because he was the boss at the time and I think now he maintains the friendship out of pity for his former supervisor.

Speaking of Mr. David Brent, perhaps it's the new camera crew following him around, but he's his same old self, completely deluded about how he is perceived by others and constantly forcing the idea of how he sees himself as reality. He still does not know how to keep his mouth shut such as when he brags he will get married before Neil once he finds out he is engaged. If you don't even have a girlfriend, you shouldn't be bragging about how you'll be first to the altar. He tries to ride high off his "fame" from the documentary, and his released single, funded by his settlement when he sued Wernham-Hogg for wrongful termination. He's even hired an agent to oversee his celebrity appearances which for the most part consist of various nightclub appearances which usually have people wondering who the hell he is. He hits rock bottom I think at the end of this episode, when he gets into a row with Kim (Kellie Shirley) during a celebrity dating game. He flies off the handle when she doesn't recognize him and she ends up purposely spilling two beers on him. Maybe now he can start to see the light. He's angry at everyone else because he is ultimately unhappy with his own life and he continues to push people away rather than make the friends he so desperately wants.

Ultimately this episode serves to set up the party in the next episode, with David's continuing spiral which includes him signing up to a dating service to find the date he said he would be bringing to the party. Tim's anticipation of Dawn's return and his struggle to decide if the third time's the charm and he should ask her once more heightens the tension for their reunion. Other great little bits are Sheila looking as if she's still prefers blacks as she continues to give Oliver (Howard Saddler) some longing glances and David's Agent (Steve Brody) who has the worst possible client an agent could have. His awkward pauses and his poor attempts to build up David are some hilarious moments in otherwise uncomfortable scenes. Part II is looking very promising indeed as the party is certain to bring about some eventful changes before we leave the office for good.

Favorite moment: The brain storming session for the Christmas party is a hilarious scene which shows the great promise held for this final office celebration. Gareth's idea of the democratic process if to take any and all ideas thrown out by the people around the table, including something for the old people and wet T-shirt contests. Tim's frantic attempts to explain that these are not valid ideas and his disbelief that Gareth is taking them to heart gives us that brief glimpse into the hell he must have experienced for the last three years. Bring on the alcohol.