No "Office" cameos in Slough scenes?/Critical Thoughts

Really disappointed we didn't see any of the old gang when Brent went to the Slough part of the tour. Surely Gareth would have been in the audience to see his old boss whom he worshiped? No one else?

In any case, this was nowhere as good as "The Office" but still enjoyable. It seemed a bit forced, whereas "The Office" had the feel of being off-the-cuff and slightly uncomfortable. You felt anything could happen. This felt a little over-written. I do agree that the lack of Merchant was a factor. He could have reeled in Gervais a little bit.

It also strikes me that when Gervais portrays Brent from a position of power (the pre-redundant moments in "The Office", for example), it's much funnier. You get the rude, hilariously power-mad Brent. But making Brent sad and pathetic, MUCH less funny. It's just depressing.

One key change is that Gervais seems really intent on making Brent more likeable. In "The Office", he really only became so right at the very end. Gervais tones down his more unlikeable aspects and is yearning for our sympathy for the character. I think that waters down the laughs a little bit, as Brent was really pretty cruel in many of the TV episodes, if unknowingly so. I wish the integrity of the character could have been retained.




"This is dead air, Barry....dead air."