This is it: the last triumph of The Office, or at least the British original, which then left the door open for the equally good American remake. Pulling the plug on their first and best creation, Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais pander to audience expectations in a way, but they do so with their typical British gusto and irony. In short: paired with the first part, this Christmas Special qualifies as a top notch series finale, not to mention the absolutely best episode of the show.
Continuing with the storyline introduced in Part 1, the Christmas Party is closer for every passing day. Tim is anxious about seeing Dawn again, Gareth keeps applying a military logic to everything, the overweight Keith will be the special evening's DJ, and David Brent, who has started using an Internet dating service, is an uninvited guest at the event, along with his rude humor which finds its soul-mate in the drunken shape of Chris Finch (Ralph Ineson). However, the night could end in a way no one had expected.
The post-modernism of Part 1 is less emphasized, in favor of a more plot-driven approach which gives the story more poignancy as the epilogue draws closer. There's a hint of a fairy tale atmosphere in the last fifteen minutes, but thanks to really clever writing one gets the feeling it's all part of every character's natural evolution. This applies even to Brent, who always came off as an unbearable, incompetent moron (which he was), but is now able to show a more human side, in spite of all the insults, stomach-churning dances, bad jokes and "Freelove Freeway". Sure, there was always a slight trace of hidden sympathy in him, all due to Gervais's careful performance; now, however, the actor finally gets the well-deserved opportunity to part ways with his iconic role in the most dignified manner.
Overall, it is a bit sad that such a great show lasted only fourteen episodes. Then again, it's wiser to end something while it's still excellent (a lesson HBO has mastered to perfection), rather then keeping it on the air far longer than its dramatic core would consider letting it live (as in the case of the long overdue ER and Law & Order, both of which started superbly and are still watchable, but no longer the same). As Jack Lemmon pointed out when hosting the Oscars: "Brevity is the soul of wit". Looks like Gervais and Merchant paid attention to those words.
Continuing with the storyline introduced in Part 1, the Christmas Party is closer for every passing day. Tim is anxious about seeing Dawn again, Gareth keeps applying a military logic to everything, the overweight Keith will be the special evening's DJ, and David Brent, who has started using an Internet dating service, is an uninvited guest at the event, along with his rude humor which finds its soul-mate in the drunken shape of Chris Finch (Ralph Ineson). However, the night could end in a way no one had expected.
The post-modernism of Part 1 is less emphasized, in favor of a more plot-driven approach which gives the story more poignancy as the epilogue draws closer. There's a hint of a fairy tale atmosphere in the last fifteen minutes, but thanks to really clever writing one gets the feeling it's all part of every character's natural evolution. This applies even to Brent, who always came off as an unbearable, incompetent moron (which he was), but is now able to show a more human side, in spite of all the insults, stomach-churning dances, bad jokes and "Freelove Freeway". Sure, there was always a slight trace of hidden sympathy in him, all due to Gervais's careful performance; now, however, the actor finally gets the well-deserved opportunity to part ways with his iconic role in the most dignified manner.
Overall, it is a bit sad that such a great show lasted only fourteen episodes. Then again, it's wiser to end something while it's still excellent (a lesson HBO has mastered to perfection), rather then keeping it on the air far longer than its dramatic core would consider letting it live (as in the case of the long overdue ER and Law & Order, both of which started superbly and are still watchable, but no longer the same). As Jack Lemmon pointed out when hosting the Oscars: "Brevity is the soul of wit". Looks like Gervais and Merchant paid attention to those words.