Episode 205

Someone asked me the other day why (ON EARTH?!) I don't watch the original British version of The Office. My answer was that I didn't want anything to taint my view of The Office -- I know that some of the jokes are taken from the original and that a handful of the characters and situations are mimicked quite closely. But just like a joke is never as funny the second time you hear it (that's what she said?), I fear that The Office won't be quite as funny if it already feels familiar.

I know that many people watch both versions, and still find it equally funny. Unfortunately for me, I'm not those people. This was confirmed last night when I was watching the premier of the spin-off-but-not-really of The Office, Parks and Recreation. I actually thought it was pretty funny, but it would have been significantly more funny if I'd never seen an episode of The Office. I mean, the jokes were good, the chemistry was wonderfully awkward, but most of it had been done before. It was like watching a rerun of The Office...which is great, but not what you want the first time you see an episode.

In other news, I can't wait to watch Season 5 reruns of The Office. Pure brilliance through and through.