The nutty gang at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company returns for a hilarious third season. A bevy of special features are to be found on this four-disc set and fans will be elated at them and the hilarious episodes.
Michael Scott (Steve Carell), his right-hand-man Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), secretary Pam (Jenna Fischer), temp Ryan (B.J. Novak), accountants Kevin (Brian Baumgartner), Angela (Angela Kinsey), and Oscar (Oscar Nunez), and the rest of the office crew (Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Kelly Kapoor, Paul Lieberstein, Creed Bratton).
Jim (John Krasinski) has left for another branch where he works with Karen (Rashida Jones) and Andy (Ed Helms). However, when that branch closes he returns to Scranton along with some new faces.
Disc 1:
The Convention: It’s time to get the party started when Michael and Dwight head to the Mid-Market Office Supply Convention, and Pam reluctantly goes on a date.
The Coup: Actions speak louder than words when Michael discovers that Dwight has been secretly meeting with Jan, and Jim gets killed again and again in an office video game.
Grief Counseling: When a former regional manager comes to an abrupt end, Michael becomes alarmed that he staff hasn’t shown the appropriate amount of grief.
Initiation: While most of the staff is occupied with the annual Free Pretzel Day, Dwight teaches Ryan how to be a “real” salesman at the Schrute family beet farm.
Diwali: A little festivity goes a long way when Kelly invites everyone to a Diwali party, and Andy, Jim and Karen decide to mix a little alcohol with their number crunching.
Branch Closing: Bad news travels fast when Jan informs Michael that the Scranton branch is closing, and most of the employees look forward to their post-Dunder Mifflin lives.
Disc 2:
The Convict: When Michael discovers there’s an ex-convict on staff, he goes out of his way to make the employees realize that being in prison is not at all like working at Dunder Mifflin.
A Benihana Christmas: It’s a time for joy and goodwill towards others, but the staff is feeling none of it as Michael deals with a broken heart and Angela and Pam create rival Christmas parties.
Back from Vacation: Vacation mode ends abruptly when Michael accidentally circulates a photo of him and Jan together, and Karen and Jim put Pam in the middle of their first fight.
Disc 3:
Ben Franklin: Michael puts himself in charge of the entertainment at Phyllis’ shower and hires a stripper for the men and Ben Franklin for the ladies.
Phyllis’ Wedding: The bridge regrets assigning an important task to Michael, and Pam realizes that Phyllis has “borrowed” many of her wedding day ideas.
Business School: Michael is delighted when Ryan asks him to be a guest speaker in his business class, but he soon realizes that going back to school is more difficult then he thought.
Cocktails: Business and pleasure collide at the CFO’s party, where Michael and Jan go public with their relationship, and Jim learns more about Karen.
The Negotiation: The men of Dunder Mifflin face their fears as Michael negotiates a pay increase (with a little help from Darryl) and Jim deals with the aftermath of Pam’s confession to Roy.
Disc 4:
Product Recall: When a shipment of paper with an obscene watermark is distributed, the staff rallies to help the customer service department handle the backlash.
Women’s Appreciation: Phyllis is flashed on her way to work, and Michael tries to help by taking women on a special day trip while Dwight and Andy team up to find the perpetrator.
Beach Games: After learning that he’s being considered for a position in Corporate, Michael turns a day at the beach into competitions as a way to choose his successor.
The Job: In this one-hour finale, there’s excitement in the air over the events at the beach, the corporate job interviews, and Jan’s eye-opening revelation.
The Office is a hilarious show, but the comedy is positively cringe-inducing on occasion. There were several times when Michael did something so selfish that I had to look away from the screen, but the results were usually funny enough that I had to look back.
My favorite episode has to be Business School; it’s equally hilarious and gives Pam a chance to have an emotional moment or two. Needless to say the whole season keeps up the grand tradition set forth by the previous ones and only continues to get better.
The Office is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features are spread out over the four discs in the set. Disc 1 has 48 minutes of deleted scenes and commentaries with John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Rashida Jones, and Angela Kinsey on The Coup and with B.J. Novak, Wilson, and Leslie David Baker on Initiation.
Disc 2 has 41 minutes of deleted scenes. Next is the 5 minute “Kevin Cooks at the Office” which has Brian Baumgartner in character sharing culinary techniques for the office bound. It’s followed by the 8 minute “Excerpt from the 2006 NBC Primetime Preview hosted by the Office” and 3 minutes of “Toby Wraparounds” with sad sack Paul Lieberstein in character. Next is the hilarious 2 minute “Dwight Schrute music video” and the 1 minute “Joss Whedon Interview” which really doesn’t reveal too much.
Finally there are the 3 grand prize winners and 3 finalists for the “Make Your Own Promo,” totaling 3 minutes. Disc 3 has 55 minutes of deleted scenes. There are commentaries on Traveling Salesman/The Return (Krasinski, Wilson, Jones, Helms, Baker and editor Dave Rogers) and Business School (Novak, Wilson and writer Brent Forrester). Disc 4 has 44 minutes of deleted scenes. There are commentaries on Safety Training (Novak, Mindy Kaling, and director Harold Ramis), Women’s Appreciation (Fischer, Kinsey, Kate Flannery (Meredith) and writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky), Beach Games (Helms, Baumgartner, director Ramis and writer Jennifer Celotta), and The Job (Krasinski, Fischer, Jones, Hardin, director Ken Kwapis and editor Rogers).
Next are a hilarious 13 minute blooper reel, the 2 minute Lazy Scranton video, and the 1 minute “Excerpt from the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards” with host Conan O’Brien.
The Office continues to be a hilarious primetime show. This third season set has a ton of extras (well excepting for a commentary with Steve Carell) and is highly recommended.
The Office - Season Three is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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