THE OFFICE, SEASON THREE

REVIEWED BY SHANNON H.

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: comedic crudeness, sexual content

Rated:

If youve ever worked in an office, you notice that sometimes life gets a little monotonous. Fielding phone calls, faxing memos, data entry, and carpal tunnel syndrome can get you down and thats just the first few hours of your shift. Now imagine all these and having to work for a boss who makes inappropriate outbursts about everything from the general working atmosphere to a co-workers hair. Throw in some workplace romance, unfriendly desk mates, and potluck parties for every big and little (and downright trivial) occasion and youve got The Office.

Season Three is funnier (and somewhat raunchier) than the first and second seasons. Here we see Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) get transferred from the Scranton, PA branch of Dunder-Mifflin to the Stamford branch in Connecticut. There, he meets and makes friends with Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) and Andy Bernard (Ed Helms). Eventually, he starts dating Karen much to Pams dismay (she dumped her fiance after secretly kissing Jim just a short time before their wedding). Eventually, the Stamford branch shuts down due to their regional manager taking a position at Staples and the Scranton branch absorbs it along with five new employees (excluding Jim since he had worked at Scranton before). Over the course of a few episodes, three of those new employees would quit due to Michael Scotts (Steve Carell) unorthodox management style (inappropriate comments toward his new employees). Jim is named the number two guy below Michael and Andy and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) battle it out over who gets to be number three. 

Also, things get hot and heavy as Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) and Michael continue having feelings for one another while trying to keep their tryst secret from the human relations department. Dwight and Angela (Angela Kinsey) also start having feelings for each other and try to keep their relationship confidential as well. Oscar (Oscar Nunez) is outed by Michael as gay; Michaels own attempts to show his tolerance for homosexuals backfires as Oscar gets offended (but is offered some time off in return for not suing the company). Near the end, Jan Levinsons position opens and Michael battles it out for the coveted spot along with Ryan (B.J Novak), who moved from being a temp to a permanent employee.

Theres a moderate amount of cursing in the show. Cuss words range from b***h to a**.  There is some mild violence as Roy (David Denman), Pams ex-fiance, tries to punch Jim for kissing her. Dwight catches a bat that got caught in the office and bags it with a black trash bag, accidentally getting Merediths (Kate Flannery) head stuck in it (he wrestles with her until he gets the bat). Sexual content is mostly implied. Dwight pulls up homosexual pornography on his computer in order to understand Oscar (its not obviously shown and Michael is naturally interested by it). To demonstrate his tolerance for homosexuality, Michael forces Oscar to kiss him (naturally, Oscar does not enjoy it). Jim and Pam share a passionate kiss despite the fact that Pam was engaged at the time (seen in both the second and third seasons). Jan and Michael go to the Sandals Resort in Jamaica for a Christmas vacation and Michael accidentally forwards a picture of Jan seminude in a photograph (she was lying stomach down wearing nothing but a bikini bottom; the side view of her left breast is shown). Michael also demands (from Jan) a 15% raise or no sex. 

On the morning of Phyllis Lapins (Phyllis Smith) wedding, Michael talks to her about what to expect on the wedding night. In one episode, an obscene watermark appears in several hundred reams of paper (Dunder-Mifflin is a fictional paper supply company) featuring two different animals engaged in a sex act (this was censored out). In the same episode, Dwight thinks nothing of it, saying hes seen these things happen before while living on his farm (he also mentioned that it was consensual). In another episode, Phyllis is flashed by a stranger on her way to work, which prompted a lot of phallic references. In celebration of Phyllis upcoming wedding, Michael hires a stripper for the guys at work and a Ben Franklin stripper for the ladies (nothing happens; only a few innuendoes). 

I enjoyed the third season, however, the second was slightly better because it was funnier. Still, I did get a crack out of Ryan getting initiated as a permanent worker by Dwight (he was taken to Dwights farm to undergo a series of tests). The one episode I found fault with was the one about the obscene watermark. Anything like that shouldnt be on television in the first place. Christians should be wary of this particular season since homosexuality is brushed off as tolerable. Bizarre sexual practices are casually mentioned as well. Again, there is no pro-Christian content but there is a little bit of anti-Christian content (see examples of the objective content above). I did learn a few things from this season.  Sometimes its best to loosen up at work and enjoy a laugh or two. Always respect ones co-workers as well as the employer. Treat everyone with the respect that youd like to be given yourself.