The Show
Season Six might have been the most eventful ever for The Office. The day-to-day tragicomedy was punctuated by Jim & Pam's wedding, plus the birth of their baby, Michael's dating and subsequent breakup with Pam's mom, the official bankruptcy of Dunder-Mifflin, and its sale to printer manufacturer Sabre, under the leadership of recurring guest star, Oscar-winner Kathy Bates.
Pam/Jim wind up receiving much of the spotlight, as both the nuptial and delivery episodes are two-parters, while we are also proffered a significantly longer Producer's Extended Cut of "Secret Santa," perhaps most memorable for Michael's (Steve Carell) appearance as a spiteful Jesus who heckles jolly old St. Nick at the holiday party. With one of the most talented casts anywhere being fed some of the best scripts week in and week out, The Office manages to do more than simply endure, it actually improves year after year.
The Picture
Perhaps surprisingly to some, a relatively simple sitcom such as The Office delivers some of the best video quality I've seen for TV-on-Blu-ray. The bitrate for the 1.78:1 image is in the 20-30-megabits-per-second range thanks to the decision to spread the two dozen episodes across a total of four dual-layer BD-50 platters. Faces are much clearer here than when I first watched the season on NBC in HD, with an overall crispness as well as strong colors and textures, and even out-of-focus backgrounds which look more realistic than in some feature films. Deep blacks can be a tad harsh, but this minor flaw is the only one worth mentioning.
The Sound
In keeping with the show's faux documentary style, there's very little music in the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channel mix, but the theme song, and Chris Brown's "Forever" at Jim & Pam's wedding are big and powerful and especially prominent. Other than that, the audio is almost distractingly limited to the front channels. In one rather busy scene, Dwight and his friends are listening to heavy metal while demolishing The Halperts' kitchen, with nothing of note in the surrounds. There are some vague parking lot noises when we're outside, a tad more at a dump, but this is a small, dialogue-driven show, so no attempt has been made to "wow" the viewer.
The Extras
Approximately two hours of deleted scenes have been collected, representing most episodes across the season and included on the corresponding discs. A total of five audio commentaries are also provided, each one a jam affair with directors, producers, writers and the occasional actor. The one-minute "Sabre Welcome Video" stars Christian Slater, as seen upon the arrival of Dunder-Mifflin's new ownership.
A trio of promotional spots for the Canada Games (two minutes total) plus the uncensored digital short "The Podcast" (about nine minutes) are exceptional in that they maintain the look and feel of the show, well-written and featuring all of the familiar actors. And the 24 minutes of hysterical bloopers make us wonder how they don't crack up even more. All of the video extras are in high definition.
Disc One provides BD-Live access, with Universal's "Ticker." As our own Rachel Cericola recently revealed, this disc is also the key to streaming Season 7 episodes for free, in high-definition, after they air, beginning September 24. This is a very neat implementation of BD-Live technology, the first of its kind and a boon for internet-connected consumers. We are also given pocketBLU bonus content for, and Blu-ray control from, a compatible portable device.
Final Thoughts
Audio limitations aside, we must give kudos to Universal for both the high video quality of The Office Season Six plus its ingenious offer of Season Seven via BD-Live. I've caught up on missed TV episodes on the computer in the past, and--like most people--I prefer the home theater to the office.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
