The Office

The Office (2001)

8 mistakes

(1 vote)

Christmas Special: Part 2 - S3-E2

Plot hole: Lee and Dawn overstay their tourist visa in the US, then fly back to the UK for the Office Christmas party. They then get into a taxi to go out to the airport in order to return to the US. They're kidding themselves. As I know (to my cost) when you overstay a tourist visa, the US Immigration Service finds out when you check in at the airport on departure. They'll be refused reentry, and probably barred from entering the US for up to six years. (I got a three year ban.) Neither Lee nor Dawn could possibly be unaware of this nor think they could beat the system as they would have been arrested when they checked in in Florida on departure (as I was), and they would have remained in small holding cells until the paperwork banning their return had been processed and their passports stamped 'Invalid for U.S. Entry', as mine was. (All this takes about seventy two hours, so they'd have missed the Christmas party anyway.) The mistake is NOT that they were able to leave the USA - that is explained (it's still not possible, but in the context of the show and the suspension of disbelief we are meant to believe it) the mistake is that they are on the way back to the airport to return. That's absurd. They would have been under no illusions as to their banned status re reentry to the USA.

Downsize - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: After Gareth hits Tim on the head with his newspaper the following shot shows that the briefcase and newspaper have swapped hands. (00:04:25)

Judgement - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: In the scene with David and Gareth in David's office, David gives a hole-punch to Gareth as a souvenir. The hole-punch has a guide accessory sticking out of it (to punch holes in the middle of different sizes of paper), which is adjustable. At the beginning of the scene it only sticks out by about 2 cm, but by the time David hands it to Gareth it is about 5 cm - even though no-one has touched it. (00:15:35)

New Girl - S1-E5

Continuity mistake: When Donna comes in late and David is asking her where she has been, as it changes shots between Donna and David, in the background Dawn's right sleeve changes from being down to up at wrist height several times but she is in the same posture all the time.

Show generally

Continuity mistake: Often during the show, the viewpoint will switch between cameras to show people from different angles. The problem is, the show is meant to be seen as a documentary, and filmed "for real", meaning these camera switches would reveal the camera that must have been taking the previous shot. No cameras are ever seen, and as a "documentary" it can't be said that the filmmakers could ask the characters to stop in mid-conversation while they moved the previous camera out of the way.

Appraisals - S2-E2

Continuity mistake: In Keith's appraisal David asks him about 'The Q & A'. In the shot of Keith answering with 'I thought you filled that in', David's right hand is off the paper. In the next shot his hand is clutching the paper. (00:12:35)

Christmas Special: Part 2 - S3-E2

Revealing mistake: Many shots show the trees and bushes in full bloom despite the fact it's Christmas. Most notable is the tree outside the pub window in Brent's second date and the bushes outside Brent's window when he's driving around in the daytime. Acknowledged in the DVD commentary.

David Brent: I don't look upon this like it's the end, I look upon it like it's moving on, you know. It's almost like my work here's done. I can't imagine Jesus going 'Oh, I've told a few people in Bethlehem I'm the son of God, can I just stay here with Mum and Dad now?' No. You gotta move on. You gotta spread the word. You gotta go to Nazareth, please. And that's, very much like... Me. My world does not end within these four walls, Slough's a big place. And when I've finished with Slough, there's Reading, Aldershot, Bracknell, you know I've got to... Didcott, Yately. You know. My... Winnersh, Taplow. Because I am my own boss, I can... Burghfield. I can wake up one morning and go 'Ooh, I don't feel like working today, can I just stay in bed?' 'Ooh, don't know, better ask the boss.' 'David can I stay in bed all day?' 'Yes you can David.' Both me, that's not me in bed with another bloke called David.

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Show generally

Question: If David Brent is such a poor unresponsible boss and no good at his job as he is portrayed, then how did he get into such a good position of being a branch manager in charge of so many staff?

pierpp

Answer: In the Christmas specials, David states the documentary crew stitched him up. In other words, he was made to look like an idiot by the way it was put together, but in actuality, he may not have been as bad as the documentary had made out. In addition, it's clear he let his upcoming celebrity status get to his head, something that would not have happened prior to the documentary crew's arrival. At the end of series 1, he mentioned one of his achievements was cutting expenditure without losing any staff.

Chosen answer: This is known as The Peter Principle - the theory that employees within an organization will advance to their highest level of competence and then be promoted to and remain at a level at which they are incompetent.

Myridon

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