New Girl

The penultimate episode of The Office's first season keeps up all the good stuff from what we've seen before, with latently sexist humor, moving love entanglements and the sad sight of David Brent getting wasted with his "mates".

First things first: Tim is still getting over the embarrassment of Episode 4, but that doesn't really matter in narrative terms, because the big concern is another: who did Donna sleep with? David, in particular, sees her actions as a sign of disrespect, and promptly asks Gareth to investigate. Furthermore, the moronic regional manager insists on hiring a new secretary despite the redundancy scares, and has to choose between an average bloke named Stuart and a blonde named Karen. No need to guess which one he picks, right? Needless to say, it doesn't end well.

The sight of Brent and Finchy drinking like their lives depended on it is a sight that inspires sadness and chuckles at the same time: they are despicable as human beings, but there is something oddly endearing about their unrelenting stupidity. For those who want great lines, on the other hand, look no further than when Donna calls Gareth a "weasel-faced ass". The conversation that stems from that insult is worthy of Seinfeld (fitting, since there's a hint of George Costanza, Gervais' all-time favorite sitcom character, in David's mannerisms), and that's a real compliment.