5/5 Dunder Mifflin meets the real world
  by A. Reinwand
22 episodes

SPECIAL FEATURES
1. Deleted Scenes
2. Kevin cooks stuff in the office
3. Excerpt from the 2006 NBC prime time preview hosted by the office
4. Toby wraparounds
5. Dwight Schrute music video
6. Joss Whedon interview
7. Videos from the office "make your own promo" contest
8. Blooper reel
9. Lazy Scranton video
10. Excerpt from the 58th annual prime time Emmy awards
11. 8 episode commentaries

Total Viewing Time: 987 minutes

There are moments during season three that I thought it might be able to bypass the incredible season two. And then there were moments that just didn't feel quite right and made me think, "the magic of season two was a one time thing" and then I sighed. But then I would end up laughing hysterically at something and I was okay with the fact that season three is different from season two - in a lot of ways.

The one thing that stands out to me most about season three of The Office is how "real" it gets. Dunder Mifflin has always been susceptible to downsizing. Hell, they even hint at it in the "Pilot" episode, but in season three, does it become a reality? I won't ruin any of the surprises of season three, but I will say that the show has a lot of "real life" office politics in it. There are real problems that companies go through. It doesn't ruin the show at all, it actually makes it better I believe. For as much as Dwight (and Creed) push the boundaries of insanity, knowing that these people work at a paper company brings us back to Earth.

Season three also introduces us to new characters, mainly Andy and Karen. Still to this day, I don't really know what to think of Karen's character. I understand why she was on the show and the role she played, but as far as what she added to the episodes or show, I'm not real sure. She wasn't really a jokester, or especially serious, and I feel like the writers never really took her character anywhere. In a lot of ways this is fine since I'm sure a lot of fans didn't like her because of her connection to Jim. Meanwhile, Andy's character instantly stole several scenes and - if he stays on - could become a great character that could rival with Dwight, as Jim does.

My overall impression of season three however was that it has some lackluster moments and some "good, but not great" episodes. But this season is still better than most shows could ever pull off - even in their prime.

The packaging is pretty much the same as season two, and contains some good pictures through the season. The packaging has a slip case cover again (as S2 did), and fold open like a book. The discs are still placed in an annoying manner, but otherwise I like the box set.

The standouts of special features are the 8 commentaries (however not as much fun as season two's collection), and the deleted scenes (hours worth of footage, again). The rest of the special features are generally pretty short - except for the excerpts - and while some are fun (the Dwight Schrute music video and "Lazy Scranton" video), there's not nearly as much to sink your teeth into, but still more than most companies put into their box sets.

All in all, I was not surprised that season three wasn't as good as season two (but how could it?) but I was glad it didn't fall off as far as I originally thought it would. Season three is great, season two is classic - and that's when comparing the two. As a stand alone it's probably even better. The Office continues to succeed and has created a great series and a great box set for its third season.

9.0 THE SHOW ITSELF
8.7 VISUALS
9.0 SOUND
8.3 PACKAGING
7.7 EXTRAS

9.3/10 FINAL VERDICT

5/5 Excellent
  by john m mozuke
Just finished watching this season. I must have missed several episodes cause there was a lot that I hadn't seen that made me about pee my pants. Love this season. Just great! If you are a fan you will love it. If you aren't you will love it. Jim, Pam, Roy... just great stuff. And of course the whole damn cast is just great. I love it.

4/5 Office Series
  by Janet E. James
I purchased this series as a gift for my daughter and son-in-law. They tell me that they are really enjoying it and the discs are in good condition.

5/5 Love is in the air!
  by Ms. B. Pearce (Sydney, Australia)
What a great season! Steve Carell is amazingly funny in his very awkward kind of way, Rainn Wilson cracks you up with his oddball lines and the support cast are fantastic additions to the overall feel of the show. The reason I watched this season of course was for Jim and Pam. Ah, what a fairytale they are! Will they get together? Who knows! You'll have to watch to find out :-)

5/5 The Office: Season Three
  by M. Gregori (Montana)
There are many classic moments in this season such as Stanely being the happiest man in the world on Pretzel day, Micheal's great idea's for "Beach Day" and the confession from Pam while they are all around the campfire, Dwight's "Anti-Flashing Task Force", and so many more! There are also some wonderful special features such as "Kevin Cooks Stuff in the Office" and the Dwight Schrute music video.