5/5 keep it coming ;-)
  by Elaine M. Harries
A lot can be said for the first 4 seasons of the show.Season 5 is still strong I totally LOVE every episode. There is NO other TV show that I will watch over again but this one. I have seen each episode multiple times. The thing I appreciate the most is what I call the "time release" brand of humor. There are so many subtle things going on that there is no way to catch them in one viewing. If you don't believe me try it. Watch your fave episode again and see if you don't find another great "line" or spoofy interaction that you didn't see before. This stuff is brilliant!!

5/5 I do not understand....
  by Daphne (United States)
This just proves the ill attitudes of the general public. So quick to lay judgment. This show is BRILLIANT. And when I'm done watching it always always always leaves me wanting more. Every single comedy I've ever seen has had more dramatic episodes (And now.. a very special Blossom) It makes the characters more real. And the comments above about how it was painful to watch and embarrassing. That is the appeal of Micheal's character. He gets into these positions where he does embarrass himself. Its just in his nature. Just be glad they are not trying to teach you a lesson in the show like so many comedies before them. Touching briefly on a serious issues only to forget about it the next episode. THAT'S Painful..

I love the further development of the characters. And if they made the show be everything you wanted to right now for your quick fix.. they couldn't make anymore of this brilliantly wonderful show.

I cannot wait for next season!

3/5 Okay Season
  by Richard Hurst (Abington, PA)
First, I really do enjoy watching The Office. It is possibly one of my favorite shows on television. With that said, I think that Season 5 is the worst season so far. I felt that there wasn't enough "classic" Office material, like Jim-Dwight interactions, Michael Scott-esque failures, and not enough Kevin time (but lets be serious - is there ever enough Kevin time??). I still will most likely buy this Season, but it will definitely not get watched as much as Seasons 3 and 4 do.

3/5 The more you watch, the less you know
  by A. Reinwand
26 episodes

SPECIAL FEATURES
1. Deleted scenes
2. Gag reel
3. 100 Episodes, 100 Moments
4. Academy of the television arts & sciences presents The Office
5. The Office promos
6. Webisodes
7. 10 episode commentaries

Total Viewing Time: 1196 minutes

Season five has a whopping 26 episodes. That sounds great - especially after the shortened fourth season - but is it really that great? My first impression was, "no", but my mind kind of changed after a second viewing of the season.

First impressions I had was that the season wasn't very funny. That the show was becoming too real (new boss, drinking problems, Angela's affair) and that maybe the idea of people working in a mundane office was getting old. A second viewing doesn't necessarily change all that, but I was able to find greatness here, and it isn't very hard to find. Maybe I just wasn't looking very hard.

There are some great story arcs, and some great revelations throughout season 5, and once again the season ends with a big Jim and Pam moment. In season four they were together and I was wondering if their characters would get boring, and they didn't. This season splits them up (much like how Jim was gone from season 3 for awhile) and once Pam does return she continues with new found "honesty policy" that she discovered in season four.
The season ends on a high note and all the major plot points have been tied up, which makes me wonder what season six could possibly be about, but there really was no major cliffhanger. And if you think the sound-less final scene is a "cliffhanger", watch again, you can figure it out.

The packaging has not changed. Slip case cover, fold open packaging booklet with discs that layer on top of each other - two per page. The only confusing part is the layout of episode information per disc. You have to flip the packaging numerous times to follow it - and it isn't in any order in particular. Just a small complaint for the layout.

The special features are lacking (again). The commentaries this year puzzled me. A lot of the commentaries had individuals that were producers, writers, designers, and directors. I was worried that this would be a let down, but the 10 commentaries turned out to be great and offered many insights into the season.

Gag reel and deleted scenes again succeed, per usual. The "100 episodes, 100 moments" deal is nothing special at all. The only real interesting part is seeing how different everyone looks - that's about it. Two webisodes are here, focusing on Kevin and Oscar. The television and sciences feature was pretty good, but didn't really tell us anything special or worthwhile. Kevin tried out for the role of Stanley, but wanted Kevin. Okay, thanks.

Season five of The Office continues the trend of some great episodes with the awesome characters we have become best friends with over the years. The season has some low points and it begins to feel like the show based on boring office life might be coming to an end, but for the time being, I still enjoy the hell out of it. Even when it's not at its best.

7.9 THE SHOW ITSELF
8.7 VISUALS
8.9 SOUND
7.7 PACKAGING
8.6 EXTRAS

8.2/10 FINAL VERDICT

5/5 The best value for The Office thus far
  by Mike Sheehan (NY)
These episodes are hilarious. There are so many classic moments: Dwight and Jim's faked phone call to determine if Dwight's too aggressive while Michael watches because they both get poor performance reviews (though there's an interesting explanation for that); Dwight coming in dressed in Cornell clothing and Andy's reactions to it; Andy yelling "Are you blind?!" to Erin than trying to cover it up; The scene with Andy sneaking up on Dwight with his hybrid, which is just so, so funny. Speaking of Andy, he's quickly become one of my favorites, if not my number one favorite. Dwight was awesome this season and though I don't care much for Ryan's character, B.J. Novak's a really good actor. His progression as a character is impressive. Steve Carrell also deserves notice for being great per usual. The 5th season is long and satisfying (that's what she said), and it gets the most bang for the buck, the season is 26 episodes on 5 discs in a little over 10 hours. There's also over 3 hours of deleted scenes that integrate easily with the show. They're also the best deleted scenes I've ever seen. The first and last episodes deleted scenes are particularly good, but there's plenty of laugh out loud deleted scene moments, which is pretty amazing. Many episodes have commentary for the truly obsessed, and on top of that, all the webisodes made so far are also included. The webisodes aren't too bad either, they give a chance for the minor characters to shine. I truly don't believe this show has lost its touch, I laughed a comparable amount to past seasons, maybe even more and all I can hope for is another few seasons on par with this one... or even better.