Brent still hasn't lost that ability to be socially awkward and artificially humble as he pursues his passion for music between his day job of selling cleaning products. The Office Revisited takes place ten years after Brent was fired from Wernham Hogg; in fact, the short was released on the exact day that Brent was named redundant so many years ago.
Honestly it was great to see Gervais back in his element as Brent, even if he's not joined by Martin Freeman or any of the other cast members from The Office. Despite being a pathetic blowhard, there's something that is inexplicably charming about how clueless Brent is about his own shortcomings. Gervais is top-notch as Brent, especially when it comes to the quiet portions of his performance in Brent's faux confidence and demeanor.
As you can see in the short, Brent is gung-ho for his political reggae jam "Equality Street," which has allowed him to collaborate with rapper Dom Johnson, who agreed to the gig after Brent offered to pay for his studio sessions. Try to count how many times Brent shrugs or points in the music video here:
Well, that was awkward. But of course, it makes for some of Gervais' best material and moments, no matter how hard it is to watch. The NBC adaptation of The Office turned Steve Carell into a loveable loser as Michael Scott - but Gervais' turn as Brent doesn't leave much to love, as he's quite rude and offensive most of the time.
It's a shame we didn't get to see a bit more of Brent and the crew at Wernham Hogg, but the UK definitely knows how to do TV right by keeping seasons short and sweet. While it would have been nice to get a bit more out of the series from Gervais and Stephen Merchant, we're glad it wasn't beaten into the ground like many American TV series nowadays.
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Source: Ricky Gervais' YouTube Channel