Watching the fourth season of the Polish adaptation of a critically acclaimed British mockumentary reminds us of Ricky Gervais’ bold jokes. We shouldn’t laugh, but we still do. 

The eponymous office of “Kropliczanka” (a mineral water company) is back again with its stellar cast, including Vanessa Aleksander, Adam Woronowicz, Piotr Polak and Kornelia Strzelecka. The dialogues are wittier, and the topics evoke both laughter and inner sadness, as things in Kropliczanka aren’t so bright anymore. 

The only evident issue with this season is a lack of accurate development in Michał Holc’s (Kropliczanka’s boss) quirky behaviour. After four seasons, he is still a similar clown he used to be in the first episodes. With no lessons learned, and no substantial changes in his life, we feel like he is somehow frozen in time. While other characters are being constantly developed (especially Darek and Asia), he’s just the same old Michał. The moment when Darek confesses to Holc about his not-so-sweet mystery proves that writers forgot that such complex and ambiguous protagonists – such as Michał – need to have a more positive side, even if it is hidden so deeply in their hearts.

Michał’s reaction isn’t empathetic at all; contrarily, it feels mean and after this conversation, he somehow starts losing our respect. At this point, we can compare him to the first season’s version of Michael Scott (Steve Carell) from The Office US, who at the beginning of the show was a completely unlikable character. So, yes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And, by any means, it’s not a compliment. Paradoxically, there’s a lot of criticism in a favourable piece like this, but it comes from the reviewer’s goodwill: I just deeply care about this show and want it to be its perfect version.

Anyhow, there’s a satirical bite in each episode and a self-conscious humour, too. Our Polish The Office is no longer scared of making fun out of everything (or even itself). It became clear that the showrunners found their way to tactfully approach this specific genre called mockumentary (or sitcom). The Polish version of this cult series just keeps getting better and we can only hope that the fifth season won’t be the last. 

Photo: Canal Plus Poland, The Office PL

4/5 stars

Author: Jan Tracz