Season 2, Episode 6, Part 3: "Notice"

Boring work at the boring office. Dawn sits at her desk looking around at the employees, as if she's making a decision. Zoom on Tim again. These are short bits, but they seem long because nobody says anything. Dawn runs her hand through her hair, a gesture of insecurity. She looks at Tim longingly.

In David's office, he's still going on about his brilliance. "That's why my professionalism is probably as important as my... um, humanism." He used those two words in the Microsoft clips too. Brilliant. We can see Helena and her notebook, and instead of writing down the words David is saying, she's circling something on the page and blotting over a word. Hee. I wonder what the text says? There's a knock on the door, and Dawn walks in holding an envelope. "Hi," she says shyly, "I was wondering if you'd have time for a little chat?" David, of course, uses this as an opportunity to shine: "I've always got time for my staff, Dawn, you know that. 'He's always got time for staff'," he adds to Helena, and Dawn starts to say something, but David, who always has time for staff, is too busy describing himself to Helena: "Even though... a lot happening... and his mind should be on his staff..." Where was that going? David doesn't know himself, apparently, as he turns to Dawn instead and says, "Shoot." Dawn says, "If you leave, I wanted to hand in my notice." David hears: "Since you're leaving, I can't take it here. This place would be way too empty without you. In fact, they should keep you on or we'll all quit soon." He takes the envelope biting his lip smugly and says, "Ooh no. Thought this would happen. Who else is thinking of leaving here, Dawn?" Dawn, puzzled, says, "I don't think anyone is." David, handing her back the envelope but looking at the camera instead of her, so we know it's just an act: "Don't throw your career away just because I'm leaving, yeah? I know it won't be the same, but you'll probably meet someone else, and..." What? Does he think Dawn is in love with him or something? I wonder how he thinks Dawn sees him. As a mentor? As her idol? I mean, he did basically force her to write him down as a strong influence.

Dawn says she's not leaving because of that. "I'm just reading between the lines," says David. "So..." "Well, you haven't read it," says Dawn and gives the letter back to David. David gives him the envelope back. I love the back-and-forth with the envelope, it's a great example of David not listening to an employee and just assuming things. "Very flattering, but is it just a coincidence that you're handing in your notice when I'm leaving?" he asks. "Yes, it is," says Dawn and gives the letter back to David. "Is it?" says David, obviously only now realizing that she's not leaving as a protest to losing him. Helena, who's actually interested in other people, asks Dawn why she's quitting. "I'm going away with my fiancé," says Dawn. "Where to?" "The States," says Dawn. David now takes the envelope, shoos Dawn away with it, and says to Helena, "What are you writing? Cos I thought we were..." to Dawn: "Cheers, cool..." to Helena, who's gaping with her mouth open again, unused to David's jerkitude: "...go back to..." Heee. He really made a fool of himself there. Don't say those things out loud every time, David. Also, he acted like Dawn leaving is a small detail, as long as it doesn't involve him, and he's ready to go on with this article which doesn't directly have to do with his job. It gives a great picture of him as a boss. Luckily he has a whole article about himself memorized: "Strings to Brent's bow: A. Pihlantrophist..." Yes, and this scene really proved him to be one. Helena rolls her eyes to the camera and continues writing.

Tim is sitting on the sofa with a lime green coffee mug, staring ahead, apparently thinking. He looks like he did on Training Day. The camera zooms on him as he takes a sip of coffee - or tea, since it's the UK - as if he only now remembered he's holding the mug. He rubs his face a bit. Neil walks in and sits next to him. "Hiya," he says. "Have you got a minute?" Tim snaps out of it a bit, always matter-of-fact with the bosses. "Yeah, sure," he says. Neil tells him, in business terms, that they're going to hire someone from the outside to do David's job, and "we wondered if you could do us a favor and be care-taking manager for a while." This is the kind of offer you always say yes to. I know Tim is thinking of leaving some day and whatever, but it's not like he's leaving now. Why doesn't he think about the money he could save for college? Why doesn't he think about getting his own place, maybe taking some time off work to think of his options? In a manager's job, he could actually do that, instead of being stuck on the same old day after day. But he declines. "It's a bit more work for a lot more money," says Neil, who really wants Tim on the job. And how nice of him really, considering he's not asking one of his "own" employees like David surely would have in his shoes. He knows Tim's the man for the job.

Now Tim does something that shows he doesn't truly hate Gareth or wish him anything bad. He tells Neil they should hire Gareth for the job. He knows it's what Gareth wants the very most, and he's willing to let him have it. Granted, he doesn't really want it himself, but he could have suggested someone far more capable, like Oliver, or Jamie, or Ben, or Rachel, or Trudy, or Brenda... well, just about anybody. Neil looks on rather incredulously as Tim lists Gareth's good sides: "He takes things seriously, he's conscientious, he works hard, and he's responsible and knows the place inside out." In the background, we hear Dirty Bertie start up again. Neil looks at Tim like, "You've gotta be kidding me." The scene ends with D.B. going, "Oh, oh, oh, ooh... noo!" There goes Tim's career down the drain, as well. He'll be beating himself up for this later. But hey! He could have rolled a one. Except that he kind of did. Isn't sitting in his old desk for the next five years, with no chance of a promotion, more a one than a three?

Break room. Tim reads from a paper what women look for in a man: "Eyes, smile, flat stomach, good buttocks..." Gareth, who's eating his usual mini-sized bag of cheese noodles - at least you can't say he's compensating - keeps nodding and starts saying, "Yeah..." at the last ones. "You got good buttocks, Gareth?" asks Tim. "Yes," says Gareth, tho he might as well be saying, "Duh." "Can we see them?" asks Tim, seemingly seriously. "No! Gay!" says Gareth. Tim asks Sheila what she wants in a guy. Sheila, who's sitting next to Oliver, is quiet for a while, and Tim looks up. Everyone looks at her, and she finally answers, "I like blacks." Awkward. Oliver looks a bit shocked, and Sheila looks down. Awww, poor Sheila. Is Oliver really that put off by her? She seems like a nice, if mousy woman. I'd be flattered if she found me attractive. Tim asks Trudy what she likes. "I kinda like shy blokes, actually," says Trudy. That would explain why she let Finchy do her from behind. "I can understand that," says Dawn. Tim asks her if that's what she wants too, but she says no. "Rugged good looks," she says. "You always told me it was a sense of humor," says Lee rather tenderly, for a change. "You've got that, you've got a sense of humor," says Dawn. Maybe she changed her answer because of Tim's sense of humor? "Yeah, I know, I know," says Lee. He seems like he might be put off but can't let on with all these people there, or maybe he feels satisfied with that answer, like Dawn was just teasing him. He takes a sip of his coffee (or tea). The camera zooms in on Dawn who looks sad all of a sudden. Wonder why? Tim looks at her with the same look. And in the closeup, you can see he has this horrid growth under his sideburns. It's like Sideburns II: The Son of the Sideburns. Just a little area of hair there, in the middle of his cheek, not a beard but also not a sideburn. It looks scary. The chapter ends rather abruptly.