Christmas Specials, Part 6: "Tim's Agenda"

The office. Anne working and not annoying others for a change, as Tim's not at his desk. Cut to the conference room, where Gareth is starting a meeting, "chaired by myself, G. Keenan." He twists his mouth as if this is a great joke, but it's really just a redundant thing to say. I love how we never saw a meeting of this sort before. David's meetings were easygoing business, just remember to laugh at the jokes.

We're about to see what's wrong with Gareth's approach though, as he insists that they go by the agenda even when Tim's got something urgent to add to it. Tim, who has very low bullshit tolerance, just starts telling it, but Gareth blocks his ears and goes "lalalalalala, I did not officially hear that!" I love this. It's so schoolboyish still, even if Gareth's supposed to be the big boss who uses discipline in the jungle to take the employees to their certain deaths. "So I cannot possibly get this on the agenda? There's no way I can get this on the agenda?" asks Tim. "No," Gareth says firmly. "So what's point seven on the agenda?" Tim asks, and Gareth has to admit that it's "Any other business" and Tim can bring it up then. Gareth's self-importance about The Agenda is just like his old "I'm the assistant regional manager" thing. He says it's already typed up, but who typed it up? I bet he did it himself. He has to do things just so, not because lives depend on it but because he just is wired that way. Tim looks tired, old and worn out. Aww, poor Tim. He must be thinking that he could be the boss now if he had chosen to take the job.

Back to Dawn and Lee. Oh my. And yes, I get it - Tim's agenda was to go out with Dawn. Dawn is still holding baby Ryan, who's wriggling and also pulling her hair, which must be distracting while being interviewed. The interviewer asks how Dawn felt when Tim asked her out. "Which time?" says Lee with his eyes still closed, obviously thinking nothing of Tim. Yeah, you're such a catch that you really don't need to worry about Tim. You treat her so well too. She's lucky to have you. I find very few redeeming qualities in Lee, even if I must admit he's pretty good-looking.

"Shut up," says Dawn, something she should say a lot more often. "I didn't really know what to say," she admits. "Well, you did, you said no," says Lee and look sat Dawn with his frows burrowed a bit. Hmm hmm. Maybe she didn't know what to say because she really wanted to go out with him? Dawn corrects that it was because she felt embarrassed for Tim, but "it's a million miles away", and it's obvious she still has feelings for Tim and can't really discuss them on camera or in front of Lee. She asks, "Can we just not talk about it? I don't want to hurt Tim's feelings."

It's classy and kind of her, but it's also very obvious that she can't handle to talk about it, even now, and wonder what it would be like if she had a life with Tim and not this shadow existence in Lee's chosen paradise. Which is not that different from Tim's situation where he chose to stay at Wernham Hogg and created his own hell. I mean, OK, Dawn and Lee had already made plans to go to Florida when Tim acted on his feelings, so it was too little too late. But Dawn had plenty of chances to dump Lee before. It's not that I don't sympathize, but there are moments when you must make a choice, and Dawn made hers, not based on her own true feelings but based on some false notion of loyalty to Lee who treats her like crap. She's a smart, strong woman, but she doesn't have enough self respect to pull off a life that would satisfy her.

Timterview. He admits he's caught in the act, or "banged to rights" - hee! - because people saw him tell Dawn about his feelings. No more "I asked her out as a friend", so that's a relief at least. Tim says people worry what their mates are going to say, but it's not a problem for him "I have... no mates!" and he chuckles a little. I wonder about Tim's friends. You'd think he has loads of them, but he seems quite lonely, while Gareth the idiot has his "mad mates". Tim tells us that he watched that part with his family, "I was mortified, obviously, and my grandmother said, 'I'm not surprised she chose the other feller, I wouldn't kick him out of bed.' " Hee! That's so good. I can't, under any circumstances, imagine my grandmother even mentioning sex. Disturbing. Tim tells the camera, "Lee, if you're watching and you ever get bored with being with someone with her own teeth - Nana's up for it!" I love Tim's humor. Of course, it doesn't leave much to snark about, but it's just natural and flowing from the circumstances. The exact opposite of David's forced puns, that is.