While the U.S. version of The Office began its life as an all-too-accurate depiction of workplace drudgery, its last two seasons have gone on to prove that the world of Dunder Mifflin has cut all ties with what its viewers call “reality.” Case in point: While we in the real world continue to battle a weak economy and wrestle with constant job-security fretting, two of the failed candidates for the seat vacated by Steve Carrell at the end of the series’ seventh season have found employment at the fictional paper company—and thus recurring roles on The Office. Following in the path of James Spader’s swift ascension to the top of the show’s corporate food chain, actress Catherine Tate will return to the series as Nellie Bertram, the overzealous interviewee whose appearance in last season’s finale episode caused plenty of Dr. Who fans to think “Why were we excited about this?” Of course, given the series’ skewed perspective on how people earn and retain employment, maybe Tate is returning to Scranton in a bit of a Dr. Who crossover, where she and David Tennant arrive via TARDIS in order to fix the rift in time that allowed for the eight season of The Office, therefore resetting its timeline and restoring “Goodbye, Michael” to its rightful place as the series finale. [Deadline]
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