Toby Flenderson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Toby Flenderson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First appearance | Diversity Day |
| Information | |
| Age | 40s |
| Occupation | Human Resources Representative |
| Family | Sasha (Daughter) |
| Portrayed by | Paul Lieberstein |
| Created by | Greg Daniels |
Toby Flenderson is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character, and has no equivalent in the British version of the show.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Toby Flenderson is the human resources representative for the Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder-Mifflin. He is intensely disliked by branch manager Michael Scott, probably because Michael has no authority over him. (Toby reports to corporate headquarters.)
[edit] Biography
A Bishop O'Hara High School alumnus, Toby is divorced, drives a Saab 9-2x wagon, has a young daughter named Sasha who adores Michael, and went to Amsterdam for an undetermined amount of time after his divorce. Toby joins the others occasionally to conduct business, such as reviewing the company's sexual harassment policy and mediating conflict between employees. Toby prefers to let angry employees vent to him, after which they feel better and the conflict eventually settles down and solves itself. Using the excuse that he was allergic to his desk, Toby moved locations to escape Kelly's constant talking.
Toby is generally a friend of everyone around the office except Michael. Jim mentions that when he first started working at Dunder-Mifflin, he shared a cubicle with Toby and that the two of them got along well. The others treat Toby with respect. For example, after Toby conducts a brief sexual harassment seminar, the staff is left in a good mood and laughing, until Michael comes in and takes over. In a deleted scene from "Ben Franklin," when warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin is told that Michael has sent Toby home to prevent him from interfering with the hiring of a stripper, Darryl refers to Toby (with red hair and sad face) as a "cool" guy.
Toby is in the unfortunate position of needing to try (but usually failing) to enforce corporate policies and rules when Michael disregards them, typified by this attempt to quash Michael's plan to invite Boy Scouts to a Casino Night party:
| “ | Actually, I didn't think it was appropriate to invite children since it's, uh, you know, there's gambling and alcohol, and it's in our dangerous warehouse, it's a school night, and you know, uh... Hooters is catering. You know, is that not—is that enough? Should I keep going? | ” |
Michael views Toby as his sworn enemy and takes every opportunity to try to demean him. As Michael sneers, "Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate, so he's really not a part of our family. Also, he's divorced, so he's really not a part of his family." Michael once said that "Toby Flenderson is everything that is wrong with the paper industry." Though he seems increasingly frustrated with Michael, Toby is actually quite reserved, and calmly deals with Michael in a professional manner. Michael, however, is much more blunt with Toby, stating, "Toby, I hate so much about the things you choose to be." In the episode "The Convict," Michael jokes that Toby is a "convicted rapist." Toby avoids office activities whenever possible and, like the rest of the staff, only tolerates Michael. He has offered help to Michael several times despite Michael's continued abuse, such as in Take Your Daughter to Work Day and The Convict. However, he gets along with the rest of the staff and even attends Jim's barbecue party, playing video games while Michael sings karaoke. When Michael interviews employees as to why they are leaving the Scranton branch, the first thing he asks is whether it's because of Toby, to which everyone replies no.
Toby's favorite movies are Say Anything, The Shining, Annie Hall, and Toy Story 2. According to the diploma hanging on the wall of his workspace, he graduated from California Coastal College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.[1]
After overhearing that Pam is dating again after breaking off her engagement to Roy, Toby tries several times to ask her out, but is unable to get her attention or is interrupted by others.
When the news comes that the Scranton branch may be closing, Toby says to the camera that if he does get a severance package, he can see himself selling his house, moving to Costa Rica, and learning how to surf. But since the branch doesn't close, Toby says, "Costa Rica will still be there...when I'm 65." Everyone gets a Christmas bathrobe from corporate but since they are one short, Micheal makes Dwight take Toby's, who is saddened but eventually gets his back, courtesy of Pam.
In the episode "Phyllis' Wedding," Toby is seen with an attractive young woman who he says he met at the gym. When she catches Phyllis's bouquet, the two kiss. This scene is immediately followed by a shot of Toby in the private "confessional," celebrating by jubilantly saying his own name at the camera ("Toby! Yeah!").
In "Cocktails", when the staff enter the bar, they pass a toy machine filled with stuffed animals, and Pam offhandly comments on a cute stuffed duck is. Toby then spends most of the evening trying to win the duck for Pam. When he hands it to her, she suggests he give it to his daughter, Sasha. This, and Toby's ambiguous excuse for not attending Pam's art show, led to some speculation on whether Toby's date at Phyllis's wedding was actually an escort.
[edit] References
- ^ Kelly, Kevin (2006-10-27). TV Squad Visits the Set of: The Office. TV Squad. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
| Characters of The Office (US version) |
|---|
|
Main characters |
|
Michael Scott | Jim Halpert | Pam Beesly | Dwight Schrute | Ryan Howard |
|
Minor characters |
|
Accounting: Angela Martin | Oscar Martinez | Kevin Malone |
|
Miscellaneous characters |
|
Katy | Devon | Carol Stills | Bob Vance | Josh Porter | Billy Merchant | Tony Gardner | Martin Nash | Hannah Smoterich-Barr | Stacy | Brenda Matlow | Hank Tate | Ed Truck | Mose Schrute |
