There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Toby was the Scranton Strangler in The Office. The character, played by Paul Lieberstein, was often described as one of Dunder Mifflin’s most harmless employees. Despite this, The Office contains a long-running gag in which the Scranton Strangler crimes are tied to Toby – and now many fans are convinced that Toby was the Scranton Strangler. Toby sits in the annex with Kelly and Ryan, still getting involved in office-wide meetings and gatherings. Her downtrodden personal life has a hilarious habit of spilling over into her professional life, resulting in her defeated personality. In this way, Toby becomes an easy target for Michael’s verbal abuse. Although Lieberstein’s character embarks on a new life by moving to Costa Rica on a whim, he eventually returns to work at the Scranton branch until Dwight fires him at the end of the series. So, is Toby the strangler of Scranton?
Unlike the rest of The Office characters, Toby has a direct connection to the Scranton Strangler and several reasons to be cast as the prime suspect in the case, prompting many to wonder, “is Toby the Scranton? Strangle? “. Even though the series proclaims George Howard Skub as the identity of Scranton Strangler, many theories also point to specific characters like Creed, Gabe, and Mose being involved in the crimes. That said, most of the hidden clues in The Office pointed to Toby as the Scranton Strangler. Even NBC amused itself during The Office’s run by creating a Making A Murderer parody video (via YouTube) featuring archival footage, which incriminates Toby.
The timing of the Scranton Strangler attacks
Although the Scranton Strangler wasn’t mentioned until Season 6 of The Office, it was hard not to notice how the strangulation events correlated to significant moments in Jim and Pam’s life, making you think. much “is Toby the Strangler of Scranton?” “. Toby never does a very good job of hiding the fact that he has a crush on Pam, his feelings unhappy with the romance between his co-workers while even rooting against their relationship at times. When Jim and Pam start a family with the birth of their first child, Cece, Andy gives them a copy of the newspaper as a memento of the big day. The title reads, “Scranton Strangler Strikes Again”, suggesting that Toby’s anger at the thought of Jim and Pam’s happiness led him to commit another attack.
The Scranton Strangler’s Car
Another reason people think Toby was the Scranton Strangler has to do with his car. In the Season 7 episode of The Office titled “Viewing Party,” the cold open focuses on a car chase with local police following a suspect believed to be the Scranton Strangler. Michael notices the chase heading down the street where they work, so he runs to the window to witness the event. The suspect’s car seen in the chase and on TV coverage is identical in color and model to a vehicle often seen in the parking lot at Dunder Mifflin. The Office season 7 episode provided further compelling evidence that the car originally belonged to Toby before another man was charged with his crimes. While it’s intriguing, more than likely the show’s crew used a car on set rather than getting a new one at the time.
Toby’s absence during the car chase
Throughout the “Viewing Party” sequence, the only disturbingly missing character in the workplace is Toby. The employees watch the car race from Toby’s office without explaining his absence. His office phone then rings, forcing Kelly to pick it up and hang up immediately so as not to disturb their vision of the chase. Normal phone calls to the office go through the front desk, so whoever called knew Toby’s direct phone number. This tidbit convinced viewers at the time that Toby was online, calling on his co-workers to confess to his crimes as the Scranton Strangler while being sued.
Toby’s belief in the innocence of George Howard Skub
The outcome of The Office season 7 car chase was presumed to have ended with the capture of the real Scranton Strangler, but the show has never confirmed this fact. Not only could Toby have been involved in the prosecution and released, but he could also have been about to confess while watching an innocent man get caught. Ironically, Toby is then chosen as a juror for the Scranton Strangler case later in Season 7. George Howard Skub was convicted of the Scranton Strangler murders and sentenced to death. Over time, an increasingly obsessed Toby began to wonder if the suspect was truly innocent. It stands to reason that sending a man to prison with a death sentence for his own crimes took control of him mentally to the point of honesty. His self-investigation even motivated Toby to develop his own series of fictional crime novels centering on a man named Chad Flenderman.
Toby wouldn’t walk into a church.
Later in The Office season 7, during the christening episode, Jim and Pam invite their co-workers to the christening of their daughter, Cece, with the event taking place at a local church before the out-of-control lunch. When Toby arrives, he struggles to enter the religious establishment, stating that he had a history with the “Big Man”. While Toby may have talked about some of the pain and suffering he’s endured in life, he could also be referring to the guilt he feels, which stems from his true identity as the Scranton Strangler. If the “Big Man” is the only one who knows his secrets, it stands to reason that Toby feels he can’t face this spiritual exam at Cece’s baptism.
George Howard Skub’s attack on Toby
The guilt that Toby apparently bears continues in season 9 of The Office, leading him to conduct further investigations into the possible innocence of George Howard Skub. In the episode titled “Moving On”, Toby decides to visit the man he helped fire to deal with his uncertainty surrounding Skub’s guilty verdict. When Toby returns to the office, it is revealed that George Howard Skub attempted to strangle him, leaving his visitor in a neck brace and with damaged vocal cords, implying that Toby had been wrong all along regarding the innocence of the male. However, there’s also the suggestion that Toby confessed to being the real Scranton Strangler to entice George Howard Skub, who, being an innocent man, may have attacked Toby in The Office season 9 due to the revelation.
Was Creed the Scranton Strangler?
While there are compelling implications that Toby was the Scranton Strangler, another popular theory making the rounds suggests that another colleague at The Office may have been responsible. Creed Bratton is undoubtedly one of The Office’s most interesting characters. His background is completely unknown (as it’s suggested he’s not even the real Creed Bratton). Creed’s presence is totally understated, and while he’s not often in the limelight, he regularly finds a way to dominate the stage with a punchline that comes out of nowhere. That being said, he’s one of the most mysterious and disturbing characters in The Office – Creed the Scranton Strangler instead of Toby?
The most famous episode suggesting Creed was the Scranton Strangler’s The Office season 9, episode 5, “Here Comes Treble.” The Halloween-focused episode focuses primarily on Andy’s alma mater and his acapella band called “Here Comes Treble,” also featuring a The Office cameo from Stephen Colbert as Broccoli Rob. However, a minor moment occurs that greatly amplifies the suspicions around Creed: he shows up at the office covered in blood – and it’s not a Halloween costume. The idea that Creed killed a man and even took over Creed Bratton’s true identity isn’t that hard to believe, given his characterization on the show. After all, there are no firm answers around him as a character, and he’s made some pretty wild claims in the past about his exploits. Plenty of evidence points to Toby being the Scranton Strangler on The Office, but Creed is another strong contender.
Does Paul Lieberstein think Toby was the Scranton strangler?
In an interview (via Popculture), The Office star Paul Lieberstein finally answers the fan question “is Toby the Scranton Strangler?” “. Lieberstein neither confirmed nor denied the accusations, but found the possibility entertaining. When asked if Toby’s character could be capable of something as heinous as murder, Lieberstein confirmed that yes, he could. ” Oh yeah. There’s a lot we didn’t have to do with this Scranton Strangler. We had a lot of plans, and it was never said he wasn’t a murderer. He would strangle you until he passed out. said the Toby actor. It’s far from a definitive answer, but it does suggest that had The Office taken a slightly different direction, Scranton Strangler would have been a much more central plot point. There are plenty of signs that Toby is the Scranton Strangler on The Office, however, it’s a theory that will have to stay just that – a theory – until the showrunners declare otherwise.
The Office: All the Clues Toby Was Scranton’s Strangler | Pretty Reel