You know that feeling when you're watching a sitcom for the tenth time and something just... clicks? That’s what happened to the collective internet regarding Toby Flenderson. For years, The Office fans have obsessed over one specific question: is Toby the Scranton Strangler? On the surface, he’s just the "sad-sack" HR rep that Michael Scott treats like a human speed bump. But if you look closer—and I mean really look at the timeline—the evidence is kinda terrifying.
Honestly, the showrunners might have accidentally (or very intentionally) created one of the most compelling true crime mysteries in fictional history. Let's get into the weeds of why people think the guy who loves the Finer Things Club might actually be a serial predator.
The Case Against Toby Flenderson
If we’re being real, Toby has a lot of reasons to snap. He’s divorced, he barely sees his daughter Sasha, and he has to sit three feet away from a boss who tells him he’s "everything that is wrong with the paper industry" on a daily basis.
But motive isn't just about being sad. It's about timing.
The Car Chase Clue
In the Season 7 episode "The Delivery," the office is buzzing because the police are in a high-speed chase with the Scranton Strangler. Everyone is crowded around Toby’s desk to watch the news coverage. Everyone. Except for Toby. Where was he? Why was his desk the only empty one when his own phone started ringing?
Some fans have pointed out that the car in the chase—a green Mercury Cougar—looks suspiciously like one seen in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot in earlier episodes. If Toby was the one driving that car, it would explain why he was missing. It also explains why he was "unavailable" right when the cops were making their big move.
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The Pam Factor
You’ve seen that scene in "Night Out" where Toby touches Pam’s knee. It’s the kind of cringe that makes you want to crawl into a hole. Immediately after that awkward moment, Toby jumps the fence and announces he’s moving to Costa Rica. He’s impulsive. He’s repressed.
And here is the kicker: on the day Jim and Pam’s daughter, Cece, was born, the newspaper headline reads "Scranton Strangler Strikes Again." Toby wasn't at the hospital. He didn't show up to celebrate the birth of the child of the woman he loved. Instead, he was somewhere else while a "strangling" occurred. It feels like a lash-out. A way to release the steam of watching his dream girl start a family with a "cool" guy like Jim.
Why Is Toby the Scranton Strangler Jury Duty so Weird?
The show tries to tell us that George Howard Skub is the guy. He’s the one the cops caught in that chase. He’s the one who went to prison. But Toby, who served on that very jury, spent the rest of the series telling anyone who would listen that he thought Skub was innocent.
Why would a guy who helped convict someone suddenly feel so guilty?
- The Weight of a Lie: If Toby is the real killer, putting an innocent man in jail is the ultimate "get out of jail free" card. But Toby is a man of conscience—or at least, he’s a man who thrives on being the victim.
- The Prison Visit: In the episode "Moving On," Toby finally goes to the prison to talk to Skub. We don't see what happens inside. We only see Toby come out with a neck brace, having been strangled by Skub.
- The Flip Side: Most people see the neck brace as proof that Skub is the killer. But think about it. If you were an innocent man sitting in a cell and the guy who actually committed the crimes walked in and confessed to your face just to gloat, wouldn't you try to strangle him too?
Toby’s "guilt" might not be about a legal mistake. It might be the crushing weight of knowing he destroyed a man's life to save his own.
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What the Creators Actually Say
Paul Lieberstein, the actor who played Toby and was also a lead writer and showrunner, has played it pretty coy over the years. In various interviews, he’s mentioned that the writers didn't originally set out to make Toby a killer.
However, he’s also admitted that the theory is "kinda fun" and has even suggested a darker twist: maybe the Strangler didn't actually kill people. Lieberstein once noted that in his mind, the Strangler just choked people until they passed out. That sounds exactly like the kind of non-confrontational, passive-aggressive "violence" Toby would commit. He’s not a slasher; he’s a guy who wants to feel in control for five minutes.
The "Silent Killer" Quote
Remember when Toby was trying to talk about radon and asbestos? He called them "silent killers." Michael, being Michael, snapped back and called Toby the silent killer. Toby’s response? "You’ll see."
It’s probably just a throwaway joke. But in the context of a man who is later obsessed with a strangler, it feels like a heavy-handed hint.
Is it Possible There Were Two?
Some theorists have gone down a rabbit hole suggesting that Toby and Creed were in it together, or that Toby was a copycat. We know Creed is... well, Creed. He’s shown up to the office covered in blood on Halloween when he didn't know it was Halloween. He’s clearly a criminal.
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But the Strangler has a specific MO. It's personal. It's hands-on. Toby is a runner; he’s physically fit enough to do it. He’s also an HR rep, meaning he knows everyone's secrets, their home addresses, and their schedules. He is the ultimate "invisible man."
Final Verdict: Is He or Isn't He?
Look, if we’re going by "official" canon, George Howard Skub is the Scranton Strangler. The show never gives us a scene of Toby putting on a mask or hiding a body. But The Office is a show about the mundane horrors of office life. What’s more mundane—and more horrific—than the boring HR guy being a monster in his spare time?
Whether it was a deliberate choice by the writers or a happy accident of "sad guy" tropes, the evidence for Toby is way more substantial than for any other character.
What you should do next:
If you want to dive deeper, go back and watch Season 7, Episode 12 ("Classy Christmas"). Watch Toby's face when he talks about the trial. Then, compare his behavior in the early seasons to his "broken" persona in Season 9. The evolution of a man who has lost everything and found a dark way to cope is right there on the screen. Also, keep an eye on the background of the Annex; there are often files and clippings that suggest Toby was doing a lot more "research" than a normal juror ever would.
Next time you’re on a rewatch, keep a tally of where Toby is during every "Strangler" mention. You might just find that the silence from his desk is the loudest clue of all.