We waved goodbye to Scranton and the workers at Dunder Mifflin almost four years ago, but in the time since, fans of The Office have been haunted by a theory putting lonely HR rep Toby Flenderson behind the mask of the Scranton Strangler. How could such a mild-mannered guy be a killer? Well, that’s what they all say.
While various theories have pointed the finger at everyone from Dwight to Jim as the Strangler, most deduce that Flenderson is the culprit thanks to circumstantial evidence. The fact that Toby has been missing at key points throughout the series run, and has a semi-personal relationship with wrongly-convicted George Howard Skub, a picture is painted of a man beaten down by life with a motive to kill.
As you’ll see in the video:
- Toby has no one that loves him (as Michael has pointed out countless times)
- Toby has made multiple, dark remarks about killing without a hint of sarcasm
- Toby’s guilt after being “pressured” into convicting George Howard Skub as the Scranton Strangler eats him up inside
- The lone phone call when everyone was watching the Scranton Strangler chase at his desk doesn’t add up. Who is dialing Toby, a man with no friends, directly? Such convenient timing, as well…
Now, YouTube creator Lilrone has found new evidence which further cements Toby, or at the very least someone who works in the same business park as Dunder Mifflin, as the Scranton Strangler. In the season 7 episode “Viewing Party,” Lilrone notices the 2000 green Mercury Cougar being chased by police has been seen before — when Michael, Dwight, and Andy are doing hardcore parkour.
Would this convict Toby? No. And why wouldn’t the police have the license plate of the car they chased? Perhaps Toby has multiple, interchangeable plates or maybe this was pure luck, but it adds fuel to the fire that something dark is is playing out under all the heartwarming hijinks of The Office.