Goodbye, Toby

Template:Office episode "Goodbye, Toby" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of The Office (U.S. version). It was written by Paul Lieberstein and Jennifer Celotta and directed by Paul Feig. It aired on May 15, 2008. It was the season finale for the fourth season of The Office and was an hour-long episode.

Synopsis

Dunder Mifflin Scranton is planning a going-away party for Toby before he leaves for Costa Rica. Michael is determined to make the party match the joy in his heart at Toby leaving, but when Angela balks at his unreasonable demands, such as an anti-gravity machine, Phyllis accepts the duty of planning the party. She does fantastically, ordering carnival rides to the parking lot and hiring Darryl's band, much to Angela's chagrin. Angela insists that Phyllis will never plan another office party again.

Michael's hatred of Toby seems to have been transferred to the new HR representative, Holly, and he and Dwight plan to haze her. When she shows disdain for Toby, though, Michael suddenly thinks he is falling in love with her. Jim advises him to fight his over-aggressive instincts and play it slow, and Michael succeeds in warming up to Holly with less-obnoxious small talk and jokes. Michael even tempers Toby's exit interview, which he originally planned to be brutal and insulting, when Holly attends. When Michael's cruel going-away present (a rock with the words "Suck On This") is revealed, Pam cons Michael into giving Toby his sports watch. Dwight continues the hazing, telling Holly that Kevin is mentally challenged and putting a raccoon in her car. When Michael chastises him in front of everyone, Holly is even more receptive. Meanwhile, Kevin misinterprets Holly's praise of his ability to perform mundane tasks that would be difficult for a mentally challenged individual as romantic interest.

Pam is accepted to study graphic design at Pratt Institute, for which she will have to go to New York City for three months. Jim assures her that, while the separation will not be fun, it is still a great opportunity. Meanwhile, when Jim calls Ryan about his huge sale in "Job Fair", Ryan instructs him to enter the sale on the company's website before abruptly hanging up. Jim leaves Ryan a voicemail proclaiming that he will fight for his position at Dunder Mifflin, despite Ryan's attempts to push him out. Shortly afterwards, the staff finds a video on YouTube of Ryan being arrested for fraud. Michael is greatly concerned for his "friend" Ryan, but Jim takes pleasure in the video and leaves Ryan a second voicemail telling him to disregard the last message "since [his] hands are tied."

Jim also contributes to the party-planning fund in order to buy fireworks. He claims it is to give Toby a proper send-off, but later reveals that he has decided to propose to Pam. Pam notices the purchase and guesses his intentions in an interview; however, at the party, just before Jim can pop the question, Andy ruins the moment by proposing to Angela (who responds with a halfhearted "Okay"). Dwight is crushed but says, "It's my own fault." Jim puts the ring back in his pocket. In a later interview, Pam is visibly disappointed, thinking she had guessed wrong. Toby gets the pictures he wanted of him and Pam together and leaves the office forever, but Michael gets in a final shot when he has Hank the security guard escort Toby from the building.

Kevin runs into Jan Levinson at the grocery store and calls Michael to come talk to her. Michael discovers that Jan has artificially inseminated herself from a sperm bank and wants him to be involved in the pregnancy. He initially is indecisive, but eventually calls and agrees to attend lamaze class with her in Allentown.

Right at the end of the episode, Phyllis returns to the office, with the camera crew and compares party planning to a runner's high, evidently pleased at the success of her party, but on her way in, she hears moaning and walks in on Angela and Dwight having sex on one of the desks, which is also recorded by the camera crew accompanying Phyllis.

Reception

"Goodbye, Toby" received a 5.0 Nielsen Rating and a 8% Share. The episode was watched by 8.07 million viewers and achieved a 4.1/10 in the key adults 18–49 demographic.

Deleted Scenes

• Holly is introduced to more employees, including Meredith, whom she tries to befriend, only to have Meredith call her a bitch in a talking head immediately after. Dwight hears the insult and attempts to get Meredith to help him haze Holly by telling her to pretend to make a sandwich (but to actually do it). While telling her his plans, he criticizes her sandwich-making skills.

• Phyllis is making a call in the conference room to a vendor for Toby's going away party. Due to stress, she snaps and curses at the vendor and immediately apologizes. Jim then walks in the conference room and asks how she's doing, to which Phyllis snaps at him and apologizes, then expresses to him that "[she is] so f***ed." In a talking head, she talks about how her mother used to tell her to reach for the sky and that she could be anything she wanted to be, but Phyllis now thinks it is too late to reach her full potential.

Notes

• This is the second time Dwight destroys his cell phone because of Jim's pranks. The first time was in "A Benihana Christmas", in which Jim convinced Dwight the CIA accepted him for a mission and then ordered him to destroy his phone.
• This is the second time Michael makes a Yoda impression.
• Paul Lieberstein wrote this episode, thus writing off his own character.
• Michael's "anti-gravity" machine which he heard from a "movie" could possibly come from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
• This episode marks the first appearance of Holly Flax (Amy Ryan), who is presumed to be a regular member of the cast (being as she replaced Toby) for the upcoming fifth season. She was written with Amy Ryan in mind as the Office writers are fans of The Wire, a show previously mentioned on the Office.
• A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees sticker can be seen on the vending machine when Pam tells Jim that she's been accepted at Pratt Institute.
• Pam has used the word "perfect" before in the office, "The Perfect Storm" in "The Fight".
• Michael mentions that he's worked for Toby for 12 years, meaning he's been there at least 1 year after Michael first started at the Office.
• During the conversation with Jan, Michael mentions his use of Propecia which explains the change in hair style and thickness between season 1 and season 2. He also mentions using Accutane, an acne medication associated with birth defects when taken by pregnant women.
• Phyllis' discovery of Dwight and Angela's intimate relationship makes her the fourth person to be made aware of it, after Pam, Jim and Ryan.
• When Jim answers Dwight's call on his phone, he makes it sound as though he is talking to Dwight's mother, although she is deceased ("Fun Run").
• As Michael and the Security Guard arrive to escort Toby, at first there is nothing on the wall of his cubicle behind him, but after he's shown a second time the wall has papers tacked to it.