One of the running subplots through the recently concluded seventh season of The Office was the Scranton Strangler. It wasn’t really a main plot, and was actually pretty easy to miss. There were a few mentions of it, then Toby was put on the jury and disappeared for a while, and then we didn’t hear much more about it. Now that the season is over, it appears that the story was just a way to get Toby out of the way and make room for the return of Amy Ryan as Holly. Looking back, I’m wondering if that really was the only reason for the Scranton Strangler plot. If it is, I’m hugely disappointed.
Aryeh had some running theories on the strangler in his reviews, and multiple commenters did as well. With Toby mentioning at the end of one of the later episodes that he had doubts about the man that he helped convict of the killings, I was sure that a character we knew was going to be revealed as the true serial killer. Instead, nothing more was mentioned about it.
Perhaps the writers and producers have more planned and just wanted to push the story into next season. If that’s the case, I think it’s a huge mistake. At this point, it just seems like a dangling story line that wasn’t cleared up. There was a ton of possibility with the story line, and it could have really been mined for comedy gold, instead it’s just hanging out there. If it does show up again next season, I would be concerned that no one would remember it because it was so much in the background.
In any case, I think there are some great candidates for the strangler if we think it might be a regular character from the show. Aryeh fingered Gabe for it, and after his break up with Erin showed what a loony bin he was, I was almost expecting him to be unmasked during the otherwise fairly dull finale. Andy’s behavior after his interview in the finale also reminded me of all the anger management problems that he had when his character was first introduced. Could it be that all the bottled up emotion was being released as a serial killer? With Ed Helms’s recent successes in a few movies (including The Hangover), perhaps the actor was looking for a way off the show? Of course the show is full of so many crazy characters, it could be just about anyone. Would anyone really be surprised to learn that Creed or Meredith or even Ryan were killing folks when not working at Dunder-Mifflin?
What did you think about the plot this year? Was it a waste? Have we seen the last of it? Who do you think is the Scranton Strangler?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on May 26, 2011 @ 14:00 EST5EDT
I agree; I really thought we’d see more of this story too. It would be a shame if it wasn’t picked up next season at least, although I don’t think it’s anyone who works at the office. If anything, I was expecting it to be some random minor character who was introduced. Or maybe Ray Romano – I could see that poor guy strangling someone.
I wonder – maybe the season premiere will cast someone we don’t know (or have met vaguely in passing) as the new manager, only to have them arrested in their office as the Scranton Strangler. That, in turn, will make it another desperate scramble to fill the job, opening the door for a questionable candidate like Darryl or Andy.
I’ve been saying forever that Gabe is the Scranton Strangler, so obviously I’m disappointed that they didn’t tie up this loose thread in the finale. It would have been a nice way to get rid of an odious character.
I was really hoping for Timothy Olyphant. Oh well.
I know who it is.
The killer is James Spader character.
You heard it here first! :)
It would fit into who they never closed the story off, and he was creepy as hell.