Toby returns to the office and Michael immediately tries to find a way to get rid of him again.
Tropes
- Arson, Murder, and Admiration: Angela is accused of writing a passive aggressive note on the microwave. She rants about how it was rude, condescending and snotty... so she's very upset that she can't claim credit for it.
- Big "NO!": Michael lets out an epic one when he realizes that Toby is back. See for yourself.
- Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head: Michael calls Toby an "evil snail."
- The Bus Came Back: Toby returns. Interestingly, he had already been back for a week before Michael noticed.
- Comically Missing the Point: Michael says that unless he signs his texts with "911," people don't return his calls. But he doesn't understand why, now when he does it, everyone thinks something terrible has happened.
- Everyone Has Standards: Michael clearly isn't happy about attempting to frame Toby, and possibly botched it due to this.
- Failed a Spot Check: Michael didn't notice Toby at his desk for a week despite him nearly in eye-line from his office.Dwight: I'm concerned you may have brain damage.
- Frame-Up: The main motive of this episode.
- Hypocrite: Michael (sexual harassment) and Dwight (workplace violence) have committed many of the acts they're trying to frame Toby for to get him fired.
- Imagine Spot: Parodied. The audience doesn't get to see it due to the format of the show, but when Toby thinks he's alone at his desk, he halfheartedly assumes a boxer's stance, throws some jabs, and mutters, "... punch you, Michael... "
- Jerkass Has a Point: Weirdly enough Michael does, when he explodes that Toby chiding him about wasting the police's time and the taxpayer's money probably shouldn't be his first or primary concern on possibly being framed by his boss for drug possession.
- Mistaken for Junkie: Subverted. Michael's attempt to plant a baggie of marijuana in Toby's desk is foiled as soon as the police show up and recognize it as a green salad. (Michael attempted to buy real marijuana from some loading dock workers, but they just gave him their lunch and told him it was weed.)
- My God, You Are Serious!: Jim, who at first thinks Michael is joking about Toby still being in Costa Rica, only to realize Michael genuinely doesn't know he's been back for a week.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Michael immediately begins to regret the entire frame-up and tries to backpedal when real police officers show up to potentially arrest Toby.
- Never My Fault: Michael blames Dwight and Pam for Michael not knowing Toby was back for an entire week. He even says, "You can not expect me to keep track of all my personnel," even though, as he is a manager, that is literally his entire job.
- Oh, Crap!: Michael when real police officers show up to arrest Toby.
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Pam leaves an anonymous note to whoever didn't clean the communal microwave and it devolves into a note-based argument.
- Put on a Bus: Ryan breaks up with Kelly again and claims he's going to Thailand.
- The '70s: Jim alludes to this while showing his parents' hipster home.
- Skewed Priorities: Michael accuses Toby of this, angered that Michael was caught trying to frame him and yet his main concern is that Michael wasted the officers' time.
- Zany Scheme: Dwight goes off onto this to describe his 'perfect crime'.
