After a long time on the road, Todd Packer returns to Scranton looking for a desk job. Unable to put up with his despicable personality, Dwight and Jim plot to get rid of him once and for all.
Tropes
- Brick Joke: Jim suggests jamming Todd's desk drawer just a little so he could see everything inside but not be able to grab any of it. Dwight just scoffs at him and says that wouldn't annoy anyone. In a later scene while he and Jim are plotting, Dwight goes to open his drawer to get a pen... only to find it jammed, leaving him progressively irritated. Jim just walks away with a smile on his face.
- Card-Carrying Jerkass: When the issue is probed in this episode, Todd Packer knows he's offensive. He thinks it's a preferable behavior as opposed to sugar-coating his feelings.
- Character Development: Michael finally sees Packer for what he is after he insults Holly, and goes along with the plot to get rid of him. He even admits to Holly, “Packer’s an ass.”
- Character Title: The episode is named after the recurring character Todd Packer.
- Child Hater: Downplayed example. Packer says that his daughter is a "bitch".
- Curse Cut Short: When Michael tries to point out all the things Packer has in common with everyone.Michael: Packer is a survivor of divorce, Stanley. Packer doesn't talk to his child, Meredith. Packer never lived up to his parents' expectations, Andy.Andy: (nervous laughter)Michael: Angela loves pussycats, Packer loves—Angela: No, don't!Michael: I was going to say "dogs"!
- Enemy Mine: Packer takes Dwight's desk upon his return, much to the chagrin of Dwight. Jim quickly realizes that dealing with Dwight as a desk neighbor is much better than dealing with Packer, so he teams up with Dwight to get rid of Packer.
- Make It Look Like a Struggle: Played for laughs. Pam acquieses to Andy's request for a new computer by covertly suggesting that he would have to break his old computer; Andy proceeds to abuse the crap out of it by putting food in the CD tray and accepting all pop-ups. Then in order to not make it look like Andy got a fresh new computer, Pam puts stickers all over it and scuffs it up to make it look like a trashy old computer she found lying around the warehouse.
- Popcultural Osmosis Failure: Courtesy of Dwight: "Who is Justice Beaver?"
- Product Placement: During Jim and Dwight's over-the-phone attempt to get Packer to Florida, Dwight insists Packer get a butterbeer at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Jim is notably irritated by this; it should be noted Dwight is a huge Harry Potter nerd, so this is in-character for him as opposed to just being put in by the NBCUniversal higher-ups (the episode aired about eight months after the area opened at Islands of Adventure).
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Holly telling Michael that not only does she think Todd Packer is not as funny as he does, but when Michael says that Packer is funnier than him, she disagrees and says that Michael is way funnier than he is. Michael, who has always considered himself inferior to Packer, is quite taken aback by this.
