Todd Packer
| Todd Packer | |
|---|---|
| The Office character | |
|
David Koechner as Todd Packer | |
| First appearance |
"Pilot" (voice only) "Sexual Harassment" (first physical appearance) |
| Last appearance | "The Farm" |
| Created by | Greg Daniels |
| Portrayed by | David Koechner |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | "Packman", "Fudge", "Packster", "Wacky Pack", "Pack Attack" |
| Occupation | Traveling salesman |
| Spouse(s) | Unnamed ex-wife |
| Children | Unnamed daughter |
| Based on | Chris Finch |
Todd Finch Packer, almost always referred to by his surname, is a fictional character on NBC's television series The Office. Packer is portrayed by David Koechner and is based upon the character Chris Finch from the original British version of the series.
Koechner and Steve Carell previously worked together in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Koechner's appearance makes him the second main Anchorman cast member to appear in the series, after Carell and before Will Ferrell, who guest-starred as Deangelo Vickers, in a four-episode arc during the seventh season.
Biography
Todd Packer is the extremely boorish, alcoholic, and sexually promiscuous Outside Sales Representative of Dunder Mifflin, whose obscene, disrespectful jokes, which often reflect his misogynistic and homophobic views, usually offend others around him, except for Michael Scott (although, in a deleted scene from the first season, Michael is uncomfortable when Packer starts telling a Jewish joke and quickly changes the subject).[1] Packer has also been known to presume jokingly that other males in the office are homosexual, such as when he asked Jim if he was "still queer" and when he called the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office and asked to speak with Michael, whom he calls a "gay nerd".
Although Michael considers Packer to be his best friend, and even has him listed as his emergency contact,[2] their friendship appears to be largely one-sided, with Packer treating Michael more like an audience for, and occasional target of, his jokes rather than a friend. He has used Michael as a scapegoat before, such as when Packer picked up a bouncer's girlfriend while he and Michael were at a convention, only to leave Michael behind, after which Michael was savagely beaten up by the bouncer and his friends. In "Sexual Harassment", Michael recalls that once on a sales trip together he and Packer met female twins and brought them back to their hotel room. Packer, however, had sex with both of them. Packer has also pulled some considerably cruel jokes on Michael as well, such as in the episode "The Carpet", wherein a highly malodorous substance has been left in Michael's office. (Although the substance is never clearly identified, it is implied that it is human feces.) Michael is outraged until he learns that Packer is the culprit, at which point Michael's attitude changes and he comes to believe that the practical joke is wildly clever. However, in "Todd Packer", Michael finally loses respect for him, after he insults Michael's girlfriend, Holly Flax.
In many of his trips to the office, Packer has obnoxiously flirted with many of the female employees, including Pam Halpert (causing her to pretend to have to be on the phone for hours), Karen Filippelli (before discovering that she was dating Jim at the time, to which he responds by claiming either that Jim has "been scared straight" or that Karen is actually a man), and Meredith Palmer, the only woman in the office who appears to be attracted to him.
Packer drives a red Chevrolet Corvette convertible but was at one time unable to drive it after getting a DUI. His personalized Pennsylvania license plate reads "WL HUNG" (meant to be interpreted as WELL HUNG). However, numerous people instead ask Packer if he's a fan of noted American Idol failure William Hung, much to Packer's annoyance. In the seventh-season episode "of his name", he reveals that he has an affinity for alligators, claiming that he is able to name every subspecies. In the same episode, he also reveals that he has an ex-wife as well as an illegitimate daughter with her; he has a troubled relationship with both, referring to his daughter as a "bitch" and comparing her attitude to that of her mother.
Seasons 1–3
Packer is first introduced in the pilot episode of the series, although he is only heard over the phone and is not voiced by Koechner. When Michael is talking with Jan Levenson-Gould, Vice President of Sales, Packer calls the office. After Michael refers to Packer as a "terrific rep", when he answers the phone, which is on speaker, Packer calls Michael a "big queen" and asks him whether Jan, whom he refers to as "Godzillary", has arrived at the office yet before expressing a wish to ask her if "the carpet matches the drapes". Michael then hangs up on him and awkwardly tells Jan that Packer is a "horrible person".[3]
Packer makes his first physical appearance in the episode "Sexual Harassment", wherein he travels to the Scranton branch after an upper management scandal that caused the CFO, Randall, to resign owing to allegations by his secretary. Packer defends the CFO, calling his secretary a "bitch", and further offends the staff with the crude gossip. After Jan and Mr. O'Malley, a lawyer from Corporate, specifically ask Michael not to say the phrase "That's what she said", Jim goads him into breaking his vow by stating numerous double entendres, to the approval of Packer. When Packer later tells a joke and uses Phyllis as an example of an unattractive woman, Michael says that Packer's comment is disrespectful, but Packer intimidates Michael, who then falsely states that he was talking to Kevin. Packer is shown to be disappointed when Michael reprimands the accountant and disdainfully asks him, "[Corporate] really got to you, didn't they?"[4]
In "Christmas Party", Packer attends the office Christmas party near the end of the episode, greeting the staff with "What up, muh nerds?" and wearing a sprig of mistletoe over his crotch. He soon gets drunk and passes out, and a few of the employees use this opportunity to cover him with decorations and silly string.[5]
In "The Carpet", a disgusting substance is left on Michael's carpet, and at the end of the episode Packer calls Michael and reveals that it was he who left it. Whereas Michael had been upset by the prank, after learning that Todd was the culprit Michael now believes that the prank was done "out of love".[6]
In "Back from Vacation", after Michael returns from a vacation in Jamaica with Jan, he calls Packer, who is in Atlanta, to boast about his trip with her. Packer, however, is skeptical of this, so Michael attempts to e-mail him a photo of himself with Jan sunbathing topless at the resort. Unfortunately, Michael clicks on the wrong e-mail address and, instead of sending it to packer@dundermifflin.com, he sends it to the email packaging@dundermifflin.com, which leads to the photo's being forwarded to staff and acquaintances all over the branch.[7]
In "Ben Franklin", Packer meets Karen for the first time and says, "Either this chicks a dude or Halpert got scared straight!" Packer pretends to beat up Michael then goes into his office where Packer suggests hiring a stripper for Bob Vance's bachelor party. Upon Michael's objections based on sexual harassment grounds, Packer recommends that he hire a male stripper for Phyllis's wedding shower as well. This is the definition of "separate but equal" according to Packer.[8]
Seasons 6–9
In "St. Patrick's Day", Michael calls Packer, who is at a pub, to inform him that he will be unable to celebrate the holiday with him, because the CEO of Sabre, Jo Bennett, is making the employees at the office stay late. Packer then tells Michael to "hike up your skirt and pull out your tampon, borrow some balls, and come meet me!" Later in the episode, Michael is direct with Jo and tells her that he is allowing his employees to leave and she complies. The employees then go to the pub, where Packer jokingly humps Michael, only for Meredith to start humping Packer for real, much to his pleasure (causing Michael to wonder aloud, "What the hell is going on back there?").[9] This episode marks Packer's first appearance in the series after a three-year-long absence.
In "Whistleblower", after seeing the YouTube video of Michael addressing the rumors of Sabre's printers catching on fire, Packer calls Michael and tells him, in a high-pitched voice, "I saw you on the news and I want to pinch your tiny wiener" before revealing his true identity, much to Michael's surprise.[10]
In "Costume Contest", he dresses up as a pregnant nun. He is also present when Jim asks the new salesman, Danny Cordray, why Danny did not call Pam after a date that occurred three years earlier. Packer overhears their conversation and asks Jim, "Are you looking for someone to bang your wife?" which Jim ignores.[11]
In "Threat Level Midnight", he appears in Michael's movie of the same name, portraying a drunk in a bar. Upon seeing Michael's character, as well as the other patrons in the bar, dancing the dance known as "The Scarn", he states, "If doing 'The Scarn' is gay, then I'm the biggest queer on Earth!"[12]
Packer is the main focus of the episode "Todd Packer". On Michael's recommendation, Holly allows him to return to his old desk job at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. Packer alternates between offensive jokes, thereby aggravating almost the entire office, and a half-hearted desire to reform. After he reclaims his old desk (which is now Dwight's) next to Jim, Jim and Dwight lead him to believe he is being offered a job at the corporate offices in Tallahassee, Florida. Michael, however, overhears them, and threatens to tell Packer of the deception. But, after Packer insults Holly, Michael decides against it, letting Packer leave for Florida. As Michael and Holly witness Packer driving his Corvette out of the parking lot from Michael's office, Michael tells her that Packer is "an ass".[13]
To Jim and Dwight's horror, Packer returns in "Tallahassee", sinisterly confronting them at the orientation meeting. In a talking-head interview, he discusses the two salesmen's attempt to get him fired, but reveals that he is still working at the company (although it is unknown whether he still retains his previous position or now has a different occupation). In the episode, he is shown to be impressed with president of Sabre's special projects, Nellie Bertram, and he manages to impress her as well. The two are shown flirting with one another, and in the end she invites him, as well as Dwight, to have breakfast with her the following day.[14]
In "After Hours", Packer competes with Dwight to become vice president under Nellie by seducing her after work at the hotel bar. For most of the night, Packer seems to be the most successful, until Dwight has Gabe spike Packer's beer with his asthma inhaler, which causes Packer to vomit.[15]
In "Test the Store", at the Sabre store opening, Dwight tasks Packer with playing the part of a sexual predator, much to Packer's chagrin. In a talking-head interview, Packer acknowledges that Dwight is out to get him, but that he is playing the "long game" and that as soon as he witnesses Dwight making a mistake he will "swoop in like a sexual predator".[16]
In "Last Day in Florida", Packer, attempts to suck up to Dwight, now that Dwight is Vice President, but Dwight still holds him in contempt. When Dwight is late to the presentation, Packer persuades Nellie to appoint him Vice President in Dwight's place. Nellie does so, but unbeknownst to them, CEO Robert California is planning to fire the Vice President owing to the failure of the Sabre store. In the end, despite his protest that he is just a stand-in for Dwight, Packer is terminated.[17]
In "The Farm", Packer returns to the Scranton branch ostensibly to make amends as part of a recovery process, offering cupcakes to everyone in the office. Pam, suspicious that Packer is insulting everyone in the form of an apology, entreats the group not to eat the cupcakes, but as soon as he leaves, everyone except Pam eats them. Afterwards, Packer reveals to the camera that he laced the cupcakes with drugs in retaliation for getting fired. He is later seen visiting Philadelphia, offering the cupcakes to Jim and Darryl, who accept.
References
- ↑ Deleted scenes. The Office. Season One. Region 1 DVD. Prod. Universal Studios; dist. Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2005.
- ↑ "The Fight"
- ↑ written by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant & Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis (2005-2-09). "Pilot". The Office. Season 1. Episode 1. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ written by B.J. Novak and directed by Ken Kwapis (2005-9-27). "Sexual Harassment". The Office. Season 2. Episode 8. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ written by Michael Schur and directed by Charles McDougall (2005-12-06). "Christmas Party". The Office. Season 2. Episode 16. NBC.
- ↑ written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Victor Nelli, Jr. (2006-1-26). "The Carpet". The Office. Season 2. Episode 20. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Julian Farino (2007-1-04). "Back from Vacation". The Office. Season 3. Episode 40. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Randall Einhorn (2007-1-18). "Ben Franklin". The Office. Season 3. Episode 42. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ written by Jonathan Hughs and directed by Randall Einhorn (2010-3-11). "St. Patrick's Day". The Office. Season 6. Episode 119. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Whistleblower". The Office. NBC.
- ↑ written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Dean Holland (2010-10-28). "Costume Contest". The Office. Season 7. Episode 132. NBC.
- ↑ written by B.J. Novak and directed by Tucker Gates (2011-2-17). "Threat Level Midnight". The Office. Season 7. Episode 143. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ written by Amelie Gillette and directed by Randall Einhorn (2011-2-24). "Todd Packer". The Office. Season 7. Episode 144. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ written by Daniel Chun and directed by Matt Sohn (2012-2-16). "Tallahassee". The Office. Season 8. Episode 167. NBC. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "After Hours". The Office. NBC.
- ↑ "Test the Store". The Office. NBC.
- ↑ "Last Day in Florida". The Office. NBC.
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