The Office: 10 Things About Darryl Philbin That Make No Sense

The Office is widely considered by many to be one of the greatest shows of all time, and it’s easy to see why this the case. Whether it be the engaging storylines, tight writing, incredible humor, or the memorable characters — The Office pretty much nails everything on the head, making for a truly sublime viewing experience indeed.

When it comes to the characters, one particular person in the show who became a mainstay of The Office over time has to be Darryl Philbin. Initially starting out as a warehouse manager, Darryl quickly made his way into the office and even secured his very own office as well.

Darryl’s character arc might be satisfying to watch, but that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of any errors — in fact, there are actually some glaring things about Darryl Philbin’s character that make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

10 Michael Should’ve Fired Him A Long Time Ago

Michael might seem like a bumbling fool at times, but there’s no denying the fact that he still has the position of a Regional Manager, and should command a certain level of respect.

In the early seasons, Darryl was extremely rude to Michael and even mocked him directly at times. The fact that Michael didn’t take a stand and chuck Darryl out for such insubordinate behavior is rather odd.

9 He Should’ve Reported Michael’s Irresponsible Behavior To HR

However, it’s not like Darryl was the only person who insulted Michael at times. This was a two-way street, with Michael also — inadvertently at times — talking inappropriately to Darryl, if not straight-up hampering the warehouse work too.

Darryl had every right to go up to Toby and report Michael’s questionable behavior… but he chose to ignore it instead.

8 His Bully Persona Seemed To Magically Disappear

Over time — and especially after Michael’s departure — Darryl magically stopped messing around with people.

This was certainly a rather jarring change to witness firsthand, especially since most people associated his character with basically being a workplace bully of sorts.

7 His Nice Guy Persona Seems Like A Contrived Way To Redeem The Character

In a bid to make the character seem more likable in the eyes of viewers, Darryl was given more of a nice guy personality as the series went on.

While one might argue that this was quite successful and Darryl genuinely became one of the better characters on the show, it still felt just a tad bit too jarring… almost like the writers were forcing viewers into believing that Darryl wasn’t really all that bad to begin with.

6 The Fact That He Told Kevin To Commit Bank Fraud Is Pretty Ridiculous

For someone who’s supposed to be a nice guy, Darryl almost managed to convince Kevin to perform a rather heinous task that would’ve definitely made him look extremely bad in the eyes of viewers.

Kevin was almost coerced into bank fraud by taking a loan for a false reason, and Darryl’s prize for suggesting this idea was a cut of the funds. Thankfully, the bank teller recognized Kevin and denied him any form of a loan, preventing Kevin from committing any crime.

5 His Relationship With Kelly Was The Most Forced Thing Ever

After Ryan gets a job in corporate and breaks up with Kelly, she decides to get back at her (temporarily) hotshot ex-boyfriend by getting together with Darryl instead.

This relationship can be awfully cringey at times, and it’s obvious to pretty much everyone that Kelly was just using Darryl as a way to make Ryan jealous. The fact that Darryl still decided to go through this farce of a relationship is rather odd on his part indeed.

4 His Infatuation With Val Pretty Much Disappears Further Down The Line

Most of Darryl’s romances have been painful to watch in The Office. His dynamic with Val was pretty interesting when their love was blossoming, but over time this romantic subplot was pretty much shelved for more interesting storylines.

Of course, it definitely didn’t help that Darryl decided to end their relationship in a really weird way too.

3 The Manner In Which He Tried To Break Up With Valerie Was A Bit Too Manipulative

It’s hard to believe that the writers wrote Darryl’s character in a bid to make him likable, when in reality some of the actions that he performs — even in later seasons — are pretty heinous, and downright manipulative at times.

The worst example of this is when he wants to split up with Valerie… but he wants to manipulate her to the point where she’s the one who breaks up with him instead. The manner in which he carries his plan out is quite horrible, making most people wonder why they even rooted for this character in the first place.

2 He Should’ve Taken The Minority Training Program More Seriously

After his warehouse buddies end up winning the lottery and dividing their earnings, Darryl becomes disillusioned with his job and complains to Andy about how it was actually him who deserved the managerial position, not the Cornell alumnus.

However, this is pretty hypocritical, since it was Darryl himself who had the opportunity to take his goal of being a manager seriously when he was chosen to be a part of the Minority Training Program… but ended up prioritizing his intermural softball league instead.

1 His Friendship With Andy Is Quite Odd Indeed

Speaking of Andy, the fact that he and Darryl end up becoming close buds over the course of the show feels rather strange. This is very much unlike Darryl and Jim, who feel quite natural as good friends in comparison.

It doesn’t help that Andy constantly annoys Darryl at certain times, making viewers question as to why he’s even bothering to stick around in such an annoying dynamic to begin with.