Is The Leftovers’ co-creator Damon Lindelof Hollywood’s version of The Office’s Toby Flenderson? We certainly think so, and it turns out Lindelof agrees. In a post-finale interview with THR, Lindelof admits he feels an affinity for the embattled HR rep. “[Y]ou can ask my wife about this — when we would watch The Office, I would be like, ‘God, poor Toby. F—ing, this poor guy,’†he recalls. In fact, if you were to invite Lindelof to take an online quiz to determine which Office character he is, he could politely turn you down, because he already knows: “I just totally felt for him and I really identify with him. I definitely feel like if you were to say, ‘Who are you on The Office?’ I would be like, ‘I’m definitely Toby.’†Take that, David Simon!
Elsewhere in Leftovers finale interviews, Lindelof dropped another silly piece of TV trivia. While speaking to Variety’s Maureen Ryan, he joked that Janel Maloney’s Mary, recently awoken from a coma, would have to spend most of her time binge-watching all the prestige dramas she missed. Except for one: “Fun fact: [In the world of the show,] Matthew Weiner departed on October 14, which resulted in Mad Men’s abrupt conclusion after its third season. So sad.†It is sad, but at least now we have another explanation for why everyone on The Leftovers is so glum: They never experienced the joy of “Zou Bisou Bisouâ€!