Do they also admit out loud to having a drug problem, like Ryan did?
Ok, now that would lead me to believe he had a drug problem. But, I must have missed that part. 
Bingo…unless a character clearly says “This is my first time doing <whatever drug>”, then that character is a habitual user.
It’s like having a female character casually mention that her stomach is upset in the morning – that can only mean that the character is pregnant.
I can’t think of any other sitcom that had a drug user come up like that. But I can remember a few alcoholics.
Well, he only asked about a friend, so it couldn’t be about him. Right? 
Practically every cokehead I’ve ever known claimed they weren’t addicts and that they were just doing it “recreationally” (is there any other way to use it?). Cocaine addiction develops very quickly and not that many people can do it for long without getting strung out. I don’t care what they tell you.
Secondly, it’s a TV show. The implication that the character was strung out was clear and unambiguous in television terms. When a TV character keeps going into the bathroom and coming out rubbing his nose, that’s television code for “drug problem.” Sitcoms do not show characters casually using cocaine without having a problem with it. (as a matter of fact, I believe there is some kind of FCC rule which states that drug use cannot be shown in a positive light or shown without consequences).
And just in case there was any doubt, Ryan was shown asking about a fictional “friend” with a drug problem.
I was wondering if the warning that Ryan gave to Jim was official, in that it was going to be written up and be part of Jim’s record. If it was, then it was really awful to treat it in such a casual manner, not backed up by any specific incident.
Well this is the same Ryan who wanted to outsource Kelly’s job to India (yes…she’s Indian too…I know it’s confusing).
Thanks for the praise, Liberal! Wasn’t expecting that. 
Indygrrl, in addition to Ryan’s acknowledgement in the clubbing episode (one has to presume his question about “a friend” was a ruse … I mean, it came out of nowhere except his obvious unhappiness and concern), Ryan has been acting hyped-up for some time, especially his rambling business jargon mishmash in Launch Party:
Admittedly he could just be drinking too much Red Bull. But coupled with his behavior at the night club and in his wee NYC apartment, I think the writers are making it pretty clear.
That 70s Show and it’s constant pot use (with no consequences) says hello.
Maybe they changed it or maybe it was a self-imposed standard, but I could swear there at least used to be some kind of prohibition (self-imposed or otherwise) on showing positive depictions of drug use. I can’t find it by Googling, though. Oh, well.
I’m not too familiar with That 70s Show, but they never actually talk about smoking pot, do they? I thought it was all inferred.
When the four main guys (and sometimes Donna) are in the circle in the basement, they’re generally smoking pot.
But I disagree that there weren’t consequences. Eric & Steven were always afraid of Red and Kitty finding their stash, and Steven gets arrested when he claims that Jackie’s pot is his.
Well, we don’t know what came first. When the series started Michael’s hatred of Toby was established but was that a result of Toby’s actions before the show started?
I tend to think that Michael’s treatment of Toby isn’t entirely irrational. Remember the episode earlier this season when Jim was in charge and Toby came in his office, whining about his birthday? As Jim expressed, Toby can be frustrating. Perhaps a few years of that – as well as the fact that Toby reports directly to corporate, not Michael – explains a lot of Michael’s hatred.
Sorry, but Toby’s pathetic life may be the result of his actions. Perhaps no one can get along with him. The jerkish behavior he’s exhibiting now may have existed all along and explain his lack of friends, his divorce, his hatred by Michael, etc.
I love when you can see Darryl mentally how much “Black” nonsense he can get Michael to believe. “Fluffy-fingers” was pretty good.
Actually, I’d like to see an episode that just shows a day in the life of the warehouse crew; I’d like to see what kind of boss Darryl is.
You’re right. I didn’t concider that. It was just that he came off as really likeable and rational in the first seasons that led me to believe he was treated unfairly. Also, I suppose, that fact that he’s HR – typically a branch that requires social competence.
HA! What episode was this joke in? 
(Just kidding, but seriously, I’ve met several HR people in my career who weren’t resources and barely counted as human. Social competence doesn’t appear to be a requirement of the position.)
I think Michael dislikes Toby primarily for the obvious reason: Michael sees him as a spoilsport for his absurd shenanigans. However, I also have a rather bizarre sense that beyond all the truckloads of bluster, insecurity, ignorance and immaturity, Michael often displays childlike, almost preternatural moments of insight. He doesn’t come to these moments intellectually, but accidentally. He’s the type to slip on the banana peel of life only to land on the truth.
In other words, though he hates Toby on a gut level and comes up with all sorts of scattershot reasons – which almost no one (including the audience) believes or pays much attention to – Michael has actually seen through Toby’s passive aggressive, envious and surprisingly vindictive self. After spending so much time blurting out only the over-the-top TobyHate, Michael just can’t articulate a realistic version of Toby’s flaws.
He’s like the boy who cried wolf. Or at least the boy who cried “That’s what she said.”
Having seen the third deleted scene, I am pretty certain that Toby had nothing to do with Jim’s reprimand. It was all Ryan. Furthermore, I don’t think that this one small incident, even if Toby was slightly involved, makes Toby into a “pathetic” or “jerkish” person all-round. I think the deleted scene is pretty unambiguous. Going after Jim was not Toby’s idea. The only reason he fixated on the “Pam” stuff in his talking head is because that’s what his own mind is stuck on.
All of the characters are shown to be well-rounded. Which means that they don’t always show their best sides. No matter who you are, there’s someone who thinks you’re a jerk for something you’ve done. Jim can be a jerk, Dwight can be a jerk, Michael can be a jerk, and Toby can be a jerk. But that doesn’t undermine the fact that Toby and Jim are both pretty decent people.
Almost forgot to mention just how disappointed I am in Jim. My respect for him has dropped drastically.
Eagles fan…ugh…
This makes a lot of sense to me, mainly because of Michael’s line to Toby in early S2. “I hate so much about the way you choose to be.”