Darryl Philbin was easily one of the most likable characters in The Office. The warehouse foreman turned assistant regional manager of Dunder Mifflin had one of the best arcs on the whole show. Darryl was funny, charming and possibly one of the most reasonable people at the company.
Darryl also never missed an opportunity to mess with Michael, especially since he was aware that Michael was ignorant and borderline racist. Darryl had some of the most creative one-liners and comebacks and here are just some of the most interesting quotes by him.
Sitting On Your Biscuit, Never Having To Risk It
During the Safety Training episode when Michael gets desperate to prove that a desk job is just as risky as a warehouse job, Darryl gives him a reality check. Michael obviously had a lot of insecurities about how macho Darryl’s job was and was hell-bent on proving that he was just as comfortable operating heavy machinery.
Not only that, but Michael also talked about how a desk job is almost as dangerous as in a loading/unloading job at a warehouse, when Darryl taunts Michael by saying that he led a ‘nerf’ life. “Sitting on your biscuit, never having to risk it,” mocked Darryl.
Dinkin Flicka
Darryl had famously taught Michael some ‘street slang,’ as the latter wanted to toughen up and sound cool and perhaps earn some street cred. Michael had relentlessly stereotyped Darryl based on his race and had even asked him several times about his life on the streets, without knowing anything about Darryl’s life or background.
So as a way to get back to him Darryl had told Michael about some fake phrases which he and his friends, the funniest of them being ‘Dinkin Flicka.’ To make matters worse, Darryl had even taught Michael a fake handshake to go with it, which may just be funnier than the phrases.
Are You Wearing Lady Clothes?
One of the funniest episodes of The Office featured Michael coming to work in a woman’s pant suit, which in retrospect isn’t a big deal.
However, for Michael who’s tremendously insecure about his sexuality and manliness, it was a huge blow when Darryl pointed out to him that he was wearing a woman’s suit, that too in the middle of a salary negotiation where Michael was trying to establish his superiority with some practiced power moves. Darryl, who immediately sensed what had happened, obviously had some hilarious comebacks.
It’s Lejon Brames
When Dwight starts a gym in Season 8, Darryl joins in. But when Dwight sees him taking it easy with beginner’s weights he tries to get him to explore the more intense workouts. He tells Darryl that with the help of his gym, he will make him look like LeBron James.
Darryl pulls something funny and corrects him saying, “It’s Lejon Brames.” And Dwight actually nods along, which is baffling because LeBron is easily one of the most famous American athletes, but Darryl knew Dwight wouldn’t refute him on this one.
Bippity Boppity Give Me The Zoppity
Perhaps one of the most hysterical street catchphrases Darryl ever tight Michael was the one that started with ‘Bippity Boppity.’ Not only is it obvious that Darryl is making these up, but actually acts as a plot device to establish how gullible and ignorant Michael really is.
In fact Darryl asked him to try it out during his salary negotiations with Jan, which would have also affected Daryl’s own paycheck. But Darryl admitted that even though it’s risky and may actually make things worse for him and Michael both, he just couldn’t help take that dig.
He’s Looking Like Hillary Clinton
Darryl made quite a lot of jokes at Michael’s expense, which is surprising because Michael was kind of his boss too. But Darryl could sense that Michael was desperate for his approval and also really wanted the warehouse guys to think he was cool, so Michael would often let them make fun of him.
When Michael accidentally wore a woman’s pantsuit, Darryl compared him to Hillary Clinton, but to mock him, of course. Not only that, he calls up Roy to tell him what Michael did and even sent him a picture.
Do Not Touch My Radio
Darryl was somewhat territorial about his stuff, and it’s not entirely unreasonable considering most people in Dunder Mifflin had almost no sense of boundaries. When Darryl gave Michael and Holly a lift in his truck, the two lovebirds start messing around with his radio, which made Darryl scream, “Do not touch my radio.”
This may seem like a direct reference to the famous line from Rush Hour, but Michael was actually the one who had brought it up in an earlier episode when he and Darryl were headed to New York.
In The Gang World We Use Something Called Fluffy Fingers
Michael’s nasty habit of stereotyping Darryl did get on the latter’s nerves but he came up with a creative way of dealing with the situation. Whenever Michael would seek his advice on something related to street lingo or something similarly racially insensitive, Darryl would go along with it and get creative just to mess with Michael.
Once after a workplace argument Michael goes to Darryl to ask him if he was ever in a gang, which is ridiculously racist. To get back at him Darryl tells Michael that he had been in more than one gang and in the ‘gang world’, the code to taking care of a diss is by tickling and is known as ‘fluffy fingers.’
Start Selling Multiple Reams Like A Man
Darryl’s fantastic sense of humor was not appreciated enough on the show, but he had some of the best comebacks. During the online vs offline sales debacle, Dwight screams at Kelly for ordering paper via Dunder Mifflin’s website because Dwight is competing with the system to see who’s the better salesman. Darryl comes to Kelly’s rescue and admonishes Dwight with a surprisingly cogent comeback. “How about instead of yelling at our sweet Ms Kapoor over 500 sheets of paper, you get back to your desk? Start selling multiple reams like a man,” Darryl quipped.
You Need To Access Your Uncrazy Side
Darryl was great boyfriend material, and was perhaps the most self-aware person in the entire company, which obviously baffled Kelly who was used to Ryan’s mind games and had probably never been in a balanced, healthy relationship before.
Darryl was always transparent about his feelings and once he realized that his relationship with Kelly had potential he was honest about how he felt about her unreasonable personality. “You need to access your uncrazy side, otherwise maybe this thing has run its course,” he told her.
