S05.E12: Myrtle

[Aulty]

Quote

Employees wrestle with the loss of beloved co-worker Myrtle… and the fact that she left a large sum of money to Jonah. Cheyenne recruits Mateo in a possible pyramid scheme, while Dina reconnects with a surprise visitor in the store: her father (Dean Norris).

Original Air Date: January 16th, 2019

[fishcakes]

Oh, I'm so glad they're going to do a Myrtle episode.

[Aulty]

Mateo is now seriously dating Amy's brother?

Giving the money so some religious scam made me so mad. Glenn moved from being naive to downright stupid.

I liked the story with Dina's dad and wonder if we will see him again in the future. Good casting too.

The stuff with Cheyenne and Mateo was lame but a perfect illustration of their relationship and how they tend to manipulate others and each other.

[chaifan]

I had to check... according to IMDB, yes the actress who played Myrtle really did pass away.  Linda Porter died in September, 2019.  I think it's really sweet they devoted an episode to her.  But I'm amazed at the timing.  I would have thought the entire season would have been completed by then. 

Glenn being conned by the pastor (while he's at his house on Lake Como!) was bad enough, but I was mad that they had the entire breakroom siding with him on this.  Even Sayid?  I was really hoping Glenn would figure it out in the end, but no.

ETA: Also, it was really nice to see Dina smile, a lot, during an episode.  We so rarely get to see that.

Edited January 17, 2020 by chaifan

[iMonrey]

chaifan the show had a "in memory of" card at the end of their episode several weeks back when the actress actually passed. I thought it was really nice they did this tribute episode to the character, too. 

Dean Norris! I hate to say it, but how the heck did this show get him as a guest star? He's perfect as Dina's dad though. That was actually kind of a sad storyline.

One thing I wish is that they had explained why Myrtle left Jonah $1000. They never did.

I loved the continuity of Dina telling Sandra her real last name sounded made up. Then when she met Dina's dad and told him her real name he said "sure it is."

[Chardee MacDennis]

I love that they did an entire episode dedicated to the passing of Myrtle. So many times shows don't address things like this. They just move on as though we're supposed to just "forget" said character. 

BTW, why is Glenn back in the manager shirt & tie? Did I miss something? 

[jmonique]

25 minutes ago, Chardee MacDennis said:

BTW, why is Glenn back in the manager shirt & tie? Did I miss something? 

He agreed to become floor manager (replacing Mateo, who replaced Amy after her promotion) last week, when Amy was too incompetent to regain control over a coup by the male floor workers.

[joanne3482]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

One thing I wish is that they had explained why Myrtle left Jonah $1000. They never did.

For some reason I just assumed it was because she had a little bit of a crush on him. The way she addressed the envelope I think. Or did she get Jonah and Glenn confused. 

[theatremouse]

8 hours ago, chaifan said:

Linda Porter died in September, 2019.  I think it's really sweet they devoted an episode to her.  But I'm amazed at the timing.  I would have thought the entire season would have been completed by then. 

It would be very unusual for a network sitcom airing a fall-spring season to have all scripts finished by September, and even more unusual to have the shows in the can at that point. Most sitcoms are usually recorded about 6-8 weeks ahead of airing. They probably had a few weeks to replace whatever the A plot of this one would've been  with the Myrtle plot. The MLM b-story with Cheyenne and Mateo may have ripple effects to later episodes but whatever they might have previously planned for this slot was probably self-contained anyway, or it may have been early enough that when she died this plot didn't necessarily replace anything.

[Chardee MacDennis]

8 hours ago, jmonique said:

He agreed to become floor manager (replacing Mateo, who replaced Amy after her promotion) last week, when Amy was too incompetent to regain control over a coup by the male floor workers.

Right! 

Thank you for the memory jog! 

[chaifan]

8 hours ago, jmonique said:

He agreed to become floor manager (replacing Mateo, who replaced Amy after her promotion) last week, when Amy was too incompetent to regain control over a coup by the male floor workers.

I wouldn't say Amy was "too incompetent".  She played the situation to her advantage, so that Glenn would insist on becoming floor manager (because it takes a man to manage men), giving her what she wanted in the first place.

[jmonique]

Just now, chaifan said:

I wouldn't say Amy was "too incompetent".  She played the situation to her advantage, so that Glenn would insist on becoming floor manager (because it takes a man to manage men), giving her what she wanted in the first place.

I respect your angle, but I stand by what I said. Amy has consistently shown an inability this season to effectively manage situations and stand up to her staff, from Dina to Jonah to the men chastising her while she was on the phone during the ridiculous #NotAllMen meeting. 

[SnarkEnthusiast]

Nice tribute to Linda Porter. It feels ballsy to joke/make a subplot about Myrtle not getting into heaven when the actress is actually dead. This must've been a sad episode to film.

Felt bad for Dina, but standing up to her dad was an empowering moment for her.

Matteo is just dating Amy's brother off screen now? What happened to the unresolved feelings between him and Jeff?

So we're apparently getting an Amy/Jonah engagement by the end of the season, I'm guessing. Jonah's way of gently teasing Amy is very endearing...I just wish she didn't have such a stick up her ass with him all the time. Let her be soft, like when they were drinking and giggling after the union deal. Just little moments to show us they're actually in love instead of having her be constantly cold and anal and disapproving towards him.

[tennisgurl]

It was nice to get a whole tribute episode to Myrtle/Linda Porter, and the ending was really sweet. The plot itself wasnt my favorite (is everyone just getting stupider by the episode?) but I enjoyed the tribute to the actress and honoring her passing. 

Dean Norris is a great get! He really does seem like he could be Dinas dad, in looks and personality, and I am glad she told him off and that he cant take credit for who she became because he left. 

I think that Myrtle might have had a bit of a crush on Jonah, and thats why she left him the money. Jonah teasing Amy was getting a ring was cute, and it was nice to see them on the same team and not really fighting. Although its sad that I have to point out that its a nice change of pace that the shows main couple are actually getting along.

 

[Kip Hackman]

On 1/17/2020 at 11:23 PM, jmonique said:

I respect your angle, but I stand by what I said. Amy has consistently shown an inability this season to effectively manage situations and stand up to her staff, from Dina to Jonah to the men chastising her while she was on the phone during the ridiculous #NotAllMen meeting. 

Unfortunately, the "clueless boss" is a sitcom trope that writers still cling to. 

A good comparison for Amy is Jim Halpert/The Office. When he wasn't in charge, he was the sane, rational one. But whenever they put him in a position of authority, he became a bumbling doofus. It's lazy.

[rhys]

What was the deal with the drink?

[AncientNewbie]

On 1/20/2020 at 11:47 AM, tennisgurl said:

. The plot itself wasnt my favorite (is everyone just getting stupider by the episode?)

 

I binged a bunch of eps this weekend and...yes. There were some nice in-character moments at times, including one I really liked in the wedding ep, but it has End Stage Sitcomitis at this point. Characters largely become cartoons and continuity departs in favor of syndication-remixable filler.