S06.E01: Essential

[Harvey]

Quote

After the coronavirus hits, Amy and Jonah try to bring some order to the chaos in Cloud 9 while being pulled in multiple directions. The employees learn what it means to be considered "heroes" while Amy and Jonah's impending move to California looms large.

 

[vibeology]

At first it was funny, but then it became depressing and real. When Glen broke down, I cried because I remember that exact feeling. 

[chocolatine]

I thought it was well done and realistic, but not particularly funny because the situation is so depressing (I did appreciate the haggis jokes though).

1 hour ago, vibeology said:

When Glen broke down, I cried because I remember that exact feeling. 

My "breaking point" was the video call with the Zephra CEO talking from her cushy home about "looking into" sending PPE to the stores while Amy is struggling to keep her employees safe.

[Harvey]

25 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I thought it was well done and realistic, but not particularly funny because the situation is so depressing (I did appreciate the haggis jokes though).

Very true. My favorite joke of the episode didn't even have anything to do with COVID. It was Mateo enjoying cutting out the eyes of the bears.  From reading interviews with the creators, I get the sense that it's mostly just the first 2 episodes of the season which deal with COVID. I hope that is the case.

[Empress1]

42 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

My "breaking point" was the video call with the Zephra CEO talking from her cushy home about "looking into" sending PPE to the stores while Amy is struggling to keep her employees safe.

I didn’t cry; I got angry.

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I didn’t cry; I got angry.

Oh no, I didn't cry either. It was just a "breaking point" in the sense that it was the incredibly depressing and unjust reality that no amount of haggis jokes or teddy bear slaughtering could make more palatable.

Edited October 30, 2020 by chocolatine

[iMonrey]

I think this is the perfect show to deal with the pandemic since it takes place in a big box type of store. I also feel like we're far enough removed from the panic buying and the hoarding so I thought the pandemonium in the store was kind of funny. Real, yes, and alarmingly familiar, but they did it in a funny way and I liked it. God, the toilet paper! And everything crashing down through the ceiling at the end was pretty funny too.

I think a lot of shows - sitcoms and dramas both - are going to struggle with how to (or whether to) incorporate the pandemic into their stories. I think this one did a good job of it.

Clearly Amy already knows Jonah won't be going with her to California judging by the ominous look on her face at the end. I'll be interested to see how they resolve this.

[Empress1]

8 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I think this is the perfect show to deal with the pandemic since it takes place in a big box type of store.

It would be insane for them to pretend there's no pandemic. I've been reading posts about how TV is supposed to be an escape and people don't watch it to be reminded of how shitty things are (specifically referencing the pandemic when it's been incorporated into shows), and I disagree. The pandemic has been consuming our lives and will continue to do so for ... well, who knows, so I'll just say "the foreseeable future," and I think it would be weird not to acknowledge it in media. And for a show set in a big box store not to do so would just be kind of weird, to be honest.  

[geauxaway]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

And everything crashing down through the ceiling at the end was pretty funny too.

I died!  That was hilarious, like a dang piñata busting open. In fact, I laughed A LOT during the episode.  Of course Marcus got the Rona at the Lake.  And the nips and tips measurement suggestion.  ☠️

[Empress1]

1 minute ago, geauxaway said:

And the nips and tips measurement suggestion.

When I tell you I howled ...

[proserpina65]

32 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

God, the toilet paper!

I loved the shot of Sandra running with a pack of it and the customers chasing her.  And I laughed out loud at "Glen" spraying the disinfectant.

Mining the humor in it makes the darkness of working retail right now just about survivable.  (Glad I do not have to do it anymore.  Major props to those who do.)

Edited October 30, 2020 by proserpina65

[needschocolate]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I think this is the perfect show to deal with the pandemic since it takes place in a big box type of store. I also feel like we're far enough removed from the panic buying and the hoarding so I thought the pandemonium in the store was kind of funny. Real, yes, and alarmingly familiar, but they did it in a funny way and I liked it. God, the toilet paper! And everything crashing down through the ceiling at the end was pretty funny too.

I think a lot of shows - sitcoms and dramas both - are going to struggle with how to (or whether to) incorporate the pandemic into their stories. I think this one did a good job of it.

Clearly Amy already knows Jonah won't be going with her to California judging by the ominous look on her face at the end. I'll be interested to see how they resolve this.

I thought They were going to resolve this by having Amy say "I can't be in meetings all the time while my employees are suffering - I am turning down the job!"  Not too realistic, but it works in sitcom world.

By the way, my local Costco was out of toilet paper and paper towels 90 minutes after they opened today.  Last time I bought some, they were limiting each customer to one package (that should have been a clue, but, unfortunately, I ignored it).  

[Marley]

I laughed it was pretty good. I’m still annoyed tho because I know Jonah isn’t going to go to California with Amy and it’s gonna make so sense.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

3 hours ago, geauxaway said:

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

And everything crashing down through the ceiling at the end was pretty funny too.

I died!  That was hilarious, like a dang piñata busting open. In fact, I laughed A LOT during the episode.  Of course Marcus got the Rona at the Lake.  And the nips and tips measurement suggestion.  ☠️

The kettle bells may have been the tipping point.

1 hour ago, needschocolate said:

I thought They were going to resolve this by having Amy say "I can't be in meetings all the time while my employees are suffering - I am turning down the job!"  Not too realistic, but it works in sitcom.

It does, except they still need a way to get Amy off the show.

[UnoAgain]

4 hours ago, geauxaway said:

 And the nips and tips measurement suggestion.  ☠️

That was one... Sandra and her bus driver was another... And the beat for me was Garrett and the cloud nine "support" poster saying they believe in the black community and him askingnif they thought us blk folks were ghosts

[Guest]

Well, at least with COVID now the writers have a valid excuse to skip Amy/Jonah affection. Even the hug was so sterile.

The "Amy feels uncomfortable with corporate" plot is timely but very confusing since the move is supposed to be America's out from the show. How will they write her off if she denounces the new job? Are they setting up a breakup with her ominous expression during the hug? I hope so because I want Jonah to stay and his romance arc with Amy has been nothing but frustrating and disappointing.

[Artsda]

I loved how funny they made the realistic plots, the toliet paper hoarding and the hiding the stuff. lol

[Aulty]

It wasn't a great episode. I felt it either needed to be funnier or translate the angst and exhaustion better. There were a few good bits like the toilet paper ambush, Glenn's breakdown in the garden department or the shot of the littered parking lot.

My sister works in a store and customers accused her and her team of hiding toilet paper for themselves. They didn't, but tbh I would not have begrudged them getting first dips on some essentials. They worked long shifts in chaotic conditions and were some of the most exposed people in the country. Her 'coorporate' was a lot better with the PPE though, quick to install shields at checkout and they got a bonus. 

I don't like how they are suggesting Jonah and Amy drifting apart - if thats where they are heading. They were talking about getting engaged only a few episodes ago.

[DanaK]

I enjoyed the episode; it covered the chaos of the pandemic pretty well. I liked that they went through the subsequent months so we could see how things progressed

I understand that some viewers don't want to see Covid stuff, but I think shows like medical shows, Superstore because of the retail stories and The Connors because they have been so oriented around working class issues can't ignore it

[Girl in a Cardigan]

4 hours ago, Aulty said:

It wasn't a great episode. I felt it either needed to be funnier or translate the angst and exhaustion better. There were a few good bits like the toilet paper ambush, Glenn's breakdown in the garden department or the shot of the littered parking lot.

Yeah, like I was afraid of, we're not far enough from it for it to be funny yet. I was mostly like, yeah, that's what happened. There were little moments that made me chuckle like the "tips and nips" bit or how Mateo continued to exclude Justine from everything. But having to invent face coverings or people without masks screaming at employees or the garbage of masks and gloves in the parking lot or the corporate execs "looking into" getting PPE for staff (and Amy being naive enough to think that means they'll actually be getting something) was just too real to be funny. I'm surprised they didn't have Could 9 do a commercial about how "safe" everything is like all those stupid Amazon ones I kept seeing.

The hug at the end with Amy and Jonah was hard to watch. Like I know they were trying to tell us that Amy's going to leave Jonah in Missouri for reasons (with all the Jonah lines about how he never sees her and she doesn't seem to miss him at all), but it really looked like the first take between actors who aren't sure of the other's COVID status.

Next week's episode is "California, Part 2," so was this just a one off to deal with COVID before we go back to a place where there isn't a pandemic or did they rewrite it to fit in the new reality?

[mtlchick]

Like This Is Us, Superstore acknowledged that when Tom Hanks got it, shit got REAL. 

[Kip Hackman]

As far as the Amy/Jonah storyline goes,  the Covid shutdown might've actually helped. It would've been odd to see them split up,  just one week after "California Pt. 1".  But now,  several months have transpired since then, in the show's universe. Feels a little more realistic. 

[MisterGlass]

I thought they got as much laughter out of this as it was possible to get.  Some of it was gallows humor, but the situation is what it is.  Like everyone said, Glenn really got to me.

Some of the best moments were little things.  Garrett's shower curtain shield.  Brett putting one can of franks-n-beans on the shelf and the customer in front of him taking it off as he reached down for another.  Also, Brett's long hair in the meeting scene.  Mateo not only enjoying dismembering the bears, but answering Amy with two snip sounds of his scissors.

I noticed Dina's mask was a bird print.  And Glenn's had a little embroidered bear(?) on it that Jerusha must have made.  They were small but nice touches.

[chaifan]

I think they missed an opportunity here... a good way to explain Amy leaving and Jonah staying would have been to have Amy transferred right before the shutdown, with the plan being that Jonah was going to follow in a few weeks, but with the shutdown he was stuck.  Have them do the long distance thing for a while, and then it doesn't work out in the end. 

I found a lot of the episode funny, but then I wasn't one of those people battling it out for toilet paper or cleaning supplies in real life.  I wish they dealt a little more harshly with the shopper who wasn't wearing a mask. 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by chaifan

[Girl in a Cardigan]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

I think they missed an opportunity here... a good way to explain Amy leaving and Jonah staying would have been to have Amy transferred right before the shutdown, with the plan being that Jonah was going to follow in a few weeks, but with the shutdown he was stuck.  Have them do the long distance thing for a while, and then it doesn't work out in the end. 

I found a lot of the episode funny, but then I wasn't one of those people battling it out for toilet paper or cleaning supplies in real life.  I wish they dealt a little more harshly with the shopper who wasn't wearing a mask. 

Oh, yes, that would have been good; the travel shutdown would have explained a lot and Amy could have still been part of the episode via Zoom broadcast in the breakroom or whatever.

And I agree. I wish they would have gone more broad with things. Instead of just having Dina and Glenn asking the woman to put on a mask, actually have Dina taze her! Let it be a little wish fulfillment for those working in retail and dealing with these people. LOL!

[Kiddvideo]

I had a few smiles, but the maskless shopper infuriated me. It’s such a hot button and needed to be included, but it’s too raw and divisive for me to even roll my eyes and shake my head.  I always enjoy seeing One-N-Glen, and wonder why they don’t make him a more frequent background character. He doesn’t even have to be doing anything to steal attention from the actors, just going about his day.

Edited November 3, 2020 by Kiddvideo
Punctuation

[needschocolate]

On 10/30/2020 at 2:16 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

It does, except they still need a way to get Amy off the show.

Very true.  I realize that now, but didn't know she was leaving when I posted.  I am new to this show, binge-watched all the seasons over the summer (is it still binging when it takes 3 months?), so I hadn't been aware of any behind the scenes stuff.  

[chabelisaywow]

Is America really leaving? I thought she changed her mind and is staying because COVID made her realize, she might not have other options. Did I imagine reading that somewhere?

[Harvey]

2 minutes ago, chabelisaywow said:

Is America really leaving? I thought she changed her mind and is staying because COVID made her realize, she might not have other options. Did I imagine reading that somewhere?

She really is leaving. Tomorrow's episode is her last one and then bye bye forever.

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

Is America really leaving? I thought she changed her mind and is staying because COVID made her realize, she might not have other options. Did I imagine reading that somewhere?

Her last episode was supposed to be last season's season finale but they never got to film that episode before they shut down for COVID.

Because of that, she agreed to come back this season for an episode so she could wrap up Amy's story.  Initially, I think it was just going to be one episode but because tonight's episode is the 100th ep, they all mutually decided to have her do two eps this season with this one being her last.  (Or "last" as I wouldn't be surprised to see her come back for the grand finale.) Maybe that's where you got confused about her coming back.

[theatremouse]

20 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

Is America really leaving? I thought she changed her mind and is staying because COVID made her realize, she might not have other options. Did I imagine reading that somewhere?

You may have read people hoping that would happen and misremembered the context?