S03.E15: Amnesty

[fishcakes]

Quote

When Glenn and Dina offer amnesty to all the employees for any bad things they confess, Garrett and Cheyenne try to decide how to take advantage of it. Meanwhile, Jonah and Amy try to defuse an awkward situation that has the whole store gossiping.

[festivus]

I lost it at Sandra making the kiss into an A-ha video. That was hilarious. Mateo and Jeff at the end was really sweet. There's my ship. Still don't care about the Amy, Jonah, Kelly triangle.

[tomsmom]

Pastor Craig saying “Jesus” after Sandra’s confession and Carol’s “You don’t think I know about the decoy lunch?” had me Lmao! God I love this show!

[Irlandesa]

Sandra won this episode for me from her not getting the right sex sign which led to Jonah, Amy and Sandra all making the correct one to the pitch perfect way she delivered her murderous plans.  The pastor's response to that was great too. 

I also liked Dina's respect for the awfulness of some of the awful things people have done.

I like Jonah and Amy as characters and I'd love to be able to root for them but whenever the story turns to their "romantic" connection, the show just fucks it all up so much.  Like what am I supposed to make out of Jonah agreeing to move in with Kelly?  Am I supposed to be upset because it keeps him from Amy longer?  I'm not.  I just think he's an idiot and I can't feel anything about that.  And I hate that because I do mostly like Jonah.  And I adore Ben Feldman. I've just lost patience with characters accidentally putting themselves in stupid situations that I'm not sure will ever be resolved satisfactorily.  (Let's face it, Kelly will likely either be the "bad" guy in the relationship or she'll break up with Jonah making it easier for him to be with Amy.)  I shouldn't be too firm because I actually can handle a little messiness but the writing has to be better than it has been with these two.

On the other hand, they have been doing a lovely job with Mateo and Jeff.  I actually gasped in happiness when he showed up and said he quit his job.  The happiness was only temporary because, as much as I love Mateo and Jeff, a lot of great comedy came with his role as district manager. I would hate to lose him as that.

[possibilities]

I was waiting for someone to point out to Glenn that lying is not considered exemplary behavior, either.

[EarlGreyTea]

The pastor was a HOOT. "Tire gauge girl?" and "Jesus" to Sandra's story and his "Oh, please" reactions to Jonah and Amy's protests were priceless.

Jonah and Amy were hilariously awkward. It finally all came to a head in the most awkward way possible. I like Kelly, but she is such a nonstarter in this whole triangle.

Jeff and Mateo were the best payoff this episode. A kiss would have been a nice touch, but the part about returning the shirt if Mateo didn't like it was cute. I hope Jeff gets his job back, because the actor is really good at playing the corporate type. I'll miss that dynamic.

Garrett broke a lot of rules when he and Dina had sex in the store. Are they really dropping that storyline for good?

So they rehired the meth guy who quit during the holiday episode?

Edited March 16, 2018 by EarlGreyTea

[janie jones]

I was surprised Dina didn't say that Amy just told her that she has a crush on Jonah.

[Claudia Kishi]

Some random thoughts... 

Loved the ending! So sweet. I was curious about the age difference between Jeff/Mateo in real life. Shocked to learn Nico Santos is only 24! Mateo seems older to me. The actor who plays Jeff is nearly 50. Who was Mateo calling in that last scene? 

And I’m sorry but... I ship Amy and Jonah  it needs to happen. I love their scenes together. They have great chemistry  

Glad to see Cheyenne this episode! Her obsession with wearing a hat to break the rules was cute  I also enjoyed the scene where Carol attempted to comfort Kelly and  proceeded to be the creeper she is. Kelly backing up awkwardly trying to escape made me chuckle. 

[North of Eden]

The actress that plays Sandra needs to fire her agent.

For the life of me I can't figure out why he would not have renegotiated her a contract to become a series regular. She's easily one of the best parts of the show and seems popular based on comments on this board.

She definatly should be upped to the main cast. Minor characters breaking out goes all the way back to Fonzie and probably before him.

[vibeology]

3 hours ago, Claudia Kishi said:

And I’m sorry but... I ship Amy and Jonah  it needs to happen. I love their scenes together. They have great chemistry  

You're not alone. I love them and I want them to be together. They pop onscreen and bring out the best in each other.

I am somewhat annoyed by this very fake Kelly roadblock. They've made her an annoying character so I don't care what happens to her at all. It's just waiting out whatever will end things and that isn't the best writing.

I'm also thrilled about Jeff and Mateo. That was a good roadblock and everyone behaved in character. Once Jeff understood what was going on, he got why Mateo did what he did, forgave him, took steps to make their relationship work and reached out to him. Loved it.

[joanne3482]

11 hours ago, EarlGreyTea said:

Jeff and Mateo were the best payoff this episode. A kiss would have been a nice touch, but the part about returning the shirt if Mateo didn't like it was cute. I hope Jeff gets his job back, because the actor is really good at playing the corporate type. I'll miss that dynamic.

I liked the subtle hand holding a little better. 

 

3 hours ago, Claudia Kishi said:

Who was Mateo calling in that last scene? 

I think he was calling Jeff's current (as far as he knew at that moment) boyfriend. He commented how he makes mean comments on his instagram. 

[EarlGreyTea]

38 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

I liked the subtle hand holding a little better. 

 

I think he was calling Jeff's current (as far as he knew at that moment) boyfriend. He commented how he makes mean comments on his instagram. 

Also, Chad was Jeff’s ex before Mateo. It was one of my favorite running gags, because Mateo would often mention how annoyed he was that Chad was still in Jeff’s life and compare himself to him. He was pissed when Jeff went back to him briefly after their breakup. 

[Vanderboom]

I'm not crazy about Kelly either, but I was cringing for her during the last team meeting.  How humiliating for her. I hope they don't go through with Jonah moving in with her, though. That might take this into Ross-and-Rachel territory. 

That said, Sandra's TEAM AMY shirt was hilarious. 

[HeySandyStrange]

Jonah and Amy do very little for me as a couple, but this will they/won't they the show is doing is getting old. It's been telegraphed from the beginning that they were destined, so to speak. It's getting old.

Sandra was hilarious, I would love if she was a main character. Mateo and his guy are adorable. Now if they could get Dina and Garrett back together in all their dysfunctional glory, I'd be happy.

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, Claudia Kishi said:

 I was curious about the age difference between Jeff/Mateo in real life. Shocked to learn Nico Santos is only 24! Mateo seems older to me. The actor who plays Jeff is nearly 50. 

I know it says he's 24 online somewhere but I really think he's in his mid to late 30s.  I read a recent article about him and it says he grew up in Manila and moved to the states when he was 16.  Later he says that filming Rich Crazy Asians gave him the opportunity to return to the Philapenes for the first time in 20 years.  So unless he left the Philapenes when he was 4 and moved somewhere else for 10 years, he was probably 36 when filming the movie last year.

[ClareWalks]

5 hours ago, Claudia Kishi said:

Shocked to learn Nico Santos is only 24!

There's another Nico Santos who is 24, a singer.

[festivus]

Just going by the show I figured Mateo was probably around his late twenties to thirty and that Jeff was around 40. Not a big age difference. 

14 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

On the other hand, they have been doing a lovely job with Mateo and Jeff.  I actually gasped in happiness when he showed up and said he quit his job.  The happiness was only temporary because, as much as I love Mateo and Jeff, a lot of great comedy came with his role as district manager. I would hate to lose him as that.

You make a good point there. His weary resignation during the staff meetings was so funny. What function will he serve now in the show? I hope it doesn't turn into a Bo situation. I don't care about seeing Bo very much, but I love Jeff.

[iMonrey]

Quote

The actress that plays Sandra needs to fire her agent.

For the life of me I can't figure out why he would not have renegotiated her a contract to become a series regular. She's easily one of the best parts of the show and seems popular based on comments on this board.

I don't know how much more money she would get if she were listed as a series regular but if I am not mistaken, she has appeared in every episode this season. Assuming she is paid per episode I don't imagine it matters much how she is listed in the credits. The actors who play Cheyenne, Marcus, Justine, Carol, Myrtle, etc., only appear sporadically. Clearly the writers do see how popular and important Sandra has become. 

She was once again MVP for not making the finger-banging gesture correctly - which makes you start wondering all sorts of weird things about her sex life. 

But I also love whenever Steve Agee shows up as Isaac (another recurring character we only see once in awhile). Dina's amusement over his homeless fights was hysterical. 

This was one of the better episodes this season IMO. I've found them to be somewhat lackluster here and there but I got a lot of chuckles out of this one. I'm not the least bit invested in Amy and Jonah as a couple but when they were trying to diffuse the situation then made it worse by accidentally kissing I lost it.

[festivus]

Oh, I forgot to mention I died laughing at the customer bowling in the middle of the store. I hope if they ever put out a dvd/blue ray set of this show they'll have one disc that's just all the funny customer moments from the show.

Which reminds me when Dina said she's seen customers take a dump in the store 17 times. I believe it. I'm with Dina on her people are awful stance. Glad she got some amusement from the employee confessions.

[tominboston]

I agree that Sandra is an absolute delight. This show has done as good a job as anyone since The Office with casting and writing characters for a workplace comedy. And speaking of "secondary" characters, I finally got around to looking up Linda Porter, who plays Myrtle, who always makes me smile (especially since she sometimes reminds me of my very elderly mother!). She's 85 in real life!!! Wow, good for her.

[Trillium]

This wasn’t the season finale was it? I give zero fucks either way if Amy and Jonah get together but since that seems their ultimate intent, I wish they’d just get on with it and move forward. I’ll be happy when that happens just for the sake of the triangle being over. It’s the least interesting thing about the show. 

[DearEvette]

Whatever writer comes up with Sandra ideas needs a raise because I have loved how her character had evolved.  Am I wrong for hoping she gets Carole in the end? I can't stand Carole.

 

5 hours ago, vibeology said:

I am somewhat annoyed by this very fake Kelly roadblock. They've made her an annoying character so I don't care what happens to her at all. It's just waiting out whatever will end things and that isn't the best writing.

Y'know I don't think Kelly is supposed to be annoying.  Or at least not any more annoying than anyone else.  But they've made the other characters irrationally disrespect her for no real reason.  When she started as a new employee who was trying to learn, everyone treated her like she should have been a ten year veteran and treated her ignorance as stupidity.  And thus her character story is written.  It is a nicely bent way of presenting the character when in reality there is no reason for the other characters to treat her the way they have because the show has also taken pains to show Kelly as being rather smart, but the rest of the crew are just willfully blind to it.  I think it is funny that they continued that through with the Pastor Craig character.  She's not a dummy, she  was the only one who knew that he was talking about a tire gauge.  And yet he too manages to disparage her by calling her 'Tire Gauge girl" when he realizes that she is Jonah's girlfriend.

If they are gonna get Amy and Jonah together I wish they would just do it already and put us out of our misery.  I find the dialogue and acting choices around Amy and Jonah's liking each other dance rather juvenile and unfunny.  I actually did like everyone else's reaction to them though, now that was amusing.

[calguy]

5 hours ago, festivus said:

Just going by the show I figured Mateo was probably around his late twenties to thirty and that Jeff was around 40. Not a big age difference. 

You make a good point there. His weary resignation during the staff meetings was so funny. What function will he serve now in the show? I hope it doesn't turn into a Bo situation. I don't care about seeing Bo very much, but I love Jeff.

Jeff will go to work at

Spoiler

Target

[juliet73]

I've been over the Amy/Jonah storyline since the beginning. I don't want them together. I didn't realize Jonah and Kelly were that serious that she is ready to move in together.

Dina agreeing with some of the confessions was hilarious!  I think the best part of this episode was Sandra explaining how she puts on a hoodie and takes the bus to a library in a different town so she can Google what not to do when committing murder. 

Edited March 16, 2018 by juliet73

[EarlGreyTea]

4 hours ago, juliet73 said:

I've been over the Amy/Jonah storyline since the beginning. I don't want them together. I didn't realize Jonah and Kelly were that serious that she is ready to move in together.

Dina agreeing with some of the confessions was hilarious!  I think the best part of this episode was Sandra explaining how she puts on a hoodie and takes the bus to a library in a different town so she can Google what not to do when committing murder. 

 

And Dina being genuinely impressed by Sandra paying 4 different men to ditch Carol. And then being weirded out by Carol tampering with Sandra's lunch. When Dina is weirded out, you know the character is nuts.

Edited March 17, 2018 by EarlGreyTea

[possibilities]

I enjoyed how, after seeing the tape and deciding it might be a real thing, the staff stopped the teasing. I liked it because it took me by surprise. But it also makes sense-- people often joke around in ways that seem serious, but when things get real, the do in fact drop it, and you realize they were just playing before but aren't actually trying to hurt you. I thought that was a really good character beat for the collective.

I was surprised by how much I loved the Jeff-Mateo scene. This show manages to be funny and absurd but also pack on some really satisfying drama without it feeling tonally out of place.

They have bathrooms, so why would you choose to take a dump on the floor? I agree people are terrible, but that particular horror strikes m as so self-defeating.

[Fostersmom]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

They have bathrooms, so why would you choose to take a dump on the floor? I agree people are terrible, but that particular horror strikes m as so self-defeating.

And yet, that's pretty much happened in every store I ever worked in. Along with people literally finger painting the walls in the restroom with poo. And crapping in the dressing room too. Oh, and tons of sex in the restroom where the used condoms were left on the floor. People are disgusting and if most of the country had any idea of the nasty stuff that happens in stores, it would be Amazon for everyone all the time! I'd like to say finding a used tampon in stores never happens either, but yeah, I'd be lying. 

For all the things this show this show puts out there, gross, insane, or the yeah rights, like that would happen, let me just say, as someone who worked retail for 20 years, they get it right, oh so right, when it comes to the bizarreness of customers. 

[idiotwaltz]

Re Jonah and Amy: just get together or don’t. This will-they-or-won’t-they is tiresome.

Sandra stole the show in this episode. I loved her confession and the pastor’s reaction. 

[SmithW6079]

I must have missed it, but what was the point of the "amnesty"? Just so Dina could show Glenn how horrible people were?

I like Jonah and Kelly together, and it bothers me that she's treated like shit by the other employees. (I'd rather them as a couple than Jonah and Amy.) I also don't like how Sandra exists just to be the butt of others' scorn.

And while I like Jeff, I don't particularly like Mateo. I'm so over bitchy gay men who are supposed to be funny just because they're bitchy gay nen.

[Claudia Kishi]

I’m hoping to see more of the Jeff and Mateo relationship - we never really got to see them on a date. And apparently it was serious enough that Jeff invited him on a family vacation! I like the idea of them and have enjoyed their scenes together but I want to see more to determine their chemistry. 

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

I must have missed it, but what was the point of the "amnesty"? Just so Dina could show Glenn how horrible people were?

Yes

[SmithW6079]

38 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Yes

Then she's just a dick. It makes me dislike the character even more than I already do. 

[VartanFan]

I like the Amy and Jonah pairing but I really miss their genuine friendship this season. I get that it’s a result of the kiss from last season but the actors work well together. 

 

I also like jeff and Mateo together. Though I will never not miss him as Kenny on My Boys. 

 

This episode really worked for me because everyone was in it and all their weird -isms were on display. It was great. 

[pineapplesalsa]

12 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

And while I like Jeff, I don't particularly like Mateo. I'm so over bitchy gay men who are supposed to be funny just because they're bitchy gay nen.

Agreed. He has his moments where he's funny, but for the most part he's an ass and I wish they would tone him down. I'm am happy they got back together though, that ending was sweet. 

I'm super tired of the back and forth with Amy and Jonah and I'm not excited for this love triangle. I hope Kelly dumps him soon lol. I don't even mind the idea of them together but the "will they/wont they" is making me care less and less about them.

This season has been kinda weak imo, but I think this was one of the better episodes. Sandra was hilarious and some of the confessions were great. 

[tennisgurl]

That ending was so sweet! I like Mateo and Jeff way more than Jonah and Amy or Jonah and Kelly. Although, I do think Jonah and Amy have good chemistry, I have very little patience for this Ross/Rachel on and off again stuff, with pointless side characters showing up to delay the inevitable hook up. Just get together or dont damn it!

Normally Kelly kind of exists to be a roadblock to the Jonah/Amy end game, but I freaking loved it when Sandra's enemy (cant remember her name) was saying she wants to hurt Amy's daughter, and Kelly was just very slowly backing away while smiling awkwardly. 

The Pastor was great too, can he show up again from time to time?

[mehtotheworld]

I wasn't really on the Amy/Jonah train until the tornado kiss. That put me firmly in their camp, but I'm not too upset by the Kelly/Jonah storyline. I don't hate Kelly in the least. She's funny at times and a roadblock who allows others to be funny at other times. The character works for me. I'll enjoy the awkward nonsense until around the end of the season, at which point Amy/Jonah should be together. 

Dina was hilarious while proving that people are awful (which they really are!), and I love it when the show brings outsiders into the crazy, like the pastor or Jeff. 

Sandra really makes the show for me. She can bring so much hilarious, awkward, insane stuff in a matter of moments. Her confession about researching ways to kill Carol is a definite highlight of the series for me. Carol deserves it! Team Sandra!

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Normally Kelly kind of exists to be a roadblock to the Jonah/Amy end game, but I freaking loved it when Sandra's enemy (cant remember her name) was saying she wants to hurt Amy's daughter, and Kelly was just very slowly backing away while smiling awkwardly. 

 

Just more evidence that Carol is the worst.  But thinking about this scene and Kelly's reaction makes me think even more than ever that Kelly is actually supposed to be the most 'normal' person of the group.  She just doesn't get the hyper-weird personality flashes that we get from everyone else.

Regards Mateo, I think he is the one character that I have done a 180 on.  I used to dislike him intensely.  But I think the show did a great turn in first putting him with Jeff and then pairing him as a scene partner with Cheyenne on multiple occasions.  I think the final turning point for me on him was the Tornado episode where I think they used him brilliantly.  And I loved the expression on his face when Glenn introduced the Pastor.  Actually everyone's reaction to the Pastor was comedy gold.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 3/15/2018 at 9:45 PM, Irlandesa said:

Like what am I supposed to make out of Jonah agreeing to move in with Kelly?  Am I supposed to be upset because it keeps him from Amy longer?

When he ultimately moves out, Garrett's not going to take him back. I hope he doesn't wind up moving in with Amy, as that wouldn't be good for Amy's daughter 

[Irlandesa]

I like Mateo.  I think he's funny.  Yes, he's a bitchy gay but I don't think the show simply relies on that and expects us to find it funny.  I think they write jokes based on who he is as a character, as they do with everyone else.  I understand people might not find the jokes funny but I do think there is as much effort in writing them as any other joke they write.

In fact, I thought one of my other favorite lines from the episode was Mateo's when, after Jeff showed up, he told Chad that he was going to call him back and then added "although probably not, really." 

[scowl]

22 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Regards Mateo, I think he is the one character that I have done a 180 on.  I used to dislike him intensely.  But I think the show did a great turn in first putting him with Jeff and then pairing him as a scene partner with Cheyenne on multiple occasions.  I think the final turning point for me on him was the Tornado episode where I think they used him brilliantly.  And I loved the expression on his face when Glenn introduced the Pastor.  Actually everyone's reaction to the Pastor was comedy gold.

I watched it again and I found that everyone in the break room, even the extras, were filling the screen with hilarious expressions all through this scene. I especially liked the woman who looked like she was brushing her teeth with a pencil. 

[topanga]

1 hour ago, scowl said:

I watched it again and I found that everyone in the break room, even the extras, were filling the screen with hilarious expressions all through this scene. I especially liked the woman who looked like she was brushing her teeth with a pencil. 

I’ll have to rewatch that scene. I’m usually watching the main cast members, and their reactions are hilarious. It shows how well-directed these episodes are. 

I don’t like Kelly, but that’s only because I’m Team Amy. It seems like the rest of the employees like her: remember her number of likes on her stupid IG videos? The staff loved them. IMO, she isn’t written to be a bad person. Just not the perfect person for Jonah. The same way Amy’s husband wasn’t a bad guy. He just wasn’t the right man for her. 

I hope Jonah and Kelly don’t go through with moving in together. It will make their eventual break-up that much more hurtful. 

My next dilemma is how the writers can avoid the so-called Moonlighting curse when Amy and Jonah do get together. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Y'know I don't think Kelly is supposed to be annoying.  Or at least not any more annoying than anyone else.  But they've made the other characters irrationally disrespect her for no real reason.  When she started as a new employee who was trying to learn, everyone treated her like she should have been a ten year veteran and treated her ignorance as stupidity.  And thus her character story is written.  It is a nicely bent way of presenting the character when in reality there is no reason for the other characters to treat her the way they have because the show has also taken pains to show Kelly as being rather smart, but the rest of the crew are just willfully blind to it.

In that respect Kelly isn't much different than anyone else at the store - nobody really respects anyone there, do they? I do agree Kelly is one of the more "normal" characters working there but it wasn't particularly bright of her to hang those heavy decorations without properly securing them.

I forgot to add - I loved the running gag that Dina kept mentioning Balki from Perfect Strangers and people kept saying "You mean Bronson Pinchot?" and she had no idea what they were talking about. 

[possibilities]

I liked that Kelly didn't pitch a fit when the video came out. She wasn't stupid, but she wasn't hysterical about it, either. She tried to handle it in a reasonable way, and didn't fall into any of the "jealous and suspicious, angry, or clueless" traps. It made me like her more. She's the one person in the store (except maybe Glenn, now that I think of it) who doesn't seem to take pleasure in anyone else's pain, either.

Still, I don't enjoy her. She's not my cup of tea. But I respected her this week.

[ae2]

19 hours ago, topanga said:

My next dilemma is how the writers can avoid the so-called Moonlighting curse when Amy and Jonah do get together. 

I don't expect that to happen here, because the show is so much an ensemble cast. The only way they could screw it up is if they suddenly stopped giving the other characters so much screen time to focus on Jonah and Amy. 

[Big Mother]

Jonah's complete flusteration (i know it's not  a word) when he found out about Amy's crush was so adorable. I do want those 2 together.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 3/19/2018 at 2:18 PM, topanga said:

My next dilemma is how the writers can avoid the so-called Moonlighting curse when Amy and Jonah do get together. 

I think it's more like The Office. Jim and Pam together didn't ruin that show IMO. Jonah and Kelly are written as not having anything in common, so I don't believe the relationship at all. But I like Kelly as a character, so it's not nice to hurt her. It's a little like Jim and Rashida Jones's character. That always seemed a little mean to me.  But she left the show and was not a great comedic loss. 

[nicgwatchingtv]

I 'd probably find the Jonah and Amy story line annoying except I find the actors so effin charming (together and apart) so I'm there for it. I don't really see it as a "will they or won't they" situation. It's more like "How will they."

However, I like Kelly and don't really like watching a her character used as just a hurdle. If nothing else, the whole thing makes Jonah look like, at best, a bit of a 

Also, The final scene with Jeff and Mateo is one of the sweetest things I've seen on a tv shows in years. And very well done.

Edited March 24, 2018 by nicgwatchingtv

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 2:09 AM, possibilities said:

They have bathrooms, so why would you choose to take a dump on the floor? I agree people are terrible, but that particular horror strikes m as so self-defeating.

Because people suck.  I worked at Walmart for one Christmas season, and you would not believe the stuff I saw.  Add in 11 years at Borders Books, and it was the stuff of nightmares.

That's one of the things I love about this show - the customer stuff is not an exaggeration.