S04.E03: Toxic Workplace

[fishcakes]

Original air date: October 18, 2018

Quote

Amy and Jonah get combative to keep their new relationship hidden from their co workers. Meanwhile, Glenn spirals when he learns Kelly wants to transfer to a new store, and Cheyenne struggles to organize a Cloud 9 carpool.

[cleo]

I can't express how much I hate this bullshit of Sandra breaking up with her boyfriend because they flipped a coin.

I get too invested in these characters to watch them suffer lol.

[EarlGreyTea]

Dina's defense of Amy was really cute. I love them. They're the real OTP of the show. "Rejected American Girl doll" made me howl.

Poor Kelly! Hopefully she's leaving because the actress wanted to move on.

I love the Carol/Sandra feud because the actresses are really close IRL. I do hope that they make Sandra spunky only once in a while. It's funnier when used sparingly. Also I'm glad they dropped that Jerry recovering from a coma storyline. But this new storyline is stupid even for a sitcom.

Someone give Lauren Ash an Emmy for her impressions alone.

Jonah and Amy were obnoxious this episode.

Elias is Glenn's brother in law?! Was that ever revealed before this?

[mrsbagnet]

30 minutes ago, cleo said:

I can't express how much I hate this bullshit of Sandra breaking up with her boyfriend because they flipped a coin.

 

6 minutes ago, EarlGreyTea said:

Also I'm glad they dropped that Jerry recovering from a coma storyline. But this new storyline is stupid even for a sitcom.

Yeah, that wasn't funny. I thought that plotline would end in the breakroom. Having them really break up was all kinds of wrong. Besides, IIRC, Sandra met Jerry first and he was into her. Carol only pursued him to spite Sandra. So Carol did the "stealing." I was wondering if (hoping?) Jerry accepting the breakup was supposed to be a residual effect from his coma. Who would go along with something like that?

Everyone's impressions were great, as was Mateo enjoyment of Cheyenne's Fran Drescher.

Edited October 19, 2018 by mrsbagnet

[memememe76]

I hate when they make the characters go mean. I hated what is happening to Jerry and Sandra.

[tennisgurl]

Yeah, not a fan of the Jerry and Sandra thing. Its a bit much, even for this show. And Amy and Jonah constantly fake fighting, and that of course turning into real fighting, was super unpleasant. I wish they would just get it all out in the air. 

Poor Kelly, I will miss her perky self! Dina's Kelly impression was pretty much dead on. "Its so windy! Whoaaaaa"

I did get a mean laugh out of everyone doing Kelly impressions all together. And I am glad that she and Jonah managed to end things on a civil note, finally.

I cant explain why Jerry just sitting there smelling candles was really funny to me...but it was. 

[festivus]

Dina is the only one that makes me laugh anymore. I'm not feeling the show this season.

[Kip Hackman]

"Enjoy my HPV!"

[Ms Lark]

1 hour ago, festivus said:

I'm not feeling the show this season.

Me either. I feel like the storylines have gotten really weak. I still like it, mostly because of the characters, but not as much as I did.  Hate the Sandra/Jerry/Carol bs. Hate the Amy/Jonah pretending to not like each other to cover up. Hate that nothing is really happening, mostly silly sit-commy stuff and buildups to throw-away punch lines.

Don't hate Kelly's leaving;  she was shoehorned in to create an obstacle for Amy/Jonah and hasn't really done anything since. Hope she gets better work for herself on a different show.

Hanging in, but I don't see ratings getting better. Unless something really takes off, don't see it getting another season. I hope I'm wrong!

[Snapdragon]

3 hours ago, EarlGreyTea said:

Dina's defense of Amy was really cute. I love them. They're the real OTP of the show. "Rejected American Girl doll" made me howl.

I had to pause the show, I was laughing so hard at that line!  Lauren Ash is fast becoming my favorite part of this show.  I love the cast overall, but she's definitely been the MVP as of late.  

I agree with everyone else that the Jerry/Sandra break-up was awful.  I was hoping Sandra would snap out of it at the end and go "dark" as we've seen her do a couple times but no such luck.  Hopefully they get back together by Christmas because I really don't want that storyline dragging out all season long.

[Aulty]

6 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Me either. I feel like the storylines have gotten really weak. ...  Hate that nothing is really happening, mostly silly sit-commy stuff and buildups to throw-away punch lines.

Although I enjoyed the first two episodes, I had the same feeling this week. So far there is no interesting story that connects the episodes - the Jonah/Amy relationship has not gathered enough momentum yet. I'm sure it will change though once the girls get closer to their due dates.

Also, not enough naughty customer scenes this week!

[Kip Hackman]

8 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Hanging in, but I don't see ratings getting better. Unless something really takes off, don't see it getting another season. I hope I'm wrong!

They'll have 77 total episodes at the end of this season, which puts them just short of syndication. NBC Universal owns the show, and they want that syndication money. I predict a 23 episode 5th season, which will get them to 100. After that, all bets are off.

Regardless, NBC knew that ratings would be a struggle when they decided to put it up against "The Big Bang Theory".  Superstore actually pulled better numbers on Monday.

[Lovecat]

11 hours ago, Kip Hackman said:

"Enjoy my HPV!"

"Thank you?"

 

4 hours ago, Aulty said:

Also, not enough naughty customer scenes this week!

I did love the lady piling her clothes selections on what I can only assume was her kid.  It looked like a pile of laundry with feet!

[theatremouse]

I can't stand episodes that involve "couple trying to hide that they're a couple by overcompensating that they hate each other". Really really irritated by that contrivance. Too cringey, and too obvious. If they were worried people could tell something was up, spending what seemed to be every moment of the day with each other, just to pretend bicker was not a good way to do it.

Also though I very much dislike plot points that involve people being terrible liars. (As soon as they said "carpool" I was like "no say his car has problems!" That would've also covered the living nowhere near each other, which hadn't even been revealed yet.) I almost want to forgive it because the saga of Cheyenne being so proud of herself for being "good at logistics" escalating to multiple revisions...I did enjoy that,how she started off not doing a good job at all but because she was told she did taking it really seriously? That was great.

[Lois Sandborne]

16 hours ago, mrsbagnet said:

Besides, IIRC, Sandra met Jerry first and he was into her. Carol only pursued him to spite Sandra. So Carol did the "stealing."

I yelled this out loud on my couch before remembering that this crazy-town universe full of nutbars and crackpots would not respect my logical argument.

I hope that Sandra and Jerry get a happy ending.  Or just Sandra, whatever.

I thought Kelly deserved more of a send-off, because she ended up becoming more a part of the crew than just an obstacle to Amy and Jonah, but I'm not sad to see her head off into the Fenton sunset.  I cracked up at everyone unleashing their Kelly impressions, but Dina's was the best.  Whoever threw in an "It's your girl, Kelly!" was second.

There hasn't been much going on with Garrett lately. I hope he gets something to do soon.

[joanne3482]

15 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I did get a mean laugh out of everyone doing Kelly impressions all together. And I am glad that she and Jonah managed to end things on a civil note, finally.

I kind of hoped Kelly would have said "THIS is why I want to leave" at all of their mean impressions of her.  I'm glad that Jonah was able to get her what she wanted.  

[slippity slack]

Not the greatest episode but meetings in the break room always bring some laughs. I actually liked Garrett's Kelly impression the best...it was kind of crazy sounding!

The Amy/Jonah plot was way too predictable. And I can't believe Sandra would give up Jerry so easily! 

I did laugh at Carol pulling her shirt up..twice!

[calguy]

8 hours ago, Kip Hackman said:

They'll have 77 total episodes at the end of this season, which puts them just short of syndication. NBC Universal owns the show, and they want that syndication money. I predict a 23 episode 5th season, which will get them to 100. After that, all bets are off.

Regardless, NBC knew that ratings would be a struggle when they decided to put it up against "The Big Bang Theory".  Superstore actually pulled better numbers on Monday.

I predict that Superstore will get a least a couple more seasons. Remember that NBC brought back Brooklyn Nine Nine a show that is much further along on the episode count and in recent years had lower ratings than Superstore. Plus the setting of the store is a big advantage over most single-cam shows.

[Kazzy25]

I legit cracked up at Dina calling Jonah a “rejected American Girl Doll.” That was hilarious!

[Circelily]

Cheyenne  is a logistics genius with rainbow hair. They should make her head of HR.

[iMonrey]

I always get a good laugh here and there even from the most mediocre episodes, like this one. Dina defending Amy by yelling at Jonah and then finishing with "And to think I used to masturbate to you. Multiple times a day." really cracked me up. But the entire staff doing their Amy impressions really had me rolling. Dina getting down on her knees and being blown over by the wind was hysterical, and everyone arguing about what her voice sounded like. To top it all off was Cheyenne's Fran Drescher laugh. Somehow, this show continues to mine comedy gold even from the mundane.

Yeah, the Sandra and Jerry thing was really stupid, but if they're that dumb then they get what they deserve. Not crazy about the whole Jonah and Amy thing either. But like I said . . . mediocre episode, but with at least three great laughs. I'll take it.

[Circelily]

I found the same things hilarious but also loved the things you didn't. Dina red-lining and Cheyenne as both Fran and the unappreciated logistics genius were fab but "fancy boy" Jonah and Amy's non verbal communication in the warehouse was a giggle with an edge and I like Sandra's plotlines being surreal. Also I loved Kelly calling out Glenn's grotesque entitlement and the flipside of the Superstore cliquey family (even though I love them, they're the worst). She had a strong exit.

[SmithW6079]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Dina defending Amy by yelling at Jonah and then finishing with "And to think I used to masturbate to you. Multiple times a day." really cracked me up.

It grossed me out. Not only was it wildly inappropriate, but it was sexual harassment. Imagine if Jonah had said that he masturbated to Dina several times a day. She'd have had him in HR so fast, he wouldn't know what hit him.

I felt bad for Kelly leaving, especially when they all started talking about how bad an employee she was. I don't think she was any worse or better than any of those other losers. The impressions were funny, though.

Also felt bad for Sandra losing her boyfriend to Carol. While they occasionally let Sandra "win," most of the time, the character exists to be the punching bag for the other characters. I hate it when shows do that.

[Circelily]

Wildly inappropriate and offensive are Dina's defining characteristics. She generates the laughter of shock.

[SmithW6079]

4 hours ago, Circelily said:

Wildly inappropriate and offensive are Dina's defining characteristics. She generates the laughter of shock.

She doesn't make me laugh. She's gross. 

[topanga]

On 10/19/2018 at 1:28 PM, joanne3482 said:

I kind of hoped Kelly would have said "THIS is why I want to leave" at all of their mean impressions of her.  I'm glad that Jonah was able to get her what she wanted.  

Seeing the Cloud 9 employees through Kelly's eyes made me realize how ridiculous this crew is--and everyone feeds off each other's silliness. No wonder she wants to transfer stores. I wish Marcus had been in the episode--he's not my favorite character, but he always makes staff meetings fun. Everyone's Kelly impressions were hilarious. 

I'm sure Mateo started #GoldenVestSoWhite campaign. LOL 

[North of Eden]

I said this at the start of last season and I will say it again. I can't believe Sandra's agent has negotiated a contract bumping her up to regular status. She's not just a throwaway character there for a punchline like Justine....she's had ongoing storylines (something Cheyenne doesn't even have) and in my opinion a vital part of the show. It wouldn't be the same without her. I think she deserves to be a regular and appear in the promo shots etc. At least I noticed they final bumped her credit up to appear before the actor who plays Jeff in the last episode they were on together. If they aren't going to make her a regular they should re-jigger their credits. She's listed as Guest Starring and people like Justine are listed as Co-Starring. Seeing how she's not a "Guest" in the old days of credits she and Jeff would be listed as Co-Starring and people like Justine would get a guest starring credit AFTER the co-starring credits. Sorry I'm a big credits junkie and am so glad shows have turned away from the "dark days" of crediting...what I mean is does everyone remember about a decade ago when end credits on all shows were "Scrunched" so they could show promos for other shows. It was an insult to all the hard-working people who had earned their credits making them extremely hard to read and whipped through in a flash. Thankfully that practice has been abandoned. Circling back, if its a matter of money it looks like they no longer have to pay guest star money to Kelly's actress (sorry to see her go).

[ae2]

I hadn't noticed Justine was listed as a co-star. I hope that doesn't mean she will be getting more screen time. Her character is one that is only funny in small intermittent doses.

[PityFree]

On 10/24/2018 at 5:51 AM, North of Eden said:

I said this at the start of last season and I will say it again. I can't believe Sandra's agent has negotiated a contract bumping her up to regular status. She's not just a throwaway character there for a punchline like Justine....she's had ongoing storylines (something Cheyenne doesn't even have) and in my opinion a vital part of the show. It wouldn't be the same without her. I think she deserves to be a regular and appear in the promo shots etc. At least I noticed they final bumped her credit up to appear before the actor who plays Jeff in the last episode they were on together. If they aren't going to make her a regular they should re-jigger their credits. She's listed as Guest Starring and people like Justine are listed as Co-Starring. Seeing how she's not a "Guest" in the old days of credits she and Jeff would be listed as Co-Starring and people like Justine would get a guest starring credit AFTER the co-starring credits. Sorry I'm a big credits junkie and am so glad shows have turned away from the "dark days" of crediting...what I mean is does everyone remember about a decade ago when end credits on all shows were "Scrunched" so they could show promos for other shows. It was an insult to all the hard-working people who had earned their credits making them extremely hard to read and whipped through in a flash. Thankfully that practice has been abandoned. Circling back, if its a matter of money it looks like they no longer have to pay guest star money to Kelly's actress (sorry to see her go).

Interesting.  I wish the actor playing Cheyenne had a better agent then because I love her character and I think she and Beau would be good for some really funny storylines.

[calguy]

On 2018-10-24 at 5:51 AM, North of Eden said:

I said this at the start of last season and I will say it again. I can't believe Sandra's agent has negotiated a contract bumping her up to regular status. She's not just a throwaway 

Kaliko Kauahi isn't a series regular as that would require a big bump in pay.

[North of Eden]

5 hours ago, calguy said:

Kaliko Kauahi isn't a series regular as that would require a big bump in pay.

EXACTLY! That is the point of my post. She SHOULD be! Her agent needs to renegotiate to get her upped to series regular. She's not a "Guest"...you'd be hard pressed to find an episode that she's not in. She's not just a throaway one liner like some of the other workers in the store. She's had ongoing storylines of her own and figures into others storylines. It makes no sense to me that she hasn't been bumped up. Sandra is a vital character to the show and almost a "breakout" character if you judge by her popularity on this board.

I'm afraid a typo created the confusion when I should have said HASN'T been made a regular in my initial post.

[theatremouse]

Let's get back to the episode, please. Feel free to continue discussing the cast in the cast topic.

[methodwriter85]

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 5:49 PM, calguy said:

I predict that Superstore will get a least a couple more seasons. Remember that NBC brought back Brooklyn Nine Nine a show that is much further along on the episode count and in recent years had lower ratings than Superstore. Plus the setting of the store is a big advantage over most single-cam shows.

They have to be getting some pretty decent product placement money, right? I feel like I've seen real brands on this show.

At worst this will probably get a truncated 5th season that takes it up to 88 episodes.