S04.E06: Maternity Leave

[fishcakes]

2 hours ago, Boofish said:

When Cheyenne had no leave he suspended her with pay. Which means he has the power and could have done the same for Amy. 

But Glenn was fired for that and only got his job back because all the staff, minus Dina, went on strike, and he had to agree to go by the book if they rehired him. So I could see where he wouldn't want to risk getting fired again, especially since he has a new baby now too. I kind of wish they had referenced that incident in this episode to show why Glenn feels like he can't do anything for Amy, instead of making him look so clueless and jerky about the whole thing.

[Sile]

6 hours ago, festivus said:

I kinda like Harmonica. What?

I just think the list is funny because you'd expect more names like Le Bron but the rest is just as basic as Parker. So their ideas are no better than Amy's.

Parker just makes me think of Parker Lewis and Parker Stevenson.  Last names for first names always make me imagine stuck up, bratty, privileged.  But last names as middle names are very cool!

The whole name plot reminded me of a George Carlin bit about people naming their kids things like Tucker and Hunter.  You have to actually see and hear it to really get how hilarious it is, just the way he says "Tucker" with a stank face is worth the price of admission.

[Saylii]

1 hour ago, theatremouse said:

I think all of above is related to the suspension issue though. It seems like in both cases she was assuming she had what should would've before the suspension? They played it like she was not only suspended but when she came back was demoted. And she somehow wasn't informed of the details. So she went into it thinking she had the same plan as Dina, and was surprised she did not. She went into it thinking she had her total tenure, and was surprised when she did not. Whether that makes her stupid depends on how much the employer told her at the time of the suspension/reinstatement. If the bulk of her planning were done before the suspension and she just assumed everything would be the same tier after, that's the problem.

It seems like maybe they did actually fire and rehire her, and just didn't actually tell her that. Because otherwise a lot of what Glen said makes no sense and isn't just a matter of corporate policy. I could see if she had been suspended and returned she might not be entitled to paid leave anymore (and might not be able to afford to take it unpaid) but I thought he said he couldn't hold her job. That's the part that implies the line from corporate is either not legal, or she wasn't actually suspended without pay. She was fired and rehired. There are subtle hints that the fictional company is totally cool with violating labor laws though, because she also said when she went into his office something about the bathroom being gross, and they have to provide a non-bathroom place for her to pump, and the closet doesn't count if it doesn't have a lock she can lock from the inside. I was amused at how she and Sayid ended up building a rapport over the shared not-appropriate-accommodation space, but for the room to count it has to be "free from intrusion". Either Glen doesn't know that, and he's incompetent (which is totally plausible), or he's an even shittier manager than he seems for being a rule follower when corporate tells him to have her come in, but not a rule follower about providing pumping space just because it made him feel weird for it to happen in his office.

I got the feeling the health insurance bit was because Amy was a low-ling and Glenn was a manager.  If Dina was having the baby on her own, I’d expect her to have a plan similar to Amy’s.

As for the firing/rehiring/suspension, I assume that Amy was fired and rehired in their systems.  She should have definitely known that, especially if she had to go through the new employee on-boarding process again.  If this particular store fails on that process so hard that Mateo can work at that one without properly verifying his citizenship status then maybe it isn’t all Amy’s fault.

But then that circles back to the writers for making Amy so clueless and stupid in the first place.  There’s got to be better ways to write that character.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Saylii

[festivus]

14 minutes ago, Sile said:

The whole name plot reminded me of a George Carlin bit about people naming their kids things like Tucker and Hunter.  You have to actually see and hear it to really get how hilarious it is, just the way he says "Tucker" with a stank face is worth the price of admission.

I'll have to see that. I'm so snobby about names although I named my two kids the most basic mainstream names ever. One of them will probably end up naming their kid Harmonica just to get back at me.

[Empress1]

13 minutes ago, festivus said:

I'll have to see that. I'm so snobby about names although I named my two kids the most basic mainstream names ever. One of them will probably end up naming their kid Harmonica just to get back at me.

Here you go. 

I don't mind the name Parker. I know a number of people with last names for first names (including a Tucker and a Hunter), and when the name is innocuous like Parker, I think it's fine. (Tucker makes me think of Tucker Carlson, which is not a good thing.) But even if I didn't, I wouldn't say so to the person. Like, I think naming a child Harmonica is ridiculous, but I wouldn't tell a coworker that. My friend's niece has a first name I think is pretty bad but nobody asked me, so I kept my mouth shut. (I did point out to my best friend that one of her choices for a first and middle name for her first child would have the kid's initials spelling out something that, while not profane, would get the kid teased relentlessly for her entire life. They chose a different name.)

(Hilary Duff named her daughter Banks and I don't like that at all.)

[rhys]

Whenever I hear Parker i think it's a feminine name due to Parker on Leverage which I just recently re-watched while I was under the weather. But I'm with posters above: never offer opinions unless asked & even then be really careful.

[scarynikki12]

I really like that Amy chose the name simply because she liked it.  So many people, especially on tv, choose names with some kind of meaning behind them and it's never just because they heard the name one day and liked it.  Cheyenne and Mateo were trying to find out if there was some meaning behind the name, which is fine given how many people go that route, but they definitely should have stopped once Amy said she just liked it.  Their list was funny though and totally went against their point about the name Parker, which then made it funnier.

[possibilities]

11 hours ago, iMonrey said:

What's wrong with Parker?

Yeah, I have no issues with it, either.

I noticed Jonah was not as helpful and attentive as usual. I would have expected him to be super-concerned, or trying to come up with a scheme to help her in some way. And he really wasn't. I wonder if they are leading up to some fallout over her still hiding their relationship from Adam, and how that makes Jonah feel about being "all in" with the relationship.

[janie jones]

13 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I wonder if Cloud9 corporate policy allows employees to donate vacation days to other employees within the same store. The least Glenn could have done is find out whether that's the case, and if so, donate a day or two of his own and make the rest of the team aware of it so they could also donate if they wanted

Even if they can't do that, shouldn't she at least have her own sick time/PTO?  And are people not even allowed to call in sick (even if unpaid) if they suddenly got sick?  What if she had just come down with the flu?  Would he have still made her come to work?

 

12 hours ago, spanana said:

ETA: Not just in this episode, but last week's too, the one thing I don't buy is that Amy wasn't more on top of her knowing what her healthcare covers and doesn't cover.  Or even what her rights may be re: FMLA.  I understand her not knowing the stupid thing about the suspension resetting her clock, because who would have seen that idiocy coming but otherwise Amy seems a bit too together to not research what her healthcare will/won't cover and/or her maternity situation ahead of time. Not that it is all on her, but it just seems a bit out of character.  Especially when also dating Jonah, who I would expect to be all over that stuff too.

Isn't Amy a manager?  Shouldn't she know the policies?  Or does Glenn personally take care of all that kind of stuff for the entire staff?

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

I was disappointed that Eden Sher basically played an amplified version of Sue Heck. Can't she do anything else?

She can!  She played sort of the anti-Sue on Sons and Daughters a million years ago, and I've seen her do other stuff, too.  But I feel like she needs to not play anymore characters like this for a while or she's going to be typecast.

[chaifan]

My problem with this episode is that this is a sitcom and it failed to make the necessary final turn back to funny on Amy's leave issue (which is so wrong in every HR/legal way).  Glenn is usually a bumbling fool, but well intentioned, but this time he came off as a clueless ass.  So, I'm going to rewrite the ending in a way that redeems Glenn and turns around Amy's situation:

Glenn calls Amy into his office.  Says that due to her tirade he can't leave her in a manager position.  She thinks she's getting fired.  But, they have just created a position of product tester that she could have, at the same pay.  He hands her a box with a new pair of pajamas, slippers, an eye mask and noise cancelling headphones.  Then he leads her across the hall to the supply closet, which now has a new sign "product testing room - product testing in session, do not disturb".  Opens the door, and it's a mini glam bedroom/nursery.  As he explains the arduous job of testing sheets, pillows, crib, baby toys, mom products, a baby naming book, placed there by Mateo & Cheyanne, etc., Amy curls up in bed, door closes. 

This way we have Amy in store, but in a way that isn't so sad and horrible. 

[wendyg]

I think Eden Sher played what the writers gave her, and the writers appear to have thought she should play Sue Heck amplified.

Many years ago, my father's (small) business was hiring a new assistant bookkeeper, and the stories they told me about the people who applied made this seem very realistic to me. They woman they hired, it came out a month/6 weeks later, didn't like a particular type of paperwork she was supposed to deal with, so she stuck all those items in a drawer as they came in and refused to deal with them. She got fired when she pulled a knife out of her drawer, I think during a heated conversation about the paperwork. I don't think she actively threatened anyone, just laid it on her desk, but that was enough to make the bookkeeper and receptionist pretty uncomfortable with having her around. Yes, she was fired.

[Sile]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

My problem with this episode is that this is a sitcom and it failed to make the necessary final turn back to funny on Amy's leave issue (which is so wrong in every HR/legal way).  Glenn is usually a bumbling fool, but well intentioned, but this time he came off as a clueless ass.  So, I'm going to rewrite the ending in a way that redeems Glenn and turns around Amy's situation:

Glenn calls Amy into his office.  Says that due to her tirade he can't leave her in a manager position.  She thinks she's getting fired.  But, they have just created a position of product tester that she could have, at the same pay.  He hands her a box with a new pair of pajamas, slippers, an eye mask and noise cancelling headphones.  Then he leads her across the hall to the supply closet, which now has a new sign "product testing room - product testing in session, do not disturb".  Opens the door, and it's a mini glam bedroom/nursery.  As he explains the arduous job of testing sheets, pillows, crib, baby toys, mom products, a baby naming book, placed there by Mateo & Cheyanne, etc., Amy curls up in bed, door closes. 

This way we have Amy in store, but in a way that isn't so sad and horrible. 

You still need to have Sayid show up for their pump 'n pray dates.  It's become their "thing".

[Lois Sandborne]

On 11/8/2018 at 8:12 PM, festivus said:

THE RACCOON. I loved the raccoon.

I laughed so hard at that raccoon popping up munching on produce that I yelled, "I'm sorry!" to my neighbors afterward, because I know they heard me.

 

On 11/9/2018 at 8:54 AM, WednesdayAddams said:

Would a suspension really set her back like that? 

Not at all.  What the store pulled is highly illegal.  However 1) this show is a fictional crazytown that I allow to have no real rules, and b) even in-universe if Amy tried to challenge the corporate office, she might have to find resources like an attorney or an agency to help, thus drawing out the process of getting a decision in her favor and having to report to work in the meantime, meaning she had to go in to work that day anyway, so ... Jonah still doesn't want to make out.

[AnimeMania]

19 hours ago, janie jones said:

Even if they can't do that, shouldn't she at least have her own sick time/PTO?  And are people not even allowed to call in sick (even if unpaid) if they suddenly got sick?  What if she had just come down with the flu?  Would he have still made her come to work?

She may have already used up her sick days giving birth.

[Saylii]

If they truly fired her and rehired her, what they did was technically legal.  FMLA doesn’t kick in until you have worked at an employer for a year.  Also there are some hour worked requirements to get the full 12 weeks off that she may not have met because she was suspended for 4 months.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Saylii

[chaifan]

3 hours ago, Saylii said:

If they truly fired her and rehired her, what they did was technically legal.  FMLA doesn’t kick in until you have worked at an employer for a year.  Also there are some hour worked requirements to get the full 12 weeks off that she may not have met because she was suspended for 4 months.

Not to get into an employment law primer, but for FMLA you need to have worked a) at least 12 months, and b) at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months for the employer.  A break in service makes no difference.  So even with the suspension, assuming (I think fairly) that she was a full time employee for the other 8 months, she would have qualified.  Now, that is unpaid leave.  I don't know if they mentioned if her 6 week leave was supposed to be paid or unpaid.  But no, under the FMLA, what they did to her was not legal. 

But this is a sitcom, so I don't really care about all that.

[Circelily]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

Not to get into an employment law primer, but for FMLA you need to have worked a) at least 12 months, and b) at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months for the employer.  A break in service makes no difference.  So even with the suspension, assuming (I think fairly) that she was a full time employee for the other 8 months, she would have qualified.  Now, that is unpaid leave.  I don't know if they mentioned if her 6 week leave was supposed to be paid or unpaid.  But no, under the FMLA, what they did to her was not legal. 

But this is a sitcom, so I don't really care about all that.

Exactly. Same with Dina: surrogates have to have given birth before, for all sorts of logical reasons.  Nit-picking is not the point. The tightrope of shining a light on terrible core truths while keeping the laughter coming over 22 minutes - honestly I can't think of any comedy past or present that does it better.

[malaluna]

I loved this episode. Amy's rant was gold. Gold, Jerry! Sadly, I've been in a similar situation, as I'm sure a lot of women have. I remember when I went to my workplace to file paperwork, I called my days off "maternity leave" ..my HR rep was quick to correct me stating this company had no maternity leave, I used "vacation days". It's despicable, Amy made it funny.

[neuromom]

Someone named Cheyenne who named her kid Harmonica and wants to be judgemental about Parker...Amy should have told her and Mateo to “shut the f up”.

i did not know the rules about births and baths, since my second son was born in a birth tub and everything that needed to come out came out right after.  

I loved the Amy and Sayid bonding. And I personally would have LOVED that closet to pump! I was working 12 hour shifts as a dispatcher , so not only was it hard enough to get up and take a break to pump (911s don’t ever stop ringing), but I was relegated to the telephone room adjacent to the dispatch center, where I was sitting amongst wires and computers ..and the “bell” that chimes every time a 911 call came in! My milk supply definitely suffered because of the stress. I was actually jealous of Amy!

Edited November 11, 2018 by neuromom

[DrScottie]

I was reminded of Chidi from "The Good Place" when the guy they were interviewing couldn't decide on what chair to sit down on as he was thinking it was a test for the interview. Chidi had that same problem choosing between chairs this season, but it's par for the course for him. 

[spanana]

On 11/10/2018 at 12:15 AM, possibilities said:

I noticed Jonah was not as helpful and attentive as usual. I would have expected him to be super-concerned, or trying to come up with a scheme to help her in some way. And he really wasn't. I wonder if they are leading up to some fallout over her still hiding their relationship from Adam, and how that makes Jonah feel about being "all in" with the relationship.

I thought this too, but I also feel like they have to be in a weird place right now for many reasons.  I think Jonah is probably confused as to what is his role is or what it should be right now. Yes, obviously they got involved after they both knew Amy was pregnant with Adam's kid, but things have changed now that the baby is actually here.  As was clear from the delivery episode, they need to have a conversation about where their relationship is at and how this is going to work, but haven't had the time (and in Amy's case the energy or desire I imagine) to figure that out.  Like everything else pertaining to the maternity leave, it's probably something that they should have discussed before she went into labor but at the same time I think they were living in fantasy world at that point.  Both had wanted to be with each other for awhile and finally had the opportunity, so I think they likely ignored all the big stuff that needed talking about to just have that time together before things got even messier.

But Jonah is in a weird place.  He probably wants to step in and help Amy, and I don't think there is a reason that he can't exactly, but it needs to be in a way that Amy is comfortable with and he can't overstep bounds since he's not the kid's dad.  Plus throw in the fact that Adam doesn't even know about them.  Which is not to say Jonah couldn't have helped her navigate work a little better or even advocate on her behalf to Glenn...

[Melina22]

America did so well making Amy real, that it's actually difficult if not impossible to see her and Jonah as a couple right now. It doesn't feel realistic. How do you "date" someone who literally just had someone else's baby? Am I the only one who finds this all sort of weird? 

On 2018-11-11 at 1:18 PM, malaluna said:

my HR rep was quick to correct me stating this company had no maternity leave, I used "vacation days". It's despicable, Amy made it funny.

Years ago as a struggling working single mother, I was visited by a good friend from Holland. She was utterly horrified when I told her that I was "allowed" 5 unpaid vacation days per year. In Europe, most men and women expect to get at least 5 paid WEEKS off per year. That's just considered civilized. And way, way more if you or your partner just had a baby. I remember being sooooo jealous. 

[spanana]

3 hours ago, Melina22 said:

America did so well making Amy real, that it's actually difficult if not impossible to see her and Jonah as a couple right now. It doesn't feel realistic. How do you "date" someone who literally just had someone else's baby? Am I the only one who finds this all sort of weird?

Granted since this is a comedy, and a work place one at that, I have no idea how they are going to handle all of this.  I don't know if it isn't realistic.  I'm sure it happens plenty in the real world.  My take is just that post sex stream (ha!), Amy and Jonah were living in a bit of a fantasy world where they probably decided to be together and just ignored all the big impending stuff since this is the hand they were dealt and they finally knew they were on the same page at the same time.  So I do feel like even though Amy was heavily pregnant, they were probably living in a bit of a fantasy reality and now their circumstances can no longer be ignored.  I'm not sure the having somebody else's baby is the problem, so much as just having a baby and being a single mom period.  I doubt there is really much concern that Amy is going to suddenly get back together with Adam.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Isn't Amy a manager?

She's a floor supervisor, whatever that means - a step up above sales person but below management, probably. And I'm not clear on whether she retained that position after her suspension. If she had to start down at the bottom again, benefits-wise, it's possible she had to start over in rank as well. 

[SosaLola]

I loved the Amy/Sayid subplot. Though it bothered me that they didn't get the praying part right. Sayid is clearly Shia Muslim because of the small stone he placed at the top of his praying carpet. But both Sunni and Shia Muslims start praying standing up. Never have I seen a Muslim start their prayer sitting down unless they have knee problems, but even then, they pray sitting on a chair. 

[Kirkydee]

I think a lot of people are looking a little too deep into the Amy/maternity leave/ losing her position thing.  Superstore is an over the top farce that shows a cheap penny pinching  retail store and their eclectic employees.  They're showing how absurd these stores are and how far they will go to screw their assembly line employees and watch their bottom line.  

Box stores are notorious for giving employees 1 hour less per week to keep them part time.  No benifits, no perks. Nada.  The FMLA mentioned earlier is a great point, but in the Superstore universe it's not a stretch for the rank and file (including floor supervisors) to get boned.

[red12]

On 11/8/2018 at 8:24 PM, tennisgurl said:

I was just waiting for Lonnie to have some weird quirk, you knew it was coming, and yet I still cracked up. Jonah just losing his shit over the guy who wore the shirt with swear words all over it was amazing. 

Not, however, as amazing as Amy's rant. Might have been harsh, but it was amazing none the less. Especially as the woman walked by not subtlety recording the whole thing. "DELETE THAT! DELATE THAT!" 

So thats what Sue would be like as a minor character. Sue taken up to eleven. And Sandra and her Dina head!

I did not find that rant harsh and all. In fact, she showed amazing restraint not quitting and telling him to f- himself when he called. Judging from the applicants, it wouldn't have been hard to get a job there after a few weeks. But, Amy didn't plan ahead enough to know her insurance didn't cover the birth of her child so, I know she had no options. 

I also realized how little involvement Glenn must have with his own infant for him to even contemplate calling Amy as a solution. I would be more likely to just fake her time sheets.

I probably would have tried to murder my manager IRL had he called me with that bs while I was recovering so, there's that too. 

I thought the exact same thing about Sue when I saw the actress.

[DearEvette]

On 11/17/2018 at 11:08 PM, Kirkydee said:

I think a lot of people are looking a little too deep into the Amy/maternity leave/ losing her position thing.  Superstore is an over the top farce that shows a cheap penny pinching  retail store and their eclectic employees.  They're showing how absurd these stores are and how far they will go to screw their assembly line employees and watch their bottom line. 

Yeah I agree with this.  I could have gone with this if I thought it was presented in a funny over-the-top farcicial way.  Unfortunately, I didn't find this ep funny at all.  Amy's situation was more infuriating that OTT funny.  I mean, when you think more about the IRL legality rather that the hilarity, it misses the mark.

I  did not find the Dina/Sandra subplot funny or even original.  Dina is much more fun when she is in person.

I usually like the Mateo/Cheyenne team up but even they got on my nerves.  Again here I think the comedy didn't land well. If you didn't know Cheyenne's daughter's name is Harmonica then their objection to the name Parker just comes off as strange. Kids are cruel, but Parker is not a name that immediately suggests  bullying.  (I had friends once whose last name was Pitt and they had a whole list of names they couldn't name their kid.  I only remember 'Stu' but they had a bunch.)  Also the joke really would have been brought home if the list of names they had were as outlandish as Harmonica.  But I saw some really common names on there.  Lost opportunity.

The best part was Amy's rant to Glen which I watched a couple of times.  America was really excellent in that scene.  And it felt very cathartic because Amy comes off as such a doormat sometimes. 

[methodwriter85]

I swear to god, I remember "Parker" being a pretty popular t.v. name on shows in the 90's and 2000's, so it was funny hearing them bitch about what an awful name it is.

I always remember getting really hopeful about a new hire, but then they reveal themselves at some point. Thankfully no peeing in the floor, though.

[SosaLola]

On 11/20/2018 at 12:21 PM, methodwriter85 said:

I swear to god, I remember "Parker" being a pretty popular t.v. name on shows in the 90's and 2000's, so it was funny hearing them bitch about what an awful name it is.

 

I kept waiting for them to reference Parker from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how awful he was for playing Buffy and mistreating her after he got what he wanted from her (sex). 

[msrachelj]

On 11/8/2018 at 8:40 PM, ClareWalks said:

Amy's epic rant to Glenn transcribed: "Sorry, you think that a BATH BOMB is the answer to all my problems? JUST KILL YOURSELF! KILL! YOURSELF! You know, you don't get to talk right now! I am SO TIRED! I have slept 90 minutes in three days! The lining of my uterus is coming out IN CLUMPS! I have hemorrhoids so big that my doctor looked at my asshole and said 'WHOA!' Have you ever had a doctor look at your asshole and say that?! I am wearing frozen diapers so that my pussy doesn't fall out! OKAY?! ...WHY HAVEN'T YOU KILLED YOURSELF?!"

i thought this was over the top crude and cringeworthy. it was not glenn's fault, it's store policy. irl i believe she would have been fired for telling someone to go kill themselves. not funny.

[msrachelj]

On 11/9/2018 at 9:54 AM, WednesdayAddams said:

Loved Garret's response to not believing in shoes. "They exist, that's a fact" and then "She's not wearing any shoes, of course he's going to hire her."

Sue Heck was always annoying, so I was hoping she'd be more normal here, but no.

Would a suspension really set her back like that? 

I actually didn't like Glen in this, as he seemed not caring. I did chuckle when he brought out the puppy though. 

I've learned from my bosses, that they get way too many people who seem crazy right off the bat or dressed in PJs at job interviews. So I know that sadly wasn't a stretch in this episode. 

I've seen it too with my own eyes in my former position. . Remember, there are some people who are getting unemployment or who are on some social services programs are required to job search and go on interviews and document it. They don't actually want to get the job and have to work, so they blow it on purpose. 

[aradia22]

I've watched the first few episodes this season and maybe I've just been away from it for too long but the show feels different. Did something change? New writers? Because it seems meaner. In the past I feel like there were a few characters who were mean like Dina or Bo or Matteo but overall, everyone else was nice but unintentionally incompetent and unhelpful. This season it seems like Amy and Jonah are good and everyone else is kind of terrible. Forcing Sandra to break up with her boyfriend over a coin toss... Not being terribly sympathetic or helpful to Amy coming back to work after just giving birth... This doesn't feel like the show I fell in love with.

[possibilities]

I agree with you. It's been disappointing, and makes the show  much less funny, in my opinion.

It's not all bad, but there is definitely way more meanness than in the past.

[The Companion]

I had a baby about three months ago and I felt this episode in my soul. Poor Amy. My kiddo is a good sleeper now, but I literally googled "is it possible to die from sleep deprivation?" during the first couple of weeks. 😆

 

[qtpye]

On 11/9/2018 at 11:03 AM, spanana said:

I think there are conversations to be had as to whether Amy is entitled and rude to everyone normally, but in this episode IMO she's completely justified.  Her hormones are on 100, she literally just had a baby two days ago and nobody bothered to tell her ahead of time that she didn't have maternity leave.  The Amy part this episode was less funny to me and more sad since it was such a statement on the crap that is US healthcare and of course workers rights.  So if Amy is entitled and rude in this episode, I think it's out of pure exhaustion, hormones and desperation for her crappy situation and all of those add up to her having a lot less control over handling her emotions.

Also while realism should never be a thing on this show, how did Glenn not think to tell Amy the part about not having leave BEFORE hand in the months leading up to her having the kid?  Not to mention Glenn was able to fight to get Cheyenne her time (even if he did it by suspending her with pay I think), so it also struck me as a little weird that Glenn didn't fight harder for Amy in some way.  I know he has limited power and Amy was just suspended, but it didn't seem like Glenn tried at all.  Yes, bath bombs and a puppy....and Amy was far nicer about the implications of the puppy than I would have been.

Do I think Glenn meant well?  Probably.  But we've seen him go out of his way for employees in the past, Amy included, that he didn't seem to here.  Even when she was on suspension, he would visit her nightly and give her money under the guise of tips.  I guess we are supposed to think he is also in the midst of a new baby, but as highlighted by another poster above, all this show did is highlight the difference between what most women with a new baby go through, especially single women with low income jobs that don't afford them adequate healthcare versus a new dad, who has a wife at home who ls likely doing most of the early child rearing...not to mention better healthcare that afforded him the better hospital and not the clinic that Amy had to go to since fancy hospital didn't take her insurance (another point that I think Amy would have known ahead of time, but still...).

The Dina stuff was funny, but I was too sad and enraged about Amy to laugh much.

On 11/9/2018 at 9:22 AM, Melina22 said:

America was incredibly good in this episode. Not only did she allow herself to look absolutely and realistically awful, but you could feel the pain and exhaustion and anger just radiating off of her. Unfortunately, she was so realistic that it took me out of the show. I ended up feeling angry and upset that many low income women have to go through this, nowadays more and more often without partners.  

I ended up angry with her boss, who gets to enjoy his new baby without any of the anguish Amy is dealing with, and with her ex-husband (while wondering how he can just show up on a moment's notice to look after the baby. Doesn't he work too?) That said, I don't know what else any of the men could have done to help. It seems like they were doing their best in an impossible situation. It's more of a society issue. 

I enjoy shows like Superstore for the escapism. Tonight's show for me was the opposite of that. Too much realism! But this is not a criticism, just an observation. I'm sure many women truly appreciated seeing their struggle portrayed so realistically. 

On 11/9/2018 at 11:21 AM, fishcakes said:

The raccoon! That was better than the reindeer from the Christmas episode. What's great about this show and The Good Place is that there are all these extra throwaway bits that require that you DVR the show to pick up on them. I still need to go back and see what the rest of swastika tennis player guy's tattoos were. I also loved Sayid heading into the utility room with his prayer mat reminding Amy that it was time for them to pray and pump together. 

I agree that Parker is not a great name, but this was Cheyenne and Mateo's list: Jack, Obama, Sam, Oscar, Milo, Wyatt, Felix, Hugo, Le Bron, Erik, Theo, Geoff, Axel, Baron, Levi, Delroy.

Most of those are as bad, if not worse, than Parker. Baron Dubanowski, Lord of the Soft Goods. And Wyatt is the same as Parker! If Parker had a twin, the twin would have to be named Wyatt.

Shoeless girl is not a stretch. I worked at Sears in high school and there were two teenagers who applied at the same time, both of them wearing footie socks, no shoes, and literally skipping down the aisles into and out of the Personnel office. The following week they were both working there. They wore shoes during their shifts, but they also stood around in their departments eating corndogs whenever they felt like it.

My guess is no. Adam was always "between jobs" as he came up with after another get rich quick scheme. That was a big reason they got divorced.

A similar thing happened to my mom when she was a low-wage worker in a hotel. She'd been there five years and needed a couple of days off for an emergency. Her supervisor told her no, but mom took the days anyway. When she came back, she was told that she'd been dropped to the bottom of the seniority list so they were changing her hours and days off, but what they didn't tell her was that they'd technically fired and and rehired her. She didn't find that out until she retired twenty years later and learned that she didn't have the number of continuous years that she thought she'd had that would have qualified her for the retiree perk of free room days every year at any Westin property.

On 11/11/2018 at 12:18 PM, malaluna said:

I loved this episode. Amy's rant was gold. Gold, Jerry! Sadly, I've been in a similar situation, as I'm sure a lot of women have. I remember when I went to my workplace to file paperwork, I called my days off "maternity leave" ..my HR rep was quick to correct me stating this company had no maternity leave, I used "vacation days". It's despicable, Amy made it funny.

On 1/15/2020 at 3:03 PM, The Companion said:

I had a baby about three months ago and I felt this episode in my soul. Poor Amy. My kiddo is a good sleeper now, but I literally googled "is it possible to die from sleep deprivation?" during the first couple of weeks. 😆

This is the only first-world country that has horrible maternity leave requirements. My tech company works with India and their employees get 8 months starting from the 5th month of pregnancy.

The reasoning is usually...well, men don't get months off because they got "knocked up".

The show did a great job of balancing a serious issue with comedy...not an easy task.

Kimmer needs to go.

As annoying as Penny (Sue Heck) was, it was really dirty that she turned down a job offer and then got fired on her first day for being annoying.

Glenn is a terrible manager.

He is inappropriate, does not stop workplace bullying, forces his weird wife on his employees, and is stupid.

His kindness is just neediness and not respecting healthy boundaries.

Edited June 18, 2022 by qtpye