The fifth season of Superstore starts off not long after the big moment of the fourth season finale: Mateo is in detention after his undocumented status is revealed during an immigration raid authorized by corporate in response to the unionization efforts. His Cloud 9 co-workers are there, holding a candlelight vigil and not really sure what else to do. Luckily Marcus brought his grill. Unluckily, he brought nothing else.
Mateo's absence isn't the only change at the store. Corporate is introducing more automation, which has our group of Cloud Niners worried. One in particular might have good reason: the centerpiece of the automation project is a robot named Glen. This has human Glenn fretting about losing his job, his wife and his child to this new worker who doesn't need breaks or health insurance.
Another major plot point from last season's finale is also addressed during this episode with Dina still being upset with Garrett for accidentally releasing her beloved birds and then lying about it for months. Garrett tries to get back in Dina's good graces (and make her stop throwing away his lunch) by joining Dina's and Marcus' plan to bust Mateo out of detention.
While good for a couple of gags, like Dina, Garrett and Marcus dressing up like Mateo as decoys, the plotline mostly fell flat. The revelation that Dina felt guilty about Mateo getting caught only partially redeemed it for me. Dina seems too smart to entertain Marcus' ridiculous ideas even if guilt-ridden.
Cheyenne is another Niner taking Mateo's absence hard. So hard that when Glen messes up the last display that Mateo worked on she tackles the robot to the ground, to Glenn's approval. Amy figures out that Cheyenne hasn't been to visit Mateo, and eventually Cheyenne confesses that when she visited her mother in jail she only made things worse for her mom and she didn't want that to happen with Mateo.
With Amy's encouragement and Sandra's brute strength she finally goes to visit Mateo, and he isn't doing well. The guards yell at everyone in Spanish and he doesn't understand and things are not good. But at least Cheyenne can now tell her friend about all the bad outfits he's missed since he's been gone.
The episode ends with the attempted assassination of Glen the robot. It fails and I hope we get to see that indestructible robot again, maybe as a running gag similar to hologram Myrtle.
Odds and Ends:
*Favorite quote: "Sorry Glen, it was an accident." Glenn in fear, after Glen survives his trip off the roof.
*Favorite running joke: Customers wanting to buy the jet pack the Cloud 9 mascot has.
*Of course everyone knows the Bagel Bites theme song.
*Favorite blink and you'll miss it joke: after Cheyenne tells Amy she's taking pictures of bad outfits to show Mateo she takes a quick pic of Amy.
*There's no way Carol was genuinely happy that Sandra was engaged to Jerry. That smile was too creepy.
Does anyone else think Sandra has to watch her back? Leave your thoughts below in the comments!
