Superstore Season 5 Episode 11 Review: Lady Boss
Rachel Foertsch
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Yes, a show can make an entire episode in support of feminism while simultaneously having a men's rights protest.
How do we know it's possible? Because Superstore Season 5 Episode 11 just did it.
If "Lady Boss" is any indication of what's to come during the second half of Superstore Season 5, viewers are in for a real treat.
The union may be dead, or "napping" as Jonah likes to call it, but that doesn't mean the employees are giving up.
Let's rephrase that. It doesn't mean that Jonah's giving up.
Amy: I know that the union dying was really hard-
Jonah: Not dying, just napping.
Amy: Sure. And I'm really glad that you're still looking for something to fight for. But in the last month there's been the voter registration and the bricks in the toilet for water conservation, and that poor dog you rescued from his own backyard.
Ever since the very first episode of Superstore, Jonah has always needed something to believe in and someone to fight for.
Others may find that trait annoying, and the show does use Jonah's activism as a point of humor, but that doesn't take away from who Jonah is.
Everything he does is proof of how big of a heart he has.
Knowing that is why Amy was willing to suffer through a meeting about men's rights.
You have to really love your boyfriend to endure a conversation as misogynistic as the one that took place in the breakroom.
Superstore did an incredible job of toeing the line between serious conversation and humor. But that's nothing new.
Cheyenne: Personally, I'm not a feminist.
Amy: What?
Cheyenne: Yeah, I just think that men and women should be treated equally.
Amy: Yeah, Cheyenne, that's what feminism means.
Cheyenne: Oh.
All the men's complaints were unwarranted, which is what made them so funny in the first place.
Marcus made a good point about Cloud 9 being run by women, but the message viewers should take away is the opposite of what he was trying to get across.
Amy is the manager of Cloud 9, Dina is the assistant manager, and now the CEO of the entire company is a woman. The series deserves kudos for putting these females in positions of power.
This is where the problem could have come in with Amy's current role in the store.
As I've said before, Amy being the manager doesn't work simply because she's too good at her job. The same thing can be said for Glenn.
Glenn doesn't work as a floor worker because Superstore already has dozens of ridiculous employees similar to him.
That's not to say all the characters aren't unique in their own way, but any one of them could easily fill the role of a nonsensical floor worker.
Glenn stepping down added nothing to the plot and only served to take a special aspect of the show away.
However, seeing a Latina woman making six figures a year and running the store is something we can't root against. And making Glenn manager again would have to result in the loss of Amy's job.
That is a good point, Dina. It does sorta feel like society is set up by and for men and that any complaint really just sounds like whining.
Amy
Superstore came up with the perfect solution to this dilemma. But again, we're not surprised.
Promoting Glenn to floor supervisor adds back that unique aspect to the show, while still allowing Amy to hold the position she deserves.
The ongoing mystery of the season also needs to be discussed.
What in the world is going on with Carol?
She has to be plotting something big at Sandra's wedding. She's far too excited to be there and too determined to be involved in the wedding plans.
Is she plotting to ruin the wedding? Is she hoping to find a way to steal Jerry for good?
That's all in the past. Sandra and I are besties now. There's no way I'm missing that wedding. I'd rather die.
Carol
Jerry isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, so it wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world if Carol somehow tricked him into marrying her instead.
As weird as it sounds, this is Carol we're talking about. We wouldn't put anything past her.
There's only a few weeks to go before "Sandra's Wedding" airs and we have our fingers crossed that it will be as good as "Cheyenne's Wedding " if not better. Here's to hoping that a Cloud 9 wedding will deliver once more.
Stray Thoughts:
- What's next for the union? Jonah may still be on the case, but the other employees seem to have given up. Is this the end, or will the union find a way to persevere?
- Jonah convincing Amy to help him by making puppy dog eyes at her is one of the cutest scenes in existence. Who wouldn't melt if Jonah Simms looked at them like that?
- What's the dynamic between Dina and Glenn going to be like now that he's the floor supervisor? Glenn has altered positions several times now, and his relationship with Dina has always been finicky. Will they be able to find a balance of power?
- We've heard so little about Mateo's situation lately, that it's easy to forget he's only out on bond. We pretty sure that Superstore would never take his character away, but his fight to become a US citizen still needs an official conclusion.
- Does anyone else feel like Garrett's screentime has been lacking? He seems to pop up once in a while to make a witty comment before disappearing for the majority of the episode.
- The nods to feminism throughout "Lady Boss" were incredible. There was an abundance of quotable moments as well as important takeaways. Who says learning can't be fun?
It's your turn, Superstore fans! What did you think of "Lady Boss?"
Do you think the union is done for good? Or could it come back into play later in the season?
What do you think Carol is up to? Is she really Sandra's new best friend, or is she waiting for the right time to enact her revenge?
Drop a comment down below, and let us know your thoughts and predictions!
And don't forget that if you missed the episode, you can watch Superstore online right here at TV Fanatic!
Superstore Season 5 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.
