NBC's Superstore - Episode 4.08 "Managers' Conference"
Jonah and Amy take Glenn's tickets to a managers' conference in Chicago so they can enjoy a free night on the town, but their plan hits a few bumps. At the store, Cheyenne helps Mateo damage control after his undocumented status is leaked, and Dina and Garrett struggle at gift-wrapping.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of NBC's Superstore.
"Managers' Conference" was written by Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka and directed by Phil Traill
Jonah and Amy go away for the week in the hopes of getting to enjoy some alone time together for a corporate managers' conference. However, it also provides a tease of what's to come in their respective futures. The show has long insisted that Cloud 9 corporate is absolutely terrible. They have no awareness of the daily struggles of their employees. They have no compassion for a host of issues. They are perfectly fine declining benefits while also hosting this extravagant event for those operating within the corporate structure. Jonah and Amy didn't know anything about this conference until Glenn offered them his and Dina's tickets. Plus, they only get through the door because Jeff also happens to be there. Sure, it's sad how Jeff is even more isolated and sad in his new position than he was before. That shows that he sacrificed so much in order to get this promotion. But it also means that Jonah and Amy get to see the inside of this company that they work for. At times, they just want to take advantage of these new identities. They can pose as the managers from a Virginia store who agree with every horrifying practice done by this company while picking up all of the free items. It's actually insane how much corporate is willing to spend on all of this while claiming that the funds don't exist for other projects that will greatly benefit their employees. It's a hypocrisy that Jonah and Amy can see clearly because they are still so closely attached to these issues. They have been fighting to have the culture changed. They haven't always done a great job in getting things done though. They attribute that to them not having enough power. However, it's also important for Amy to go out for a potential promotion because she would be a great manager. That's a direction for her career that could greatly improve her life. She doesn't have to put everything on hold and just do the bare minimum in order to survive as a working single mother. She deserves much better things. That's the clarity that Jonah supports. It's actually quite an inspirational story. Meanwhile, it's also amusing to see Mateo do his best to keep the entire store from finding out that he is an illegal immigrant. Of course, him talking about it so much with Cheyenne was bound for someone unexpected to overhear and potentially rat him out to Glenn or someone much worse. There has always been the potential of Mateo being deported. He has had to sacrifice many things in order to keep that from happening. Now, he fears that it's all inevitable because corporate is making the managers check the residency status of all their employees. That's the new corporate mandate that Glenn is in charge of here. He doesn't expect to run into any problems. He doesn't fear that any of his employees would lie to him about where they came from. Of course, it's still illuminating to him because he didn't know that Said was a refugee from Syria. In fact, it's amusing how Dina trusts Said more than any of the other employees because of the rigorous process for him to even come here. But all of this is still leading to that point where Mateo believes he has been discovered and Glenn is forced to make a decision. Now, Glenn was never going to turn Mateo in. He is so full of love. He wants to protect everyone who makes up his Cloud 9 family. That's the exact outcome here as well. So, everything does work out for the best. However, that may make Mateo even more proud and boastful of his status. As such, he could run the risk of not caring about the potential consequences of any particular action because he has escaped deportation once more.
