Superstore Review: Quincañera (Season 4 Episode 17)
There comes a time in every young woman’s life when they are no longer a girl and become a woman right before your very eyes. As such, it’s a rite of passage for your mom’s boyfriend to be a complete idiot at your quincañera.
Wait….what?
On Superstore Season 4 Episode 17, “Quincañera,” Jonah tries so hard to be well-behaved at Emma’s quincañera and fails miserably, making it one of the funniest episodes of the year.
Every move Jonah makes on “Quincañera” is horrifyingly cringe-worthy, almost to the point of sadness. It seems like he couldn’t catch a break if he tried.
But darn it if Ben Feldman doesn’t sell Jonah’s supreme awkwardness every step of the way. The man embodies Jonah and his talent should be more widely recognized. His earnest attempts at being good on “Quincañera” fail miserably every time, which makes it a cringe-comedy masterclass.
Cringe comedy isn’t normally my cup of tea, but “Quincañera” is executed to perfection.
The best part of Jonah’s cringe-worthy quincañera saga, though, is the way he’s able to leverage it into doing something sweet for both Emma and Amy. His love for them causes him to intentionally do something awkward so Emma can save face, which honestly feels a lot less awkward than his other failures.
So essentially, this episode captures Jonah’s true essence: extremely awkward and sweet. Ben Feldman makes it seem so natural. Whether that’s good or bad is not for me to say.
But boy can I relate.
Really, though, Feldman’s success in multiple avenues during “Quincañera” speaks to the larger success of Superstore as a show. Jonah’s charm and chemistry with Amy, surrounded by a group of lovable misfits, is at the heart of Superstore. So even though awkwardness abounds within “Quincañera,” Ben Feldman really shines.
The rest of the laughs come from elsewhere in the episode. For instance, when Mateo and Cheyenne find out that Amy is a blubbery ugly-crier, they spend the rest of the party trying to make Amy cry, to hilarious effect. Nico Santos and Nichole Bloom are an excellent comedic duo.
Mateo: Do you have the dead grandma song from Coco?
Similarly, Dina and Garrett’s interaction with the young, pubescent boys at the quincañera is a riot. That, and Garrett’s incessant attempts to get the embarrassing footage of Jonah.
A few stray thoughts:
- Adding to the awkwardness of the situation, Adam Dubinowski is present and gets to hear all about Jonah and Amy’s relationship.
- Glenn has a couple of hysterical bits on this one, including flossing with the kids on the dance floor, giving Emma a terrifying doll, and mistaking Pizza Rolls for Honduran food.
- Who is Parker and why was he snorting cocaine off his Paw Patrol table?
- Favorite bit of the night? Mateo and Cheyenne’s “Wind Beneath [Emma’s] Wings” duet.
What did you think of this episode of Superstore? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Superstore airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.