Superstore Review: Salary (Season 4 Episode 15)
Superstore Season 4 Episode 15, “Salary,” is more sour than sweet as it covers the important topic of salary disparities and status in the workplace. Nico Santos stands out on the episode as the over-achieving Mateo and Lauren Ash delivers another stellar performance as Dina.
This show is always good, but it is only great when its core is sweet. On “Salary,” the bitterness never quite mellows and it never reaches that greatness as a result.
Dina is such a surprisingly likable character.
She tries to break-up Jonah and Amy so that she can have access to Amy’s ear and get the new security system. Even though this is quite a rude thing to do, the way Lauren Ash plays it, it comes off charming.
I wish we got a scene between Garrett and Dina on the episode where Garrett can unpack some of his negativity and be refined by Dina’s confident and clear feelings towards work. They’re not negative exactly, but they are a far cry from Glen’s neverending positivity.
I mean, I am just ready for Dina and Garrett to be in love.
What we do get on the episode is another example of the endearing impact of Dina’s confidence. She isn’t trying to be someone or something that she’s not. And unlike Mateo, she isn’t trying to curry favor in order to get more power.
She’s also funny as hell. When she circles her hands over the different zones on the body, expressing unknowns about the butt area, I did.
DINA: Everything North of the fun park, I want.
Mateo’s response to Amy moving into management is also hilarious. Season 1 Mateo is back and I couldn’t be happier.
I just love how persistent he is with just taking the position, even after other floor workers reject his assumption of power.
I think there is also subtle commentary there about how hard it is for people to take men of color and gay people seriously in positions of power, whereas the dim straight white man just accidentally earns six figures without having to put in an ounce of effort.
That’s the kind of sharp irony that Superstore occasionally serves at just the right temperature. The tea is certainly spicy and delicious on this episode.
I love seeing Myrtle back at Cloud9, but honestly, her ketchup packet eating and general poor cognition are sad. I would like a moment of softness and victory for Myrtle and Amy on the episode, and it never goes there.
That leads to the most disappointing part of the episode for me: Cheyenne’s nasty reaction to Amy’s success.
Amy is a single mom to two children who put her aspirations aside to support her family. She has supported Cheyenne through her pregnancy, marriage, and other life events.
Even though Amy does sometimes look down on Cheyenne, ultimately she has been a really good friend.
Remember when Amy found the pocket money and she ended up being okay with everyone sharing it!
It would have been so funny and sweet to see Cheyenne get excited and supportive about Amy’s new salary.
Cheyenne could have tried to get Amy to invest in a crazy scheme, or they could have just had an amazing girls lunch.
It could have been celebratory, which Amy deserves.
Instead, we see Amy scorned and left to feel awkward and guilty about her newfound financial stability.
It’s a missed opportunity to see women of color supporting each other. But, there are more episodes in the season where we can see that kind of camaraderie and I hope we get there!
Jonah and Amy are moving forward in their relationship and it is really nice to see that they don’t always have to be happy around each other. At the beginning of the episode, Amy is in a “meh” kind of place.
She feels comfortable enough and free enough to be herself, that she doesn’t have to pretend to feel a way she doesn’t, just for Jonah’s sake.
Importantly, Jonah celebrates and is proud of Amy, not threatened by her. He is the one to remind her of some of the perks of her new position and to get her out of her feels. That is the type of supportive partner she never got with Adam.
Even if her fellow Cloud 9 workers don’t give her the support, as a viewer it is incredible to see Amy building success and happiness in her life. She has earned it.
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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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.
2 comments
Cheyanne was being a brat. The scene where she tries to make Amy feel guilty about the diapers was so angering. She hasn’t always made that much and she supported her children, basically as a single mother. And it isn’t her responsibility to pay for other people’s diapers. Cheyenne should not have put her in that awkward position
Yeah that was the most infuriating part of the episode for me
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