Superstore Review: Trick-or-Treat (Season 5 Episode 6)

Superstore is a funny show. Sometimes, though, it can toe the line between funny and cringe-worthy, which doesn’t always work well for the show.

Superstore Season 5 Episode 6, “Trick-or-Treat,” is a prime example of this. Halloween episodes have plenty of stuff to draw from, so the cringe feels a little too far/unnecessary in this case.

It starts off innocently enough, introducing the new district manager (Maya, played by guest star Justina Machado) and working on union things in the same episode. 

But the tensions quickly escalate when Kelly, Jonah’s ex-girlfriend, turns out to be the union organizer from the Fenton store, and her costume matches Jonah’s. Since Amy isn’t up to speed on union stuff, the awkward reactions escalate quickly. They’re funny, but definitely more awkward and cringey. 

Perhaps retail workers reacting rationally to the situations they’re in doesn’t make for good comedy, but “Trick-or-Treat” misses on that front anyway. Sure, it’s funny that Amy acted weird because of Kelly and the district manager happens to be there. But it would be funnier from a different angle. 

Elsewhere in the episode, though, there’s some really great stuff.

Garrett and Glenn manning the haunted house in the garden shop, for instance, is an absolutely hysterical story. Glenn is clearly petrified of a haunted house that couldn’t possibly be scary, and Garrett uses the opportunity to mess with him. Really, Glenn and Garrett should have more stories together, as Colton Dunn and Mark McKinney really churn out the laughs on this one. 

Then there’s Cheyenne and Mateo. For one, they’ve thankfully returned to their banter, which has been sorely missed. 

But when they suspect Dina of being a serial killer? Gold. 

Mateo: I’m so glad the killer struck today!

Who knows how long having Mateo back will last, but the Mateo/Cheyenne relationship is a pillar of Superstore. Nichole Bloom and Nico Santos do an absolutely stellar job with every aspect of their characters, but their banter in particular. 

The point of the awkwardness on “Trick-or-Treat” seemingly, is to get to the point where the employees suspect Maya might know about the union. But they don’t know for sure. It’s pretty easy to see how this will create some comedic situations in the future, but was a very awkward and indirect way to get there.

A few stray thoughts:

• Really, by far the best part of “Trick-or-Treat” is the one liners and one-off bits. You can always count on good ones from Superstore. 
• For me, the best costume belongs to Elias as Edward Scissorhands. But Marcus’ is pretty cool, too.
• Lori got fired because she got hopped up on cocaine and roundhouse kicked the CEO. Wild.
• Poor Sayid. I would never date someone who made me quit Pokemon.
• Dina wears the same costume every year and it’s glorious.
• One of the major things missing? A rousing rendition of “Halloween Surfboard”

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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