Superstore Review: Toy Drive (Season 5 Episode 8)

Superstore has been a little hit and miss so far in Season 5.

However, Superstore Season 5 Episode 8, “Toy Drive,” is thankfully much more hit than miss. That means the show as a whole is finally starting to heat up, and I’m here for it. 

As packed as “Toy Drive” is, each storyline brings laughs and some of them bring social commentary, too, which is par for the course now on Superstore. 

The main plot surrounds Mateo, and Jonah and Amy trying to help him look better as he pleas for mercy on his immigration status. It doesn’t go as planned, because Amy forgot that she approved the “Samaritans” (a crystal-clear parody of the Salvation Army) to ring the bell outside the store on the same day.

So guest star Fred Armisen presents some superb yet simple work in what may be one of the funniest extended gags of the entire year – Jonah, Amy, and Mateo feuding with a charity rep, who feuds right back! Included is some incredible, hilarious back and forth, and a supercut of Jonah, Amy, and Mateo’s various attempts at sabotage. 

Some of these gags are seriously laugh out loud funny, and Armisen only adds to it with his commitment to the role. 

Of course, this piece is also a social commentary with many a subtle dig at the Salvation Army, on which the Samaritans are based. But it’s also a scathing indictment of the reasons people give to charity. 

Though Mateo’s competitive toy drive is the main story, several of the others are also hilarious and a little poignant. 

Among them – Garrett is being ghosted by Colleen, but he doesn’t realize it. Luckily he has the youthful and hip Cheyenne to help him figure it out. 

Garrett being ghosted is a little heartbreaking, and also a commentary on the way modern relationships operate. Gone are the days of “we need to talk” and they are replaced with simply avoiding difficult things until they go away. 

This story is multi-faceted. Simultaneously, Garrett is getting some comeuppance for his avoidance and poor treatment of Dina earlier in the series, and some dominoes are set up for an inevitable fall later in the season. Surely we haven’t seen the last of Colleen.

Garrett’s punishment is two-fold. He reaches out to his only real friend, Jonah, in his time of need, but Amy convinces Jonah that he’s joking. Joking about not wanting to be alone is on-brand for Garrett, but this scene breaks my heart for him all the same. 

“Toy Drive” is packed with hilarious gags and relevant stories, making it one of the best episodes of Superstore‘s fifth season.

A few stray thoughts:

• Sandra and Jerry’s coupling has always seemed to make sense, but their graphic descriptions to Glenn are absolutely hilarious. 
• Sidenote: I hope that Glenn officiating the wedding is an actual episode. 
• All of the gags they used to mess with the Samaritans rep are hilarious, but particularly the manure. 
• “I bet they sell stuff for more than it costs and keep the profit” “We didn’t start that!”

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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