Mr. Mayor Review: Respect in the Workplace (Season 1 Episode 6)

Mr. Mayor Season 1 Episode 6, “Respect in the Workplace,” does one thing right by keeping the main characters together for a shared storyline, but it promptly unravels into a mess.

“Blergh.”

This was a recurring line from Tina Fey’s character, Liz Lemon, on 30 Rock. It bugged me on that show, but, ironically enough, it sums up how I feel about this episode quite perfectly. 

Appropriate office behavior has been the focus of many workplace sitcoms, so this topic has already been overplayed. Mr. Mayor decides to work it to death here. Almost every woke joke falls so inelegantly flat. 

I was really liking Jayden (Bobby Moynihan) up until Mr. Mayor Season 1 Episode 5, “Dodger Day.” The character is now furthering down the path of being a bumbling idiot that is fodder for all the gross-out humor. I saw a lot of potential in Jayden to be an oddball with some smarts, but it seems the show would rather take the schlocky route. 

Blergh.

Arpi, played by the incomparable Holly Hunter, is my favorite character, and she remains so despite how she is written on this episode. 

The issue is not Arpi’s wokeness turned white feminism. I actually like that angle, but it is executed poorly, stemming from the script. What is Hunter supposed to do when the material she is given is silly and outlandish? No amount of talent can elevate that.

And it’s a shame because if it wasn’t written so over-the-top, it could be a good commentary on the white feminism that Fey has been criticized for in the past. If Arpi’s role on this episode had more of a subtle nuance instead of resorting to tacky schtick, I might be singing a different tune.

Blergh.

Natalie Morales as discussion leader Susan is a nice addition. She is the straight man, comedy-wise—in actuality, Susan is a gay woman—and plays well against the other exaggerated performances.

However, it is not a good idea to hinge an effective episode of comedy on the guest star.

In my review of Mr. Mayor Season 1 Episode 5, “Dodger Day,” I said that I was barely able to find anything funny enough to make me laugh. Thankfully, I am able to chuckle here and there throughout this episode, and that is, in large part, due to Morales as Susan.

This infuriating episode even manages to get a big laugh out of me at the end when Susan’s wife comes to get her and she looks just like Neil. 

[Insert whatever the opposite exclamation of “Blergh” is here.]

Stray Observations:

• The food truck scene in LA is portrayed pretty accurately. Boy, do I miss the Nom Nom Truck’s Banh Mi.
• “What empanadas, Arpi?! What empanadas?!”
• As a former script supervisor, the bad continuity on those popsicles, or “ice lollies” as Jayden calls them in a British baby voice for some reason, makes my eye twitch. 

What did you think of this episode of Mr. Mayor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Mr. Mayor airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.

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