American Auto Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Crisis

American Auto Season 2 Episode 1, “Crisis,” kicks things into high gear for Payne Automobiles with a hilarious performance from Ana Gasteyer. It’s undoubtedly the sitcom’s strongest episode thus far and a high-stakes way to start its sophomore season with a chaotic bang. 

“Crisis” starts slowly and hysterically builds from there as a literal (and PR) wildfire rages. The biblical plague accents, like the appearance of frogs, Elliot’s “plague-like” skin reactions, and the fire, are a nice touch. 

IAN: We don’t talk about other clients, but let’s just say I am his top gun, and to make him seem normal is a mission impossible. 

While everyone fires on all comedic cylinders, no one can surpass Gasteyer, who pitch-perfectly delivers every line and has a lot of fun with her character’s physicality, especially toward the end of the episode. The writers and Gasteyer deftly keep a lid on Katherine for much of the outing until she explodes. Then, Gasteyer is given free rein to do what she does best — make us laugh. 

“Crisis” experiments with how our leading players react in stressful situations. Naturally, every cast member boasts their respective physical reactions, from Cyrus’s eating in every scene to Sadie’s incessant sweating and Dori’s inability to have a bowel movement. 

Part of American Auto‘s charm is the cast’s chemistry. They play off each other well and dole out rapid-fire dialogue as if they’re playing tennis. Other fun performances besides Gasteyer (a given) include Harriet Dyer, Michael Benjamin Washington, Humphrey Ker, X Mayo, and the excellent guest star Eric Stonestreet. 

SADIE: Guys, there is no story here. A story is when something happens, and literally, nothing has happened. 

The ending of “Crisis” brilliantly sets the stage for the rest of the season. Instead of accepting her firing, Katherine proposes the board gives her six months to turn the company around, clamber out of this PR nightmare, and raise their stock. Thankfully, the board keeps Katherine on as the boss lady along with her team. The six-month crunch raises the stakes story-wise, hopefully opening the floodgates for more clever comedic hijinks. 

All in all, American Auto blesses us with a solid season opener. Ana Gasteyer is the perfect performer to lead the charge, with the rest of the cast rising to the challenge. If “Crisis” is anything to go by, we’re in for humorous performances, clever dialogue, and engaging episodic narratives. Bring it on. 

Stray Observations: 

• Cyrus should’ve received, at the least, a hefty fine for purposely eating that Kit Kat incorrectly. I’m with Jack — something about it makes my skin crawl. It should be illegal to consume a Kit Kat that way. 
• American Auto needs a Tom Cruise cameo after those Top Gun and Mission: Impossible references. 
• Is it “Wah-room”? Or “War Room”? We may never know. 
• Katherine shouting, “That’s why you lost the war!” to Elliot made me cackle very loudly. 
• If I were in a crisis situation of that nature, I’d be breaking out in hives à la Elliot. 
• I’m Team Sadie and Jack all the way. Team Jadie? Maybe Team Sack? 

What did you think of this episode of American Auto? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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American Auto airs Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on NBC, with next-day streaming on Peacock.

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