American Auto Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Cost Cutting

American Auto Season 2 Episode 4, “Cost Cutting,” finds the Payne team scrambling to cut costs in the post-recall landscape. Naturally, chaos ensues. This outing relies heavily on its strong cast of comedic players, which yields dividends for us as an audience and the episodic narrative. 

“Cost Cutting” also explores fun character dynamics, such as the Dori/Wesley pairing. Season 1 certainly wouldn’t have experimented with said pairing, especially given Dori’s ostensible revulsion of Wesley because, well, it’s Wesley. However, the episode organically brings them together, and comedy magic blooms. 

WESLEY: Don’t worry, guys, this mismatched pair of ragtags is gonna save your jobs. And in the process, we just may find out we have more in common than we think. 

Of course, we’ve seen Dori sympathize with Wesley in the past, namely in Season 1’s penultimate episode after Wesley’s treated poorly by his family. American Auto cleverly plays with their budding friendship. X Mayo and Jon Barinholtz are a joy to watch onscreen. Here’s hoping the show gives us more of their delightful dynamic. 

Moreover, “Cost Cutting” groups Cyrus, Elliot, and Jack as an unlikely but entertaining trio. Elliot’s intrinsically dry humor meshes well with Cyrus’s knack for cheeky drama and Jack’s sweetness. The scene where Elliot and Cyrus give Jack conflicting advice regarding how to handle firing someone is hysterical. 

While Sadie and Katherine are a cornerstone pairing for American Auto, that doesn’t make their scenes any less enjoyable. Ana Gasteyer and Harriet Dyer’s inherent onscreen chemistry shines. Gasteyer never fails to elicit laughs with Katherine’s penchant for blatant honesty. At the same time, Dyer expertly walks the tightrope between Sadie’s anxious demeanor and her desire to take charge. 

CYRUS: It’s art, Jack. It’s supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. 

In addition, the guest performances take center stage in “Cost Cutting,” namely the consistently funny Phil Reeves as Syd. Reeves plays well with Tye White’s Jack in an uncomfortable scene that experiments successfully with a popular sitcom trope: the misunderstanding. 

Further, the seamless and fluid editing between the firing scenes makes for some funny moments. Notably, how Cyrus, Jack, and Elliot handle said firings differently. The failed layoffs result in a humorous pivot for the episode as the Payne team navigates another detrimental PR crisis. 

American Auto is at its best when it puts the lead characters through the narrative wringer, forcing them to scramble to pick up the broken pieces in the fallout. Their varying reactions regarding how to handle the multiple crises hurled their way are where the magic lies. 

KATHERINE: We have 20 cows, each with a heart in them, but still, we are going to have to, uh, turn one of our cows into chuck. 

“Cost Cutting” is another solid episode in the American Auto catalog. Season 2 improves upon the groundwork laid in Season 1 and is, hands down, the strongest of the two. The heightened stakes introduced in the season premiere have paid off hilariously. Long may this show reign. 

Stray Observations: 

• It’s wonderful to see the return of Jon Miyahara’s silent presence in the office, along with Matthew Moy’s Dale. Season 2 is branching out beyond the core cast and having them interact with more non-executives, which is a nice change of narrative pace. 
• I find it difficult to believe that changing to “generic” water from more expensive brands didn’t save Payne gobs of money. Bottled water is costly as all get-out — just go to any airport worldwide. 
• If we don’t get a storyline with Cyrus starring in a commercial for Payne (even though the series explored the commercial angle last season) or auditioning for a play outside of work, there is no justice in this world. 
• As it turns out, biology isn’t Katherine Hasting’s forte. 
• They say Howard is still sitting outside Elliot’s office, catatonic, to this day. 
• The whiteboard stuff never gets old. You can always find nuggets of funny lurking in the background of any scene featuring a whiteboard. 

 

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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