American Auto Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Going Green

American Auto Season 2 Episode 5, “Going Green,” finds Team Payne committing to investing in green technology to bump the company’s stock, resulting in a trip to Silicon Valley that doesn’t go as planned. 

Naturally, one of the most exciting aspects of “Going Green” is the mini Superstore reunion with Ben Feldman. Feldman portrays Wesley’s college buddy and overly confident green tech upstart Chase, a complete character 180 from Jonah. Watching Jon Barinholtz reunite with Feldman is a nice serotonin boost. 

KATHERINE: The stock market is obsessed with us right now, like so horny. 

American Auto is in the midst of a plateau with these last few episodes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — every one of them has been consistently solid across the board. There’s a “comfort food” quality to shows like these. 

That might seem like a strange descriptor for a sitcom, but with American Auto, you know precisely what you’re getting: an entertaining story with stellar comedic performances. Occasionally, the narrative veers toward comedy gold territory with episodes like “Crisis.”

Lately, the quality has stayed roughly on the same trajectory, never dipping below that invisible line or shooting drastically into the stratosphere. You know what? That’s perfectly fine. We tune in weekly for 20 minutes of escapism and warm laughs. That, and Ana Gasteyer’s brilliance. She shines particularly brightly in “Going Green.” 

CYRUS: What in white-boy hell is this? 

Of course, the rest of the cast keeps on par with Gasteyer. Feldman’s guest spot is a highlight, as is Matty Cardarople’s hilariously awkward performance. Michael Benjamin Washington never fails to deliver the goods as the occasionally caustic and always clever Cyrus. Tye White injects a much-needed sweetness and sincerity into the group dynamic as Jack. 

The phone sequence is another highlight in “Going Green,” as Team Payne calls their contacts to ensure the validity of Sand Box. Is this company legitimately capable of creating batteries out of sand? What starts as a search for insight quickly and hysterically devolves into chaos as the media hypes up Sand Box as a tech goldmine worthy of any prominent auto company’s partnership. 

This sequence also boasts seamless, tight editing, contributing to the hilarity. Payne Motors is a character unto itself, one that incessantly shoots itself in the foot at any chance it gets. The team inadvertently starts a bidding war for Sand Box’s invention, and after finally walking away as winners, Katherine realizes they just invested billions of dollars into a sand battery. The narrative button for “Going Green” is perfect. 

KATHERINE: What tech? You have the idea of batteries made out of sand, which is really just a couple letters away from batteries made out of farts. 

Will Payne ever come out on top? As mentioned above, part of this show’s charm is watching this crew fail miserably time and again. American Auto succeeds in that regard, and “Going Green” is a prime example. Long may Team Payne fail for our entertainment. 

Stray Observations: 

• Jonah Simms would utterly detest Chase Brody. Personality-wise, Chase is everything Jonah loathes. However, Chase is all about green tech, which would appeal to Jonah. 
• Thank you, Justin Spitzer, for this mini Superstore reunion. Let’s get the rest of that cast on American Auto. I want to see Mark McKinney go toe-to-toe comedically with Ana Gasteyer. 
• “Keep Calm, and Lithium Ion” will become the next “Keep Calm” poster series to sweep the globe. 
• Could you imagine if someone composed a battery out of farts? What if our flatulence could power the world’s battery supply? We’re only one tech dudebro away from this becoming a reality. 
• Hats off to that Volvo joke. It’s subtle and clever. 
• I’d like to think this show is an alternate-universe companion to Superstore. Different versions of Marcus and Jonah thrive in higher societal positions. They’re like MCU variants. 

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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