Superstore express lane: The 5 best jokes in Season 5, Episode 16
By Reed Gaudens
Superstore explores the downsides of Cloud 9’s location-tracking employee app and the dangers of Dina learning how to text gifs to Amy.
Admittedly, we all have that one app that we’re kind suspicious of having on our phone, but we use it anyway because of the ease it can bring to our lives. Superstore gives the Cloud 9 a dubious phone application in the form of Zephra’s employee app, which does all kinds of time-saving things, like automatically clocking in for them. Naturally, Jonah isn’t on board with the app.
Because of Jonah’s pushback, he catches flack from his fellow employees, namely Garrett. But Jonah opts to fight fire with gaslighting and teaches him a lesson in technology paranoia. Meanwhile, Dina also dabbles in technology with a newfound interest in texting Amy, but their short-lived status as digital pen pals nearly fuels a teen drug epidemic. Another normal day at Cloud 9!
Let’s recap the latest episode of Superstore with the five best jokes from “Employee App.”
1. “You think you’re so fascinating that Zephra’s just dying to know which Beach House album you just preordered?”
While the rest of the employees are elated about the new employee app and its system for clocking in, Jonah expresses hesitance in trusting Zephra’s location-tracking system. Of course, he’s the only one to question the thing that’s seemingly making their lives easier, leading Garrett to poke fun at him. But this time, Jonah isn’t taking the ridicule. He decides to gaslight, not prank, Garrett to teach him a lesson about trusting devices with our private information.
2. “People are always telling me I’d be a beautiful Indian woman.”
When Amy sends Dina a text message of an emoji, the figure throws Dina for a loop. She never “got in” to texting and somehow isn’t familiar with emojis or gifs or any modern form of text etiquette. But Amy shows her how to digitize herself and communicate via texting, for better or worse. Before long, Dina abuses the ease of text messaging, which forces Amy to mute her conversation with Dina. Who would have though she’d actually regret that decision?
3. “I would do anything for some crack right now, just for the warmth.”
In their haste to celebrate the implementation of the new app and its shiny features, the rest of the employees don’t realize that the app now also times their breaks. The app can track them whenever they enter the break room and counts down their allotted break time. Cheyenne and Mateo lead the pack from taking their breaks in the cold outdoors and then in the men’s bathroom. Eventually, they return to the break room and deal with the clock cutting into Cheyenne’s stories.
4. “‘Getting Garrett good’ with a gif of Nancy Pelosi clapping from the speaker’s chair.”
Jonah’s prank on Garrett entails preying on his dormant paranoia. To prove his point about Zephra’s app watching them, Jonah makes a sketchy online search from Garrett’s phone to see what happens. Obviously, Jonah fabricates the aftermath by enlisting the security guard to talk to Garrett, staging a break-in at his locker, and having the security cameras follow his every move. When the truth comes out, Garrett’s offhand comment about a bomb threat awakens his phone and cops wind up in the store (thanks to Sandra). A lesson learned in the very worst way.
5. “250? That’s, like, 10 giant buckets of KFC!”
While having Dina muted, Amy misses out on an important text message from Dina telling her they need to put red label warnings on chafing fuel canisters because teens are getting high off of them. They’ve missed an hour since Cloud 9 issued the warning, and Glenn sold six 24-packs to teenagers. Amy and Dina, who’s mad at Amy for muting her, hit the road to find the teen and hit a goose in the midst of a bickering match. The fallen fowl ends their fight, and Dina hits it off with the vet taking care of the goose. And to think, if Amy had never sent her that emoji…
What did you think of the latest episode? Sound off in the comments!
Superstore airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.