Superstore does a great job of exploring various character relationships and simultaneously painting an accurate picture of things that happen in a retail environment. As each relationship goes deeper, the daily tasks and facets of the job become much deeper and more meaningful, and the characters become masterfully layered and interesting. “Rebranding” was no exception to this trend.
This week on Superstore: Corporate comes down to oversee a product “rebranding”. Due to the rebranding, Jeff is on edge, which circulates rumors that he’s having an affair with one of the employees. The corporate VP who visits the store turns out to be a buddy from Jonah’s business school days, which spurs Jonah’s thoughts of returning and Glenn and Amy wanting him to stay. Cheyenne tries to secure some clearance baby products, but isn’t allowed to shop during her shift.
I can relate to a lot of Superstore episodes from my time in retail, and “Rebranding” was another fun example. I’d definitely be lying if I said I didn’t pull a Cheyenne and hide the good stuff when it was marked down by a lot. I have several items that I still use today that I purchased for dirt cheap after I had hidden them all day. Cheyenne’s story was even more important, as she was a struggling young mom who needed the products. Her story also made chuckle when she found mountains of stuff hiding in the back room, because A) nobody ever has any “more in the back”, and B) I recalled the countless times that I would “check the back” by standing in a room for a few minutes texting, and then return to tell the customers we didn’t have it. Nichole Bloom doesn’t get enough credit for selling Cheyenne’s character, excellent comedic timing, and living (very) truthfully in the world of the show. She’s wonderful, and that was a wonderful solo showcase for her.
I really enjoyed exploring the “past life” of Jonah, which really dictates how far he’s come as a character in Superstore’s short run time. Though he’s still a little pretentious and strange, the biggest indicator of growth for him is how much Amy (who hated him at the beginning) and Glenn wanted him to stay. As an audience member, the whole story really endeared me to Jonah. Oh, and I really loved that business school video.
Here are a few other thoughts/funny moments:
- I loved Cheyenne’s “Supercloud” idea, and how dumbfounded Jeff was that no one thought of it.
- Jonah = Iceman
- Dina punching the cardboard cutout in frustration was a great physical moment.
- The best comedic story of the night: Sandra pretending that she was having an affair with Jeff. Everything she did and said was absolutely hysterical.
- “Take out your taters”
“Rebranding’ was an excellent showcase for some of the best things that Superstore does well, like physical comedy, character relationships, and an accurate portrait of a retail worker. It’s so realistic and fun that it really resonates with its audience, and even less quotable episodes like this one turn out extremely well.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know in the comments!
Superstore airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC
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