‘American Auto’ Recap: ‘Cost Cutting’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

AMERICAN AUTO -- "Cost Cutting" Episode 204 -- Pictured: (l-r) Tye White as Jack, Harriet Dyer as Sadie, Humphrey Ker as Elliot -- (Photo by: Adam Rose/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘American Auto’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One particular aspect of the corporate world that both employees and everyday people dread, is cost cutting. Simply because that is an act that NEVER benefits the everyday employee. Because it either means that perks and elements that bring people joy in the job are going away, and/or it means that people and jobs are going away. And that’s really where the dread comes from with that concept because it is always line level employees that get the ax. Not the folks at corporate that put the company in a bad position money wise, or the executives that do little yet enjoy bloated salaries. It’s always the little guy, and so many everyday Americans wonder what it would be like to see the suits at corporate take the heat instead of the folks on the line. 
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Which is why this week’s episode of American Auto on NBC is of note. Because ‘Cost Cutting’ is a story that saw the C-Suite staff at Payne Motors work to figure out how to pay for the recall for the uh… ‘The Incident,’ and of course… that meant that layoffs were on the table. Because that would serve as the easiest way to save some money and pay for the mistake, and really the debate that the team was having in this tale, was whether or not they should shutter a factory or find another way to save. Which brought about a great idea from Jack, in that… going the factory route was obvious and traditional and would anger middle America. Because then everyday folks would lose their jobs and Payne would remind everyone of how heartless a corporate office can be. So… why not lay off some suits instead?

Which was an idea that picked up immediate traction in the office. Because that would be a smart way to show everyone that Payne Motors cared about everyday folks and was interested in doing the right thing. So… the team got down to work and that’s when this episode informed us of what it would look like if the suits were sent packing. As it turned out, such a move would still be an ugly process, especially for those that might feel a little entitled to their position. Which brought forth some awkward moments for certain. The kind that made the team feel quite uncomfortable. Because the folks they were letting go were furious or broken over such news. But the team went through with it none the less, out of the belief that they were about to impress. To the point where Katherine prepared to go on the air to speak to this bold move, and that is where things went terribly wrong.

Because a misstep on Jack’s part and the realization that a certain class of employee was being terminated en masse, specifically… people over the age of forty… made it clear that everyone in the suite had a pending lawsuit on their hands. A realty confirmed by one of the employees they let go, regardless of the fact that he was a low performer and all-around spicy guy when pushed to his limits. Which meant… it was either face a massive class action lawsuit that would cost more to pay out than the recall… or hire them back and close a factory and just put egg upon their faces. The latter of which they chose and well, in the end… this was simply… a fascinating episode that satirized the corporate experience and more or less explained to us why corporations choose field layoffs over corporate ones.

Largely because… they’re out of touch with the realities of their business. For corporate offices are little sanctuaries where observation and ideation take precedent over reality and understanding. Something the episode hammered home by no one doing their homework as to whom they were laying off, and courtesy of the fact that everyone had to read from a book/script to get this done, and well… this show deserves a round of applause for pointing that out in a comedic manner, and for also pointing out that layoffs suck at any level. Because people are involved, and people deserve better. So perhaps, corporations should figure out how to better manage their money, and their people, instead of just firing people when times are tough. If anything, that commentary made this a brilliant episode for certain, one that reminds us of how intelligent this show truly is and how it has a lot to say about the corporate machine in modern America. Until next time.  

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