‘American Auto’ Recap: ‘Night Out’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

AMERICAN AUTO -- "Night Out" Episode 210 -- Pictured: (l-r) X Mayo as Dori, Tye White as Jack Fortin, Michael Benjamin Washington as Cyrus, Ana Gasteyer as Katherine Hastings, Humphrey Ker as Elliot, Harriet Dyer as Sadie, Jon Barinholtz as Wesley -- (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 209 of ‘American Auto’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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If there is one particular phrase that no employee wants to hear at work, it would have to be… we are a family. Because… the folks we work with are not family members, and this is an environment that will cut ties with us on a moment’s notice when it deems us to be expendable in the slightest. So, hearing that phrase informs us we are dealing with a workplace that is desperate to find some semblance of humanity and likely is toxic in nature. So… we avoid it at all costs and always remember to establish boundaries with work and our co-workers. But regardless of having that understanding, what’s wild is that now and again… we do make bonds with co-workers and bosses, and sometimes they can become lifelong friends. Which seems to go against what we hold dear regarding the separation between work and home life. 
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But that line does get crossed now and again when we simply meet those awesome people at work we want in our lives and sometimes… those bonds are forged when we go through complete and utter hell with those coworkers. The kind of tough times that help us realize we have done something special, and it is hard to ignore that and deny the connection that is created when that happens. Making it clear that now and again… it is okay to let down our guard at work when the situation is right and when we know we can in fact trust those next to us and vice versa and well… the moment that epiphany arrives is top of mind today, simply because it was put on display in the most unique manner possible during last night’s episode of American Auto on NBC.

A feat that ‘Night Out’ accomplished by presenting the team with quite the unique moment on a Friday evening. Wherein Katherine was suddenly eager to find out everyone’s plans for the night and the weekend, and she was also eager to do something she had never done before… hang out with everyone. In fact, the entire team was stunned at the prospect of spending time with one another outside of work since they abided by the separation mantra. But they went along with it, thinking it would be a quick hello and they could handle their plans for the evening no issue. But Katherine was determined to spend as much time with everyone as possible and when the party was going to end at the local bar, they dropped by… she invited everyone back to her posh estate, and that is when her desire to spend time with her subordinates suddenly made total sense.

For they came to learn upon arrival at Casa de Katherine, that she and Richard were getting a divorce and she was distraught and broken and really… in need of friends. And when faced with the reality of that, and the epiphany that they had been through utter hell together in recent months and were starting to see the fruits of their labor for their hard work and starting to unify because of that… they opted to stay. Because they realized, this wasn’t the traditional toxic work situation where boundaries mattered more than anything else. They had a bond, they had done something special, and it was best… to let that grow. In a hilarious manner of course. Since they drank some damn expensive wine and bourbon and had a good time. The only downside was that Wesley was the sole jet in the hot tub, but even then… he made up for that and more, by buying Dori’s grandmother a new car to compensate for her not dropping by a birthday party.

Plus, they even had a chill sleepover and well… this was just a sweet, heartwarming tale in the end. One that really did remind us of those jobs we’ve worked where the boss wasn’t a total scumbag, and where our coworkers were decent people that were worth spending time with, and perhaps became so much more to us. But this story had more to offer than a trip down memory lane. This episode spoke to growth for the characters, since they’re trusting one another more and becoming closer day by day and it is also a huge deal that they’re turning it around at the office. So, in many ways they deserved this wonderful and gentle evening. One that lifted Katherine’s spirits up and our own for that matter and it will be interesting to see what comes out of this newfound bond as season two continues along. Until next time.

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