DMV Season 1 Episode 5 “Stick Shift” Recap: Colette’s Kindness Backfires in the Funniest Way Possible

The latest installment of DMV proves once again that even the most mundane government office can be a goldmine for cringe comedy and heartfelt disarray. DMV Season 1 Episode 5, titled “Stick Shift,” takes the concept of kindness, adds a dash of workplace absurdity, and blends it all into a perfect cocktail of awkward laughs. Between Colette’s misguided good deeds and Barbara’s management meltdown, this episode hums like a well-oiled engine, if that engine occasionally burst into flames for comedic effect.

The story begins with Colette (Harriet Dyer) proudly hanging a poster that reads “Bee Kind,” complete with a cartoon bumblebee that screams middle school guidance counselor energy. She genuinely believes she’s boosting office morale, but her coworkers are quick to buzz in with a harsh reality check. Ceci (Gigi Zumbado) accuses her of only being kind to get credit, which sets off a challenge that drives the entire episode: can Colette do something nice without seeking recognition?

Determined to prove her sincerity, Colette secretly buys Noa (Alex Tarrant) a harmonica, engraving it with his initials and leaving it anonymously on his desk. Noa is touched, so touched, in fact, that he won’t stop playing it. What starts as a sweet gesture quickly turns into office torture as the harmonica echoes through every cubicle. Ceci, realizing her prank has backfired when she takes credit for the gift, becomes the real victim of her own pettiness. In one of the episode’s funniest and most silliest turns, Ceci tries to sabotage the harmonica with nail polish remover and paprika, only to send Noa into an allergic spiral that ends with her stabbing him with an EpiPen. It’s the kind of workplace disaster that could only happen in this show’s universe.

The fallout leads to an unexpectedly tender moment. Noa (thanks to Ceci) thinks Colette saved him from his allergic reaction and gives her a heartfelt hug, a moment she’s been dreaming of since her crush on him began. It’s equal parts sweet and cringe, perfectly balancing the episode’s emotional and comedic beats. Meanwhile, Ceci quietly dumps the cursed harmonica into the trash, proving that some office drama is better left unsung.

While Colette’s kindness crusade unravels on one side of the office, Barbara (Molly Kearney) faces her own managerial nightmare with Vic (Tony Cavalero). Vic’s lack of professionalism reaches new heights, forcing Barbara to seek advice from Gregg (Tim Meadows). His suggestion? Give Vic some tough love to keep him in line. It works about as well as you’d expect. Barbara instead gives Vic a fake promotion. When Vic finds out the promotion is bogus, he retaliates by giving every written test taker the answers, throwing the DMV into total chaos. Barbara suspends him, but she and Gregg eventually find a ridiculous way to make amends: by giving Gregg a fake promotion of his own. It’s peak DMV: petty and oddly heartwarming.

Stick Shift captures what makes DMV such a standout in the crowded field of workplace comedies. It’s equal parts satire and sincerity, poking fun at bureaucratic nonsense while exploring how people search for validation in the most unlikely places. The writing stays sharp, the performances continue to click, and the humor lands with the dry absurdity that fans of The Office and Superstore will appreciate. Plus the bit with the janitor trying to clean a unsanitary chair all episode is genuis.

From the “Bee Kind” poster that starts it all to the harmonica-induced near-death experience, Stick Shift keeps the laughs buzzing while revealing a little more heart behind the DMV’s fluorescent-lit dysfunction. Colette’s quest for anonymous goodness backfires in spectacular fashion, but it gives the show one of its funniest and most human moments yet.

DMV Season 1 Episode 5 is proof that kindness might be contagious but so is office stupidness. And really, who needs perfect harmony when you’ve got harmonicas, fake promotions, and enough comedic mayhem to keep your license to laugh fully renewed?

Rating: ★★★★☆ – A hilarious reminder that at the DMV, good deeds rarely go unpunished.

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