DMV Season 1 Episode 9 Recap: “The Next Window” Does Colette Finally Catch Noa's Eye
- Je-Ree
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The holidays arrive at the East Hollywood DMV, but don’t expect cheer, goodwill, or even working tinsel. DMV Season 1 Episode 9, “The Next Window,” drops the crew into festive mayhem that includes a long road trip, a not-quite date, a toppled Christmas tree and a guest appearance from Leslie Jones. It’s messy, it’s chaotic and it’s exactly the kind of offbeat workplace comedy energy that’s turned the series into CBS’s stealth charmer of the 2025 season.
The episode opens with business as usual: customers complaining, decorations doing nothing to improve morale and employees clinging to sanity by a thread. But the big news? Noa and Mary have broken up. For Colette, that’s the equivalent of the holiday lights finally turning on. For everyone else, it’s the beginning of a very long, very awkward journey.
Sensing opportunity, Colette orchestrates a six-hour “driving lesson” to the Sacramento holiday party to snag some solo time with Noa. Unfortunately, the DMV crew travels like mall Santas, never alone. Gregg, Vic, and Barbara tag along, effectively transforming Colette’s romantic window into a clown car of chaos.
Still, Colette remains determined. If she just had a shred more confidence, she could simply ask Noa out like a functioning adult but where’s the sitcom fun in that? Her plan finally gains traction when they stop at a mall and she switches into a new outfit, catching Noa’s attention for the first time all day. Baby steps.
At the holiday party, the long-teased debut of Leslie Jones arrives. She plays Sally, assistant to the notoriously hard-to-impress Big Sac director. Jones brings her signature presence, even if she’s more plot facilitator than comedic hurricane this time.
Things quickly spiral. Gregg discovers that his new “friend” Kevin is actually an AI chatbot, and that Vic has been impersonating him using a burner phone. Gregg is furious, though more at the DMV’s disregard for its employees than at Vic’s misguided loyalty. His solution? Sue the DMV. Bold choice. Very Gregg. Meanwhile, Barbara goes full Barbara and accidentally knocks over the giant Christmas tree… right onto the Big Sac director. It’s a disaster so textbook DMV that the agency may need to create a new form just to report it.
But the emotional core of the episode belongs to Colette and Noa. They finally share a dance, a moment promising enough to make viewers lean closer to their screens. Noa, still raw from his breakup, opens up about what went wrong with Mary. Colette gives honest, thoughtful advice, advice she freely admits she never follows herself.
And then, of course, the universe punishes her for her growth. Mary shows up when they return to their DMV branch, reconciles with Noa on the spot and just like that, Colette’s hopes evaporate into a puff of holiday disappointment. It’s a brutal beat, played with just the right blend of heartbreak and comedic timing.
“The Next Window” delivers exactly what DMV does best: messy workplace antics, complicated friendships and a will-they/won’t-they romance that stays just out of reach. Colette’s heartbreak, Gregg’s lawsuit ambitions, Vic’s misplaced loyalty, and Barbara’s ability to wreak physical havoc at any given moment keep the episode lively and full of momentum.
With guest star Leslie Jones adding some fun holiday spirit and the series leaning into its quirky identity, Episode 9 proves DMV has plenty of mileage left. Fans hoping for a Colette-Noa breakthrough may need to wait for the next window but if this episode is any indication, the ride getting there will be wildly entertaining.
If you’re following DMV closely, or just love workplace comedies that lean heavily into absurdity, this is one midseason sendoff worth revisiting, wincing at and laughing through.
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