Review: Not Suitable for Work Episodes 4 & 5 Turn Up the Heat With Office Romance and Career Drama

This article contains spoilers 

The next two episodes of everyone’s new favorite sitcom have dropped, and the tension is turning up in Murray Hill. Between the stress of work and relationships, it seems like our lovable crew is finding themselves in some sticky situations. We’re seeing quite a bit of mixing business with pleasure, and I can’t decide if I love it or hate it.

Before diving into the romance, I want to highlight how these two episodes showcased our characters continuing to climb the corporate ladder. While everyone is in different industries and at different stages of their careers, it’s fun to see the parallels between them. At the end of the day, they’re all trying to move forward professionally and do whatever it takes to get there. Whether it’s taking a workout class to corner a potential client or scoring an endocrinologist appointment to win over a boss, I thought these moments highlighted the post-grad hustle mindset really well.

Another consistent theme throughout these episodes was the messiness that comes with mixing work and play. We see four of our five main characters diving into complicated relationships with coworkers or bosses, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the risks may outweigh the rewards. When it comes to messiness, however, Kaling shines. Take Davis, for example.

He’s a great illustration of how mixing work with pleasure can come back around to bite you. While Davis is obviously in the wrong, you can’t help but root for him anyway. What makes Kaling’s characters so special is that you genuinely want them to succeed. Their flaws don’t make them less likable, they make them more human.

Diving further into the office romances, we find both of our female leads in interesting situations with their bosses. What I enjoy most about AJ and Abby is their work ethic. They’re both incredibly driven, another quality Kaling consistently writes so well. I can’t help but worry, though, that these potential relationships with their superiors might throw them off their game.

Looking at AJ first, while I love the small moments between her and Bill, this is the first time we’ve seen her distracted at work. It’s interesting to watch someone so focused lose her footing a bit, but I don’t see this relationship lasting, and I’d hate for it to backfire on her.

Then we have Abby, who has finally left her emotionally draining job as an assistant to start building her own client base, beginning with the charming actor Austin. While we know Austin is definitely interested in Abby, I can’t tell whether the writers are planning to explore a romance between them or have Abby stand firm in her desire to keep things professional.

While Austin may seem like the obvious choice to some viewers, I’m still holding out hope for Abby and Kel. Kel sacrificing his career because he knows Abby deserves better was one of the most swoon-worthy moments of Episode 6. Kaling is clearly playing the long game with these two, and honestly, I’ll wait as long as it takes.

I’d also be remiss not to mention Josh’s night out with Elena. For now, I have no complaints about their relationship. I enjoy their banter and playful dynamic, and Elena seems like the perfect rebound for Josh.

AJ said it best: workplace relationships may be fun, but they get messy. I’m excited to see how the next few episodes play out and just how messy Kaling is willing to get.

What did you think?

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• Loved it
• Hated it
• So/So