Spoilers ahead for the Season 6 premiere of Superstore on NBC, called "Essential."
Superstore is back for Season 6 after the fifth season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving a cliffhanger on Jonah and Amy's relationship. With America Ferrera departing after just a couple episodes of Season 6 and Ben Feldman sticking around as series regular, it seemed like the solid Jonah/Amy relationship was doomed. "Essential" may have delivered the way that they can stay together, despite Amy no longer being around.
Most of "Essential" saw the Cloud 9 workers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic at work, but the very beginning of the episode took place back when the NBA was just shutting down and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were diagnosed. Still believing that she and Jonah would be able to head to California without delay, Amy assured her coworkers that taking a corporate job wouldn't mean goodbye forever:
The whole job is being a liaison to Cloud 9, so I'm still going to be working with you guys. And they're still ironing out the details, but it'll probably be soon.
The pandemic meant that "soon" translated to "several months later when the corporate offices started opening again," but Amy's statement that she's still going to be working with her Cloud 9 pals presumably still holds true. With something happening in the next episode to keep Jonah but say goodbye to America Ferrera's Amy, her work as a liaison could mean that they have a way to continue their relationship conveniently off-screen.
Sure, it would still have to be long-distance for at least part of the time, but I think Superstore presented an opening for fans to hope that the big romance of the series isn't doomed just because one of the actors decided the time was right to move on. That said, whether or not Jonah and Amy intend to continue their relationship after whatever happens to send her to California without him, the show will at least be able to give them a proper goodbye.
America Ferrera was originally intended to make her departure in the Season 5 finale, which was the second half of a two-parter. Superstore managed to finish production on the penultimate episode of the season and of Ferrera's time as leading lady, but last episode couldn't be completed. Ferrera fortunately agreed to return for Amy's unfinished business, for not just one but two episodes of Season 6, so fans will see how Amy handles COVID-19 as well as how Amy says goodbye.
The description for America Ferrera's farewell episode reveals that the Cloud 9 employees will prepare to send both Amy and Jonah off, so it should be interesting to see how and when the penny drops next week and it's decided that Jonah will stay behind.
Amy had an interesting expression when she and Jonah were hugging over the trip to California finally happening at the end of the premiere, so I'm getting nervous that she won't want him to come along despite "Essential" seemingly delivering an opening for an effective long-distance relationship.
Find out when the next episode of Superstore airs on Thursday, November 5 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. For more of what to watch and when to watch it, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule.
