Drama
The Faithful: Women of the Bible
Fox’s ‘The Faithful’ explores stories from the Bible through the eyes of biblical matriarchs, highlighting these women’s incredible faith.
It’s not always easy being a temp.
You’ve got to get connected into a new company, figure out how to do the job and even deal with workplace drama.
Boy, does Anthony know it.
He’s just started as a temp for Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce in Canoga Park, California, and he’s assisting the small company’s HR head, Kevin, with the upcoming company retreat. It’s supposed to be a big one this year on account of their CEO, Doug, retiring and introducing his son, Dougie, as the new CEO—so Kevin will need all the help he can get.
Maybe that big change is the cause of all the awkward moments Anthony observes his coworkers stumbling into. And it’s definitely unfortunate that there’s a camera crew, who’ve been working with the company to create a documentary about small businesses, filming all of it.
Yep, it’s not easy being a temp.
Especially for a company that, as it turns out, doesn’t even exist.
Following the success of Jury Duty—a reality series which starred a man who found himself at the center of a fake court proceeding wherein everyone was an actor except himself—one wonders how such a show might be done again.
How does this kind of show find such a kind subject? How do they keep him unsuspecting of the actors? Just how far can they push the absurdity before it becomes too obvious?
Well, the minds behind Jury Duty figured it out, and it’s in the form of Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat (or just Company Retreat if you prefer). While technically Jury Duty’s second season, Company Retreat appears on Prime Video as a separate show, so we’re giving it its own separate review, too.
Still, much of what we said in our review of Jury Duty could apply here, too—though it seems the sexual banter is a bit more overt in Company Retreat. (I imagine it’s far more difficult to realistically make such jokes in a courtroom.) Within the first few episodes, we see a sex toy and hear a number of colorful descriptions of sexual acts—including some that play into the plot of the show. Similarly, some characters openly talk about their sexuality (including some LGBT characters). Other jokes reference substance abuse. Crude language stays TV-14, censoring the use of the f-word but allowing all else.
And while it’s all meant in good fun, viewers may find Company Retreat’s content to be a poor return on investment.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Anthony joins the staff of Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce, helping them prepare for the upcoming company retreat.
An employee asks Kevin if he can forward an email with a joke that’s sexual in nature—to which Kevin says no. A message in the background mocks Tabasco, telling the rival company to perform a sexual act. There’s a reference to genital stimulation. A woman asks another woman if she’s ever sent a man “tasteful nudes.”
Someone complains that employees at a previous retreat put cocaine in a cotton candy machine. A woman drinks liquor out of a tumbler that reads “probably bourbon.” A man vapes. Someone references inebriation.
The f-word is censored but nevertheless used three times. “A–” and “whore” are each used once. God’s name is used in vain four times.
Anthony takes charge when the retreat center accuses their company of stealing chips.
A man discovers a “masturbatory toy for men” in his closet, but thinking it’s a complimentary cup, he drinks out of it. A woman encourages someone to go to a strip club and have sex with one of the people there. Someone believes that a coworker has pornographic items in his room. Two LGBT characters talk about their sexuality. There are a few references to bodily functions.
A man wears an ankh necklace.
The f-word is used but censored a few times. We also hear “a–” and “p-ss.” God’s name is used in vain roughly 16 times, including one instance paired with “d–n.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Fox’s ‘The Faithful’ explores stories from the Bible through the eyes of biblical matriarchs, highlighting these women’s incredible faith.
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