DMV's ability to charm its audience is often due to its inherent humor, but in Episode 3, "Easy Pass," the focus on Colette and Noa, the least humorous characters by design, felt prolonged. Noa serves as the quintessential straight man to Colette's exaggerated and absurdly simpering persona—a dynamic that the premiere already explored and which the second episode further emphasized. Something must happen to shake this relationship out of its will-they-won't-they stasis, especially when the rest of the show's characters are more entertaining to spend time with.
Naturally, Colette dominates "Easy Pass" due to her office nickname, earned for her tendency to pass almost anyone who takes a driving exam with her. This stems from her fear of disappointing people; she's so conflict-averse that she'd rather spare herself the five-second discomfort of telling someone they didn't pass. In Noa's case, Colette applies this logic because he's her next exam—a crucial moment for him to get his California driver's license so he can stop relying on lifts from others and potentially pursue a relationship with Mary (a mystery we're not privy to, as Colette cuts him off before he can explain). Colette's denial of reality might make it disappear, but I don't think there's anything going on between Noa and Mary, though DMV might drag out this "reveal" for several more weeks.
Noa proves to be a deeply poor driver, causing three accidents during his test—but, of course, Colette still passes him. In celebration, he drains his bank account to buy his friend's van and plans an excursion so dangerous that Colette, Vince, and Gregg break into the van to sabotage it. This sequence stretches DMV's TV-PG rating as Noa and Mary attempt to wedge a folding table into the back, creating an illusion that they're up to something else. Gregg, in the front seat with a visibly defeated Colette, delivers the best line of the episode when he finally checks out what's going on: "They're doing it like me and my wife—with their clothes on. And they're not doing it."
Gregg remains brilliant and underappreciated. Vince indulges in extreme hydration in "Easy Pass," and Gregg keeps filling his water bottle when he isn't looking, a dumb gag that made me laugh every time. But the better subplot belongs to Ceci and Barb. The latter has passed her probationary period and is now officially the manager, which means her portrait is going up on the wall. She asks Ceci, whose job is to take the photos for licenses, to handle the portrait, leading to a temporary glow-up and a stretch of very funny physical comedy from Molly Kearney. You can feel the anxiety rippling through the screen. I wish DMV spent more time with these supporting characters.
However, "Easy Pass" ends with Colette finally telling Noa the truth about his test, which has the knock-on effect of him suggesting he take lessons—with her. This should ensure we have more of this strained dynamic for the next couple of weeks at least. I hope something meaningful comes up for the other characters in the meantime. I still hold out hope that we'll eventually meet Gregg's wife.
