The claim that the East Hollywood DMV office has ever truly coalesced into a team is a bit of a stretch. Most employees would actively shy away from such a designation under normal circumstances. However, the seventh episode of the CBS sitcom "There Is No I in DMV" defies the norm, and this turns out to be its greatest asset. It's also the first episode that genuinely brings the core cast together, largely due to the presence of Randall Park as Beau Young, the manager of the North Hollywood DMV branch, often perceived as the gold standard and envied by all for various reasons.
Barb resents the office's short wait times, while Vic and Gregg focus on tracking down a rumored soft-serve ice cream machine. While there isn't much difference between the settings of the North and East Hollywood DMVs, the off-putting atmosphere is felt either way, thanks to Beau's hostility and his staff's caginess. He's a classic sitcom archetype: a man who has risen to the top of his chosen field, considering himself a local legend and minor celebrity despite his chosen field being a DMV manager. He's rude, arrogant, and has snapshots of himself with hurried celebrities he has printed from CCTV footage and framed in his office.
Comedy-wise, the episode is funny for several reasons, including seeing Noa have a breakdown and the furore over a stolen copier. But the underpinnings of this DMV episode are Barb realizing that her office isn't so bad; and by extension, that she's not so bad as its manager. All the impressive accolades she was comparing herself against were achieved through deception. At least the East Hollywood DMV is honestly useless. And it's nice to have a break from Colette's seemingly endless romantic pursuit of Noa.
Whether any of this will change things back on home territory is anyone's guess, but I'm going to assume not. It makes for a better episode in the short term, though, giving the entire core cast - with the curious exception of Ceci - something to do, and even furthering their relationships just a little bit. Sure, Randall Park does most of the heavy lifting, but the sheer comedic quality of the final scene, where Beau negotiates with Vic and Gregg over the ice cream, makes me hope he'll return at some point further down the line.
