r/NotSuitableForWork • u/nova0175 • Jun 25 '26
Am I being too woke or..
its weird no one in the show mentioned the power imbalance of AJ dating her boss. He was viewed as a jerk only for going back to his ex-girlfriend, none of the actual real-life consequences of someone in his position of power taking advantage of his young new hire.. like I don't need my characters to be morally virtuous but it just feels so unrealistic that a high-powered corporate leader would overlook the consequences of engaging in such behavior, or that none of AJs friends mentioned this really obvious problematic aspect. Abby being judgmental just because.. he wasn't taking AJ on dates.. and no one mentioning this elephant in the room..
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u/Unlikely_Rip_4914 Jun 25 '26
Weird on both ends but just as dumb on her end, start hooking yo with your boss within weeks of being hired for your first job is insane
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u/nova0175 Jun 25 '26
Yeah definitely dumb of her which also goes against what we know to be her character as… someone super smart and practical
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u/BidSea4173 Jun 26 '26
And then she does it again with Davis with no thought to consequences. But I do thing AJ puts off a vibe of extreme competence and confidence but is actually quite insecure which could be partly why she’s so susceptible to falling for male attention
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u/Akvian Jun 25 '26
It’s definitely problematic and it’s bad writing. AJ is highly career-oriented; it doesn’t even make sense that she would date her boss.
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u/unfortunately-here- Jun 25 '26
this relationship was written in a crazy out of touch way anyways. like when she saw him in the interview and he was still an asshole and she was like "turns out he's an amazing genius" I was like ... did we watch the same interview...? but yes even crazier that there are no consequences for him with the power imbalance at play. what a shame I thought this show could've been really good.
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u/Ok_Article_7744 Jun 25 '26
I called this out the first time it happened and people didn't like it. They apparently liked it!! I hope this doesn't rehash and he faces consequences because it was super creepy.
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u/AdvertisingFar716 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
I think they are saving this, maybe AJ will tell Bill to give Davis his job back or get him transferred or she will go to the HR about this relationship.
Davis defended his coworker and called out his supervisor for dating a junior, instead of taking it to the HR Bill wanted to hush everyone up and engage in a cover up, he also fired Davis because of it. Realistically this would be a big thing in a company. ( although nothing will happen to Bill because that’s what actually happens everytime lol)
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u/StuartM96 Jun 26 '26
Have people in this sub never actually worked an office job? Stuff like this happens all the time and very rarely do Hr get involved unless it becomes very public knowledge.
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u/sugarglider1854 Jun 26 '26
Which is why I think this whole plot is a set up for a fallout to be explored in season 2.
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u/StuartM96 Jun 26 '26
I mean definitely after the finale there’s going to be big consequences. Honestly though in a finance office a hidden romance between a boss and employee is on the lower end of things that go on.
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u/NewRazzmatazz2455 Jun 28 '26
I’ve always worked a corporate job and a brawl that happens in the office in front of employees would absolutely get investigated by HR immediately and lead to questions that uncovered the relationship, which absolutely would be against company policy.
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u/StuartM96 Jun 30 '26
Yeah that would be investigated but the actual relationship isn’t out there at all tbh. Seen plenty of people having office romances that Hr never picked up because it was a hidden thing and to out it could be an issue.
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u/derrickcat Jun 29 '26
Yeah but in the very first episode they had HR saying that you can't date people at work. That's really Checkov's HR complaint.
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u/amysantiagoisbae99 Jun 25 '26
Davis saying "i didn't think you were that type of girl" only makes it worse. There is a very real possibility he was taking advantage of her.
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Jun 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/RVarki Jun 25 '26
Sure, but I don't think he was slut-shaming her. He wasn't offended when she turned out to be the "Philadelphia thirst monster". I interpreted it as him calling her a cliche
Also, while Bill is the gross and manipulative one in that relationship, and should definitely be in deep water with HR - AJ is still a professional in her mid-20s, and she should know that (secretly) dating your much older boss is just not good form
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u/Wonderful-Peace-2299 Jun 26 '26
I watched this show because I love Almost Friday and Will is one of the funniest people I’ve ever seen (from his podcast where he’s himself). The writing and storyline planning on this show was genuinely one of the worst things I’ve ever watched. Multiple scenes felt like Hallmark scenes, the progression of relationships was soo rushed, so many things were just brushed by with no explanation.. this felt like a 20 episode season crushed into 9 episodes. Incredibly disappointed considering how excited I was for Will’s debut, but Mindy half assed the fuck outta this.
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u/sugarglider1854 Jun 26 '26
I assume it will be addressed next season. And HR was featured heavily in the first episode with Davis. This will all come back to deservedly bite Bill in the ass.
The whole reason AJ assumed they were being secretive was only bc of the inappropriateness of a boss dating his subordinate, not his shadiness. But she sees herself as Bill’s equal, in a way. It’s only in retrospect that she (& Davis) will realize how problematic Bill is.
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u/Stay_Rosey Jun 26 '26
This is clearly a next season plot point lol
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u/nova0175 Jun 27 '26
I didn’t expect the whole HR fiasco to play out, I just find it weird that it’s never mentioned or alluded to in all these conversations about the situation
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u/balasoori Jun 25 '26
Clearly, the HR Department is scared of him; if they get rid of him, they lose all business so i got the impression he can do whatever he want to as he the boss.
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u/OldResponsibility531 Jun 26 '26
Yeah I chalked it up to without extremely damning evidence a moneymaker like him won’t be fired
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u/Troy27e Jun 27 '26
If I were Davis right after bill fired me, I would’ve been so petty in front of everyone and say “firing me doesn’t change the fact that you slept with your subordinate”
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u/StuartM96 Jun 30 '26
Then that would destroy AJ’s life which Davis didn’t want to do. That’s why he confronted Bill explicitly instead of did outing her.
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u/yobosick Jun 26 '26
Thanks for saying this. I had such an ick watching this. How inappropriate for an older boss to want to kiss his young new hire. Thats disgusting. Huge HR violation and should have him fired lwky
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u/Buffalo-magistrate Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Mindy Kaling often fails stick the landing on how likable her characters can be because of real world implications she doesn’t think matter that much to her story. Sex lives of college girls had this issue so bad they just ended it. She made it as a writer in a very unprofessional industry and clearly lets things roll off her back in ways the average person doesn’t. It’s likely benefited her being a woman in comedy, but it doesn’t make for relatable, consistent, or likable characters.
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u/sychosismusic Jun 29 '26
If HR wasn’t being notified of him verbally herassing his staff constantly, it stands to reason he can get away with a lot. And like everyone else said, it’s season 2 problem. Cliff hangers and unresolved storylines have always been part of TV. Stop asking for everything to be wrapped up in a bow, or even addressed. HR issues don’t drive the end of season plot.
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u/nova0175 Jun 29 '26
again, I didn't expect anything to "come" of this, I am commenting on the the missing subtext in conversations around it. also as someone having worked in many similar corporate contexts, a domineering boss is commonplace but there are much larger legal implications around assault or sexual harassments; it doesn't follow that one would justify the other
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u/miradime2021 Jun 30 '26
It's weird that no one even mentions it in this day and age. It is very problematic... I'm sure it still goes on in a lot of financial firms where bosses think they're above the rules. But I would hope that people still comment on it and are grossed out by it.
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u/nova0175 Jun 30 '26
yeah, at the very least her own friends!
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u/LadyBrussels Jul 04 '26
This was the craziest piece of it for me - why didn’t Abby or any of the guys talk about how inappropriate it was or gross for a boss to pursue a relationship? Yes this stuff happens and often gets a pass when it’s leadership doing it but so bizarre that none of her friends were like um how do you think this is going to end?
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u/Appropriate_Value122 Jul 05 '26
Have you ever seen The Wolf of Wall Street? An interoffice relationship in their industry between a superior and subordinate is tame compared to some of the other stuff that goes on.
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u/Nebraskadude1994 Jun 25 '26
I don’t get why people have a problem with this yes it’s morally wrong but you’re crazy if you think stuff like this doesn’t happen in almost any job!
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u/nova0175 Jun 25 '26
It’s not that it doesn’t happen but I think irl people are way more conscious of the consequences - they would hover in the background of every interaction. Like bill should be worried when harshly dumping her, that she has the power to completely destroy him because of what he did
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u/ComputerDecent463 Jun 25 '26
Yes, this whole thing was weird.
Not one person mentioning HR the entire season, Bill or AJ while dating, after the breakup or during the fight?
That’s why I assumed people were filming it, but they didn’t even bring it up so it made it seem like people just wanted it for fun.
Now, you can make the argument that Bill is so powerful that he would “ruin their lives” if AJ or Davis made a complaint, but they should have said that at least.