SUPERSTORE’s Lauren Ash Shares What You Didn’t See in the Emotional Season Finale

SUPERSTORE ended season 4 with its darkest twist yet, as Mateo (Nico Santos)—whose undocumented status was first brought up in the special episode, “Olympics,” prior to season 2 starting—was taken by ICE.

“Listen, I was sobbing when I read it,” Lauren Ash (Dina) admits. “America [Ferrera (Amy)] and I both burst into tears. [I thought] there’s no way they’re going to do this, there’s no way they’re going to let us do this. And then they did, which I think is awesome.” (SUPERSTORE’s Ben Feldman shared photographic proof of Ash and Ferrera’s post-reading reaction.)

Ash also appreciated the arc her character went through during the episode, especially as it became apparent things were going downhill. “I like that she had the moment earlier on where she was like, ‘Well, he did technically break the rules,’” she says. “But for me as the actor, there was a lot of discussion about the whole thing. She would matter-of-factly say what you did was wrong, you did something wrong, you should be punished. But I think what was lovely was that it was also like, ‘But it’s Mateo, I’m loyal to him and I’m going to make the choice for it to outweigh the [technically correct thing]’—which is not a choice she would have made in season 1. I think this is because of the growth she’s had and the feelings she’s felt.”

“But I loved playing that moment [when she realizes he’s cornered],” she continues. “That moment was gut-wrenching to play…and when she is failing—and she [normally] doesn’t fail—and she’s realizing they’re everywhere, it was so gut-wrenching. It was such a sad moment to play.”

And Dina’s despair actually went further in what didn’t make it to air. “What you didn’t see in the cut…was I naturally stood as we were shooting it, and then at the end, I threw something and sat back down,” Ash shares. “It was such a deflation in that moment. And you’ll also notice, for people who are dissecting it, if you watch the end when you see Mateo’s point of view [as he’s being driven away], Dina is f—ed up. Other people are sad and waving, but Dina is not okay. I made that choice, because she feels the weight of the world on her right now. This family member had that happen, and much like the tornado, she’s taking that on herself. It was a cool, sad thing for her to go through.”

The NBC comedy has done its fair share of big cliffhangers in the past (the aforementioned tornado, a strike/walk out, a very public coupling), but this one seems like the most complex to come back from.

“We have been written into a corner,” Ash says with a laugh. “The thing I will give [creator] Justin Spitzer and the writers of the show is they somehow find a way out. They somehow find an interesting way out. I’m positive they’ll do it again, but, also, I have no idea what that looks like! I think it’s awesome. I think it’s such an important thing to comment on, and it’s so timely. It’s so unfortunately prominent in the state of this country that I love that we did it. I’m as excited as everyone else to find out how the heck they pull us out of it.”

And she has just as much confidence in the show’s new showrunners: “Jonathan Green and Gabe Miller have been there since day one. I have absolutely no concerns. They’re so talented and so funny. If it was someone flying in from the outside, I think we would all be a little more nervous. But given them, they’ve been there since the first moment, so I’m confident they’ll do a great job.”

SUPERSTORE, Season Premiere, Thursday, September 26, 8/7c, NBC

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• SUPERSTORE Season 4 Finale: ‘Employee Appreciation Day’ Photos
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• The SUPERSTORE Cast Teases ‘Quinceañera’
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