Toledo Truth Blog ('The Paper' NBC)
Review: The Paper - Season 1, Episode 5: "Scam Alert!"
American women are so gullible. Do you know that over half of them die from eating expired food?
After four episodes of solid table-setting, "Scam Alert!" is the one where The Paper finally hits its stride and starts feeling like the spiritual successor to The Office that everyone hoped it would be. This is peak workplace cringe-comedy, built around one absolutely brutal premise: the office's most insufferable diva, Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore), has been catfished harder than anyone in the history of dating apps – and the scammer is using Josh Holloway Cameo videos to do it.
Yes, you read that right. Jarson from Germany is actually a Nigerian scammer (or whoever) buying $300 personalized videos from Sawyer from Lost and passing them off as genuine declarations of love. The moment the staff realizes Esmeralda has been wiring thousands of dollars to a man who calls her "my beautiful Latin flower" in the third person – while Josh Holloway stares soulfully into a phone camera – is one of the most exquisitely painful things you'll see on television this year.
Sabrina Impacciatore deserves every award for this episode alone. She's been playing Esmeralda as a monstrous, delusional narcissist for weeks, but "Scam Alert!" finally gives her real vulnerability without ever softening the character's sharp edges. The denial phase is comedy gold – "Yes, he scammed other women. But it's just because he wanted to buy jewels for me that he will bring when we meet in person." – and when the truth finally hits, Impacciatore's breakdown is devastating. The quiet moment where she watches Lost reruns alone in the dark, clutching a glass of wine, then wordlessly hugs Ned? Heart-shattering.
Domhnall Gleeson continues to be the perfect straight man/ethical center as Ned, but this episode lets him show real warmth. His awkward attempts to connect with Esmeralda ("I once paid $4,200 for a sweetheart scam...") and his growing flirtation with Mare (Chelsea Frei is quietly stealing every scene she's in) give the show the romantic tension it's been missing.
The B-plots are stronger than usual, with Nicole (Vivian Wu) weaponizing the scam for petty office revenge, then slowly developing actual empathy, Detrick (Jon Michael Hill) discovering he's a catch on dating apps and immediately fumbling his situation with Nicole, and a running gag of Adeola openly running her own elderly-men scam in the background.
The Josh Holloway cameo(s) are perfect. The first one is horrifyingly convincing as "Jarson," the second – purchased by Nicole to prove the con – has Holloway breaking character to say "I'm actually married to a woman named Yessica, sorry about all this" in that gravelly voice. It's nostalgic, it's mean, it's hilarious.
This episode is about watching Esmeralda get absolutely destroyed and somehow come out the other side more human – and the show is infinitely better for it.
"The Paper" was good before. With "Scam Alert!", it's officially appointment viewing. More episodes like this, please.
8.7/10 – Easily the strongest episode so far.
Yes, you read that right. Jarson from Germany is actually a Nigerian scammer (or whoever) buying $300 personalized videos from Sawyer from Lost and passing them off as genuine declarations of love. The moment the staff realizes Esmeralda has been wiring thousands of dollars to a man who calls her "my beautiful Latin flower" in the third person – while Josh Holloway stares soulfully into a phone camera – is one of the most exquisitely painful things you'll see on television this year.
Sabrina Impacciatore deserves every award for this episode alone. She's been playing Esmeralda as a monstrous, delusional narcissist for weeks, but "Scam Alert!" finally gives her real vulnerability without ever softening the character's sharp edges. The denial phase is comedy gold – "Yes, he scammed other women. But it's just because he wanted to buy jewels for me that he will bring when we meet in person." – and when the truth finally hits, Impacciatore's breakdown is devastating. The quiet moment where she watches Lost reruns alone in the dark, clutching a glass of wine, then wordlessly hugs Ned? Heart-shattering.
Domhnall Gleeson continues to be the perfect straight man/ethical center as Ned, but this episode lets him show real warmth. His awkward attempts to connect with Esmeralda ("I once paid $4,200 for a sweetheart scam...") and his growing flirtation with Mare (Chelsea Frei is quietly stealing every scene she's in) give the show the romantic tension it's been missing.
The B-plots are stronger than usual, with Nicole (Vivian Wu) weaponizing the scam for petty office revenge, then slowly developing actual empathy, Detrick (Jon Michael Hill) discovering he's a catch on dating apps and immediately fumbling his situation with Nicole, and a running gag of Adeola openly running her own elderly-men scam in the background.
The Josh Holloway cameo(s) are perfect. The first one is horrifyingly convincing as "Jarson," the second – purchased by Nicole to prove the con – has Holloway breaking character to say "I'm actually married to a woman named Yessica, sorry about all this" in that gravelly voice. It's nostalgic, it's mean, it's hilarious.
This episode is about watching Esmeralda get absolutely destroyed and somehow come out the other side more human – and the show is infinitely better for it.
"The Paper" was good before. With "Scam Alert!", it's officially appointment viewing. More episodes like this, please.
8.7/10 – Easily the strongest episode so far.