The restaurant is sold and a new manager (Alex) arrives to shake things up. She fires some of the staff, while promoting others (Pacey included) to exert control.
Just prior to an important dinner, after which the investors will decided whether or not to open a chain of Civilization restaurants, Alex loses her cool and fires a staff member (who is a single mother working three jobs) in front of the entire staff. This alienates the staff, who donate the dinner top a homeless shelter and provide take-out pizza to the investors. The "staff association" then reads out a letter trashing the manager and everyone quits.
Overall, I thought the episode was pretty realistic in how it portrayed the new boss and her control tactics as well as the response of the workers. Specifically, I liked that it showed them reacting spontaneously and voting with their feet. A more nuanced (but likely more boring episode) might have included them getting together, organizing a series of escalating tactics, and holding a march on the boss (or some other job action). But, in the context of the show (and given the many other plot lines that needed to be wrapped up at the end of the fifth season), that would have been a pretty forced narrative and this one-off mass quitting was more appropriate. If you want a show about organizing, the series Good Girls Revolt might be more your speed.
-- Bob Barnetson
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