Ships. In entertainment, and especially, in fandom, we live and die by them. Which is why every Friday, we’ll be focusing on a couple, analyzing why we ship them, and overall, just proclaiming our eternal love for those couples that make us say:
I will go down with this ship.
And when it comes to Superstore‘s Amy and Jonah, there’s plenty to love. Even though America Ferrera has exited Superstore, effectively ending this ship on-screen, this is a couple that holds a special place in my heart.
Let’s dive into the reasons why I will FOREVER go down with this ship.
They perfected the will-they-won’t-they trope
There’s nothing better than the will-they-won’t-they trope in television. It’s the stuff that epic slow burns are made of. Where every episode you watch the natural and obvious chemistry between a couple and they do absolutely nothing about it. Where the attracting and feelings are so obvious that you want to jump through the screen and push their faces together and help them just kiss already.
And Amy and Jonah perfected the will-they-won’t-they trope over the course of three seasons on Superstore. From the pilot, it was obvious that there was some kind of attraction. And episode after episode we saw the back-and-forth between the two that made it all the more obvious.
Sometimes, the best part of a ship is watching the journey from the beginning with all of the obstacles, all of the longing glances, and all of the sexual tension that keeps you invested. So when they finally do get together, it means something.
Over the course of three seasons, Superstore perfectly played the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Amy and Jonah. Every time you thought they were finally going to get there, an obstacle would be thrown their way. But it kept us coming back for more. And when they finally got together — for good — it was the perfect payoff.
Their chemistry is fire
Keeping with the discussion of executing the will-they-won’t-they trope that makes television fans crazy, your lead couple has to have the natural chemistry to pull it off. And for the great ships, that chemistry is straight fire. Luckily Amy and Jonah were able to pull off just that.
Over the course of five seasons, Amy and Jonah’s chemistry was the stuff of magic. Especially in the first three before they were together. Every time they’d get a little too close, stare at each other a little too long, or say something a little too honest, it made you sit up a little straighter wondering if that was the moment they were finally going to acknowledge their feelings for each other. If there was a moment where we thought it was finally going to happen it was the tornado that hit Cloud 9. There’s nothing like high stakes to make you acknowledge your feelings, and that was true for Amy, who kissed Jonah as the tornado raged around them in the pharmacy.
There’s nothing like the high of a slow-burn romance. Where every seemingly insignificant moment feels like a breakthrough. Where every longing look feels like meant to be. Which was true for Amy and Jonah.
But even after they got together in season 4, that chemistry never faded. It just adapted to their relationship. They were able to be intimate without having to hide their feelings, and it brought out another side of that chemistry that hadn’t been explored yet.
They overcame their share of obstacles
As is the case with most epic slow-burns, there are always obstacles preventing our ship from getting together. For Amy and Jonah, it was always about timing. Or, in this case, wrong timing versus right timing.
Over the course of the first three seasons, we saw that it was never the right timing for them. Whether it was Amy being married or Jonah dating Kelly or Amy’s pregnancy, it was a reminder of the importance of circumstance, regardless of feelings.
But it’s also a reminder of the importance of patience, especially for us shippers. They never stopped caring for each other, they never stopped being there for each other, and when the timing was finally right, things worked out the way they’d always hoped.
They complement each other well
The great things with slow-burns is that they almost always begin as friendships, which allows them to get to know each other in a forthcoming way. There’s no pressure that comes with romance. Just getting to know each other.
Through three seasons, we watched Amy and Jonah’s friendship blossom into something truly special. We watched as they went from co-workers to friends and how their feelings transformed into something more.
Amy and Jonah are the perfect example of opposites attract — and how those opposites complement each other. Amy has always been the cynic while Jonah is the optimist, and it’s part of their charm. Even when Jonah was annoying Amy, it was the beauty of that quirky dynamic that made them so fun to watch.
