Ep 8. The Tragedy

The Tragedy is the eighth episode of the second season of the satirical comedy television series Corporate. The show, created by Pat Bishop, Matt Ingebretson, and Jake Weisman, follows the miserable professional lives of two junior executives, Matt and Jake, at a soulless multinational corporation called Hampton DeVille.

The episode begins with a corporate video showcasing the company's innovative new program that allows employees to donate unused vacation time to coworkers in need. Matt and Jake brush off the video's obsequious tone, but their colleague Grace is inspired to donate her remaining time to an under-performing coworker named Cindy. Cindy, however, despite being overwhelmed with work, is too proud to accept the charity.

The main plot of the episode involves Hampton DeVille's latest product, a "smart" pill called Nootribe. The pill is supposed to boost focus and productivity, but it soon becomes apparent that it has some unexpected side effects. At first, Matt and Jake are thrilled with the pill's performance-enhancing qualities, but they soon start to experience bizarre hallucinations and paranoid delusions. Jake becomes convinced that his boss Christian is trying to kill him, while Matt starts to see visions of his deceased father.

As Matt and Jake struggle to keep up with their increasingly demanding workload, they are also plagued by doubts about the morality of their job. Matt in particular is wrestling with guilt over his role in the company's nefarious practices, such as tampering with scientific research and exploiting poor countries for resources.

The Tragedy is a typically dark and outlandish episode of Corporate, full of absurdist humor and biting social commentary. It touches on themes of corporate greed, alienation, and the insidious nature of capitalism. Despite its bleak subject matter, the show manages to be both hilarious and thought-provoking, skewering the ridiculousness of modern office culture while also offering a scathing critique of the ways in which corporations exploit and manipulate their employees.