The East Hollywood DMV office tried to get into the holiday spirit, but things spiraled into chaos instead. In the eighth episode titled “Splash Fountain,” Colette’s attempt to be a good coworker backfired spectacularly, leaving her literally trapped in a malfunctioning self-driving car with her boss. Meanwhile, a lonely employee found friendship with an unexpected entity, and a broken water dispenser lived up to its splashy name.
The episode, which aired on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 8:30 PM ET/PT on CBS, continued to explore the quiet desperation and oddball humor of office life. For viewers streaming the show, it was available on Paramount+ the same day for Premium subscribers and a day later for Essential subscribers.
What Happened in Splash Fountain?
The trouble started with a simple office dispute. The staff had a small budget to spend, and while most people, led by Ceci, wanted a desperately needed new coffee machine, manager Barb had her heart set on buying matching ugly holiday sweaters for everyone.
Colette, still feeling insecure from being humiliated at work, decided to secretly support Barb. She thought if she became Barb’s friend, she could gently talk her out of the sweater idea. Colette’s plan involved inviting Barb to karaoke and offering to drive. However, the self-driving car they got into had a major glitch. It broke down in the DMV parking lot, trapping Barb and Colette inside as it drove in endless circles.
Stuck together, the truth came out. Barb revealed she had already ordered the sweaters, making Colette’s entire secret mission pointless. Feeling overwhelmed, Colette blurted out that she did it all “for no reason,” which hurt Barb’s feelings. Barb then admitted she only played along with the friendship because she thought Colette was the one who needed a friend.
The chaotic scene drew a crowd, and Colette finally escaped by yelling out the car window that Barb bought the sweaters. An angry Ceci physically stepped in front of the car to stop it. After everything, Barb and Colette reached an awkward truce: they would be work friends only, with no texting outside the office. The ugly sweaters, however, were there to stay.
Gregg’s New AI Best Friend
While Colette and Barb were stuck in the car, another strange friendship was forming back at the office. Gregg called employee services to order a new chair and ended up having a long, pleasant conversation with the customer service representative.
He was so happy about making a new friend that he told everyone in the office. This made Vic feel intensely jealous and left out. In response, Vic tried to force a friendship with Noa, awkwardly copying his interests in fitness and talking about the office’s problematic “splash fountain” water dispenser, which was known for soaking people.
Later, Ceci revealed the truth: Gregg’s new friend wasn’t a real person. He had been talking to an AI customer service system. Gregg, who usually hates that kind of technology, had formed a real emotional bond with a computer program. Vic planned to use this information to embarrass Gregg, but when he saw how genuinely happy and less lonely the friendship made Gregg, he chose to be kind and kept the secret.
How Episode 8 Connects to the Previous DMV Story
“Splash Fountain” directly continued stories from the seventh episode, “There Is No I in DMV.” In that episode, Barb took her team to visit the successful North Hollywood branch and met its arrogant manager, Beau. Beau’s confidence made Barb doubt her own leadership skills and left her feeling insecure.
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At the same time, coworkers Gregg and Vic spoke to Colette. They convinced her that Noa is attracted to bold, fearless people, which made Colette’s existing crush and need for approval even stronger. These moments of doubt and insecurity for both Barb and Colette set the stage for their disastrous choices in Episode 8.
The seventh episode ended with a win for Barb’s team. Noa discovered that Beau’s branch was cheating by transferring customers between windows to make their service times look faster. This revelation helped Barb see that her own team was supportive and that her leadership was valid, giving her a bit of confidence heading into the holiday chaos.
Where to Watch DMV and Who Stars in It
DMV is a single-camera workplace comedy that airs on CBS on Monday nights. The series was created by Dana Klein and is based on a short story by author Katherine Heiny. New episodes premiere weekly, and Episode 9, titled “The Next Window,” is scheduled for Monday, December 8, 2025.
The show is built around its ensemble cast, who play employees at the California DMV’s East Hollywood branch. The main cast includes:
- Harriet Dyer as Colette, an optimistic driving examiner who struggles with boundaries.
- Molly Kearney as Barbara (Barb), the newly promoted and overly eager branch manager.
- Tim Meadows as Gregg, a grumpy driving examiner and former English teacher.
- Tony Cavalero as Vic, a driving examiner and former bouncer.
- Alex Tarrant as Noa, a new hire from New Zealand.
- Gigi Zumbado as Ceci, the office photographer.
Episode 8, “Splash Fountain,” was directed by Katie Locke O’Brien and written by Miles Woods.
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