New Initiative

## Episode navigation

**"New Initiative"** is the seventh episode of Season Four of *Superstore*, and the sixty-second episode of the show overall.

## Summary

*When a new Cloud 9 initiative forces employees to be friendlier to their customers, Amy ends up getting to know Jonah's parents, and learns he hasn't been completely truthful with them. The new policy also inspires Garrett and Dina to find out who can hold a smile longer.*

## Plot

At the store front, Glenn and Dina explain a new Cloud 9 policy to the staff which is making small talk with customers. Mateo corrects Glenn's pronunciation of a new store slogan, while Sandra and Amy argue about Sandra's cat. Mateo tricks Amy into serving an older couple who start telling many stories about their son who is in medical school. Jonah gets in over his head while trying to help a customer with a drill and Glenn tries to convince a customer to buy a printer once she hears that an on-line company has same day delivery. Amy helps the older couple by lying on a mattress with them. After Dina tells a customer about an accident her cousin had deep-frying a turkey, she and Garrett argue about who can control their facial expressions the best. They end up betting who can smile the longest and break into forced grins.

Seeing Amy with the older couple, Jonah panics and tosses his store vest away. Jonah greets them and as Amy is confused how Jonah knows them, the couple, Marilyn and Richard Simms, say he's their medical school son. Jonah introduces himself to Amy like he doesn't know her and gives her a pleading look. A confusing sign, a variation on "smile and stay a while", is shown. (♫ Lionel Richie - Say You, Say Me ♫) As Amy teases Jonah by asking how long he's been in medical school, he hustles his parents away. Wearing his forced grin, Garrett deals with a customer who has been fired and is going through a divorce. The customer interprets Garrett's smile as being uncaring and walks away angry. He then has to deal with a woman whose dog died. In private, Jonah explains to Amy how he began lying to his parents about being in medical school. Amy decides to take the opportunity to learn Jonah's embarrassing childhood events.

With growing concern, Glenn deals with a customer who is buying items with the intent of killing his mother. However, when the customer says he'll buy bleach on-line, Glenn helps him. With delight, Amy coaxes stories about Jonah from his parents while he tries to defend himself. Mateo won't help the drill customer. Tentatively, Sandra tells Dina that she left a drug case open which was robbed. Although Dina is angry, her grin puts Sandra at ease and the more Dina rebukes her, the more Sandra thinks it's funny. Glenn catches Amy and Jonah with the Simms and as he starts treating Jonah like an employee, the Simms become confused. As Jonah tries to explain without revealing he works there, he lets slip that the Simms are his parents. As Glenn introduces himself and is about to say Jonah is an employee, Amy yells at Glenn and hits him in the face with a yam.

The customer who intends to kill his mother makes stabbing motions with several knives. (♫ Hall & Oates - Kiss on My List ♫) In private, Amy explains Jonah's secret to Glenn. Jonah arrives and further explains that he didn't want to disappoint his parents that he was working at a retail store which concerns Glenn. Amy tries to deflect Glenn's concern by citing the Simms' unreasonable expectations of Jonah. Another odd sign is shown. (♫ Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon ♫) In the Break Room, several staff make fun of Jonah for keeping the truth from his parents. This leads to Amy, Justine and Mateo to admit to lies they tell their parents. Jonah tries to justify his lie by saying working at the store is temporary which offends Amy who takes it to mean that their relationship is temporary too.

Garrett's ex-girlfriend Tiffany visits him with a young boy. She surprises him by saying the boy is his son but when he sees Dina lurking, he realizes it's a ruse to make him stop smiling. Confronting Dina in the Break Room, he can't believe the lengths she'll go to win a bet. They begin to say hurtful things to each other such as Dina's birds will all die and that Garrett is bad at sex. As Jonah leaves the store with his parents, they run into Amy. To show her that their relationship isn't temporary, Jonah admits that he's been working at the store for three years. Marilyn starts to cry and when Richard finds out Jonah doesn't manage the store, he falls to his knees. In Glenn's Office, Glenn tries to fire Jonah, believing he's setting him free to pursue his dreams. Seeing what Glenn is doing, Jonah assures him that he's alright working at the store.

In the parking lot, Amy catches up to the Simms and tries to defend Jonah's lie. Citing that his job doesn't define who Jonah is and that he's a good person, Richard agrees. However he mentions that Jonah has a fiancée who is an actress which concerns Amy. As Amy questions them about the actress, who she can see is famous, the Simms realize that he's been lying about her too. Amy then lies that she's seen the actress with Jonah and quickly leaves. Richard realizes why the actress wouldn't hug him when they saw her in an airport and Marilyn wonders who she's been emailing.

Dina and Garrett continue to insult each other in order to win their bet. The barbs include Garrett's disability and that he'll die alone and; Dina's sister being prettier than her and that her father abandoned her at a gas station. Garrett wonders why they're continuing the bet. At Coffee & Bakery, Jonah explains how his mother misunderstood that he was dating the famous actress. Vowing no more secrets except his relationship with Amy, they then both decide to tell the staff. However, the staff already assumed the relationship was happening and are more interested in helping Sayid find his lost pen. Amy and Jonah are disappointed in the staff's response to their secret.

## Cast

### Main cast

America Ferreraas Amy DubanowskiBen Feldmanas Jonah SimmsMark McKinneyas Glenn SturgisLauren Ashas Dina FoxColton Dunnas Garrett McNeillNichole Bloomas Cheyenne Lee (credit only)Nico Santosas Mateo Liwanag
### Featured cast

Kaliko Kauahias SandraKelly Schumannas JustineAmir M. Korangyas SayidFred Melamedas Richard SimmsMeaghan Fayas Marilyn SimmsJon Miyaharaas BrettDanny Guraas EliasMariana Toscaas HeatherChristopher Riordanas ChrisTroy Metcalfas Blue Collar CustomerConnie Schiroas Customer 1Jay Linzyas Customer 2Tye Edwardsas Passing CustomerClint Culpas SadsackAmy Tolskyas Next CustomerGeorge Caleodisas Odd CustomerJamila Webbas TiffanyCornelius Prince Edwards IIas Jaylen

## Running Gags

* Amy's name tag: Amy wears a different name tag in every episode. For this one it's "Gabriela".
* **Crazy Customers and music**: For all customer interludes and music see New Initiative (music).
* Glenn's tie: Large cartoon clouds.

## References

* Amy sarcastically says the new Cloud 9 customer policy is a plan to take down Amazon. Later, several customers discuss Amazon services.
* Jonah forgets what hematology is and says he'll Google it.
* Jonah's brothers convinced him to swim naked in a pool at a Radisson hotel.
* Glenn mentions that former president Jimmy Carter's was 5'10".
* Justine lies to her parents that she eats at Imo Pizza with friends but she's eating there alone.
* Jonah's parents believe that Natalie Portman is his fiancée and mention the movie Garden State. Richard Simms says he should have known that Jonah was lying because he previously read in a magazine article that Portman was married to "some dancer".

## Trivia

* Glenn's office, Glenn's monkey puppet, a Cloud 9 Delivery Truck and Coffee & Bakery make an appearance.
* Amy gets revenge on Jonah by learning his embarrassing childhood events from his parents much as he did to her. ("Integrity Award")
* Cheyenne does not appear in the episode but Nichole Bloom is credited.

## Quotes

“*Did I mention he's in medical school?*”— **Marilyn Simms**

## Video

Jonah Tells His Parents His Secret - Superstore (Episode Highlight)