S04.E07: New Initiative

[Jaded]

Quote

When a new Cloud 9 initiative forces the employees to be friendlier with customers, Amy unwittingly meets Jonah's parents; Garrett and Dina compete to see who can smile the longest.

Air date: November 15, 2018

[SayMyName]

Ask us to ask you how your day is going.

Serial killer shopping spree was funnier than it should have been.

Announcement: I have also lost a pen but mine is black ink with a cap, which is also lost. Thanks

[fireice13]

45 minutes ago, SayMyName said:

Serial killer shopping spree was funnier than it should have been.

I lost it when he was "testing" the knives!

 

I thought this episode was hilarious and did not see the twist coming with Jonah. 

[tennisgurl]

The serial killer grocery list was hysterical! Him listing all his murder gear, with Glenn looking increasingly horrified, was hilarious. 

Jonahs parents really have zero clue what he has been up to at all I guess. At least Jonah and Amy finally told everyone the truth, and...no one was really shocked. They're not really very subtle, even for their co-workers. And apparently Mateo’s parents still think he's straight! "I can be straight! Look dudes, its a football!" 

"Do you often think of all the things you can never do because your in a wheelchair?" "Your sister is prettier than you. Thats why your mom gave her the grandfather clock." Dinah and Garrett are brutal! 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

33 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

The serial killer grocery list was hysterical! Him listing all his murder gear, with Glenn looking increasingly horrified, was hilarious.

Did Jonah's parents think he had taken out huge loans for 3 years to pay for medical school by himself ? (And yes, your parents' income is considered when applying for financial aid, even if you are an "adult," although I think not if you are married,)

I thought the twist was going to be that his parents had somehow been paying for medical school for 3 years.  We know that they haven't been giving Jonah money.

Edited November 16, 2018 by ItCouldBeWorse

[calguy]

33 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Did Jonah's parents think he had taken out huge loans for 3 years to pay for medical school by himself ? (And yes, your parents' income is considered when applying for financial aid, even if you are an "adult," although I think not if you are married,)

I thought the twist was going to be that his parents had somehow been paying for medical school for 3 years.  We know that they haven't been giving Jonah money.

If you're 22 or older then you're considered an independent student and are not required to submit your parents income when applying for aid.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

24 minutes ago, calguy said:

If you're 22 or older then you're considered an independent student and are not required to submit your parents income when applying for aid.

I admit that Harvard Medical School may not be typical, but see this:

HMS’ Middle Income Financial Aid Initiative

HMS remains committed to taking steps to reduce the cost of a four-year medical education. The Middle Income Initiative adjusts the parental contribution expected for HMS families with the greatest financial need.

Harvard Medical School waives the parental contribution (PC) for students whose total parental income earned in the U.S. or Canada (including untaxed income) is $100,000 or less and whose assets are typical for those income levels. For students whose total parental income earned in the U.S. or Canada (including untaxed income) is between $100,000 - $150,000 and whose assets are typical for those income levels, Harvard Medical School reduces the expected parent contribution as noted below.

Total income under $100k: PC waived
Total income $100-110K: PC reduced 90%
Total income $110-120K: PC reduced 80%
Total income $120-130K: PC reduced 55%
Total income $130-140K: PC reduced 40%
Total income $140-150K: PC reduced 25%

So, Harvard expects a parental contribution from families making >$100,000, and I assume many medical students are older than 22.

[MadyGirl1987]

Funny episode! I loved the serial killer and Glenn’s reactions to him.

Not surprising Jonah didn’t want to tell his parents about his school if they were reacting like that.

Got a kick out of Justine’s Imo’s shoutout. I have family in the St. Louis area and have eaten there. TBH, though, I’m not a fan. They have this nasty stuff on their pizza called Provel which is a processed blend of cheddar, Swiss and provolone. Not my thing, to say the least.

[chocolatine]

So Jonah has the stereotypical Jewish mother who sings her son's praises to strangers and believes that he's dating Natalie Portman, then has a public meltdown when she finds out he's not going to be a doctor after all - how original. *sigh*

I wonder if Amazon paid for the Prime plug.

Edited November 16, 2018 by chocolatine

[califred]

I grew up in St Louis, Imos is gross but most people there love it. My husband describes it as cheese whiz on a cracker.

 

I loved the Serial Killer shopping cart. 

[Aulty]

It was a funny episode, but Jonah's lies were utterly unrealistic and unsustainable. Shame they didn't tell the parents about Amy too.

It also should not be that surprising that Jonah may have plans (or rather hopes and dreams because I doubt he has been pro active about anything for 3 years) for his future that do not include being a Cloud 9 employee. BTW: Is Amy still doing her school thing?

[Circelily]

Aw. Sandra missed Jamy coming out.

[ae2]

12 hours ago, SayMyName said:

Announcement: I have also lost a pen but mine is black ink with a cap, which is also lost. Thanks

On it!

[krankydoodle]

This episode had a lot of good stuff:

• "I hate seeing her go, but I love watching her butt."
• The "Smaisle and stay awhaisle" sign
• Sandra's cat and her love-hate relationship with Dinah
• The non-verbal communication between Jonah and Amy. I found the scene where Amy nails Glenn with a potato especially satisfying because he's my least favorite and I still find the voice he uses for the character so grating

7 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I wonder if Amazon paid for the Prime plug.

But I could've done without that scene.

[iMonrey]

Not to nitpick but we don't know the guy planning the murder was a "serial" killer. This may be his first murder. And in fact he told Glenn he was having dinner with his mother that night - I think that's who he was planning to kill. But yeah, that had to be the best bit in the whole show, as Glenn started listing off the things in his cart: tarp, rope, a shovel, duct tape, what else? And of course the bleach.

[reallyjustjen]

I loved that Glenn was horrified by what the creepy guy had in his cart, yet couldn't stand the idea of him buying bleach from elsewhere.  If you're going to buy all your murdering supplies from anywhere, you'll buy them from Cloud 9, goshdarnit! 

In advance of the upcoming holiday, I was extra thankful for no evidence of either baby this week.  I'm sure we'll see/hear more from little Parker/Obama/Banjo, but I'll be very happy if baby-free episodes is a continuing trend.  

[spanana]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

So Jonah has the stereotypical Jewish mother who sings her son's praises to strangers and believes that he's dating Natalie Portman, then has a public meltdown when she finds out he's not going to be a doctor after all - how original. *sigh*

I wonder if Amazon paid for the Prime plug.

I'm a Jew myself, but I didn't really think while watching that she came off like much of a stereotypical Jewish mother.  I thought it was more of a class thing than a religion thing, where both of his parents seemed a bit elitist, though not too elitist to shop at Cloud 9 I guess.  I actually didn't read much stereotypically Jewish about his parents at all.  I feel like they would have been the same whether his character was Jewish or not and it was more about where they were from and where they see their family in the class system versus those people that work at a store like Cloud 9.   Don't lots of overbearing and over the top parents sing their kids praises to strangers?  I've never thought of that as a supposed only stereotypical Jewish trait.

[sheetmoss]

18 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The serial killer grocery list was hysterical! Him listing all his murder gear, with Glenn looking increasingly horrified, was hilarious. 

 

Had flashback to  a Ray Donovan episode from a few weeks back where he was buying similar  in a hardware store

[janie jones]

23 hours ago, spanana said:

I thought it was more of a class thing than a religion thing, where both of his parents seemed a bit elitist, though not too elitist to shop at Cloud 9 I guess.

FWIW, I didn't know Jonah was Jewish, so I just thought his parents were snobs.

 

On 11/15/2018 at 7:23 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Did Jonah's parents think he had taken out huge loans for 3 years to pay for medical school by himself ?

He probably lied about some grant/scholarship situation.

[iMonrey]

Ben Feldman played a Jewish character on Mad Men but I don't know whether Superstore has ever established that Jonah is Jewish. Has it?

[Empress1]

On 11/16/2018 at 4:16 PM, sheetmoss said:

Had flashback to  a Ray Donovan episode from a few weeks back where he was buying similar  in a hardware store

It reminded me of Breaking Bad, when Walt offers the guy meth-supply-buying advice. I fell out when the customer was doing the stabbing motion.

Mateo's parents thinking he's straight reminded me of a friend I used to have who was also in the closet to his parents and he was as flamboyant as Mateo. When he told me I was like " ... Really?" and he just said "I act different when I visit and I don't visit that often." It struck me that they may have had an unspoken "don't ask, don't tell" arrangement but I didn't press it further. Mateo's "straight talk" was really funny though.

[scarynikki12]

Mateo's parents must be as gullible as Jonah's if his "straight talk" actually works.  Maybe they just think he's weird and go with it.  That said, he did remind my of a friend from college who was out to his parents and siblings but not to his grandmother.  We asked him about it and he said it wasn't a big deal because he didn't see her that often and that he just acted straight when he did (which means he deepened his voice and changed his clothes). 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Ben Feldman played a Jewish character on Mad Men but I don't know whether Superstore has ever established that Jonah is Jewish. Has it?

I'm pretty sure both Dina and Glenn have made mention of the fact that he is. Dina once said he looked like a Jewish Kennedy. 

Edited November 17, 2018 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Boofish]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Ben Feldman played a Jewish character on Mad Men but I don't know whether Superstore has ever established that Jonah is Jewish. Has it?

In the episode after he broke up with Kelly she sales all his things for $1.00. The sight gag that week was one of the employees I  believe it was Brett walked around with a Jonah bar mitzvah tshirt. Blink and you miss it but its hilarious. 

 

Amy should be happy Jonahs life long ambition is not working at Cloud 9. No offense but that particular retail job seems like a dead end.

[chaifan]

Not sure how I feel about this episode.  I don't like the fact that they totally glossed over the issues Amy was having last week with having -0- maternity leave.  This week she was all put together, looking well rested, no complaints about work schedules, etc.  I know they don't always keep plot lines going from one episode to the next, but this seemed to be a big break in continuity.  I also thought the Jonah & parents plot was stupid.  On the other hand, I loved the Dena/Garrett humiliation throwdown in the breakroom.

That being said, what I think Cloud 9 does best is the sight gags and little things.  The Thanksgiving Murder shopping spree was fabulous, especially when he was trying out the knives.  Glenn's mispronunciation of "sm-aisles" with Mateo correcting him was great.  The lost pen announcement.  This is where this show really gets me. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I don't like the fact that they totally glossed over the issues Amy was having last week with having -0- maternity leave.  This week she was all put together, looking well rested, no complaints about work schedules, etc.  I know they don't always keep plot lines going from one episode to the next, but this seemed to be a big break in continuity.  

True, but this is a sitcom, not a drama or even a dramedy. I wouldn't want them to dwell on Amy's maternity woes or the trouble she has with a new baby. None of that stuff is funny or entertaining. This isn't the kind of show that deals well with topical humor, it's more of a farce and you're right about what it does best - sight gags and absurd storylines like Dina and Garrett's smiling contest. 

[chaifan]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

True, but this is a sitcom, not a drama or even a dramedy. I wouldn't want them to dwell on Amy's maternity woes or the trouble she has with a new baby. None of that stuff is funny or entertaining. This isn't the kind of show that deals well with topical humor, it's more of a farce and you're right about what it does best - sight gags and absurd storylines like Dina and Garrett's smiling contest. 

That was my main complaint about last week's episode - this is a sitcom, and the whole Amy storyline failed to bring the funny.  My thought is, if they're going to devote a whole episode to Amy getting royally screwed on maternity leave, don't just pretend like it never happened the next episode.  Just asking for a little bit of character continuity, that's all. 

[methodwriter85]

On 11/16/2018 at 2:15 AM, Aulty said:

It also should not be that surprising that Jonah may have plans (or rather hopes and dreams because I doubt he has been pro active about anything for 3 years) for his future that do not include being a Cloud 9 employee. BTW: Is Amy still doing her school thing?

Jonah is my spirit animal, because I am also an over-educated Millennial who got a "need to pay bills" retail job with the idea that it was just a temp thing and then finding yourself still there after 3 years because you're not really proactive about getting a better job. That hit with me, although I'm honest to my family about it and they just nag at me instead. Maybe I should have lied.

I wonder if we'll meet Jonah's brothers. (Did we already? I basically skipped out on season 3 after the Halloween episode, but I came back after season 4 started.) My vote would be Chris Messina as an older brother.

Agreed about the serial killer thing.

Edited November 20, 2018 by methodwriter85

[EarlGreyTea]

On 11/17/2018 at 12:42 PM, iMonrey said:

Ben Feldman played a Jewish character on Mad Men but I don't know whether Superstore has ever established that Jonah is Jewish. Has it?

Both Ben and Jonah are Jewish. It was first mentioned in season 1 when Dina had a crush on Jonah and said her late grandmother would not have liked him being Jewish.

I thought this was a good Amy episode. It was really, really refreshing to see her stand up for Jonah, when he's the one who's been advocating for her all season. It reinforced that she does truly care for him and that it's not all one-sided.

[fishcakes]

The most surprising thing about Dina and Garrett's bet is that they knew so much about each other and exactly what to say that would draw blood, so they obviously had a lot of real conversations along with all the sex. In much the same way that on The Office, Angela and Dwight were a more interesting couple than Pam and Jim, Dina and Garrett are the ones I'm rooting for more than Amy and Jonah. I like Amy and Jonah; I just think the will-they-or-won't-they is more interesting with the quirkier characters for whom it really could go either way.

I don't know why I didn't realize immediately that those were Jonah's parents; of course he would have to have been brought up by two people who believe he farts rainbows. Parenting like that is why aimless people like Jonah are convinced that they're destined for greatness and they can just slack off until they decide what form their greatness will take.

[neuromom]

I guess winning the bet was more important to Dina than what the actual prize was (the Scotch) since she paid for Garrett’s ex girlfriend to show up. Though I don’t know how much Scotch costs.

Good on Jonah for coming clean before the end of the episode. I thought they might drag it out.

[wendyg]

Any episode that has Meagan Fay in it is fine with me: I thought she was brilliant as Jonah's mother. I've really never understood why she isn't a bigger star - I first saw her working with Carol Burnett on CAROL AND COMPANY, and she had a tiny role in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, played Josh's biological son's adoptive mother on TRANSPARENT. I'm sure she works regularly, but she's so funny I keep thinking she ought to be a regular on some successful show.

[chocolatine]

On 11/25/2018 at 12:07 AM, wendyg said:

Any episode that has Meagan Fay in it is fine with me: I thought she was brilliant as Jonah's mother. I've really never understood why she isn't a bigger star - I first saw her working with Carol Burnett on CAROL AND COMPANY, and she had a tiny role in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, played Josh's biological son's adoptive mother on TRANSPARENT. I'm sure she works regularly, but she's so funny I keep thinking she ought to be a regular on some successful show.

She works a lot, but I agree she should be a bigger star. To me, she'll always be Kathy Bowman, the uptight neighbor on Roseanne.