The problem for Floyd (Jocko Sims) in “Hiding Behind My Smile” is that he’s unsure where his shrine should be located. It’s a minor subplot in New Amsterdam Season 2, Episode 11, dealt with in two or three short scenes, but it’s a telling reminder of how change comes from within you can have the best intentions, but they’re all for naught unless you’re willing to desecrate your shrines. Take Vijay, for example, who is moving Ella (Dierdre Friel) into his home, which it turns out is a cluttered memorial to his late wife and his wayward son, and not at all suitable for a baby or a vulnerable woman with severe OCD. Of course, most people in New Amsterdam want the best for everyone, and those who don’t – a shout out to Valentina Castro (Ana Villafañe), who appears briefly just to struggle and be mistaken for Helen – are overruled by those who do. Without her title to worry about, she can do whatever she wants without fear of reprisal, and what she wants is the best for everyone. As she confirms at the end of the episode, this is freeing for her. The show is smart in how it repurposes its usual tricks – that signature “Max is about to annoy someone” music, endless scenes of Helen marching down the corridors while being nagged by various colleagues, and eventually the appearance of a frantic Karen Brantley (Debra Monk) – to reposition Helen as the same figure of altruistic authority. Thus, Helen spends much of “Hiding Behind My Smile” basically impersonating Max, making the decisions she thinks he’d make and using his signature to authorize them.
![power season 2 episode 11 power season 2 episode 11](https://cfm.yidio.com/images/tv/29270/1312315/episode-image-400x225.jpg)
While she reminds everyone that she’s no longer the deputy medical director, as Vijay (Anupam Kher) explains to her, it’s nothing to do with her own rank. But Max is busy with Luna’s 6-month health check-up, and the only person anyone trusts to deal with the matter is Helen.
![power season 2 episode 11 power season 2 episode 11](https://i0.wp.com/www.tvequals.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/PWS2_205_111214_0686_a_6x4-550x366.jpg)
And that’s probably just as well, since Max’s latest scheme in New Amsterdam Season 2, Episode 11 is to ban all screens from the hospital, which has naturally caused an uproar.