Fresh off the Boat Recap 2.02 – “Boy II Man”

It’s no secret that Fresh off the Boat wears it’s 90’s setting on its sleeve, trading equally on sharply written jokes and nostalgia; such as trips to the local Blockbuster, Eddie’s love for the Notorious BIG, and at the end of last week’s episode, one of his friends even arrives at school dressed as The Mask. In this week’s episode, “Boy II Man,” 90’s pop culture is taken even further when the music of quintessential R&B group Boyz II Men take center stage… sort of.

In attempt to get out of piccolo class his mom Jessica is forcing him to take at school, Eddie decides to serve as a tutor for his crush Nicole (when in reality, they just spend the class period, listening to Boyz II Men). Unsurprisingly, Jessica doesn’t approve of this arrangement. Unfortunately, her attempts to get Eddie to go back to band practice fails due to him manifesting the early signs of teenage rebellion, resulting her first encounter with a flat out “no!” However, by getting inside the head of his faculty adviser, who has an Asian fetish without shame, with a made up story about a Chinese philosopher, Jessica arranges a perfect counter to Eddie’s scheme. Although as a result, any hope of him winning Nicole’s affection is dashed when an older boy, who shows up for his tutoring, wins her over with Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes and Butthead imitations.

Meanwhile, Eddie’s dad Louis is in a funk of his own when he pleads to Jessica that they try having a daughter, only for Jessica to tell him twice, “This shop is closed.” His desire for a daughter scares brothers Emery and Evan, out of fear of what that could mean for them in the long run.

Despite my memory being fuzzy on what pop culture was like in the 90’s (likely due to the fact that I was born in the 90’s), I am very aware of who Boyz II Men are and how popular they were then and now. From my impression of the title for the episode, I thought we’d be treated to a sampling of some of their hits, which is why it surprised me that the only song heard by them was their heartstrings-tugging “End of the Road.” While Eddie’s introduction to the group appropriately came right when he was about to go down in the dumps, how come their songs weren’t utilized at other parts of the episode, like when Nicole was watching them on MTV (good opportunity for the “Motownphilly” music video) or when she and Eddie hung out in tutoring (appropriate timing for their cover of “In the Still of the Night”)? Boyz II Men has a plethora of hit songs under their name, and if “End of the Road” was the only song by them that we were going to hear, then the episode may as well been named “Fresh off the Love Boat.”

On the other hand, I do like how Eddie’s storyline wound up in the episode. I feel that we are beginning to see him make the transition from childhood to adolescence, and that really showed through when he goes through his first heartbreak. Having feelings for someone can be hard, especially if it’s one-sided, and it’s even harder when one is experiencing it for the first time. I was glad to see how, despite being difficult with him all episode, Jessica- with assistance from her friend Honey- was able to become more of a confidant rather than a parent when comforting Eddie by recounting her experience of getting dumped in college and how there are other girls out there who he has yet to meet (cue the girl in the band room, playing Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” on her flute).

Finally, I’m curious as to where the show is going to go with the faculty adviser with the Asian fetish. That scene where he and Jessica interact was funny yet pivotal, just to show how yes, Asian fetish is a thing; a creepy, degrading, racist thing might I add. I wonder if that character will be an one-off “creepy, Asian-obsessed white guy” joke, or if there will a story built around him in the coming episodes?

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Feature Image Credit: ABC via Angry Asian Man

Fresh off the Boat Recap – “Family Business Trip”

It’s been a minute since we were first introduced to Huang family on ABC’s Fresh off the Boat.  The first all Asian American family sitcom in 20 years recently made history as being the first one to last more than one season, after a solid first season mixing laugh out loud humor with the reality of growing up in an Asian American household.  After Tuesday’s premiere, it’s already safe to say that the second season is off to another hilarious start.

School is out for the summer and Eddie Huang spends the days away either watching TV or playing video games.  His goal is to return to school to show off the one cool thing he did during the summer, buying his own pair of “fresh as hell” Reebok Pumps.  However, after watching a report on MTV, made by hip hop luminary Ed Lover no less, he learns that Reebok Pump shoes were seen being worn by the legendary (but uncool) John Stockton and were now effectively uncool. With summer coming to a close Eddie must quickly come up with a cool experience to share with his school friends before vacation’s end.

Conveniently, he along with brothers Emery and Evan, mom Jessica and grandma tag along with his dad Louis on a “family business trip” to Gator World.  However, Jessica, who was already suspecting something fishy regarding her husband’s business trip, eventually learns that there was no business to attend to on this trip after all, and that in fact all of Louis’ past “business trips” have been secret vacations to unwind.

As someone who, until then, never believed in vacations (cue Jessica’s burst of laughter when her friend Honey suggested taking one earlier in the episode), she finds it difficult to wrap her mind around such a concept.  However, after attending a massage session Louis booked for her, accompanied by the sound of whale calls, Jessica at long last learns what it means to relax and be on vacation.

Meanwhile, Eddie ventures off to build up his reputation by riding the most extreme ride in Gator World, the Death Roll.  But all it took was a quick glimpse of a kid being pulled away, vomiting on a stretcher, for him to quickly chicken out of the idea.  Forced to return to school without a cool story to tell, his uneventful summer was not well received by his friends… at first that is.  Things took a 180 degree turn when his crush Nicole, who was supposed to have started high school, returns to redo eighth grade. She tells Eddie that she wished she could have played it simple over the summer like he did instead of skipping out on summer school. Her compliment instantly validating Eddie’s lazy summer.

In the end, young Eddie scores reputation points with Nicole, and more importantly, Fresh off the Boat scores big for making it back for a triumphant second season premiere! I look forward to seeing more strong and hilarious stories this season, as well as more character growth and exploration of the show’s world, in particular for the character of Grandma Huang.

Photo Credit – ABC

Top 5 Upcoming, Returning Asians Playing Asian Roles

Moving on from the Aloha and Allison Ng (aka Emma Stone) flop, audiences can now look forward to the upcoming white-washed cast of The Martian directed by Ridley Scott. Though Asian American talent getting overlooked for non-white roles is nothing new, these recent incidents show once again that AAPI talent still isn’t the obvious go-to– even for Asian roles.

However, not all hope is lost. Despite whatever mistakes Hollywood makes, television seems to be faring slightly better. Next season, audiences can look forward to seeing quite a few new AAPI faces on the TV screen, including some returning favorites. Here are five upcoming (and returning) AAPI actors that I’m looking forward to the most. Continue reading “Top 5 Upcoming, Returning Asians Playing Asian Roles”

“Fresh Off the Boat” premieres Feb. 4: A new Asian American family takes the spotlight

“I need white people lunch,” exclaims young Eddie Huang midway through the pilot episode of ABC’s upcoming family sitcom, “Fresh Off the Boat.” “That gets you a seat at the table, and then you get to change the rules.”

Having just moved to the suburbs of Orlando from the cultural enclave of DC’s Chinatown in the mid 1990’s, he was quickly ostracized in his new, mostly Caucasian school for his ethnic-looking lunch and felt like a true minority for the first time.

“I never realized how rough it was back then [to be a minority],” Hudson Yang, the young actor who portrays Eddie, tells us. “Eddie had to do weird and crazy things to deal with it.” The 1990’s were a much simpler time than today, and without the internet or social media to escape his bubble, Eddie desperately wanted to not only fit in, but also be seen as a force to be reckoned with.

This attitude runs parallel to the expectations the Asian American community has for the freshman sitcom, set to debut as a mid-season replacement with a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, and the third episode airing in its regular timeslot on Tuesday, February 10, 2015. Two Asian American-led shows were recently cancelled: fellow first year ABC sitcom “Selfie,” and TBS’ “Sullivan and Sons,” which lasted three seasons. While there are still a few shows out there with strong Asian American characters, “Fresh Off the Boat” represents the first time in 20 years that an all-Asian family has taken center stage in a network sitcom (the last being Margaret Cho’s “All-American Girl” in 1995). From the announcement of its pickup by ABC to the release of the first trailer, Asian Americans wondered if this was finally their chance to get a seat at the table.

IAN CHEN, CONSTANCE YU, HUDSON YANG, RANDALL PARK, FORREST WHEELER

“Fresh Off the Boat” has generated positive buzz leading up to its premiere from both critics and community members. Advance screenings of the pilot were met with praise, and even cynics left the screenings with wary optimism, including its own executive producer and subject matter, Eddie Huang, who recently published a strongly worded op-ed about the production process (though he did conclude with his own reluctant stamp of approval).

A lot of the praise goes to the cast, led by Randall Park, a long underrated comedic force recently thrust into the limelight for his role as infamous North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un in “The Interview” (and himself a Kollaboration alum), and Constance Wu, a relative unknown who may be the series’ secret comedic weapon. The show is also supported by a strong writers room, led by executive producer Nahnatchka Khan, whose last project was the critically acclaimed “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23,” and includes Kourtney Kang, who was a writer-producer on CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother,” Sanjay Shah, former writer-producer on “Cougar Town,” and Ali Wong, writer-actress-comedian (and past Kollaboration host).

“I’m not kidding when I say that we might have the most diverse writers’ room in television,” claimed Randall during a press junket. Taking a few moments in between takes to chat, Randall admitted that he does feel the pressure to do right by Asian Americans, especially as a Korean American playing a Taiwanese immigrant, but in the end, his goal is to tell a great story. In his defense, he’s been working hard to make sure that he does the part of Louis Huang justice. In fact, Randall has been taking Mandarin lessons to work on his scenes with Grandma Huang, the show’s other comedic secret weapon, as well as his own Chinese accent.

CONSTANCE WU, HUDSON YANG, FORREST WHEELER

Accents obviously feature prominently in “Fresh Off the Boat.” Mr. and Mrs. Huang are both first generation immigrants in America, and while Randall and Constance are perfectly able to speak perfect English, for their characters, English was an adopted language. It’s to the show’s credit then that the accents are used as character traits and never as the joke, as many commenters feared after watching the trailer. Authenticity was a huge focus in portraying the Huangs, and showrunners Melvin Mar and Nahnatchka Kahn went to great lengths to keep an honest and relatable perspective while avoiding the trappings of stereotypes.

In the end, it’s the characters and the smart writing that really make this show shine. If the first two episodes are any indication, the show finds its footing right out of the gate and never lets off the accelerator, attacking touchy issues like the racial slur “chink” while also letting loose a few inside jokes (“Who knew Asians were into karaoke?”). Randall Park is in great form as Louis, the boundlessly optimistic patriarch of the Huang family, whose belief in the American dream has brought his family to the exotic suburbs of Orlando. Constance Wu, who many believe will become the series’ breakout star, is amazing as Jessica, the Stephen King-loving matriarch just trying to make the most of her family’s new situation. Hudson Yang brings his New York swag to the hip-hop loving Eddie Huang, and Forrest Wheeler and Ian Chen absolutely kill it in their scenes as the younger Huang siblings.

The real, grown up Eddie Huang may have some misgivings about selling his family’s story to network TV, but the truth is he may have given Asian Americans the most precious gift of all, a seat at the table.

FORREST WHEELER, IAN CHEN, RANDALL PARK, HUDSON YANG, CONSTANCE WU

Fresh Off the Boat premieres Wednesday, February 4 with two episodes at 8:30/7:30c and 9:30/8:30c, and begins its regular time slot of Tuesdays at 8/7c on February 10.

Photos courtesy of DISNEY/ABC TELEVISION GROUP © ABC

9 Asian Americans to Watch in 2015: TV and Movies

With a new year comes new movies, new characters, and new opportunities to watch our favorite thespians and discover new ones. Here’s a small sampling (you get a break this time, Mindy, Harry, Lucy, Steve, Jamie, and Randall!) of Asian Americans to watch in 2015:

1. Chloe Bennet

Chloe Bennet photo Marvel
With “Avengers: Age of Ultron” releasing in May 2015, Marvel fans will be watching the tied-in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” closely for clues and teasers. Bennet’s Skye began season one mostly supporting the plotlines of Clark Gregg and Ming-Na Wen’s characters, but has steadily progressed to carry the emotional weight of the show. Her quick-witted, authority-defying portrayal stands out among the stern personalities that make up most of the cast.

2. Katie Chang

Katie Chang Getty
Katie Chang was phenomenal as the lead in 2013’s “The Bling Ring” (a.k.a., the most beautiful and entertaining movie of 2013 that 80% of your besties missed). Look for the Chicago native in 2015 in indie “Anesthesia,” starring Kristen Stewart, and high school comedy “The Outskirts,” starring Victoria Justice and Eden Sher.

3. Maggie Q

Maggie Q Summit Entertainment
As Tori in that other dystopian YA blockbuster series (seriously, “Hunger Games?” Four movies and zero Asians?), Maggie Q had some of the best moments in “Divergent,” albeit way too brief. “Insurgent” drops in November. Her CBS freshman drama, “Stalker,” is unfortunately getting the axe in March.

4. John Cho

John Cho Selfie Entertainment Weekly
“Selfie” received a fair amount of buzz when it launched, with Cho starring along Karen Gillan in a lighthearted opposites-attract workplace comedy. Though ABC decided viewers weren’t enamored enough to air it past episode 7, the remaining six episodes are releasing on Hulu. Cho will appear in “Get A Job” in 2015 with a who’s who of comedic talent, including Anna Kendrick, Miles Teller, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

5. Ki Hong Lee

Ki Hong Lee People
People Magazine’s #4 Sexiest Man Alive made his big screen debut this past year as a lead in “The Maze Runner.” He reprises his role in “The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” this September. Look for him also in “The Stanford Prison Experiment.”

6. Constance Wu

Fresh Off the Boat ABC
Admit it: you’ve watched the “Fresh Off the Boat” trailer multiple times, haven’t you? With the ABC series premiering on February 4, all eyes will be on Wu, Randall Park, and Hudson Yang to see how this sitcom where all of the principals are Asian American will connect with audiences. Wu has appeared in a number of projects in recent years, including the dark comedy “EastSiders.”

7. Kimiko Glenn

Netflix "Orange is the New Black" Season 2 Kimiko Glenn as Brook
“Orange Is the New Black” is scheduled to return for season three in June. Glenn and her castmates were recently nominated for the Golden Globe for best television series, comedy or musical, and the SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.

8. Jordan Rodrigues

CIERRA RAMIREZ, JORDAN RODRIGUES
Jordan Rodrigues is originally from Sydney and now resides in Los Angeles. The smoking hot fan-favorite actor was introduced to a wider audience this past year in “The Fosters” as Mat, the guitar-playing love interest to Mariana. “The Fosters” returns on January 19 on ABC Family. Rodrigues is also set to appear in “Breaking Through,” a dance movie produced by John Legend.

9. Arden Cho

Arden Cho Teen Wolf MTV
Arden Cho returns as part of the main cast of “Teen Wolf,” MTV’s high school drama featuring various supernatural species. She plays Kira, a sword-wielding high school student who also happens to be a Kitsune, or fox spirit. The show’s fifth season kicks off this June.

Photo credits: Marvel, Getty, Summit Entertainment, ABC, People, Netflix, ABC Family, MTV

Top Chef Cheftestants We’re Keeping an Eye On

Fall means many things to many people: the return of football, basketball, cooler weather (any day now, LA), and of course, Top Chef! Yes, this week, the premier showcase of culinary skill and food porn brought to you by inexplicable product placement will be returning for its 12th season in Boston!

Continue reading “Top Chef Cheftestants We’re Keeping an Eye On”

‘Selfie’ TV Pilot Review

Regarded as a modern-day adaptation of My Fair Lady and Pygmalion, Selfie follows the story of Eliza Dooley, a narcissistic social media-obsessed ditz, who enlists the help of Henry Higenbottam, a marketing genius, after her online reputation gets smeared by a humiliating viral video.

Continue reading “‘Selfie’ TV Pilot Review”

Cary Fukunaga Wins an Emmy for ‘True Detective’

Cary Fukunaga took home his very first Emmy for his work on True Detective last night and possibly became the first Asian American to win an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, or for any kind of directing at all for that matter.

Continue reading “Cary Fukunaga Wins an Emmy for ‘True Detective’”

Top 10 Potential Asian American ‘SNL’ Hosts

With the 40th season of Saturday Night Live approaching, SNL recently tweeted out a call for host suggestions.  We took the initiative to write up a list of Asian American talents who would rock the stage as a SNL host.

Continue reading “Top 10 Potential Asian American ‘SNL’ Hosts”