Jessica and Louis Huang are very intense people who constantly become fixated with a project or an idea. That heightened intensity is part of Fresh Off the Boat‘s comedic backbone, allowing the show’s very funny extremes to fit logically in the world the writers have cultivated over 17 episodes. However, making the Huang parents so intense comes at a cost: there are times where Fresh loses the other characters in the crowd of their insanity, their stories becoming details in the larger, much wilder picture of the Louis and Jessica’s lives. “The Fall Ball,” in a way, is like a meta-observation of that formula: while Jessica and Louis both exhibit the same energy and extreme focus, the episode is more about how that tunnel vision approach affects the other characters on the show, with some surprisingly emotional moments.
To this point, Grandma Huang hasn’t been much of anything beyond a punchline, a visual device Fresh Off the Boat can use to poke fun at the traditional Chinese values she tries to maintain as the family slips further and further into Americanisms. Because of that, her character is usually relegated to one or two scenes an episode – and being the only character who doesn’t speak fluent English, her dialogue is usually kept to a minimum, a few words to make a joke, and that’s it. “The Fall Ball” releases Lucille Soong from those constrictions, and allows her to bring Grandma to life a bit with a more consistent presence in the episode. For once, it feels like her presence isn’t just arranged for some random punchlines – she’s there to show how deeply lost Jessica can get in an idea, without any consideration for the emotional cost that comes along with her steamrolling approach.
For Grandma, Jessica wanting money to invest in house flipping isn’t about whether she likes or respects Jessica. It’s about how Jessica ignores her, relegating her to the background until she comes into some money, via a dead boyfriend Jessica didn’t even know she had. Everyone else shares their condolences with Grandma throughout the episode, while Jessica just looks on befuddled, revealing that the lack in communication between them isn’t because of age difference, or because Grandma doesn’t “like” her. Grandma feels like her presence in the family is marginalized because Jessica just doesn’t care about her life, unless it has the possibility of benefiting her.
It’s a sharp criticism of Jessica’s character – and in a way, takes responsibility for how little Grandma’s character has mattered to this point. It addresses one of the show’s only flaws in a meaningful way, and offers up a fantastic resolution. Instead of Grandma loaning Jessica the money, the two of them go into business with Honey (who’s got all the money, of course – and some bad ideas about horse murals) as equal partners, which will not only integrate Grandma and Honey into more stories with Jessica, but give Jessica’s character a new sense of purpose beyond the vague anecdotes we occasionally get about her real estate career.
Louis’ story is a little bit lighter on the emotional notes, but retains the same basic construction as Jessica’s story. He gets so excited about Eddie’s first dance, he pile drives through a series of John Hughes references and frightens his kid to the absolute core, telling him it’s the chance to literally change his life. After getting a fly hair cut and going in with his boys on a bottle of Polo cologne, Eddie backs out at the last minute, afraid to pursue his new crush Allison out of fear for what happened to Nicole. All through the episode, Louis’ excitement infects Eddie and his friends, inspiring them, but also burying their desires under the sheen of Louis living out his own dream of never going to a high school dance.
So focused on their own agendas, both Louis and Eddie are unable to see how much this night means to the other person. When they do, it provides a wonderfully cathartic father/son moment to close the episode on. Louis’ adolescent personality has become the dominant one in the household – with an increased amount of jokes for Evan and Emery, along with this turn for Louis, Eddie’s been slightly marginalized this season – and seeing the episode take responsibility for that, and give it meaning, is something many comedies wouldn’t try to do, unless it was in service of some self-deprecating punch line.
Fresh Off the Boat is so much better than that, and it knows it. “The Fall Ball” ends with the requisite resolutions and hug-it-out moments, predictable endings to stories with an unpredictable amount of emotion. With such a fantastic grasp on its characters and stylistic approach, it’s no surprise Fresh Off the Boat has taken a step up creatively this season – or why ABC recently granted it a back-nine order, locking in the season for a full 22 episodes (which in turns, improves its odds for remaining on the air for another year). But I’m getting ahead of myself. Four episodes into Season 2, Fresh Off the Boat is cementing its place in the upper echelon of sitcoms, network or otherwise.
Other thoughts/observations:
- Grandma makes homemade tea bags out of panty hose. This is weird, and hilarious.
- Jeremy Lin makes a very tepid cameo as Louis’s former co-worker in a New Jersey factory.
- The boys’ plan to gyrate the girls into orbit leads to the show’s most fantastical cutaway sequence, a very Scrubs-ish moment I hope to see more of moving forward.
- “She sends used POGS to Africa!”
- Jessica cuts off Louis’ story about his co-worker buying a “Jackson’s worth of candy” right as it was getting juicy.
- “Why are you crying?” “Where is my mother?!”
- Fresh Off the Boat has subtly developed Honey’s character into something much more than “’90s trophy wife,” and it’s really fun to watch. Her and Jessica make a great comedic pair.
- Trent’s frosted tips are an absolute riot. “He went with the premium tin foil.”
[Photo credit: Tyler Golden/ABC]
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