8 Asians

Fresh Off the Boat, Season 2, Episode 16: “Tight Two”
Original airdate March 15, 2016.

Microsynopsis: Louis injures his leg while attempting to entertain Jessica, putting him in a cast and wheelchair. This leaves it up to Jessica to oversee the new “Cattleman’s Ranch To Go” service at the restaurant while Louis stays home with the boys. Jessica finds herself at war with the staff, and the pressure Louis puts on himself to be the fun dad results in another long visit to the ER.

Good: There’s all kinds of good interaction between Jessica and Louis, and between the three brothers. Most of the jokes fall flat, but spending time with the characters like this is really enjoyable. An ongoing conversation between the brothers about who would eat whom if they all found themselves stuck on a deserted island is silly and charming. Jessica’s management of the restaurant staff is cute, and for once the staff’s stupidity is actually kind of pleasant, if only because of the annoyance it brings Jessica.

Bad: I’m willing to accept most of the ridiculous things Louis does to himself and to his family, but this is over the line. He’s not an idiot, and he knows where to draw the line when it comes to the boys. Letting them remove his cast is considerably beyond the line, and it’s not that funny.

FOB moment: Grandma watches a Chinese movie she once auditioned for.

Soundtrack flashback: I got nothing. There are snippets of country-western songs in the background of the restaurant scenes, but they’re impossible for me to identify.

Final grade, this episode: I love Jessica’s conversations with Louis, and it’s nice how both plots are connected, and not just incidentally. I hate most of the rest of this story. C-minus.