Dr. Ken, Season 2, Episode 4: “Dr. Ken: Child of Divorce”
Original airdate October 14, 2016.
Symptoms?
Ken learns that his parents have been divorced for a couple of years. He pretends to take it in stride, but it makes him wonder how confident he can be in his own marriage. Dave has similar feelings, being now the “child of a child of divorce,” so he ends things with his new girlfriend Emily.
It hurts when I do this.
D.K. still hasn’t found his space in any of the dynamics, except for one-on-one conversations with Ken, which he’s always been great with. I understand the temptation to pair him with Pat because the awkwardness could be enormous fun, but in this case it’s just weird and unpleasant. Clark and Damona, lately a strength, are not great in scenes with Ken or D.K. Everything seems exaggerated and clownish.
Reflexes normal.
There are a few highlights in this episode. Ken Jeong’s flair for physical humor is on lovely display, as when he drops silently to his knees and then collapses, face down, onto the kitchen floor. Molly’s playing psychologist is cute, and it works well within the framework of the story. It also works toward developing her as having interests or inclinations similar to her mother’s, a first for this show. I also like some of the call-outs to some Korean stereotypes: a love for golf, for example, and “Hardcore Koreans never smile for pictures: it’s a sign of weakness.”
Condition: fair.
This episode is not great, but its consistent storyline with no subplots just to keep everyone involved is an improvement over recent installments. Call it the lowest degree of just all right. 3 forehead reflecting thingies out of 5.
