Dr. Ken – “A Park Family Christmas” Review. Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

Season 2, Episode 11

Air Date: Friday, December 16, 2016, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“You realize ‘need a hand’ is just an expression, right?” – Ken

After constantly being viewed as the serious Park among her peers at the Welltopia Medical Group, Allison (Suzy Nakamura) decides to show off her fun side by hosting the office holiday party at home. Will Allison be able to show her coworkers she’s just like the rest of them or will her party prove their assumptions about her?

One of the things I enjoy about Allison joining the medical group this season is it allows the writers to mix in both her personal and professional storylines. “A Park Family Christmas” is a perfect example as Allison must leave her own party to attend to one of her patients. The transition between the two scenes is interesting to watch as it changes the tone of the episode drastically. Regardless of the situation, the banter between Allison and Ken (Ken Jeong) is always entertaining as Nakamura and Jeong have great chemistry together.

Meanwhile, D.K. (Dana Lee) is invited to play Santa at the local library. Needing an elf, he enlists his grandson Dave’s (Albert Tsai) help. Things don’t go well, though, when D.K. Santa suggests the kids ask for balls and books instead of toys. Nor does it help matters when he starts referring to the youngsters as “lazy American kids,” much to the chagrin of the librarian (Rose Abdoo) and Dave. Lee may be jolly as Santa, but it’s Tsai who nails the look of the cute little elf. The scenes between Lee and Tsai always give me a laugh but I wish “A Park Family Christmas” had more time to allow the Santa storyline to play out.

Dave makes a cute Elf.

As entertaining as Dr. Ken is, I get the sense there’s a higher bar placed on the writers when it comes to storylines involving medical issues. After all, Jeong isn’t just an actor playing a role, he’s an actual doctor in real life. With that comes a particular responsibility. “A Park Family Christmas” serves as a reminder that while many find the holidays to be a time for celebration and family, others find the festivities a source of depression, including me. The holidays are especially difficult for me because tomorrow marks the anniversary of the day I lost my home and spent the next three years homeless. Given Christmas is only a week away, it’s hard to separate the two regardless of how many years have passed. Watching Ken and Allison attend to their patient Gary (Sam Lloyd) after his cry for help really resonated with me. After all, addressing the topic is something we often don’t see in holiday-themed episodes. Given the seriousness of the subject matter, I’m actually surprised there wasn’t a PSA after the episode for those in need of help.

“A Park Family Christmas” has the feel of a season finale. Not only does the entire cast gather around the piano to sing Christmas songs but Clark’s (Jonathan Slavin) storyline with Connor (Stephen Guarino) reaches a heartwarming culmination. Despite being internationally known for his comedic performances, as well as creating and starring in a series inspired by his life, Jeong appears comfortable not being the center of attention and Slavin’s role is a perfect example. Clark could have easily been a bit role briefly appearing in the Welltopia scenes as comic relief every few episodes, instead, he’s become a fan favorite. Surprisingly, the character wasn’t initially written as a gay man until Slavin was cast. Showrunner Mike Sikowitz asked Slavin, who is openly gay, how he wanted to play the character. Clark and Connor’s relationship has played out all season, including some very touching moments in the last few episodes that culminate in “A Park Family Christmas.” Slavin has embraced the role and is absolutely delightful to watch. Viewing “A Park Family Christmas,” one might assume the show is called Nurse Clark given how much material Slavin is given to work with.

Written by Tim Doyle and directed by Eric Dean Seaton, “A Park Family Christmas” is an entertaining episode with a strong message aimed at those who might be hurting. It’s always interesting to see characters out of their usual environment and that’s what we get in this episode as it takes a lighthearted look at the Welltopia family gathering to celebrate the holidays. Given the collective comedic talent gathered under the Parks’ fictional roof, I can only imagine the chaos that ensued between takes. Who knows, maybe “A Park Family Christmas” will lay the groundwork for a Dr. Ken musical episode.

On behalf of all of us at Your Entertainment Corner, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. Given the theme of tonight’s episode, I feel compelled to mention if the holidays are proving to be too much for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “A Park Family Christmas.”

Tune in to Dr. Ken Fridays at 8:30/7:30c, only on ABC.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.