Dr. Ken – “Clark’s Big Surprise” Recap. Pastor Ken.

Season 2, Episode 21

Air Date: Friday, March 24, 2017, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Will this be a vegan barbecue?” – Ken

Clark’s (Jonathan Slavin) attempt to invite his Welltopia co-workers to a barbecue doesn’t go as expected when it turns out they’ve all made other plans. However, the gathering is just a ruse by Clark and Connor (Stephen Guarino) to have everyone at their surprise wedding. When Ken (Ken Jeong) accidentally learns of their ploy, Clark tasks Ken with persuading the others to attend without revealing the true purpose. What could possibly go wrong? The end result is a hilarious episode featuring performances from Pat Monahan and Jerry Becker of the Grammy®-winning band Train.

Looking back at Dr. Ken, the one word that keeps coming to mind is family—not just with the Parks but the Welltopia employees as well. This season, audiences have watched as the Park family has grown with D.K. (Dana Lee) moving in. They’ve seen Damona (Tisha Campbell) and Pat’s (Dave Foley) romance rekindled, while Clark and Connor’s relationship has blossomed. The show might be called Dr. Ken but Jeong and the writers have allowed each character to grow over the past two seasons. Scenes that could easily have been left on the cutting room floor on other shows are storylines that are front and center on Dr. Ken.

“Clark’s Big Surprise” is the culmination of such a storyline as Clark and Connor finally tie the knot. What makes their story special is regardless of their sexual orientation, at the core, it’s simply a relationship—one that isn’t treated any differently than other relationships on the series. Clark isn’t the “gay” character for the sake of diversity; he’s simply a character who happens to be gay. I reached out to Slavin about working with Stephen, when he knew Clark’s relationship would be featured so prominently, and how much input he had in the progression of their story arc.

“Stephen and I gelled really quickly, and I remember after the first episode we did together, Ken actually told me that he was really moved by our connection, and that it really mattered to him emotionally that Clark found some love and happiness. I certainly realized then that we would see more of Connor but again, each time Stephen was back, we just connected more and more. He’s a great actor and has become a really good friend, and somehow we just kind of spark together. The fact that we are also both actually gay people makes finding our dynamic easier too, because we don’t feel like we have to be careful or precious with each other. There’s a really easy physicality between us, and I think that it makes our couplehood believable. Regarding our input, we are so lucky that Mike Sikowitz and the writers and Ken always are open to talking things out, and finding challenging beats together. We have such a luxury having rehearsal, and so there has been a scene or two we’ve almost workshopped until we all found it together. The framework and structure are always there, which is great, because at the end of the day, I’m kind of a dumb actor.”

The working relationship shared by Ken and Clark is a special one that goes all the way back to the pilot. It’s a dynamic I’ve enjoyed watching throughout the series. I like how that friendship is given the respect it deserves by being front and center during “Clark’s Big Surprise.” More importantly, I appreciate how that same kind of relationship is shared among the actors, which is reflected in Slavin’s answers to my questions.

Dr. Ken is at its best whenever the Park and Welltopia storylines merge and “Clark’s Big Surprise” does just that. Written by Lisa McQuillan, the episode is not only touching, it’s also very funny. I couldn’t stop laughing as Ken’s attempt to get his family and friends to attend the barbecue gets twisted like a big game of telephone. I didn’t know if I should laugh or feel sorry for Allison (Suzy Nakamura) when she gets caught up in Ken’s disinformation campaign. The deeper Ken’s deception goes, the more hilarious the episode gets. There are also some great one-liners in “Clark’s Big Surprise,” especially from D.K.

It’s hard not to feel like the writers are wrapping up major storylines ahead of next week’s season finale, “Ken’s Big Audition,” in the event ABC decides not to renew the series for a third season. With Clark and Connor now married and the surprisingly romantic ending at the Parks’ home, it’s easy to wonder what’s going to happen. Hopefully, ABC will announce its decision soon and more will be in store for the Parks and their Welltopia family.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Clark’s Big Surprise.”

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

For more information on Dr. Ken, visit the official website.

Follow Dr. Ken on Twitter.

LIKE Dr. Ken on Facebook.

Save

Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
Latest Posts (view them )..

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.