Dr. Ken – “Jae Meets The Parks” Review. Korean Footloose.

Season 2, Episode 13

Air Date: Friday, January 13, 2017, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“I forbid this!” – Ken

Ken (Ken Jeong) and Allison (Suzy Nakamura) can barely contain their excitement over finally meeting Molly’s (Krista Marie Yu) new boyfriend, Jae (Justin Chon). Ken is especially thrilled to meet the Korean pre-med student, declaring, “Let’s face it, she found a way to date her dad except, you know, more in her league.” Ken’s admiration for Jae is short lived after his young doppelgänger reveals he’s dropping out of med school to pursue his passion for art. Will Ken be able to accept Jae’s new aspirations or have a meltdown because his daughter is dating an artist? We’re talking about Ken here, so what do you think?

Following the dinner disaster with Jae, Ken seeks out the one person he knows will side with him, his father D.K. (Dana Lee). After all, D.K. was always a strict father and he’s the one who set Molly up with Jae in the first place. In a surprising twist, D.K. doesn’t share Ken’s views about Jae. This leads to a heartwarming discussion between father and son as D.K. shares how his parental views have evolved. Lee, once again, gives an outstanding performance; I love how the writers use D.K. as the voice of reason for the entire Park family. Truth be told, no matter what scene D.K. is in, it immediately becomes better.

Meanwhile, Damona (Tisha Campbell-Martin) is shocked to learn non-medical personnel aren’t required to wear scrubs despite Pat (Dave Foley) insisting they do. Free to show off her amazing fashion sense, Damona ditches her scrubs but the results are disastrous. Campbell-Martin is always entertaining to watch but particularly so in “Jae Meets The Parks.”

While Damona is off dealing with her wardrobe problems, Pat enlists Clark’s (Jonathan Slavin) help to oversee his weight loss effort. I couldn’t help but laugh as Pat yells at him to “stay the hell out of my business” seconds after asking Clark to hold him accountable for his bad eating habits. If an Emmy were awarded for best flustered responses, Slavin would have a room full of trophies. I don’t believe Slavin gets enough credit for his comedic talent, which is on full display during his interaction with Foley during “Jae Meets The Parks.”

It’s wonderful to see Molly front and center in “Jae Meets The Parks.” Yu gives a wonderful performance as Molly butts heads with her father. Jeong and Yu have great chemistry; you can sense a fatherly sentiment between them. Given Jeong has two young twin daughters, I wonder whether his scenes with Yu serve as an eye-opening learning experience for him.

The creative team behind Dr. Ken has really focused on adding genuine emotions to the storylines this season. Much like Allison’s breakdown in “Allison’s Thanksgiving Meltdown,” Molly’s feelings come across as real and sincere, thanks to Yu’s terrific acting capabilities. Even Ken’s reaction has a deep emotional depth to it. The writers appear intent on creating an impassioned rawness to scenes involving the Parks without affecting the humor.

Written by Warren Hutcherson and directed by Anthony Rich, “Jae Meets The Parks” is a touching episode that isn’t just a father/daughter tale, it’s a family story. One of the things Dr. Ken does well is create tension that’s real and isn’t watered down because the show is a comedy. Not only do I appreciate how the tension between Ken and Molly impacts the other members of the family, I love how Dave (Albert Tsai) takes advantage of the situation. I couldn’t stop laughing every time Dave offers one of his “word on the street” proclamations.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Ken’s New Intern.”

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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.