Dr. Ken – “Ken and the Basketball Star” Review. Asian Turtle.

Season 2, Episode 15

Air Date: Friday, January 27, 2017, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Basketball is my life.” – Danny

Ken delivering tough news.

Ken (Ken Jeong) grows concerned after a routine exam of Danny Willis (Zak Henri), the star player of Molly’s (Krista Marie Yu) high school basketball team, leads to an unexpected diagnosis. Faced with pressure from all sides, including Molly and Dave (Albert Tsai), Ken must decide if Danny’s condition prohibits him from playing in the big game—not to mention putting an end to Danny’s future in basketball.

“Ken and the Basketball Star” is perhaps one of the most sobering Dr. Ken episodes. While the conditions of many of Ken’s patients have been relatively mild, Danny’s condition is the exact opposite and is reflected in the tone of the episode. This allows the audience to see a different side of Ken that’s fascinating to watch. What makes the episode work so well is the wonderful job the writers do establishing Ken as an outspoken fan of the teenage powerhouse, which only makes his medical decision tougher to make.

Meanwhile, Pat (Dave Foley) and Allison (Suzy Nakamura) share some quality time together when Allison discovers the secret espresso machine Pat keeps stashed in his office. Fearing everyone else at Welltopia will pretend to like him just to gain access to the coffeemaker, Pat pleads with Allison to keep it their little secret. Needless to say, keeping the apparatus under wraps from the rest of the staff doesn’t last long and the results are hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing at Damona’s (Tisha Campbell-Martin) reaction to the familiar scent and Allison’s effort to deny it.

A nice moment.

I’m a big fan of Foley’s and some of my favorite moments on Dr. Ken have been when Pat shares quality one-on-one time with various members of the Park family. From his time with Molly in “Dave Goes on Shark Tank,” to going to a jazz concert with Dave (Albert Tsai) in “D.K.’s New Girlfriend,” Pat seems to have a deep respect for the Parks. This is especially so in “Ken and the Basketball Star.” I really enjoy Pat’s interactions with Allison throughout the episode; while the scenes might not be the funniest, there’s a sincerity to Pat every time he’s with the Parks that’s special to watch.

I’m just going to come right out and say it; watching Clark (Jonathan Slavin) and his boyfriend Connor (Stephen Guarino) move in together made me uncomfortable. Not because it involves two men in a relationship but because I realized I’m as bad as Clark when it comes to being set in my ways. It’s slightly disturbing to come to terms with the fact that my reaction would be similar to Clark’s if I were to share space with a significant other. It’s hard not to laugh at Clark’s response to Damona after she asks him why he didn’t notice any warning signs until now. I hope things work out for Clark because that means there’s still hope for me.

Written by Paul O’Toole and Andy St. Clair and directed by Anthony Rich, “Ken and the Basketball Star” is an entertaining episode. Having had the opportunity to get to know Jeong through social media, I think this episode is one of the closest the audience will get to seeing the real Doctor Ken. While the events are fictional, the episode serves as a PSA of sorts to highlight a real medical issue that has shortened the lives of players like Reggie Lewis, Hank Gathers, and “Pistol” Pete Maravich. Despite the serious tone of the episode, there’s still a lot of room for laughs, making the decision to watch the episode a slam dunk.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Ken and the Basketball Star.”

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.