Dr. Ken – “Ken’s Apology” Review. All’s Well That End

Season 2, Episode 10

Air Date: Friday, December 9, 2016, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“No one dies at Welltopia; they just become inactive patients.” – Pat

Showdown between Ken and Pat

Ken (Ken Jeong) expresses guilt after learning he missed an important medical detail that puts the life of his patient, Don (Bob Clendenin), in jeopardy. Despite a minimum effect on Don’s health, Ken feels compelled to apologize to him. That doesn’t sit very well with Ken’s boss Pat (Dave Foley), who feels saying sorry would be an admission of fault. Will Ken follow his heart or will he succumb to Pat’s demands by letting the process play out with the lawyers?

One of the things Dr. Ken has been lacking since the beginning of the series are scenes where Ken and Pat butt heads as doctor versus boss. It’s a dynamic that could make for some interesting storylines. Sure, the two have gone up against each other before, but rarely have they clashed over administrative issues like they do in “Ken’s Apology.” I enjoyed the tension created between Ken and Pat as they consider the best approach to take to resolve the incident with Don. I couldn’t help but laugh at Pat’s attempt to dismiss Ken’s error. “There are no mistakes at Welltopia, just acts of God we can never legally anticipate.” I wouldn’t mind seeing more of these healthy debates in the future.

Given how much Dr. Ken has been pushing sitcom boundaries between comedy and drama, I was surprised by how simply Don’s condition is handled. The approach isn’t necessarily bad, but the audience isn’t given the opportunity to feel any real emotions over Ken’s mistake. That, in turn, diminishes the need for an apology. Given this is a serious medical error, the writers should have emphasized more the tension created by this life or death situation.

I hope D.K. doesn’t get detention.

Meanwhile, Ken’s father D.K. (Dana Lee) decides to take a more active parental role with his grandkids. Not only does he try to set Molly (Krista Marie Yu) up on a blind date, much to her chagrin, but he attends Dave’s (Albert Tsai) school conferences with disastrous results. If last week’s episode, “D.K.’s New Girlfriend,” had Lee’s most touching scenes on Dr. Ken, “Ken’s Apology” has his funniest. D.K. is hilarious when he confronts Dave’s teacher, Miss Flanagan (Ryan Michelle Bathe). I lost track of how many times he made me laugh because there are so many!

While television shows often use storylines to convey a message or make a statement, there’s often a deeper meaning that can be found when one considers the times we live in. To some, “Ken’s Apology” is about a doctor making a mistake and management trying to cover up his guilt. To me, the episode reflects the current state of the country and how divided we’ve become. Everyone seems so dug in, not just with politics, but in life, so much so, we’ve lost the ability to communicate. As Ken learns, sometimes the apology is the easy part; it’s taking that first step that’s difficult.

“Ken’s Apology” is a welcome change of pace given how emotional the past few episodes of Dr. Ken have been. Directed by Anthony Rich and written by Hilary Winston, “Ken’s Apology” is an entertaining episode that has a serious message, yet it still manages to retain its hilarity. My only gripe is how underutilized Clendenin is. Having such a funny and talented actor appear for only a brief moment feels like a waste of his time. Hopefully, the writers will find a way to have Don return to Welltopia.

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

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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.