We watched the first 2 episodes of "Fresh Off the Boat" tonight. We quite enjoyed it. Based on a true story/memoir of an Asian American immigrant family in the mid 90s that opens a restaurant in Florida.
What's really interesting me is the subtext of a narrative from the perspective of an 11 year old boy, done most famously in The Wonder Years but with a lot of visual subtlety. The writer, as an adult, is our guide an agency and remembering all of these events through child glasses: His mother is witty, with a sharp tongue, always tired and has all of the best lines; his father is away most of the time (for the previous 6 months prior to the pilot), and is portrayed as the straight (but absent) man. He is optimistic but distant, not wanting to ever upset his family. The narrator/author is dismissive of his younger brothers. He spends about a minute narratively introducing his mother and father, his obvious role models, and spends less than a second glossing over his brothers and grandmother, punctuated with the wonderful "whatever" after their introductions.
Outside of the sharp writing from the mother, the background subtlety and humor is very reminiscent of the best of the single-camera dramadies (Arrested Development, The Office). For example, the narrator is forced to do extra homework because he happened to get straight As at his new school and his mother felt that meant the school wasn't teaching him enough. He looks outside at a friend playing basketball. This is a normal trope, seen many times before: the longing of lost childhood due to responsibility. It's even directly pointed out, as a trope, by the narrator. What makes it brilliant is a few scenes later when he his outside in that same basketball court, *everything* is trashed: The hoop is missing most of the net, the trampoline is on its side and has a hole in it.. it's a child's version of forbidden fun with no responsibility that he was unable to participate in. And it's *never* pointed out to the viewer. It's just there in the background. The show is full of moments like this.
This is definitely on our "To Watch" list now each week. I'm excited to see where the show goes.
What's really interesting me is the subtext of a narrative from the perspective of an 11 year old boy, done most famously in The Wonder Years but with a lot of visual subtlety. The writer, as an adult, is our guide an agency and remembering all of these events through child glasses: His mother is witty, with a sharp tongue, always tired and has all of the best lines; his father is away most of the time (for the previous 6 months prior to the pilot), and is portrayed as the straight (but absent) man. He is optimistic but distant, not wanting to ever upset his family. The narrator/author is dismissive of his younger brothers. He spends about a minute narratively introducing his mother and father, his obvious role models, and spends less than a second glossing over his brothers and grandmother, punctuated with the wonderful "whatever" after their introductions.
Outside of the sharp writing from the mother, the background subtlety and humor is very reminiscent of the best of the single-camera dramadies (Arrested Development, The Office). For example, the narrator is forced to do extra homework because he happened to get straight As at his new school and his mother felt that meant the school wasn't teaching him enough. He looks outside at a friend playing basketball. This is a normal trope, seen many times before: the longing of lost childhood due to responsibility. It's even directly pointed out, as a trope, by the narrator. What makes it brilliant is a few scenes later when he his outside in that same basketball court, *everything* is trashed: The hoop is missing most of the net, the trampoline is on its side and has a hole in it.. it's a child's version of forbidden fun with no responsibility that he was unable to participate in. And it's *never* pointed out to the viewer. It's just there in the background. The show is full of moments like this.
This is definitely on our "To Watch" list now each week. I'm excited to see where the show goes.
Tell Your Friends