Is it okay to follow your passion? That was the question of this episode, which was portrayed through Jessica and Connie’s relationship. What makes their relationship so interesting to watch are the subtleties revealing what the sisters are actually saying to one another. This has been shown in any episode the two of them have interacted. This joke worked to this episode’s advantage, especially when Jessica was being sincere with Connie in the beginning, and Connie was clearly taken aback. Unfortunately for Jessica, she realized that her sister was going to art school, which is not what she considers “real college.”
The idea of Jessica having an issue with this wasn’t a shock, but what was surprising were the scenes where she revealed that she too had a hobby and why she never followed her passion. The paintings were a nice touch for her character because it made the sisters similar, and it solidified why it would seem as if Jessica was jealous that Connie had the opportunity to do something she couldn’t, but the real surprise came from the conversation with Louis. Jessica has always been one to follow rules and tradition, and since her parents wouldn’t believe in something like hobbies, then how could she? That scene was very important because it showed an aspect of Chinese culture and revealed the differences in generations. Louis said that their parents were struggling, so they wouldn’t have time for things like hobbies, but they now live in a different era and have the luxury of following their dreams.
Meanwhile, Marvin took Honey and the boys to a retirment home a.k.a. Marvin’s future home. What was engaging about this plot was that it reminded the audience and Honey of the clear age difference in their relationship. Marvin isn’t getting any younger, but Honey is still in her twenties. The situation seemed grim for most of the episode, but in the end, the couple decided to stay at their current home, and Honey assured Marvin that she’d be fine if anything serious happened.
The sad part about this episode were that they boys didn’t have much of a role. It seemed intentional since this episode was more serious, but it felt really odd. At least one of the boys always seems to have their own subplot, so with them being sidelined behind Marvin’s plot, it made the episode as a whole feel incomplete.
Episode rating: 6/10
Fresh Off the Boat airs Tuesdays @ 9/8c on ABC.
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