American Born Chinese

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “The Fourth Scroll”

By Paul Lai | Jul 18, 2023 | Television

At the Autumn Equinox, with Heaven and Earth perfectly in balance, the stakes are high. Does the season finale of American Born Chinese stick the landing and leave us satisfied? The show has tried to balance humor, drama, action, mythos, family, and cultural relevance, all with the wit and poetry of the original Gene Luen […]

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Television

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “Beyond Repair”

By Paul Lai | Jul 10, 2023 | Television

In the second-to-last episode American Born Chinese‘s first season, the conflicts pinch to the point of appearing “Beyond Repair,” as the episode is entitled. But of course, that’s also the name of the show that Ke Huy Quan’s character Jamie Yao revisits in the reunion panel that starts the episode, where we left off in […]

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Television

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “Hot Stuff”

By Paul Lai | Jul 3, 2023 | Television

The steam picks up as we tumble to the climax of American Born Chinese season 1, with “Hot Stuff” (Episode 6) bringing together Jin’s school social circles, his feuding parents, and the ruckus in the heavens right into the local Sierra Mona bowling alley. After Episode 5, “Abracadabra,” gained Wei-Chen the Fourth Scroll in the […]

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Television

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “Abracadabra”

By Paul Lai | Jun 26, 2023 | Television

We roll into the second half of this freshman season of American Born Chinese, episode 5, entitled “Abracadabra.” After the last episode’s detour into the legendary backstory of Sun WuKong, the Monkey King’s ascent to Great Sage, this episode returns us to the present-day plotlines of Wei-Chen’s search for the Fourth Scroll, Jin’s search for social […]

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Television

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “Make a Splash”

By Paul Lai | Jun 19, 2023 | Television

A celestial party that echoes our earthbound ambitions. This week we crash the FOURTH episode of American Born Chinese, “Make a Splash.” The show hits its first season midpoint with an episode that detours in setting, structure, and story. Just when we’ve gotten used to the intertwined plotlines of teenager Jin Wang (Ben Wang), Monkey […]

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Television

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “Rockstar Status”

By Paul Lai | Jun 12, 2023 | Television

Welcome to our review of the THIRD episode of American Born Chinese, “Rockstar Status.” Naturally, SPOILERS to come, and if you’re looking for the first or second episode recaps, just come back after you’ve seen “Rockstar Status” and caught up on all of Wei-Chen, Jin, and Guanyin’s journeys and shenanigans… 1. All You Can Eat […]

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Television

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “A Monkey on a Quest”

By Paul Lai | Jun 5, 2023 | Television

The pilot of American Born Chinese promised both a faithful adaptation of the graphic novel’s spirit and a handful of surprises and new dimensions to fill a season of TV in 2023. Episode 2, “A Monkey on a Quest,” sees Jin take his “whole community… three steps backwards” (as Suzy Nakamura accuses him) for the sake […]

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Television

Five Thoughts On American Born Chinese’s “What Guy Are You”

By Paul Lai | May 29, 2023 | Television

Leap in, Multiversity friends, for our weekly five thoughts for each episode of Disney+’s American Born Chinese, adapting the 2006 graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, an executive producer on the show. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton of Shang Chi, and starring a cast of new faces (Ben Wang, Jimmy Liu) and lauded stars (Michelle Yeoh, […]

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