‘Fresh off the Boat’ Episode Review: “Living While Eddie”

Fresh Off the Boat, Season 3, Episode 15: “Living While Eddie”
Original airdate March 1, 2017.

Microsynopsis:  Emery is excited to learn that an informercial, hosted by his favorite infomercial host, is filming in Cattleman’s Ranch.  Louis is given a quick line, but he keeps screwing it up, thanks partially to Emery’s sabotaging Louis’s efforts.

Jessica is called to the mall record store to pick up Eddie, who’s been nailed for shoplifting.  At first, Jessica is certain Eddie is guilty, as he is always getting caught trying to pull something, including eating the last papaya she was saving for breakfast.  When Eddie proves his innocence, Jessica is apologetic, and when he admits he was taking the blame for the papaya to cover for Evan, whose record is still clean, she is moved to tears.

Evan comes home from a friend’s house and tells his brothers that his friend’s family has a “drying rack” like theirs, only the other family’s drying rack also washes dishes.  Curious, the boys discover that black tape is covering the buttons on their drying rack, revealing a dishwasher, something they’ve never heard of.  Jessica explains that using a machine to wash dishes is wasteful.

Good:  I kind of think the informercial story is a good idea, since it gives Emery specific interests that have nothing to do with his school life or home life.  Or love.  The dishwasher sequence is cute.  Eddie’s interactions with his mom are great, and easily the highlight of the episode.  You can see how Jessica sometimes feels that Eddie is the lost child, and it’s touching to see her so proud of him, and not ashamed to express her pleasure.

Bad:  Am I the only one who thinks the informercial story is just stupidly put together?  It could have been cute, funny, and interesting, but it’s just soooooooo silly, and Emery is revealed to be petty and kind of mean, traits that don’t play very well with his development so far, although I like that in this one Eddie is the good kid and Emery the bad one.

FOB moment:  This might not count, but I’m nominating “There is a thing called a white lie.  And that is a lie that makes white people soft.”  (Jessica)

Soundtrack flashback:  “Life As” by LL Cool J (1994), from the Street Fighter movie soundtrack.  Twice!

Final grade, this episode:  This is a fair-to-middling episode semi-rescued by Nice Guy Eddie.   B-minus.