Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S02.E03: Shaquille O'Neal's Motors


Recommended Posts

At first, I was worried that the whole "Asians are cheap" angle would become offensive, but the episode got better and better, capped off with a wonderful turn by Shaq himself.  I loved the callbacks to past episodes, including the Chipwiches that Louis and Jessica casually pull out to eat while giving one of the car dealers "the silent treatment."  The "Shaquila" bottle made me smile, as well as learning the real reason the doorframe to Shaq's office was so scuffed up.  And the Beanie Babies/Hot Dogger story with the boys was so sweet (Evan's quite the painter).  So far, I'm loving this season.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

 

Constance Wu and Randal Park are great.

This is probably the first episode that I noticed the age difference between Constance and Randall IRL. For some reason, she just looked so young to me at the bar and Randall looked so old, that it looked like he was preying on a 20+ year old single lady at the bar.

Link to comment

This is probably the first episode that I noticed the age difference between Constance and Randall IRL.

 

 

What is their age difference?  I looked on IMDB and they don't list Randall's DOB and I'm too lazy to research further :)  I did always think Constance looked pretty young comparatively, but I assumed she just had great genes or something.

Link to comment

I loved the way Eddie said "Shaq Fu" with such disgust and later Shaq said it with such regret.

 

That was a great visual where Jessica and Shaq stand and shake hands across the desk. Like an elf shaking hands with a giant. Also, Jessica and Louis on their wedding day. The mullet, the purple eyeshadow -- they looked the couples from every wedding I went to in the '80s.

 

Which reminds me, they said it was their 12th anniversary. Isn't Eddie in the 7th grade now, which would make him 12? Did they ever say that Eddie was conceived before they got married? I can't remember.

Edited by fishcakes
Link to comment

What is their age difference?  I looked on IMDB and they don't list Randall's DOB and I'm too lazy to research further :)  I did always think Constance looked pretty young comparatively, but I assumed she just had great genes or something.

According to Wiki he is 41 and she is 33, so not a crazy age difference but not an insignificant one either.

Link to comment

We loved this show last season, weren't crazy about the first two this season and this one was just terrible.  Something has changed, besides grown-Eddie's voiceover.  For one thing it's more sappy, while last season they might have expressed similar sentiments but in a more funny and sarcastic way.  And Jessica has lost her mojo.  Last season her bitchiness was admiral, you had to cheer for her taking no prisoners and having no shame.  This season she just seems bitchy and whiney.  We saw the Shaq punchline coming and that was still the best part of a dismal showing.  We'll give it one more week and we're out if they don't bring our old Huang family back. 

Edited by Latsmile
  • Love 5
Link to comment

According to Wiki he is 41 and she is 33, so not a crazy age difference but not an insignificant one either.

 

There's some dispute about her age and it keeps getting changed on her Wikipedia page and on IMDb. In this interview from last February in Glamour magazine, they talked about her being 26 at the time (so 27 now if her birthday is actually in March) and being 14 years younger than Randall Park and she didn't dispute that. I think she probably is in her twenties, but she or her agents or whoever is claiming she's older to stop all the questions about the age difference with Park and playing a mom to tween boys.

Link to comment

I liked this ep. It was fun seeing Jessica negotiate with the salespeople. I also liked seeing how smart and observant she is, like noting the newness of the nameplate and seeing the 'dial 9' post-it.

 

When we see the flashback of them buying the car, I thought Jessica, in the past, was going to be upset about taking advantage of the salesman, so it cracked me up that she was upset about not getting the floor mats.

 

Jessica: I'm not tired. I just took a nap right now while you were talking.

 

Loved the two of them fake-arguing in Chinese about innocuous things.

 

I loved discovering why the top of the door jamb was all messed up. I suppose I should have guessed it, but the explanation (seeing Shaq hit his head) was great.

 

I liked when Shaq said, "Congratulations. No one has ever made it this far."

 

Can somebody explain Shaq-Fu to me?

 

I LOVED when Louis commented on Shaq's size, and Shaq gave his explanation, which was a funny cover for why he looked so different from his real 1990's self.

 

BTW, I noticed one of the commercials was Shaq selling Gold Bond.

Edited by peeayebee
  • Love 4
Link to comment

There's some dispute about her age and it keeps getting changed on her Wikipedia page and on IMDb. In this interview from last February in Glamour magazine, they talked about her being 26 at the time (so 27 now if her birthday is actually in March) and being 14 years younger than Randall Park and she didn't dispute that. I think she probably is in her twenties, but she or her agents or whoever is claiming she's older to stop all the questions about the age difference with Park and playing a mom to tween boys.

Sorry for the off topic-ness. Constance Wu graduated from college in 2005. Unless she's a genius it's safe to say they were downplaying her age initially because Asians look young (a lady at BJ's wouldn't let me have a sample unless I got permission from my parents...) and women have to be young in Hollywood, and now they're going to her actual age because of the "age controversy" from Fresh Off the Boat.

Edited by solotrek
  • Love 2
Link to comment

I actually really enjoyed the car buying plot. I remember being at the dealer for hours so my dad could negotiate the price of a car. It's a lot easier now with the Internet.

 

It looks like Beanie Babies were really hot in the mid 90s. But they were made (and presumably popular) in 1991.

 

I loved discovering why the top of the door jamb was all messed up. I suppose I should have guessed it, but the explanation (seeing Shaq hit his head) was great.

 

I liked when Shaq said, "Congratulations. No one has ever made it this far."

 

Can somebody explain Shaq-Fu to me?

Shaq-Fu was that awful video game. It's a callback from last season because Eddie worked in his dad's restaurant to pay for the game.

 

I didn't notice why they showed that peeled paint at the top of the door until you said. Good eyes!

Edited by Unraveled
Link to comment

 

It looks like Beanie Babies were really hot in the mid 90s. But they were made (and presumably popular) in 1991.

 

IIRC, they were popular for a pretty long time. The marketing genius of the Ty corporation was unsurpassed.

Link to comment

 

It looks like Beanie Babies were really hot in the mid 90s. But they were made (and presumably popular) in 1991.

 

 

I actually collected Beanie Babies (for fun AND profit) and I can attest that they nailed the timing of the craze. They were just starting to get really hot in 1996, reaching their peak in 1997-1998. The ones that were "retired" (i.e. not made anymore) and somewhat rare were easily worth $150+. Some very rare ones went for $5000. 

Link to comment

IIRC, they were popular for a pretty long time. The marketing genius of the Ty corporation was unsurpassed.

I was never part of the craze, and my only knowledge was through the news. I never knew anyone personally who spent a lot of money on them.

Link to comment

My parents have actually done this.  My mom is the hardass negotiator (like really over the top hardass, like REALLY), and my father is the one embarrassed by it.  At the dealership, while negotiating, my parents kept speaking to each other in an Asian language with my father saying "No!  No!  No!" over and over again getting progressively more upset with my mother.

 

The car salespeople interpreted this to actually be my father getting upset with THEM and saying "No" to their price over and over again, and so they kept lowering it.

 

It also recalled a plot on "Happy Endings" where a happy couple pretends to physically argue outside of a diner (?) where their friends are watching from inside, while actually yelling loving and innocuous things to each other.

 

I don't know what it is, but every sitcom must do the car salespeople negotiating plot.  Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fresh Prince, Happy Endings, etc. etc.

 

Constance and I graduated college the same year!

Edited by Ms Blue Jay
  • Love 2
Link to comment

How did I not see the Final Manager being Shaq coming? Great twist, and a really fun Shaq cameo. 

 

Shaq Fu *shakes head* 

 

Beanie Babies! God I had so many of those things. All with their own names and personalities. If someone sold any of mine, I would be pissed too.

Link to comment

I really enjoyed this episode; the whole car buying plot was great, beginning to end. And the very end, where Eddie sells the giant Shaq shoe - an amazing gesture which I'm not sure I would have made even as an adult.

Link to comment

We bought a used car last year and at the time I thought we got a pretty good deal on it, but now I keeping thinking how disappointed Jessica would be in my negotiating skills and then I get sad. I loved the yelling in Mandarin about what they were going to have for dinner and how nice the weather was. Also the Shaq reveal and the reveal about how the door was getting damaged. 

 

The boys' subplot was cute, though I'm not sure I buy Emery believing Eddie about selling the beanie babies without checking with Evan first. I was glad that the hot dog slip-n-slide was fun and not another disappointment like the video game Eddie wanted.

Link to comment

I like this episode. It doesn't have much of Eddie in it. This is an episode I can tell SO he can watch and enjoy (he boycotts all Eddie-centric episodes). Thanks, writers!

 

Funny I was randomly looking at stuff on the internet and saw an article about the most expensive beanie babies. It was the first edition of Princes Diana bear. Ebay bid was like $300K with 30 bidders. Did it sell? who knows.

Link to comment

My husbands reactions to Louis realizing the flowers Jessica got were real "oh my god, is this show about your mother?" She has fake flowers all over the house because real flowers die. And then the extreme car bargaining. I just remember the broken look on the faces of the car salesmen (plural) when she was helping me negotiate for my car. Except since it's  modern day, she had print outs from all over the place, random math scribbled everywhere, "yelling" at my dad on the phone, different examples of discounts, etc etc.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
I LOVED when Louis commented on Shaq's size, and Shaq gave his explanation, which was a funny cover for why he looked so different from his real 1990's self.

 

 

That was brilliant. Just a well done joke within a joke.

 

If you knew who Shaq was, the reason for the damaged doorway should have been obvious as soon as they showed the door the first time. I wonder how many times Shaq had to tape that shot. It looked like he really sold it.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...