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Kim's Convenience - General Discussion

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
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TrininisaScorp
TrininisaScorp

As we are under stay at home orders, my husband and I were looking for something fun and short to watch. We gave this a try, and we are so glad we did.   We are watching the early part of season 4 rig

LisaM
LisaM

I'm in the middle of Season 2 and I love this show. The actor who plays Mr. Kim seemed to lose a lot of weight following Season 1. It threw me for awhile. I particularly like how so many of the c

betha
betha

I watched both seasons in a glorious week. I spent so much time with the Kim family they felt like my own family. I found this show utterly delightful, and some hamminess that bothered me a little at

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Mellowyellow

Mellowyellow

17 minutes ago, LilWharveyGal said:

I've seen it! I didn't want to say anything because I have no idea what's going on with the timing in this thread.

Spoiler

Were you surprised by the Janet and Gerald thing? 

I was flabbergasted. I've watched this show from the beginning and that came out of absolutely nowhere for me!!!! Just bizzare!

 

FormerMod-a1

FormerMod-a1

I just love this show so much.  I was so happy when I say season 4 available on Netflix, and then came here and saw it's been renewed for 2 more seasons.  Whoo-hoo!  I just hate the waiting.  

I binged the whole season yesterday.  I didn't like Jung and Shannon together as much as I thought I would.  I didn't dislike it, perse, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  And Chelsea has bugged me from the beginning, I'm not sure why Gerald is with her, except that he is spineless.  (And I like him as a character, but he caves a lot).  That said, I loved the whole season.  I am worried about Umma - I wonder if it's Parkinson's?  And now I have to wait a year to find out.  

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SomeTameGazelle

SomeTameGazelle

10 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I am worried about Umma - I wonder if it's Parkinson's?  And now I have to wait a year to find out.  

My mind went to MS but I don't know whether the vague symptoms could apply to both.

I was surprised about Gerald as well -- I have never thought he was pining for Janet, but having him try to voice his feelings in Korean that she didn't understand was killing to me.

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statsgirl

statsgirl

As much as I love this show, I think they do a bad job on both the kids' romances.  I really liked Jung and Shannon ... until they got together and then I started cringing.

Janet's multiple relationships make sense given her age but it feels like a merry-go-round.

At least they don't have Uma and Appa cheat so I'm very grateful for that.

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Eliza422

Eliza422

10 hours ago, statsgirl said:

As much as I love this show, I think they do a bad job on both the kids' romances.  I really liked Jung and Shannon ... until they got together and then I started cringing.

Janet's multiple relationships make sense given her age but it feels like a merry-go-round.

At least they don't have Uma and Appa cheat so I'm very grateful for that.

I actually hugely dislike Jung and Shannon together, mainly because I really don't like Shannon. The only reason I'm glad they finally went with it was to get rid of the absurd UST storyline for three seasons. Hopefully they will break up and we can move on.

Janet is kind of an exhausting character to watch, so I understand what you mean. 

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TrininisaScorp

TrininisaScorp

As we are under stay at home orders, my husband and I were looking for something fun and short to watch. We gave this a try, and we are so glad we did.   We are watching the early part of season 4 right now.

As a South Asian woman, I relate to so many things about parents, expectations, the community, extended family, and all the play uncles/aunties you have to love/deal with.  

While there is a little bit of cringe sometimes, mostly I find the comedy (esp, the one liners and the actor's line readings of them) really, really good.  I'm usually chuckling most of the episode.  I also love that while the family fits the stereotypes in some ways (Janet is high achieving, Jung is the loved oldest male child, Appa is very dominant and brusque), it subverts it very nicely in others (Jung can be dumb and is a bit of a screwup, Janet has gone into the arts, Umma and Appa have rich lives outside of the business and their kids, Umma is the real leader of that house). 

Rarely have I seen a comedy integrate its supporting/fringe cast so well.  I LOVE Mr Chin and Mr Mehta.  My dad totally has these type of homies in his life and they are just as great and cringey. LOL  I love Mrs Mehta and Mrs Lee, as mom totally has these kind of friends.  I love all the iterations of the Haney gang too; gives me a slight The Office vibe.  

I'm ambivalent on the Jung/Shannon thing (we haven't gotten to the part of the season where they are together yet), but I do think when the UST done well, the actors (Simu in particular) shine. The kisses at the graduation party were, IMO, sexy and fun, like the characters.

Kimchee is the MVP for me.  He is consistently funny, silly, irreverent, but seems like a super good dude.   I love the friendship he and Jung have, which extends to the rest of the Kims in delightful ways. 

"Sneak attack" and "the Jesus" have made it into our daily vocabulary at home, which is delightful too. 

Shallow note/ Good LAWD, Simu Liu is fine as hell.  The wardrobe ppl give me gifts of tight shirts on the reg.  He had to have modeled b/c his face is beautiful and his body (that body!) wears clothes so well.  I didn't realize until a few binge sessions in that he is going to be Shang-Chi!  So excited! /Shallow 

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CoolMom

CoolMom

On 1/29/2020 at 2:48 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

I believe it was "burger pop fry", because they were ordering a drink with the burger and fries.

In the most recent episode I was surprised when Umma commented that the family had not eaten together in 15 years. Since they were supposed to be celebrating Appa and Umma's 28th wedding anniversary, either Jung has been estranged from the family since he was 13 or less, or he was born before Appa and Umma were married? Or is there some other scenario that could explain it? 

Do we know when they arrived in Canada?  Maybe the 15 yrs includes the time when one of them was working late to build the business.  When my husband opened his business, we had a lot of dinners without him.  It could also include the time when Jung was starting to rebel and get in trouble, maybe he was out doing whatever and not coming home for family dinners?

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

(edited)

Just binged season 4 in about a week.

Unlike those who commented upthread about Gerald+Janet coming out of nowhere, I thought it was deftly worked in over the 4 seasons. Chelsea was a plot device towards that end, but was on for over 2 seasons so Gerald+Janet was a kind of "sneak attack"  --which I guess means it did sort of "come out of nowhere," but when it happened I was like: Yep. 

So, for season 5, I'm guessing pre-pandemic the plan was Janet will be back from Africa, Gerald will be back from Korea (speaking more fluent Korean than Janet and minus Chelsea, but maybe with a Korean girlfriend for a several episode arc), and Umma will have MS.
But if the show returns as it was renewed to do, the only best possible outcome for Kim's Convenience is that all the real life people associated with the show survive.

 

On 3/11/2020 at 9:37 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

S4.E2: Couch Surfing

Quote

While Appa is reluctant to have a houseguest, Umma is the one who ends up having problems with their visitor...

 

I had just been noticing how Kimchee physically looks more like he would be the Kims' son than does Jung, so it was kind of good to get an episode to see what that would look like.

 

 

 

On 3/18/2020 at 1:40 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

S4.E5: Thinkin' 'Bout Inkin'

Quote

Janet considers getting a new tattoo...

 

So I guess in season 5 we will find out what the tattoo really says? Or maybe at the end of season 6.

Edited by shapeshifter
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statsgirl

statsgirl

In the 8th Canadian Screen Awards, Andrew Pfung won Supporting Actor, Comedy and Amanda Brugel (Pastor Nina) won Guest Performance Comedy (over Dan Ackroyd, Rick Mercer, Wendy Crewson and Scott Thompson!!!).

In terms of Janet and Gerald, without rewatching I had the impression from season 1 that Gerald had a crush on Janet but felt that she was out of his league. Janet, for her part, is like a butterfly going from guy to guy. I think they've managed the Jung/Shannon relationship fairly well, although many parts are cringe-worthy, but I think Gerald will lose his sweetness if they put him into a relationship with Janet.

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peachmangosteen

peachmangosteen

On 5/2/2020 at 11:13 PM, shapeshifter said:

Unlike those who commented upthread about Gerald+Janet coming out of nowhere, I thought it was deftly worked in over the 4 seasons. Chelsea was a plot device towards that end, but was on for over 2 seasons so Gerald+Janet was a kind of "sneak attack"  --which I guess means it did sort of "come out of nowhere," but when it happened I was like: Yep. 

This! I expected very early on that they would end up putting Janet and Gerald together. The surprise for me was how long it took lol. But then, I think Gerald is the only non-family character Janet had any kind of chem with. Her with Raj, the cop, and Nathan was cringe as hell to me.

I just hope it means we never have to see Chelsea or Raj again.

I've been binging this for a couple weeks. I don't think I particularly like it, but it's something that's just really easy to watch. 

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

3 hours ago, mrsbagnet said:

 

I do not like the thought of Janet and Gerald together. He is way too weak. He dated a girl he didn't even like for months (years?) because he couldn't manage to break up with her. I want someone better for Janet. I would prefer someone who isn't terrified of her father. That would be more entertaining to watch.

Janet has also dated guys longer than she should have and who had issues that were red flags to relationships. 
I'm guessing Gerald will come back speaking better Korean than anyone in the Kim household. That might fit your bill for someone who would push back with her father.
 

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statsgirl

statsgirl

Amanda Brugel, who plays Pastor Nina, is one of the panelists on this year's Canada Reads (this year's theme is "one book to bring Canada into focus). She's defending We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib, which is the autobiographical story of a gay Muslim young woman growing up in Pakistan. I enjoyed reading it.

Brugel is smart and cutting in the debate. You can watch it here: https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/watch-day-one-of-canada-reads-2020-1.5491454

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Enginerd

Enginerd

I do not see the appeal of Gerald. He's a limp beige jellyfish of a person.

I like Raj much better. Sure, the surprise engagement thing was not great, but on the other hand, he is nice eye candy. Also it seemed like he didn't really have a serious relationship with Divya, either, prior to their abrupt engagement. And we saw so little of his and Janet's relationship, I wonder if Janet just assumed they were exclusive after a few dates and/or makeout sessions, and Raj was not on that page, and as per usual, there was a major failure to communicate. Though he should never have gotten engaged so halfheartedly, and he should have called it off much sooner once he realized he wasn't committed enough. Everyone sucks here

Anyway, Janet should grow up a bit and learn to communicate better and be more considerate of others and less of an entitled slob in general. She doesn't need a romantic relationship all the time. Go to Tanzania and have an adventure.

Maybe Jung should get his own apartment all by himself for awhile. Let Kimchee and Gwen have some space.

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dovegrey

dovegrey

My SO and I binged this show over the last few weeks. We both really, really, really enjoy it, and have also adopted some of the phrases into our everyday life (sneak attack, okay see you). I like all of the characters, and I laugh out loud A LOT with this show. It's a good mix of dramatic beats, comedy, and good fun. 

And then season 4 happened. It was okay, but not as great as the other seasons. It had some gems, for sure. Near the middle or so (it's hard to keep track during a binge), I laughed less and was annoyed more. To me, it seemed like many of the characters were dumbed down or exaggerated to force "funny" plots, and it started to remind me a little tiny bit of the Goldberg's (I'm so, so sorry). I also found myself yelling "JUST BE DIRECT AND SAY WHAT YOU MEAN" a lot; in the earlier seasons, it was refreshing when characters were direct and said what they meant. The storylines were better for it.

The worst decline is Pastor Nina, though. She started out highly competent but funny, and now she's unethical, incompetent, and character assassinated. It's not funny how many times she's completely breached client confidentiality, with regard to marriage counseling and individual counseling. When she "sneak attacked" the Kims into group marriage counseling, I could've reached through the screen and shook her (INFORMED CONSENT!). Then she was portrayed as being entirely unprepared and unskilled at running the counseling group.  Oh, and then she started dating a client, apparently in the middle of counseling said client, which is pretty much #2 on the DON'T DO THAT list. She partially represents my profession (...I'm not a pastor), and I can't with her. I want her gone, and I loved her when she first arrived.

I hope season 5 is more like seasons 1-3. Every show has a slump, and season 4 was a slump for me. Still glad we found it on Netflix and gave it a go, and I'm looking forward to new episodes. (A roommate shake up could be a good thing; wouldn't mind Jung, Janet, and Gerald living together, with Chelsea long, long gone...)

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LisaM

LisaM

On 7/21/2020 at 10:17 PM, dovegrey said:

 

And then season 4 happened. It was okay, but not as great as the other seasons. It had some gems, for sure. Near the middle or so (it's hard to keep track during a binge), I laughed less and was annoyed more. To me, it seemed like many of the characters were dumbed down or exaggerated to force "funny" plots, and it started to remind me a little tiny bit of the Goldberg's (I'm so, so sorry). I also found myself yelling "JUST BE DIRECT AND SAY WHAT YOU MEAN" a lot; in the earlier seasons, it was refreshing when characters were direct and said what they meant. The storylines were better for it.

 

I agree with you regarding parts of Season 4. I love the show - particularly Appa and Umma - but I found myself more annoyed at Shannon than previously. I'm not sure that I love Shannon/Jung. I could not stand Chelsea so hopefully she is gone for good. I really enjoy the scenes in the Convenience Store with the various customers and even with Janet. Not as cracked about the Car Rental scenes - although I do love Kimchee and Terrence. 

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dovegrey

dovegrey

11 hours ago, LisaM said:

I agree with you regarding parts of Season 4. I love the show - particularly Appa and Umma - but I found myself more annoyed at Shannon than previously. I'm not sure that I love Shannon/Jung. I could not stand Chelsea so hopefully she is gone for good. I really enjoy the scenes in the Convenience Store with the various customers and even with Janet. Not as cracked about the Car Rental scenes - although I do love Kimchee and Terrence. 

I agree! I like most of the characters and think it's usually a well-balanced, funny show. I really do enjoy it. Kimchee was kind of "meh" for me until season 4, when I began to appreciate both him and Appa more. I think the worst of Umma and Janet came out, which may because I binged and saw it as a big clump (they're the ones giving me Goldberg vibes...)  At my most critical, I'd say that most of the characters are well on their way to being caricatures of their original selves, with the exceptions of Appa and Kimchee. (This is a problem many shows have, IMO, and it typically seems to happen in season 4.)

I'd love to see more depth from Jung. He's underutilized and now seems to be one half of Shannon, as if they're one character. I would like to see less of Jung/Shannon (but no more UST), more meaningful Jung/Kimchee, and more of Jung with his family. Maybe he does move out and picks up shifts at the store to make ends meet? (Janet's graduating, right?)

And, yeah, Shannon. I like the car rental crew and many of the hijinks are funny, but it's also gone way over the top. Between prank complaints to corporate, multiple injuries, several instances of outright harassment, and Shannon going full-on "fun boss!" I'm not sure how Shannon still has her job (*cough* same with Nina *cough*). This is part of the caricature thing. 

I say all this, but I genuinely enjoy and like the show. The cast sells it.

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roseha

roseha

(edited)
On 7/24/2020 at 8:59 PM, dovegrey said:

 

I'd love to see more depth from Jung. He's underutilized and now seems to be one half of Shannon, as if they're one character. I would like to see less of Jung/Shannon (but no more UST), more meaningful Jung/Kimchee, and more of Jung with his family. Maybe he does move out and picks up shifts at the store to make ends meet? (Janet's graduating, right?)

And, yeah, Shannon. I like the car rental crew and many of the hijinks are funny, but it's also gone way over the top

I agree on both counts.  I really enjoy the show, I discovered it after someone on a Corner Gas sub on reddit recommended it as another fine Canadian show, and I certainly think the whole cast is great.  But yes the more the series goes on the worse they seem to portray Jung.  Just because he's cute, does he have to become so dumb?  He seemed reasonably intelligent in Season one, but for some reason they seem to be dumbing him down to contrast with Janet "the smart one".  Can't they both have brains?

I disliked Shannon in the beginning, but the actress really sells the funny awkwardness to the point where I don't mind her, but yes the workplace romance thing is not really realistic.  I also like Kimchee, and Appa and Umma are great.  The actress who plays Janet is very good, but I enjoy her scenes in the store more than those with her friends etc at the apartment.

Edited by roseha
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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

I knew that Shannon trying to make a sexy video would end with her sending it to the wrong person, but I loved that after everyone obediently deleted her email, Kimchee later revealed to his girlfriend that he'd already watched it. HA!

Even though ideally I want people to achieve their dreams, part of me enjoyed seeing Janet get slapped down from her dream job for totally lying on her resume. I know people like to say that everyone lies on their resume but she was definitely misrepresenting herself. I know she really wanted that job, but there are ways to spin your skills and experiences to make up for your lack of jobs in those areas.

Appa giving himself a stress fracture from faking an injury was classic. I'm glad they finally told Janet about her mother's illness. I know it's a personal choice and it's up to each person how to handle something like that, but I've seen people keep terminal illnesses a secret and it is FUCKED UP. I understand not telling Janet right before her trip but it seems like she's been back long enough that Umma should have told her sooner.

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statsgirl

statsgirl

I'm guessing that Simu Liu is off filming his Marvel superhero movie. That long distance college is a clever way to do it and keep him on the show at the same time. Shannon's middle name should be "secondhand embarrassment".

Poor Umma. Trust Appa to try to turn it to his advantage.

I liked Janet when she was younger but now she's just too entitled for me.  She spent a summer taking pictures in Tanzania and now she thinks she should apply for jobs that require degrees in international aid. Time for some humility, girl.

On 1/12/2021 at 11:53 AM, displayname said:

Does anyone like Chelsea?  😅😅😅

She keeps Gerald from being in a relationship with Janet. For that, she can annoy me as much as she wants.

  • LOL 3
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

I think I had the same shocked look on my face as Kimchee did when he saw Terence in those shorts.

One thing I really liked in this episode was that we got to see that Kimchee, who used to be the one screwing around all the time, is taking his job seriously. Most of his reactions to Terence's shorts throughout the episode were on a professional level (even when it was funny like the paperwork comment) and he backed up Shannon when she brought in the fake corporate uniform shorts.

I also liked that even though Gerald and Janet just admitted in the previous episode that they were in an awkward place in their friendship because of what happened, he still told her that her dad had read her journal (made doubly awkward since Gerald is still employed by Appa).

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

I can't stand Gerald when he's around Chelsea, but he was so sweet when he tracked down CDs of the Korean girl group. It cracked me up that Appa and Mr. Meta think every Peanuts character is Charlie Brown.

Jung pretending his screen was frozen while the fan was clearly blowing back and forth in the background was terrible but still funny.

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

CBC interview with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee on fatherhood, family, 'Star Wars' and 'Kim's Convenience'

Since I know everyone is always curious about shooting during a pandemic, he discusses it a little bit:

Quote

"There were many rules everyone had to follow to keep us all safe. That made for an interesting production period because we were separated from each other either behind masks or physically distanced and often both.

Lee added that the audience will be hard-pressed to see that the show was shot during a pandemic.

"I am very proud of the fact that we did shoot season five without one case or losing any days to COVID. We were able to shoot a season under the most difficult of circumstances and I'm so proud of the entire cast and crew and production team. If you watch the new season and there was no pandemic, you would have no idea."

 

This article goes into detail about shooting S5:

Quote

Despite Kim's Convenience going into production during a pandemic, COVID-19 won't play into any on-screen story lines in season five, even though it had a massive impact on the series behind-the-scenes.

Not only was dealing with COVID-19 an obstacle, but the cast was down a member, with Simu Liu (Jung) stuck in Australia shooting Marvel's Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.

[...]

The show's producers, especially Sandra Cunningham, took great care of considering how the virus is transmitted to their sets and implemented changes accordingly, says Yoon.

One of the precautions included having cast members wear masks on set, right up until the cameras were rolling. Additionally, the production introduced better ventilation, testing protocols, PPE, and limiting the number of people in the studio at the same time. For example, the camera crew, lighting team and grips would set up a shot before a scene was shot, and left the studio afterwards. Further care was taken in every other aspect of production, from hair, to makeup; there wasn't a level of production that was untouched.

"I really did feel safe. I felt safer on set than I feel, going to the grocery store or certainly riding, say, the subway," says Yoon.

[...]

"I am insanely grateful for the effort put through by everybody involved in the production, so that we can make this, and share it with our audiences,"  says Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Appa).

"I'm grateful because we were able to film at all. We protected each other and we lifted each other up."

"We had to do a lot extra, but we did it, and without one case of COVID, and that is something tremendous especially in 2020." 

When Liu got back to Toronto, he quarantined for two weeks and caught up with nine straight days of back-to-back shoots for Kim's. 

 

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

I know I should be mad that Umma and Appa were lying to the nice tennis people, but I understood not wanting to admit that they weren't from the rich neighborhood. How long before Eleanor and John show up at #12 and knock on the door to find the people who don't need to be converted?

Because I read the episode description before I saw this week's show, I thought that Janet's wrong assumption was going to be about the guy who she accused of stealing the projector. I definitely didn't think it was going to be Maya turning out to be a drunk teenager.

Poor Shannon. She really got roped into that whole fake girlfriend scenario very quickly. But I had to laugh when she said Omar had to tell his family the truth, not because it was the right thing to do, but because she didn't want to hold his sister's heavy baby again.

This episode reminded me how much I appreciate the diversity of the cast. See, entertainment industry? It's possible to have main characters and supporting characters who come from a wide range of backgrounds!

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

I liked that what caused the lunch to go wrong was Jung's numerous assumptions, instructions, and interpretations. I liked that Umma and Shannon ended up getting along after they had a talk without him. I know he had good intentions, especially when trying to teach Shannon what kind of things his mother would expect, but he really went overboard. He could have just told his mom that the next day wasn't a good time and scheduled it for the following week so that he would have more time to ease Shannon into his lessons in Korean Mom 101.

Appa's sheer terror at Spider the spider made me laugh. I know I shouldn't have laughed because big spiders freak me out too but he was just so extra about it. Janet's plan to pretend that she had killed it so that he would relax was good in theory. And of course Amma solved the entire problem by just buying a new spider.

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