S04.E16: Ride the Tiger

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

For Chinese New Year, the Huangs play a game where they can only speak in Mandarin, which quickly turns into a tense competition between Jessica and Evan, putting Jessica's first televised interview for her novel in jeopardy. Emery is excited to end his year of bad luck and finally ask his crush to the spring fling, but when he is still having trouble, Louis decides to take matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, Eddie doesn't receive a red envelope from Big Auntie and enlists Grandma Huang's help to figure out why she's angry with him.

[readster]

As funny as this was, it just bothers me that Eddie can understand his grandmother to the T, but yet can't speak enough Mandarin while everyone else seems to just run with it. This is one of those times where both Jessica and Evan just go too far. I know they want us to see how they are a like from Evan ruining things for Eddie when it doesn't go right for him and if he can't be happy, than no one can be happy. To Jessica willing to screw herself over just so she can win at a stupid game. Happy for Emery and couldn't stop laughing at dance completion Louis. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, readster said:

As funny as this was, it just bothers me that Eddie can understand his grandmother to the T, but yet can't speak enough Mandarin while everyone else seems to just run with it.

This was believable to me. Louis and Jessica are never going to give up speaking Chinese (although I feel like in some of the earlier episodes, I heard them speaking Cantonese, not Mandarin, despite what Jessica said about that in this episode). Emery and Evan are much more people pleasers who respect authority figures than Eddie is, so I can see them feeling it's necessary for them to speak Mandarin to their grandmother. Eddie, on the other hand, has the language skills of a lot of third culture kids - he can understand what his grandmother is saying but he answers her in English (notice that the opposite is also true - his grandmother understands what everyone is saying in English but she answers them in Mandarin).

I've seen that in lots of other third culture kids (not just Chinese/Taiwanese) where the kids totally understand French/Spanish/Tagalog/whatever language their grandparents or parents speak but respond in English. It's not a huge issue within the family because everyone is still able to communicate and understand each other.

I was the same way when I took Italian in college. I understood what the teacher and other students were saying in Italian but it took me soooooo long to come up with responses in Italian in my head before saying anything out loud.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

although I feel like in some of the earlier episodes, I heard them speaking Cantonese, not Mandarin, despite what Jessica said about that in this episode

I don't remember that, both in real life and the show thw characters are Taiwanese so Mandarin makes sense so it seems unlikely.. I am assuming Ian speaks in real life like Constance and Hudson, Forrest and obviously Randall don't.

Edited February 7, 2018 by biakbiak

[Robert Lynch]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I don't remember that, both in real life and the show thw characters are Taiwanese so Mandarin makes sense so it seems unlikely.. I am assuming Ian speaks in real life like Constance and Hudson, Forrest and obviously Randall don't.

Randall Parks is born to Korean parents, so it would make sense not for him to speak Mandarin that much. i actually laugh at Ian Chen's expressions. His facial expression makes it all the more funny when speaking Mandarin. I knew some Asian parents, mainly my Filipino cousins, who would do that at dinner tables. It makes me laugh thinking about it.

[Snow Apple]

Who knew when the show started, Eddie would become the most delightful brother? Emory is still ok, but Evan is not enjoyable to watch anymore.

I also enjoyed little details like Eddie saying "big auntie" instead of "aunt Jane." We use titles for each and every level of relatives. And red envelopes were one of the most exciting part of a kid's year. And New Year's food you only get once a year. 

I'm glad the year of bad luck storyline is finally over.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Snow Apple

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jeff Chiang (who wrote this episode) discusses how it reflects his experience

[TigerLily20]

14 hours ago, readster said:

As funny as this was, it just bothers me that Eddie can understand his grandmother to the T, but yet can't speak enough Mandarin while everyone else seems to just run with it.

I can believe it since my husband is the same way.  His dad especially mainly only speaks in Chinese and my husband understands him but generally answers in English.  I enjoyed that they spoke Chinese more this episode but do agree that Jessica and Evan took it the game too far.

[Vickismom]

2 hours ago, TigerLily20 said:

I can believe it since my husband is the same way.  His dad especially mainly only speaks in Chinese and my husband understands him but generally answers in English.  I enjoyed that they spoke Chinese more this episode but do agree that Jessica and Evan took it the game too far.

I totally loved this part because this was/is how it is with me and my parents. My mom speaks English fine, but is more comfortable speaking in Chinese, so that is how she usually talks to me. But I answer back in English, mainly because I can answer much faster in English. My dad is more comfortable than my mom speaking English, so for him, it’s usually a mixture of both languages. In general, I can understand Chinese, both mandarin and Cantonese decently, but if I have to speak it, it takes me a long time to formulate the words in my head and get it out of my mouth. 

[tennisgurl]

I have a weird kid memory of Chinese New Year red envelopes, despite being as Asian as a cheeseburger. I went to a program at the local library when I was a really little kid about the Chinese New Year, and I thought it was super cool, and wanted to know why I didn't get money in envelopes from my relatives. So this conversation happened:

Tiny Tennisgurl: "Mom I want Chinese New Year Red Envelopes!"

Mom: " We arent Chinese. At all."

Tiny Tennisgurl: "But didn't you say that peoples colors didn't matter?" 

Mom: "...How about I get you a few extra golden coins for Mardis Gras?"

Tiny Tennisgurl: "Well...ok." 

Tiny Tennisgurl loved learning about other cultures, especially if it meant she got to play cool games and get free stuff. 

"You didn't arrest him for walking around in a mesh shirt with fireworks?" "This is Florida. A guy walking around in a mesh shirt with fireworks was practically on our state flag". 

Edited February 8, 2018 by tennisgurl

[fishcakes]

This was a really good episode. Louis winning the dance contest, Trent as the age appropriate face to keep Emery's crush from freaking out when Louis came to talk to her, the bogus U.S. Customs form denying the export of the strawberry seeds because "seeds too strong." And I loved the battle of wills between Jessica and Emery.

The only off-note for me was Connie Chung. When they had Pat Sajak and Vanna White on, they softened the camera focus a bit to hide that they're now 20 years older than they were supposed to be in the show's 1997 world. But with Connie, they went full-on HDTV, bright white lighting, with a close-up shot from a strange angle, which wasn't very flattering. I think the fact that she's been out of the public eye for a while also made her appearance more jarring. She doesn't look bad, but she looks quite different from the way she looked the last time she was making regular TV appearances.

[theatremouse]

I don't have it recorded anymore to check, but I thought when the context of the game was explained, someone (Emory?) explicitly said one of the terms were "at dinner" or "at the dinner table". Therefore, even though I get that neither Evan nor Jessica wanted to give up and not win, it shouldn't have extended to the TV studio. Go full pedant or go home, Evan/Jessica.

[Camera One]

I liked all the little subplots in this episode, though reading the comments, I think I missed part of the episode by fast-forwarding my PVR too quickly.

I agree with everyone above that kids being able to understand a language perfectly but can't reply in that language is extremely common.  That's the case with almost all my cousins, who can understand because they spent a lot of time with grandparents with they were young, but spoke English at home to their parents (who were bilingual and very fluent in English).

[mansonlamps]

I'm finding Jessica so unlikable it's hard for me to watch this show anymore.  Why would Honey even want to be friends with her?  And Evan isn't too far behind.

[Sile]

15 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I don't have it recorded anymore to check, but I thought when the context of the game was explained, someone (Emory?) explicitly said one of the terms were "at dinner" or "at the dinner table". Therefore, even though I get that neither Evan nor Jessica wanted to give up and not win, it shouldn't have extended to the TV studio. Go full pedant or go home, Evan/Jessica.

The next morning Evan greeted Jessica in Mandarin and she asked if they were going to keep at it.  He said something to the effect of they ended in a tie and he wanted a win.  Jessica, being Jessica, was all about that!

[theatremouse]

I realize that, but I still think it's silly. If they switch from "at the dinner table" to "every moment of every day" it's a different game. I mean, I get it, there's no plot without it. But they could've continued the game to break the tie and still kept it a "mealtime" thing. By which, what I suppose I really mean is: if I'd been in that game and trying to win, I'd have argued this point (in Mandarin until there were agreement on the rules).

[ClareWalks]

On 2/7/2018 at 2:43 AM, biakbiak said:

I don't remember that, both in real life and the show thw characters are Taiwanese so Mandarin makes sense so it seems unlikely.. I am assuming Ian speaks in real life like Constance and Hudson, Forrest and obviously Randall don't.

I checked IMDB and Ian Chen does indeed speak fluent Mandarin!

[BrittaBot]

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As funny as this was, it just bothers me that Eddie can understand his grandmother to the T, but yet can't speak enough Mandarin while everyone else seems to just run with it

As others have noted, this is super common. It's the whole "recall is harder than recognition" with language. My family immigrated here from Poland when I was 4. I speak to my parents in English, and they respond in Polish. I can understand everything they say, but it would like take me about 5 minutes to form one sentence in Polish. 

Edited February 10, 2018 by BrittaBot

[floridamom]

I'm not liking Jessica very much at all. I understand she's a competitive character, but for a mother to challenge her son like that and have to win even with him, it's just not likeable. She's not someone that I would want to be friends with.,,and I live in Orlando.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I swear I howled through this whole episode.  In addition to the things already mentioned, including especially the hysterically bad forged customs document, I liked the prolonged fights that Grandma and Eddie were in with Big Auntie, and the collusion to find out why.  And while Jessica and Evan's battle was over the top, I can't say it was all that out of character, plus I liked the opportunity it gave them to try to push the other to talk, like watching Jeopardy! with Marvin.  And visually, I loved the framing when Honey was calling on the phone and she could look out her window and see Jessica and Evan staring at each other while the phone rang.  Oh, and then when Louis picked it up and he could hear Marvin dialing the phone to order pizza.  Aah, phones were fun back in the olden days.

[Nordly Beaumont]

On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 6:34 AM, Snow Apple said:

Who knew when the show started, Eddie would become the most delightful brother?

He's the main reason I watch. That kid is really becoming a good actor. I don't see any of that awkwardness that some kids get when they grow up in front of a camera. His reactions and small facial expressions are right on.

[SmithW6079]

On 2/10/2018 at 6:48 PM, floridamom said:

I'm not liking Jessica very much at all. I understand she's a competitive character, but for a mother to challenge her son like that and have to win even with him, it's just not likeable. She's not someone that I would want to be friends with.,,and I live in Orlando.

She really is an awful person. And they seem committed to the godawful book story about the godawful book.

Some of the episode was enjoyable, and I liked hearing them speak Mandarin, but Jessica was also a bitch when the HOA lady (forget her name) at least made an effort to say "Happy New Year" in Chinese.

[CurlyATX]

Late to chime in, but agree on the listening/speaking part.  My parents spoke an Indian language to be exclusively for 3 years of my life but I was a late talker, only starting to speak when I was sent to preschool.  So, my speaking skills are awful- we're talking very choppy at best.  But my comprehension skills are spot on- it's like I don't even realize it's another language when I hear my parents talk.  Very frustrating.  I found this the case when I learned Japanese.  It went (from order of skills) listening, speaking, reading, then writing.  

I also grew up in a heavy Chinese neighborhood and was so jealous of red envelopes.

I now think I'm actively disliking Jessica.  It's not just that she has a need to win, she seems to gloat in humiliating others.  This whole contest was stupid and I hated it.  I'm not sure if the writers are this good, but it reminds me of the time when Even was into debate and beat Jessica.  It was her need to be needed not her need to win that was really the issue.  Now, not so sure.  

The show is falling into the weird caricature phase where everyone's "issues" are getting super blown up.  And, now we have new baby coming in the mix.  

[Nessie]

When I was in 3rd grade, we lived in San Francisco, and my teacher was of Chinese heritage.  He brought a lot of his culture in the classroom and taught us about Chinese New Year, including the red envelopes, and I was fascinated.  I am still fascinated by Asian culture, *mumble-mumble* years later.

Fast forward to high school, and my family had moved to Spain (Navy brat).  We lived on base, so I didn't have to learn Spanish, but I picked up enough to get by (barely).  However, I understood much more than I could speak.  I could even tell when someone wasn't from the Southern area I lived in, just from their accent.  So Eddie's part really rang true to me.

Evan is bothering me much more than Jessica, because I loved his little quirky self so much in the first two seasons, and they've made him such a colossal, smug brat these last two.