Fresh Off the Boat Season 6 Episode 10 Review: Jessica Town
Inga Parkel
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On the midseason finale of Fresh Off the Boat Season 6 Episode 10, we were whisked away to Jessica Town.
The split reality between real life and Jessica's dream world acts as a parallel between her current situation and the lessons she needs to learn.
Jessica got caught up in her own world with Christmastime and making everything perfect from stunning calligraphy to the most intricate gingerbread house.
It acts as a message to a lot of people during the holiday season. We get so wrapped up in the commercialization of the holidays that we let the important stuff fall by the wayside.
Louis simply wanted to spend time with Jessica ice skating, but she couldn't seem to set aside her long list of to do's.
Meanwhile, Honey confided in the boys to take care of Marvin's Christmas present, a Maritime Nutcracker.
One expensive Maritime Nutcracker, might I add.
Evan and Eddie destroyed it in an attempt to test its cracking abilities, and instead of confessing to Honey, they decided to enlist Emery in working as an elf at the mall.
The irony of the boys forcing Emery to do them a favor because they are family is clear after they wouldn't even help him run lines for his acting class.
After visiting the mall, Evan noticed how disheartened Emery was by his job and thought to pull a Robinhood of sorts.
And I don't meet the age and height requirements for elf duty, which feels backward, but hey, rules are rules.
Evan
He decided to steal the Nutcracker rather than having Emery continue working a job that he hated so much.
I'm confused by the lack of discipline that was implemented after the Nutcracker was stolen. There was only one on display and how did Evan easily walk away with it?!
I'm surprised Jessica didn't find out, she's usually an all-knowing entity.
Louis attempted to help Jessica with the letter-writing, and when Jessica saw his handy work she was floored by the sloppiness.
I mean look at this calligraphy. It could have come straight from the Vatican.
She reprimanded him for his supposed carelessness and took over.
After he expressed his frustration with her ridiculousness, she offered him a chance to redeem himself by giving him the responsibility to construct a lifesize gingerbread house for the neighborhood.
Jessica's controlling personality and perfectionism is not only her strength but an equally, if not greater weakness.
It's amazing that she wants to do everything perfectly, but when it comes to the expense of family time and Louis' feelings, she needs to take a look at herself and the real reason for the holiday season.
I give you three of vacation days a year, that's pretty easy. And I'm easy on the eyes! That's two easies.
Louis
Louis expressed these sentiments after she degraded his gingerbread house, which I admit, definitely was not great.
Although, the thought and hard work he put into it was quite admirable.
Jessica came to the realization in her alternate reality that in Jessica Town, she's ruling it like a dictatorship, but once Louis became mayor, sure things weren't as beautiful or pristine, but people were happier and things ran smoother.
She loosened the reigns and came to an understanding that her overbearing presence made for an unpleasant holiday season.
Fun-fact, I'm good at everything I do.
Family was the common theme among both storylines, and it came perfectly for the holiday season.
The holidays aren't the only time for us to be grateful and appreciative of family, but it is one of the rarer times a majority of people get time off of work to spend time at home.
Most immigrant families are in the service industry where they don't get that time off, and that's something in America that is flawed.
Of course, everything can't get shut down, but it should be a time of rest and rejuvenation surrounded by friends and family.
The boys, too, learned this lesson about the importance of family after Grandma Huang vouched for them and gave Honey the stolen Nutcracker. Shh, she will never know.
But Grandma Huang didn't let them off so easy. She required payment in Taco Bell gift cards. It was sweet seeing Eddie and Evan working together.
Eddie has really matured over the past few seasons, and I think this is the first time he has been a thoughtful brother ready to take the fall for Evan.
Additionally, the Victorian-style dream was gorgeous and made it seem like a Christmas episode. It truly contrasted with the scenes of the Orlando sunny weather.
It added a magical touch to the episode, and I guess that's a wrap until next year. We're looking to the final few, bittersweet episodes of the show.
Additional Side Notes:
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I don't think I've ever seen a Nutcracker actually used to crack a nut before this episode. Incredible.
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Emery, or Jingles, looked more like a jester than an elf.
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Grandma Huang's fascination with Garfield is so pure. Does anyone remember where her obsession comes from?
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Did anyone else miss Lao Ban Santa? Although, I am grateful there was at least a small mention of her. I love the running theme that's carried on throughout the seasons.
- I love every time they showcase Constance Wu's voice. When's she dropping her next single?
As always, if you missed the live airing you can always watch Fresh Off the Boat online via TV Fanatic.
Please don't forget to leave a comment down below along with your rating! Have a wonderful holiday season and we'll see you next year (2020)!
Inga Parkel was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She left the organization in June 2020.
