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Narrative
Willis Wu, a supporting actor in the procedural crime series Black and White. Pushed into the background, Willis works his on-screen job while waiting tables and dreaming of a world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently witnesses a crime, Willis begins to unravel the criminal web in Chinatown and in the process discovers what it is… Early in the series, Willis (Jimmy O. Yang), Fatty (Ronny Chieng), and Carl (Chau Long) see Detective Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet) on TV and discuss her possible ethnicity: Carl declares that she “looks Thai,” while Fatty said that “Dude, she’s clearly Korean. Meet your Asians.” In reality, Bennet is the child of a white mother and a Chinese father.
“Interior Chinatown” is different
Earlier in her acting career, she changed her last name from Wang to Bennet (her father’s first name) after meeting with casting agents who said they couldn’t cast her as an Asian or Asian-American woman, but her last name also ruled out the possibility of her being cast as a white character. After one episode, I usually know if I’m going to stick with a show. After watching two episodes, the verdict is still out. So what is this show about? The themes (so far) seem to be: what happens when we’re personally defeated, how to offer support to others, and discovering our purpose and potential in life. This highly stylized series is a mix of fantasy, satirical comics, and sleek Hollywood sets.
Judge for yourself
Some viewers will enjoy the combination. Others will find it sensory overload. Does this show overdo it to impress and seduce? First, a few positives: the set design and lighting are excellent. The quirky, effective music sets the tone. The cast is generally good, but a few characters fall flat, mostly due to the direction.
My favorite characters are Jimmy O
Yang as the lead, his buddy Fatty (Ronny Chieng), and Jimmy’s father (Tzi Ma). One of the main drawbacks for me is the uneven writing. There are some genuinely funny moments, but some scenes overdo it with the physical gags. One example is when Willis tries to enter a building… it drags on way too long. A few minor elements are off-putting: the amount of stuff crammed into the darkened homes of several Chinese characters is ridiculous.
So they look like hoarders just because they live in an old, cramped building in a seedy part of town?
Come on! Next up: the overly perfect makeup applied to the lead detective (played by Lisa Gilroy) subverts the stereotype of the typically attractive female detective series. Hulu’s streaming lineup has a lot to offer this month — you can look forward to brand new series premieres and favorite movies to watch at home.
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