Nicole came out to her parents. The episode started with an awkward situation at the Denim Turtle between her and Honey, but Nicole powered through, telling Honey that she was gay. Luckily for her, Honey was very accepting. Jessica was shocked to learn that women could like other women, but she came around and was fine with it. The real challenge was telling Marvin. I can’t speak from personal experience, but I think the show did a good job revealing how hard it is to come out. Nicole had multiple chances to tell her dad, but she was so afraid that he wouldn’t see her the same that she couldn’t do it. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the chance since Jessica spilled the beans by accident, but in the end we got a touching moment between Nicole and Marvin. An important detail was that he took back the joke he said because he realized that it might’ve hurt her feelings. That detail could’ve gone unnoticed.
A small detail that I found both heartwarming and sad was how the women in the Denim Turtle were ready for the conversation to go either way. Most importantly, they said they’d have a cot ready, which implied that Nicole could’ve gotten disowned. It’s sad that being oneself can lead to being thrown out of your own home, but it was nice that the women were ready for such a circumstance.
Meanwhile, the rest of the episode was filled with a softball game between Jessica and Louis. One was trying to prove they could lead and the other was trying to keep a team alive. What was funny about Jessica wanting to lead a team was that she basically challenged herself into it. Then when you watch the episode you see that she doesn’t really do anything. At most, she motivates them to play for victory pears, but other than that she doesn’t do anything. Louis, on the other hand, had to find a guy last minute since Eddie faked an injury. Mr. Chestnut was the fill-in and it turned out all he really wanted was a chance to be on a team. Kenny Rogers never gave Matthew the chance. In the end, it turned out to be a heartwarming moment when Chestnut decides to let the softball team stay.
Eddie’s story about keeping his jersey clean was a funny little side story to pass the time. It made sense why he thought his jersey would go without a stain, but, then again, he’s a teenager and they don’t always think things through. It also goes to show how much he’s worried about how other people perceive him.
Side notes: That joke about Eddie being Nicole’s girlfriend was funny. His smooth skin tricked Marvin. What I found interesting was when Honey said that her parents had expectations and that’s why she didn’t say that Marvin was white. It was presented as a throwaway line, but does it mean something deeper? Is Honey adopted and has parents who aren’t white?
Fresh Off The Boat airs Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.
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