'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens' Episode 5: Nora compares her life with Edmund's and he struggles to breathe
Spoiler alert for 'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens' Episode 5
Parents always mean well. They want their children to be self-sufficient, independent and content beings. But sometimes (or maybe, most of the time), it does not come across that way. In the latest episode of 'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens', Nora Lynn's father Wally (BD Wong) is at his wits' end about his daughter's drifting ways.
The episode begins with Nora coming for breakfast after getting high, and her father is less than pleased. Nora's flippancy annoys him more and he leaves the table. Unsettled, Nora decides to play rebel and goes to the hairstylist, to get her hair dyed. She wants blonde, but it turns out a strange walnut brown color. The rest of the episode focuses on Nora realizing that her cousin Edmund is much more high up in his career than she knew.
However, the grass is greener on the other side--- as Edmund feels that he has a long way to go. He compares himself to his father, who was far more successful at the age of 30. Meanwhile, Wally joins a support group for single parents and expresses the exasperation he feels with Nora.
The episode was a slight relief from the relentless dose of zany schemes and comedy that the show had been doling out till now. It skims the surface of the problem of the perpetual conflict between parents and children about their life choices. We all know an Edmund, someone who is constantly told by their parents that they're not good enough. This pressure and stress is a common factor of adulthood and does take a toll on the individual, as clearly seen in Edmund's case.
Yet keeping to the tradition of a sitcom, complex issues are resolved within a span of 22 minutes.
The sweet touch came was when Wally reminds Nora that she isn't mediocre, she has been telling herself and others for the past five episodes. He believes that there is so much more to her than she knows. The episode ends on a warm family note, as they all sit and have dinner together.
'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens' airs on Comedy Central at 10:30 pm.