“Kim’s Convenience” offers up more than just food

Sharika Khondaker, Staff Reporter|April 23, 2019

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photo by Canadian Broadcast Corp

Kim’s Convenience season three finale was aired on April 2, 2019

From sneak attacks, gaining new roommates you didn’t want, and playing for the Kim Cup, season three of CBC sitcom “Kim’s Convenience” brings back the Kim family as they continue to navigate life as immigrants in Toronto. There are few, if any, TV shows out there where a Korean family is in the spotlight, and it is amazing that it has been able to sustain itself.  Season three builds upon previous seasons in terms of plot; however, the characters develop more. In a world with hundreds of sitcoms, it stands out with its relatable humor and heartwarming moments.

The Kim family dynamic is very unique; Mr. Kim (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), also known as “Appa,” and Mrs. Kim (Jean Yoon), known as “Amma” are the stern-but-funny ,loving parents of their grown children Janet (Andrea Bang) and Jung (Simu Liu). Janet is smart and is seeking to become a photographer while Jung is the son who ran away from home when he was 16 and now works at Handy Car Rental.

Although there are some tensions that exist, the characters are lovable in their own ways, whether it be when Mr. and Mrs. Kim call each other “Yobo” or when their entire family reunites over a broken dishwasher; the family dynamic is what makes each episode interesting.

Other sitcoms featuring immigrants

  • “Fresh off the Boat”- ABC
  • “Masters of None”- Netflix
  • “Jane the Virgin”- NBC
  • “One Day at a Time”- Netflix

Incorporating these very different characters sets up the opportunity to create many scenarios, forcing the characters to let go of their pride and actually try to solve their problems, like when Mrs. Kim loses her wedding ring. Even though some cultural and societal issues are brought up in the show, the inserted jokes allows them to be digested easier. When Appa was tells Janet a story about a bullied roller skating boy, Janet thinks that Appa was the roller skating boy. In reality, he was the one who made fun of the roller skating boy. Although bullying is a serious issue, the characters masked the seriousness with some light humor, which made it nice.

What makes “Kim’s Convenience” even better is its ability to realistically depict life in an immigrant household. There are so many moments that are parallel to events in my own such as the dishwasher incident in the first episode. Mr. Kim tries to buy a dishwasher for $200 cheaper by creating a false advertisement so the company price matched it. It portrays the difference between generations as well, one of the reasons why it can resonate so deeply with viewers.

With the melting pot of events that occur in season three, combined with the humor and heartwarming moments, it is hard to see what is not to love about “Kim’s Convenience.” As the season came to a close, I barely even registered that that was the ending, I kept trying to click on the next episode. The immigrant scenario is not always easy to handle with comedy, but “Kim’s Convenience” does it well. The humor is so good you could say that it is Appa-liable to everyday life.

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