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Awkwafina is Nora from Queens

4 Pretzels

Hey, hey friends. I’m back with another show that you can watch when you just need to chill out and laugh for a few minutes. This week it’s “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.” You know a show is going to be goofy fun when the lead/creator decides that the professional name that would best describe her should combine her fondness for bottled water and her inherent awkwardness. People who are not fun just don’t do that kinda shit.

This show is a smart and extremely fun half hour comedy about 27 year old Nora who lives in Queens with her her grandma and her extremely dry, gym rat father. Nora doesn’t have a steady gig. She mostly enjoys smoking weed, hanging out with her grandma who is also her best friend, and having a series of increasingly absurd comic misadventures. It’s hard to fully convey the vibe of the show with words so let me show you what we’re working with here.

Her car is named Car-ie Underwood and I giggle every time I think about it. Also, grandma is a hilarious badass. Equal parts lovingly making delicious food for family and starting up a senior citizen rumble in the middle of a casino in Atlantic City. Also, our king, B.D.Wong plays her dad Wally and he’s doing such a damn good job it took me half an episode to recognize him. Wally is usually the straight man but in one episode he accidentally posts a very personal photo of himself on Instagram while trying to get the attention of a lady he likes. Nora and her cousin Edmond are brainstorming ideas for a new app when they are alerted to the potential penile problem.

It’s all good, if a little bawdy, fun and it’s surprisingly sweet at times. My favorite episode so far is a take on The Princess Bride where Nora is sick in bed and grandma tells her the story of how she met Nora’s grandpa back in China. It’s done in the style of a Korean soap opera and even has a title sequence. In this story everybody goes by names like, “Young Grandma”, “Garbage Boy” and “Doc Hottie” and Nora interjects with questions throughout the story. Grandma’s best friend Shu Shu makes her first appearance in this one and it’s not to be missed.

I mean, these clips have either won you over or caused you to click away from the page entirely so I’m not going to belabor my point here. I am however going to leave you this video of B.D.Wong adorably reading thirst tweets about himself because we all deserve nice things. I’ll see you next week!