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"Coming from America" is the first episode of the third season of Fresh Off the Boat. It first aired on October 11, 2016.
Synopsis[]
The Huang family visits Taiwan to attend the wedding of Louis' brother, Gene. Louis is stunned at both Gene's success and how beautiful his fiancée is, and curses himself for starting over in America. While Jessica finds that much has changed from her idealized memories of her home country, she also admits she loves her life in America, and convinces Louis that he made the right move. Meanwhile, Eddie had promised to contact Alison via fax while he is away, but finds access to a fax machine difficult.
Plot[]
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The Huangs are arriving in Taipei, Taiwan in order for Louis to make amends with his brother Gene. As they pass through immigration, Louis explains to the immigration officer the purpose of the trip with him recapping the events of the previous episode. However, Jessica claims her purpose is get her money back from Gene. The officer tells her to check off the box on the form, and Jessica claims she is happy to be back at home in Taiwan.
After passing through immigration, the Huangs are taking a taxi to see Louis' family. The boys are complaining about the heat, and the family even questions each other over what they brought with them on the trip. With Jessica bringing nothing so she can get stuff at the Night Market and Evan bringing toilet paper and cereal. Eddie wants to stop by somewhere so he can fax his girlfriend Allison since he promised to do so everyday. But Jessica tells him he isn't doing that and assures nothing bad will happen. Afterwards, they arrive at Big Auntie's apartment and she happily introduces everyone there. The family includes Big Uncle Otis, Little Auntie, Uncle, and their son Wei (who goes by Hennessy). The family then talks to everyone there, with Eddie trying to get along with Hennessy, only for it to not go well when he found out what music he likes. Little Auntie wanting to introduce Emery to her boss' daughter, and even Evan finding out that Hennessy has year-round school.
Jenny was also at the apartment and is happy to see them again. Louis then asks Big Auntie where Gene was, to which she claims that he's at the wedding location preparing for last minute events. Louis then drives his family over to the place to see him, and while Louis is thinking the location that Gene is getting married at isn't anywhere special. It turns out Gene's wedding is at The Grand Hotel.
They go inside and see Gene at the steps of the hotel. He isn't happy to see them and writes on a clipboard: "What are you doing here?" to Louis. And makes the wedding planner go down to tell him, so Louis underlines the word "you" and makes him go back up. Gene finally tells him verbally that he's obviously getting married and believes that Louis and his family barely cared that much to come here. But Louis admits that he and his family payed a lot to get there. This quickly earns Gene's respect and quickly embraces his older brother hoping they can finally make amends. Jessica also takes the time to get her stolen money back. Eddie also takes the time to ask the concierge to go to the business center to send a fax, but wasn't allowed to enter even when he bribed the worker with money.
Eventually, Gene introduces the Huangs to his fiancée Margaret, who is filming an energy drink commercial at The Confucious Temple. After they finished filming, Gene tries to introduce Louis to her but he immediately mistakes a worker for Margaret. He then introduces the real Margaret, which then causes Louis to grow jealous of how Gene managed to land a beautiful wife.
Meanwhile, Jessica and the boys are walking down Dihua Street, with Jessica mentioning how nice it is to be around other Asians since you blend in with others. She is also excited to show the boys her favorite place to eat back when she was living in Taiwan as they serve swordfish soup. However, Eddie isn't too please to eat something hot, Emery's face was getting destroyed by mosquitos, and at one point Evan got lost in the crowd. They eventually arrive at Mr. Deng's restaurant. He tells them that their sold out, but Jessica tries to persuade him to give them some as she used to eat here in the past. But it didn't change Mr. Deng's mind and instead tells them to head to a nearby McDonald's to eat.
Later that night, the family gathers around for dinner and talk with one another. Louis and Margaret explained how they first met and what roles she does, Little Auntie mentioning how cute the couple are, Big Auntie mentioning the news at Mr. Deng's place, and Eddie wanting to fax Allison again. Jessica tells him he shouldn't worry, but Eddie goes into a long lengthy explanation on why faxing her is important to him. But it quickly makes everyone uncomfortable. After dinner, Gene and Margaret showcase their apartment to the Huangs and it greatly impresses everyone. Evan even questions about their living condition at home thinking they're poor, but Louis assures that Taiwan rich is the same as middle class American. But he quickly grows jealous at Gene when Emery mentions he would rather live here.
The next day, the photo shoot for the wedding occurs along with writing good luck wishes onto paper lanterns. Gene walks over to see what Louis wrote, but the message isn't too "heartfelt" (and contains a curse word) and this upsets Gene. Louis finally admits to him that he's upset that Gene is still holding a grudge against him when he's doing fine in Taiwan and is upset with himself on why he decided to start over in America. This unfortunately caused the brothers relationship to become strained once more.
At night, Jessica, the boys, along with Big Auntie go to Shilin Night Market. Jessica is pleased to be back shopping here, Eddie is trying to find a fax machine to no avail, and Evan tries to buy a Hello Kitty pencil box only for his mom to put it down and leave the stand hoping the seller would bargain the price. (But she instead sold it to her sister). Eddie then discovers the new '96 Air Jordan Elevens' and ask Jessica to buy it for him. While Evan believes it won't happen, but Jessica does end buying it for him, much to Evan's dismay). Eddie is very happy and imagines himself being cool in style with his new shoes at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. But all of a sudden, his shoes quickly fall apart. It turns out that Jessica failed to get the good fakes and got the bad fakes. This upsets her since she completely forgot about that.
The next day was Gene and Margaret's wedding. Everyone at the ceremony was having a good time except for the Huangs, as Jessica and Louis weren't happy that their wedding wasn't as fancy as Gene's, Eddie being unable to fax Allison, and Little Auntie's Boss' daughter running away from Emery's mosquito bitten face. However, Evan is still happy to find out the year-round school that Hennessey is going to, and Big Auntie happily tells him he can go to school tomorrow with Hennessey.
Eventually, Gene plays their wedding tape in the style of the movie Ghost on Gene and Margaret's love story. After the video, Louis admits that he's unhappy that he couldn't give Jessica the life that she wanted like Gene and Margaret did and even offers to have them move back. But Jessica admits she wouldn't be satisfied since everything in Taiwan isn't as fun as it was before and claims nobody changed but her. She admits to him that they should be happy that they managed to be successful in America, and they would both equally miss their homes if they were to move.
The next day, Louis finally comes over to Gene's apartment to apologize and even gave him a new paper lantern with a better message. The two happily re-connect with one another, until Evan comes by telling his dad that it's best if they go back home. He's saying this because he had a bad time at Hennessey's school. It turns out that the teacher at the school is really bad, because despite Hennessey giving the correct answer to a problem, he got slapped by him for "not saying it loud enough."
After a long and exhausting flight back home, the Huangs are happy to be back at the house and relive the American norm. But just when Eddie was about to close the door, Allison arrives and tells him "it's over". Though she isn't breaking up with him, but instead letting him know that Shaquille O' Neal is leaving the Orlando Magic and going to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers, which shocks Eddie.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Randall Park as Louis Huang
- Constance Wu as Jessica Huang
- Hudson Yang as Eddie Huang
- Forrest Wheeler as Emery Huang
- Ian Chen as Evan Huang
- Lucille Soong as Jenny Huang (credited as Grandma Huang)
- Chelsey Crisp as Honey Ellis (absent; credit only)
Recurring Cast[]
Guest Cast[]
- Hsu Wei-Ning as Margaret
- Elaine Kao as Little Auntie
- Wai Ching Ho as Big Auntie
- Ken Jeong as Gene Huang
- Jason Jin as Uncle
- Ben Lin as Big Uncle Otis
- Jason Ko as Customs Agent
- Mason Lee as Director
- Jackson Geach as Wei / Hennessey
- Paul Kwo as Teacher
- Lynna Yee as Merchant #1
- Andrew Hwang as Merchant #2
- Celine Tsai as Cute Teen Girl
- Tai- Chung Chen as Mr. Deng
- Yu-Ming Hu as Wedding Planner
- Ning-Chien Weng as Receptionist
- Raymond C. Lai as Cameraman
Trivia[]
- The title of the episode is a reference to the film Coming to America.
Quotes[]
Customs Agent: Purpose of your visit? Louis: Oh, it's a long story. Basically, I've come to reconcile with my brother. See, our father could only send one of us to America, and it was me. But Gene said he was over it when he came to Orlando, and asked me to be best man at his wedding. Turns out, he wasn't over it, we got into a big fight, and he left me a note disinviting me, and stole our mother in the middle of the night instead. So even though I am not the one at fault, I've come to set an example for my boys and show them I'm the bigger man by burying the hatchet. Customs Agent: I'll just write down you're visiting relatives. Jessica: I'm here on business. I need to get $200 back from my brother-in-law who wronged me. Customs Agent: Great. We can just check that box. Louis: You have a box for that? Jessica: I'm home. |
Evan: I went to our local AAA. These are things every tourist should know when visiting Taiwan. Eddie: You're a member of AAA? Evan: I don't understand the question. Jessica: You're not tourists. You're home. Evan: But we've never been here. Jessica: Doesn't matter. This is still your home. |
Big Auntie: That's Big Uncle Otis. And my daughter Little Auntie. And her husband Uncle. And their son... Wei. Wei: Please call me by the English name I've chosen... Hennessy, because I'm smooth and always in the club. Eddie: You're the first cousin I've ever met that I've liked. What kind of rap music are you into? With a name like Hennessy, it's got to be the hard stuff. Hennessy: I like Richard Marx. Eddie: And there it go. |
Gene: I'm getting married here. Didn't you see the electronic scroll? Louis: I know. That's why we flew halfway across the world. Gene: Big deal! Probably had a bunch of miles and flew standby. Louis: Couldn't use them. Blackout dates. Had to pay full price. Gene: So you had some layovers, then? Detroit? Tokyo? Louis: We flew direct. Gene: Economy? Louis: Plus. Even paid $4.99 for headphones. Gene: What was the in-flight movie? Louis: The Truth About Cats & Dogs. Gene: You spent so much. So much! Let's finally put the past behind us, brother. I'm honored to have you as my best man. |
Eddie: Yo, it's way nicer than our house. This is like Shaq-level nice. Jessica: Brand-new floors, vaulted ceilings, wrap-around windows. Toilet style? Gene: Western. Yeah, Margaret and I bought it and gave the downstairs apartment to Big Auntie. Yeah, we got a good deal. Her aunt knows a guy. Evan: Dad, are we poor? Louis: What?! No, of course not. American middle class is like Taiwan rich, so... Emery: I'd rather be Taiwan rich. |
Gene: Aww. "Wishing you a lifetime of only misery, you ass pimple." What?! Don't send that up! Louis: I'm sending it up! Gene: No, do not send that to heaven! You want Grandma to read that? |
Eddie: Whoa. The new '96 Air Jordan Elevens. Jessica: You want these basketball heels? Evan: I know how this ends, Eddie. If you want to squeeze my hand for support... The hell? Jessica: I got a great deal. Eddie: Moms! Thank you! |
Big Auntie: You bought the bad fakes instead of the good fakes. Never buy in-store. Always go to second location for good quality. Jessica: I forget there's always a second location. Big Auntie: Your negotiating muscle has atrophied. |
Louis: I'm sorry I couldn't give you a life like the one Gene and Margaret have here. Jessica: What are you talking about? Louis: You've always said how much you missed Taiwan. Maybe we should move back. Things would be easier. Jessica: No, they wouldn't. It's hot, crowded, there's mosquitoes... a sick obsession with the movie "Ghost." Everybody here knows everybody else's business. Even shopping at the night market isn't as fun as I remembered. Louis: You're just upset because of what happened with Eddie's sneakers. Jessica: No, that's not it. I know I've been saying how different things are here, how they've changed, but it's not true. They're the same. I'm the one who has changed. And I'm homesick for Orlando. You know what I miss? Bagels. I want a bagel. I didn't even think I liked bagels, but I want a bagel. Louis: Well, I still think we'd be able to afford a better life in Taiwan. Jessica: Through shortcuts and connections, yes. But you have worked hard for everything you have. You've earned it. No one's given you anything. We did it, Louis. We moved to America, and we made it. We are the success story. Louis: I guess we are. I mean, we did fly economy plus. Jessica: Besides, no one loves America more than you. As soon as we moved back here, you would miss it over there. Louis: And as soon as we go back there, you know you're gonna miss it here. Jessica: Well, maybe we'll never feel completely at home in either place. |
Gallery[]
.jpg "Gene & Louis (Taiwan).jpg (312 KB)")
Episodes
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| Fresh Off the Boat – Season One | |||
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| Episode 1 "Pilot" |
Episode 2 "Home Sweet Home-School" |
Episode 3 "The Shunning" |
Episode 4 "Success Perm" |
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| Episode 5 "Persistent Romeo" |
Episode 6 "Fajita Man" |
Episode 7 "Showdown at the Golden Saddle" |
Episode 8 "Phillip Goldstein" |
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| Episode 9 "License to Sell" |
Episode 10 "Blind Spot" |
Episode 11 "Very Superstitious" |
Episode 12 "Dribbling Tiger, Bounce Pass Dragon" |
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| Episode 13 So Chineez | |||
| Fresh Off the Boat – Season Two | |||
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| Episode 1 "Family Business Trip" |
Episode 2 "Boy II Man" |
Episode 3 "Shaquille O'Neal Motors" |
Episode 4 "The Fall Ball" |
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| Episode 5 "Miracle on Dead Street" |
Episode 6 "Good Morning Orlando" |
Episode 7 "The Big 1-2" |
Episode 8 "Huangsgiving" |
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| Episode 9 "We Done Son" |
Episode 10 "The Real Santa" |
Episode 11 "Year of the Rat" |
Episode 12 "Love and Loopholes" |
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| Episode 13 "Phil's Phaves" |
Episode 14 "Michael Chang Fever" |
Episode 15 "Keep 'Em Separated" |
Epsiode 16 "Tight Two" |
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| Episode 17 "Doing It Right" |
Episode 18 "Week in Review" |
Episode 19 "Jessica Place" |
Episode 20 "Hi, My Name Is..." |
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| Episode 21 "Rent Day" |
Episode 22 "Gotta Be Me" |
Episode 23 "The Manchurian Dinner Date" |
Episode 24 "Bring the Pain" |
| Fresh Off the Boat – Season Three | |||
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| Episode 1 "Coming from America" |
Episode 2 "Breaking Chains" |
Episode 3 "Louisween" |
Episode 4 "Citizen Jessica" |
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| Episode 5 "No Thanks-giving" |
Episode 6 "WWJD: What Would Jessica Do?" |
Episode 7 "The Taming of the Dads" |
Episode 8 "Where are the Giggles?" |
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| Episode 9 "How to Be an American" |
Episode 10 "The Best of Orlando" |
Episode 11 "Clean Slate" |
Episode 12 "Sisters Without Subtext" |
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| Episode 13 "Neighbors with Attitude" |
Episode 14 "The Gloves Are Off" |
Episode 15 "Living While Eddie" |
Episode 16 "Gabby Goose" |
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| Episode 17 "The Flush" |
Episode 18 "Time to Get Ill" |
Episode 19 "Driving Miss Jenny" |
Episode 20 "The Masters" |
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| Episode 21 "Pie vs. Cake" |
Episode 22 "This Is Us" |
Episode 23 "This Isn't Us" | |
| Fresh Off the Boat – Season Four | |||
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| Episode 1 "B as in Best Friends" |
Episode 2 "First Day" |
Episode 3 "Kids" |
Episode 4 "It's a Plastic Pumpkin, Louis Huang" |
| Episode 5 "Four Funerals and a Wedding" |
Episode 6 "A League of Her Own" |
Episode 7 "The Day After Thanksgiving" |
Episode 8 "The Vouch" |
| Episode 9 "Slide Effect" |
Episode 10 "Do You Hear What I Hear?" |
Episode 11 "Big Baby" |
Episode 12 "Liar Liar" |
| Episode 13 "The Car Wash" |
Episode 14 "A Man to Share the Night With" |
Episode 15 "We Need to Talk About Evan" |
Episode 16 "Ride the Tiger" |
| Episode 17 "Let Me Go, Bro" |
Episode 18 "Measure Twice, Cut Once" |
Episode 19 "King in the North" | |
| Fresh Off the Boat – Season Five | |||
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| Episode 1 "Fresh Off the RV" |
Episode 2 "The Hand That Sits the Cradle" |
Episode 3 "Working the 'Ween" |
Episode 4 "Driver's Eddie" |
| Episode 5 "Mo' Chinese Mo' Problems" |
Episode 6 "Sub Standard" |
Episode 7 "Where Have All the Cattlemen Gone?" |
Episode 8 "Cousin Eddie" |
| Episode 9 "Just the Two of Us" |
Episode 10 "You've Got a Girlfriend" |
Episode 11 "Driver's Eddie 2: Orlando Drift" |
Episode 12 "Legends of the Fortieth" |
| Episode 13 "Grand-Mahjong" |
Episode 14 "Cupid's Crossbow" |
Episode 15 "Be a Man" |
Episode 16 "Trentina" |
| Episode 17 "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" |
Episode 18 "Rancho Contento" |
Episode 19 "Vice Mommy" |
Episode 20 "Nerd Watching" |
| Episode 21 "Under the Taipei Sun" |
Episode 22 "No Apology Necessary" | ||
| Fresh Off the Boat – Season Six | |||
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| Episode 1 "Help Unwanted?" |
Episode 2 "College" |
Episode 3 "Grandma's Boys" |
Episode 4 "S'Mothered" |
| Episode 5 "Hal-Lou-Ween" |
Episode 6 "Chestnut Gardens" |
Episode 7 "Practicum?!" |
Episode 8 "TMI: Too Much Integrity" |
| Episode 9 "Lou Wants to Be a Millionaire" |
Episode 10 "Jessica Town" |
Episode 11 "A Seat at the Table" |
Episode 12 "The Magic Motor Inn" |
| Episode 13 "Mommy and Me" |
Episode 14 "Family Van" |
Episode 15 "Commencement" | |