Tag: Danny Pudi

Powerless: Sinking Day – Daddy Issues and Secret Superheroes (Recap/Review)

Powerless - Season 1

After last week’s somewhat lackluster offering, this episode of Powerless offers up a secret superhero mystery and looks at Van’s daddy issues. Corben Bernsen guest stars as the senior Wayne who started the company that Van is running so badly.

At the start of the episode Van manages to lose an account worth millions; one that has been with the company since its inception. Vanderveer Wayne Sr. swoops in to express his disdain and anger at Van’s mismanagement of the situation.

Van retreats into himself and Emily offers to bail her boss out. She tells him about her father’s flower shop, much to his chagrin, and promotes a positive attitude and strong work ethic in order to get Van moving.

Meanwhile, Jackie, Ron and Teddy believe the new guy in the office; Alex, is actually the new superhero in town; The Olympian.  As the trio try to work out if Alex really is the new very active superhero, Ron sets up cameras in the men’s restroom to catch Alex changing into The Olympian.

Emily realizes that Atlantis’s upcoming celebration of “Sinking Day” offers a great opportunity to get a new client to replace the one that Van lost earlier in the episode.  She and Van work together and he almost jeopardizes the whole thing when he lies and says that Aquaman will be attending their own Sinking Day celebrations.

The Atlantians (Ron claims he comes from Atlantis although everyone swears he said he was from Atlanta) ask to attend the Wayne party and Van manages to win them over despite Aquaman not turning up.

Vanderveer intercedes to close the deal, upsetting his son Van in the process, but has to back off when the group insist that they will only deal with Van. The younger Wayne almost gets a compliment from his father but blows it.

Emily has saved the day and as this drama played itself out, Ron, Jackie and Teddy learn that Alex is not The Olympian. (Wendy gets to the root of the matter by knocking the suspected superhero out cold.)

This episode moved back into the campy and unique verse of the superhero theme it promised. The Olympian saves a school bus and appears every time that there is a problem.  It put the show back on board and left the more mundane aspects to run along side the premise of Powerless.

Alan Tudyk was allowed to be hysterically funny this week. His song writing, as a reaction to his father’s rejection and condemnation, was spot on. While Tudyk’s comedic timing prowess is above and beyond the call of duty, the actor is also able to make himself look like a live muppet (All bulging eyes and downward turned mouth) which is the delightful icing on the comic cake.

The rest of the cast; Kirk, Pierson, Funches and Pudi, interacted perfectly after being allowed to move away from Hudgens’ Pollyanna (as in Sunnybrook Farm Pollyanna) attitude and influence. Zeroing in on Van Wayne made the entire episode funnier.

Powerless is faltering a bit as it heads into its first season. If, however, they move more towards including their original premise into each episode things should pick up.

The series airs Thursdays on NBC. Tune in and see what you think.

Cast:

Guest starring Corben Bernsen as Vanderveer  Wayne Sr and Matthew Atkinson as Alex.

Dr Ken: Dave’s Valentine – Ken Meets Community (Recap/Review)

In Dr. Ken this week, Dave’s Valentine focusses on the kids, Pat and Damona’s continuing “it’s complicated” relationship, Topher and Julie and Dr. Ken meets Community as Joel McHale and Danny Pudi turn up as guest stars.

SUZY NAKAMURA, KEN JEONG, JOEL MCHALE

In Dr  Ken this week, Dave’s Valentine focusses on:  The kids, Pat and Damona’s continuing “it’s complicated” relationship,  Topher and Julie. In this episode  Dr Ken meets Community as Joel McHale and Danny Pudi turn up as guest stars.  Pudi plays Topher (Dr. Julie’s often mentioned but never seen boyfriend)  and McHale is the lawyer who tried to take Ken to the cleaners, and failed,  and also father of Dave’s crush.

Dave wants to ask the “ambulance chaser’s” daughter to the Valentine’s Day dance. Ken and Allison provide guidance that differs in content and Molly steps in to help.  Later, when Dave (Albert Tsai) gets Emma to say yes, her father then forbids the boy to approach her at the school event. 

At the start of the show, Pat (David Foley) and Damona (Tisha Campbell-Martin) continue their oddly apt relationship and the hospital administrator reports their liaisons to Irene from human resources; repeatedly and embarrassingly.  Both of them, however, rush to tell Irene that they are not “dating.” 

Later, Pat invites his new squeeze out for a liquid libation during  the upcoming weekend, which Damona reminds him is Valentine’s Day.  In keeping with his weirdly suggestive way of speaking, Pat refers to it as VD, much to Damona’s irritation.

TISHA CAMBELL-MARTIN, DAVE FOLEY, JOY JACOBSON

At Dave’s school, Ken bumps into Ross Kirkland “the valley’s sleaziest lawyer” and the two swap insults with Ross picking on Ken’s size and bragging that he has his own island:

“Kitchen Island!”

Before the two antagonists meet, Ken talks Dave through “walking the walk” and on how to ask Emma out:

“Are you a parking ticket? Cause you got ‘fine’ written all over you.”

Before the school action,  Julie reveals that her Valentine’s Day party is now a President’s Day one  as Topher (Pudi) has cancelled at the last minute.

Dave learns that Emma has been banned from dancing with him at the school dance.  Ken and Allison talk about the problem and Ken verbally attacks his wife’s lasagna.

Back at Welltopia, Clark (Jonathan Slavin) reveals he has a hot date on “VD.”   He also warns Damona about getting involved in the Topher/Julie romance. Molly takes Dave over to the lawyer’s house in an attempt  to help with the Emma (Isabella Kai Rice) problem. Once there she falls hard for the older brother of Dave’s almost date.

Standout Moments:

The “presidents” sexual innuendo between Damona and Pat:

“A sitting president? That’s just disrespectful.”

Ken’s three C’s talk to Dave which is the polar opposite of the one given to Molly (Krista Marie Yu).

Molly’s advice to Dave:

“If you listen to anyone, listen to mom…then again, look who she ended up with…”

ALBERT TSAI, KEN JEONG

The “baller strut”  that Ken shows Dave and then the boy’s re-creation of it.

Dr Julie’s “Memory sheriff line.”

The interaction between Ken and Ross, specifically the on-line school gag.

Jonathan Slavin’s “Tony’s” story.

Damona ripping Topher when he shows up at the party and Clark showing up to help save the day.

JONATHAN SLAVIN, KATE SIMSES, DANNY PUDI

The whole Molly and Ross’ son on the couch scene.

Overall Thoughts:

There was a real feel-good moment when Clark arrives to help Julie withstand the Topher-stare.  The two “Park” kids were great in this episode, Dave and Molly both appearing to be similarly afflicted when bowled over by the opposite sex was very funny.

Visually, the whole “kid” gag between McHale and Ken Jeong worked brilliantly. The Community actor is six feet four inches tall. Added to McHale’s already formidable  height was a hairstyle that gave Joel an extra three inches, making him look like a giant next to Ken.

At the end of the show, when Molly is caught with Ross’s son, the boy runs (at Molly’s suggestion) proving that even at five feet five inches tall, a father is still terrifying to a teenage boy.

Dr Ken continues to provide consistent comedy with characters that deliver. Pat and Damona have become the show’s newest double act and the two Park children have now solidified into a cohesive comic unit. Both Albert Tsai and Krista Marie Yu exude a believable sibling chemistry while still popping the comedy chain.

Ken: “Hello Gorgeous.”

Dave: “Hello.”

 

This ABC comedy airs on Fridays and has yet to misfire on any episode. Ken Jeong, apart from managing to kill it each and every week, has melded brilliantly with Suzy Nakamura who plays his wife Allison.  The cast work as an effective ensemble that all bring something to the comedic table.

Tune in and bliss out.