"Turning Japanese" is a rare episode of the latter season that's actually mostly original and funny. As the series progressed, the episodes become more silly and stupid, so it's nice to see this refresher. And it's great to see the late Pat Morita starring as the Japanese Bank President - his inner monologues are hilarious! It's also funny to see Marcy and Jefferson "acting Japanese" including their rendition of karaoke! The only sore spot is that Katey Sagal is still missing (she was pregnant at the time and had to take the time off from this show) - she is however mentioned. Oh, and watch out for Marcy doing a "strip tease"!
2 Reviews
Al drives a hard bargain (and an old Dodge).
BA_Harrison12 January 2023
Pat Morita, Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid, is a guest star in this one, playing Marcy's Japanese boss Mr. Shimokawa. He has the final say on who will get a big promotion, and Marcy has laid on a special dinner for him to try and convince him that she is most deserving of the career boost.
When Mr. Shimokawa, bored of Marcy's lame attempts at impressing him, hears Al's Dodge pulling into his driveway, he becomes excited. He needs that exact make and model of car to complete his collection and declares that Marcy can have her promotion if she can convince Al to sell the vehicle.
With such a great guest star, it's a shame that this one isn't funnier. Morita doesn't get any good gags (his inner monologues aren't great), Jefferson singing bad karaoke songs becomes repetitive, and moving things to The Jiggly Room smacks of desperation. The best moment is when Al responds to Marcy's offer for his car by saying 'My answer still must be...' followed by incoherent jibbering when he sees a stripper. Shame the rest isn't as funny.
When Mr. Shimokawa, bored of Marcy's lame attempts at impressing him, hears Al's Dodge pulling into his driveway, he becomes excited. He needs that exact make and model of car to complete his collection and declares that Marcy can have her promotion if she can convince Al to sell the vehicle.
With such a great guest star, it's a shame that this one isn't funnier. Morita doesn't get any good gags (his inner monologues aren't great), Jefferson singing bad karaoke songs becomes repetitive, and moving things to The Jiggly Room smacks of desperation. The best moment is when Al responds to Marcy's offer for his car by saying 'My answer still must be...' followed by incoherent jibbering when he sees a stripper. Shame the rest isn't as funny.
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