Dr. Ken – “A Day in the Life” Review. Korean Patch Adams.

Season 2, Episode 14

Air Date: Friday, January 20, 2017, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“I said yes because, well, you know, Dr. Park always behaves as if he’s on some sort of a show anyway.” – Pat

Special guest star.

Ken (Ken Jeong) gets his big moment in the limelight when the Learning Network selects the Welltopia Medical Group to film the next chapter of its ten-part documentary, American Health Care. There, the filmmakers will follow Ken to show a typical day at an HMO through a doctor’s eyes. Joy over being the center of attention quickly turns to doubt as Ken starts to question his career choice.

“A Day in the Life” continues the entertaining run of Community mini-reunions as Yvette Nicole Brown, who played Shirley on the NBC/Yahoo series along with Jeong, guest stars as Amy, the director of American Health Care. I couldn’t help but laugh each time Amy glances at the cameramen with a perplexed look on her face as she reacts to the Welltopia staff’s antics.

As a television critic, you get used to hearing declarations by actors and those involved in a production that a particular episode is the best. That is, until the next episode, which is then their new favorite. After a while, you take the affirmation with a grain of salt. So, when Jeong sent me a message saying, “This may be my favorite Dr. Ken episode ever,” I was a bit skeptical. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, but it’s his job to promote his show. But after viewing “A Day in the Life,” I must agree with Jeong—this may be my favorite Dr. Ken episode ever.

Written by Mary Fitzgerald, “A Day in the Life” is full of one-liners as each character is given a moment to shine. One of the things that makes the episode so enjoyable is the mockumentary style of filming that allows the audience to see a different side of everyone. The result is absolutely hilarious. From Ken’s performance in front of the camera to Allison’s (Suzy Nakamura) indecisiveness over what to do with her hands, I couldn’t stop laughing, especially when Ken directs himself by using lingo used in the television industry. Equally as funny is Molly’s (Krista Marie Yu) response to Ken about leaving, as well as Dave (Albert Tsai) pressing Amy about her inspiration for becoming a filmmaker. Not to be outdone, Betsy Sodaro is a riot in her return as Sonja when she confronts Ken about her medical condition.

Director Anthony Rich does a wonderful job with “A Day in the Life.” This is the first Dr. Ken episode where I really noticed the blocking movement of the actors. There are several action scenes where, if you blink, you might miss some key nonverbal moments. For instance, when Pat (Dave Foley) approaches Damona (Tisha Campbell-Martin), Eric (Jerry Minor) appears. There’s a subtle move that’s amusing yet could easily be overlooked. Another moment that really stands out is while everyone is celebrating Ken’s birthday, Allison looks over at Clark (Jonathan Slavin) as he enters the picture. The shot is quick but sets up a scene between the two that’s absolutely beautiful. Allison and Clark’s conversation would have been touching without the earlier glance and could easily have been cut, but that fleeting look makes their subsequent talk even more powerful. Blocking shots like these helps a good show become a great one.

Dr. Ken takes a serious turn.

Not only is “A Day in the Life” my favorite episode of Dr. Ken, it’s one of the funniest. Anytime two former cast members reunite on a different sitcom, it’s always fun. Hopefully, it’s only a matter of time before members of The Hangover’s Wolfpack show up on Dr. Ken.

Given how different “A Day in the Life” is from other episodes, I thought the writers did a wonderful job wrapping it up, using a medical incident to close things out on more of a serious note. As a critic, I enjoy how the creative minds behind Dr. Ken have focused this season on having more dramatic, family oriented storylines. At the same time, having episodes like “A Day in the Life” are also a treat.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “A Day in the Life.”

Tune in to Dr. Ken Fridays at 8:30/7:30c, only on ABC.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.