5 reasons why you should watch Kim's Convenience

The final season of the heart-warming family comedy show, Kim's Convenience, has dropped on Netflix and has concluded with a bittersweet ending. It stars Simu Liu (latest to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ensemble), Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee among others and has bagged several awards.

This show got me through the lockdown last year and I am listing down why you shouldn’t miss out on this gem of a show.

1. Centres around a Korean-Canadian family

This soulful sitcom revolves around the Korean Kim family who migrated to Toronto and owns a convenience store (that’s dream right there). The presence of real Korean actors is a breath of fresh air instead of white actors playing Asian characters. English is not the first language of Mr. and Mrs. Kim and the creators and scriptwriters have done a fantastic job in not faking that and brushing over it, using broken English, with them learning Millennial terminologies and creating their own space. The Asian community bond plays such a significant role as well with Mr. Mehta and Mr. Chin being close friends of Mr. Kim.

2. Relatable family dynamics

As an Indian, it is super relatable! The relationship dynamics and tussles between Mr. and Mrs. Kim and their two 20-something children, Janet and Jung, showcases their flaws and has its concluding heartfelt and hilarious moments, often times with Jane and Jung being embarrassed in front of people but their parents are proud of them which they obviously won’t say. Also, Appa (Mr. Kim played by Sun-Hyung) and Umma (Mrs. Kim played by Yoon) don’t understand the concept of privacy!

3. Not culturally patronising

It explores the Korean culture and identity as an immigrant, quite sensitively and subtly and pays attention to the customs and traditions and food with Umma often keeping her son Jung’s fridge stocked with home cooked Korean food without being superfluous. Food is such a big part in the show without it seeming to be a huge deal and that is where the creators outdo themselves. It also shows Janet’s struggle to come to terms with her culture as an immigrant child.

4. Breaking stereotypes

It breaks the typical Asian stereotypes with Janet studying photography and Umma even looking for a “cool Christian Boyfriend” for her. Meanwhile, Jung is a rebellious dropout, who ran away from home and works at a car rental dealership. It does play on the emotionally unavailable father trope who can’t seem to be vulnerable towards his son but tries to overcome it with various gestures to mend their taut relationship.

5. Queer portrayal

Along with diversity, I was so happy with the queer representation in the series as one of the main characters explore their sexuality which was tackled very sensitively, making it highly relatable.

While the end of this show created an uproar on social media, it had a good run and will definitely be a comfort show for many to return to.