Review: The Afterparty, “Feng” | Season 2, Episode 8

An unusually heavy episode gives Ken Jeong a chance to shine

I didn’t write down too many quotable jokes for “Feng.” That doesn’t mean the episode wasn’t funny—there are plenty of moments that made me laugh throughout. But unusually for The Afterparty, this episode is often quite tragic. It’s the tale of a man trying his best to succeed for his family, and failing over and over again, in increasingly humiliating ways, all of which are recorded and played for his daughter’s boyfriend and a total stranger. And it’s an unexpected acting showcase for Ken Jeong, who’s most often been known for playing big comedy roles since breaking through in Hollywood.

“Feng” does have moments of humor for him. But there are many, many scenes in this episode where the camera simply rests on his face in the moments after another one of Kyler’s embarrassing video clips airs. We see, over and over again, the ways Ulysses makes him feel like he’s not enough. Or the series of misadventures that befall his exciting new catering truck. Or the moment he turned on a piece o…