Thanksgiving is next week and you know what that means: Time for Hollywood to bash the holiday as racist! So, of course, ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat made some digs at America during Tuesday night’s episode “No Thanks-giving.”
Jessica Huang (Constance Wu) has decided she is done with celebrating Thanksgiving because it is not her people’s tradition. She demonstrates this by pointing out the family’s ancestors are not in a Thanksgiving painting – but they will be eventually buried in America “underneath the railroad tracks that they built with no food or water.” She wants Louis (Randall Park) to keep their restaurant open on Thanksgiving so they can make money off of the holiday instead.
Jessica: Can anyone point out our ancestors in this painting? No, that's right, you can't -- because they're not there. Eventually, they will be way back in this field, buried underneath the railroad tracks that they built with no food or water. And do you ever ask yourself, "Why?" Why do we put ourselves through all this holiday nonsense, through all the headaches of visiting relatives, through all the squash? All for a day that we have no cultural ties to. Why do we do it? Why? Why?
Louis: Because that's what we do every year. It's tradition.
Jessica: It's not our tradition. We don't like it. It's a lot of hard work, and we get nothing out of it.
Louis: You can't stop Thanksgiving. It's too strong. That's like trying to stop Fabulous Barbara.
Emery: Roller derby.
Jessica: Louis, I don't want to stop it. I want to capitalize on it. I want to open Cattleman's Ranch for Thanksgiving.
Later, at Cattleman’s Ranch, Jessica has rigged the raffle so her family can get their money back on the prize turkey. She says it’s ok because “this day's a celebration of people who made a living by swindling the natives.”
Louis: What's that?
Jessica: The dupe.
Louis: What?
Jessica: The winning ticket.
Louis: Did you rig this?
Jessica: You're welcome. Now we get all the raffle money, and we can return the prize Turkey. Happy Thankskeeping.
Louis: Of course you'd bring corruption into these halls. You have no regard for the sanctity of Cattleman's!
Jessica: This day's a celebration of people who made a living by swindling the natives. I am so Thanksgiving. Hello, Pilgrims!
Thanksgiving is a day for family and friends to come together to give thanks for all we have. A day of celebrating people who make a living by swindling others just sounds like the Emmys to me.
