Nora’s a loser, and that’s okay. We’re all losers too.
Written By: Demi Guo from Queens
Awkwafina is fresh off her roles as Peik Lin in “Crazy Rich Asians,” Constance in “Ocean’s 8” and literally every Asian American ever in “The Farewell.” One would think she would rise to the occasion and make a dignified, I-made-it persona of herself. Her semi-autobiographical show is anything but.
I appreciate “Nora from Queens” for the sake of every New York kid who’s in their mid-to-late twenties and still living with their parents, because the rent is too damn high. I appreciate seeing the Queens-type ratchet in every breath she takes, because that’s how I wake up in the morning too. I’m from Flushing, just a hop and a skip away from her Forest Hills. That makes us neighbors, which is why it hits home.
Having watched the first three episodes, I wasn’t sure what the series really wanted to do. Tell Nora’s story? It’s very slice-of-life, so that’s taken care of. But neighbor dear, says I, what about our beloved borough? If you’re the first Asian from our borough to make it since Lucy Liu, why isn’t more of the story set here? You’re Nora “from Queens.”
My issue with the show isn’t the hesitant storytelling thus far, as I understand that it’s still trying to find its footing and style. It’s that I want to see more of the soul of my home as a physical space. I want to see the crazy contrast between a Forest Hills suburban neighborhood and the three-family houses off the 7 train. I want to see Nora running around Corona Park before stopping for food cart tortas in Corona itself.
Hot damn, Queens has found its way into many a tourist guidebook raving about the ‘International Line’ of the 7 train or whatever they’re calling it these days. If you’re going to represent your now-famous neighborhood in your title, why not reclaim this narrative? The show pairs setting-the-scene shots of the borough with Nora’s activities in Chinatown and other parts of Manhattan, and to the untrained eye, it is unclear where the greater New York area ends and Queens begins.
She shows a sense of self and home through her characters, though, and that’s authentic to her own person. Her English-spewing grandmother and father aren’t what my second-generation self expected, but this is her narrative. It doesn’t have to be that of every Asian millennial from our borough.
The story thus far shows Nora coming to grips with hitting her thirties and still not knowing what she wants in her life. Her family defies stereotypes by gently nudging her out the door instead of kicking her out completely. The show, in similar fashion, breaks down to its Adult 18-49 audience why they, like Nora, are still in a rut.
I say gently, but some Asian American TV tropes about the expectations we face are still present here. Nora from Queens’ cousin Bowen Yang is The Smart Cousin. Yes, the SNL comedian. He is very smug, because he makes more money than Nora. His over-the-top performance is the epitome of the style of acting throughout the episodes, and I am here for it. It adds to the raw relatability of the show, like Awkwafina doesn’t care for bells and whistles or pizzazz so much as telling us who she is.
The most East Asian Queens moment in the show is the Korean-Chinese clash. You knew it was coming. Go home and thank your nai nai or halmeoni tonight. They are the glue that holds the Atlantic City casinos and Chinatown together. They’re the discount bus lines that carry our grannies back and forth for their day trips.
Yes, the show starts off on a crooked path, but its charm keeps it going. That is definitive of Nora Lum being true to herself: Who she is, and — albeit in a lacking way — where she comes from. Who she is is what many of her fans are. Where she comes from is the World’s Borough.
“Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” airs on Comedy Central on Wednesdays at 10:30pm (EST).