Watching comedy specials is more of my husband’s jam, so, while I did hear hilarious snippets when he watched Jo Koy’s stand up acts, I didn’t think much about it until I decided to get Marvin tickets to the comedian’s stop in Manila as a Christmas gift. I didn’t want to attend without having an idea of the type of comedy served, so I watched Jo Koy: Live from Seattle and Jo Koy: Comin’ in Hot on Netflix.
I had a blast watching the two specials, and we definitely had a great time watching Jo Koy: Just Kidding at the MOA Arena last January. Jo Koy obviously had fun, too, because he lost track of time and we ended up laughing and singing at his mercy for two hours instead of just one (plus another hour courtesy of the front acts). We knew that he had an earlier show held at Solaire to be featured on Netflix, so we wondered how that show went. Come June 12, we found out that it was a different kind of show altogether.
Yes, the stand up comedy portion is there, but this is less about Jo Koy and his ability to make us all relate to his upbringing by his very Filipino mother, but more of a celebration of his heritage. He is proud to be a Filipino and he believes that we’re talented as all heck. So, he brought together different kinds of performers in a variety show type of program and interspersed his stand up act with performances that included break dancing, stand up comedy acts by fellow Filipinos based in the US, an Illmind produced track heavily influenced by Filipino music, and Iñigo Pascual.
If you’re looking for the usual comedy special where it’s just one joke after the other, this isn’t really for you. This is a love letter, with Jo Koy expressing his love for the Filipinos and the culture that he didn’t always understand growing up but grew to appreciate. When you take it in that context, then you appreciate the special for its good intentions. Though if they were going in that direction, I think the running time should have been longer, because certain parts felt more like snippets instead of a dive into the talent and the food to be found here, and discussions on what it’s like to grow up Filipino abroad. There’s a potential to delve a little bit deeper or give a more nuanced storytelling, heck it could be a good series if planned and produced carefully.
If you’ve yet to watch Jo Koy: In His Elements, then I would suggest that you set your expectations accordingly. Because if you watch it for what it really is …which is a showcase of Filipino culture on a global platform, then you’ll understand and appreciate the love that Jo Koy just wants to share with everyone. You can always wait for his next special to laugh until your back hurts.
Happy viewing!
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