PEN15 (TV Series) Yuki (2021) User Reviews

the beauty of Yuki and Pen15

[nolesteve · 10/10 · 6 December 2021]

What an outstanding, uniquely special episode that takes the time to, once again, truly develop a character in this bildungsroman of a series that consistently surprises me. We are given a detour into the enigmatic past of Maya's mom, Yuki, who is more than what meets the eye. Her seemingly mundane life, which she seems to question at the start of the episode, is interrupted on a grocery store errand run when she bumps into her ex-husband (and Shuji's father) from Japan. After a full afternoon of walking down memory lane together, we discover that he's still in love with her and regrets the diversion of their past lives. Yuki entertains the idea of getting together with him back at his hotel room, but deep down, we know that she won't proceed with anything. She has accepted her past and is at peace with her present, and she drives home where she expresses her love for each of her family members in her own unique way.

This episode is a gem, providing depth into a beautiful woman that is now a mother and a wife with a storied past that spans the East and the West. It is an episode that I look forward to watching again and again. I love this show and the directions it has taken since its inception.

Speechless. I'm speechless.

[allielive-20716 · 10/10 · 22 December 2021]

I'm speechless. The acting, the heart - wow. This episode is what all television should aspire to be. I love this show for its comedy - but this episode was a long overdue dramatic tribute to Yuki, and I'm so glad they did it. My hope is that the reveal about Yuki's past (and present) will play in future episodes.

Walk on By!

[modelcityzen · 10/10 · 8 December 2021]

Maya E hit the nail on the head with this episode!!!! I cried. I cried because I felt what her mom felt before! I also loved how she gave her moms character more depth. I love knowing that Mutsuko Erskine is Mayas real mom! I don't see any credits so I'm assuming her skills come from just being natural and I love it! She truly should get an Emmy for her acting in this episode! Maya should get an Emmy for writing and directing an episode that is so true and close to home! I also loved how Yuki took the picture from that debeat guy! It showed her it was good she left him because he didn't get better with time, and he doesn't need to remember me. I also loved when Yuki started dancing to "walk on by," by Dionne Warrick! It was the perfect song! Shuji's deadbeat dad needed to walk on by and act like he never knew she existed!!!! Great job!!! I love this show, but this episode definitely took the show to a different level. It also showed it not only can be funny, but deep and connect at another level at the same time!

A great episode that shows there is more to Yuki than we ever knew

[fatewemake · 10/10 · 6 December 2021]

This was such a beautiful episode! It showed a different side of Maya's mother (who is played by Maya's real life mother). First it showed how good the mother is as an actress and it showed a different side of Yuiki's personality. It shows that there is more to Yuki than just being a devoted mother and wife. She was also hiding an unresolved pain that she tried to leave behind when she moved from Japan to America.

That unresolved pain suddenly came back when she spots her son's father in the grocery store. He is back from Japan, but will only be in town for one more day. He has a desire to reconcile things with Yuki in a way that she's not comfortable with (and can't because she loves her American husband). But, she takes the time to make him understand why she left for America and how she still wants him to be a part of her son's life.

It is a wonderful episode that is quite different from the other episodes of pen15. It still has plenty of humor especially when Yuki continues to pretend she is handicapped throughout the episode. It is directed by Maya Erskine and Maya was quite impressed by her mother's acting skills.

Perfection

[aguilera1685 · 10/10 · 15 September 2023]

I've loved this show for a while now, and this episode in particular, it's absolute perfection. Any time I revisit it I can't help but cry with happiness and admiration. It diverges for a brief moment from the series narrative in the best way possible. I'm a white man, and don't have a tangible connection to Japanese culture or being a first generation immigrant - but when I watch this episode, I'm put directly into the shoes of someone who is, and it's absolutely beautiful and touching. Yuki may not be your mother, or share her story, but she is EVERY mother. She's made decisions in her life to give her children the best lives possible and I can't help but immediately think of my own mother and the sacrifices she's made. All of this, juxtaposed with the footage of the actress' own past is a true gem. I thank the Erskine family for blessing us with this perfect glimpse into another life that is so different yet so familiar. Thank you, thank you, thank you. <3.

Wow.

[thomasflem97-707-551424 · 10/10 · 18 February 2024]

One of the most moving and powerful tv episodes I've watched in some time, and to think it came from this show was a pleasant surprise. This entire episode has a different feel. The way it's shot, the music, the whole vibe. It tells Yuki's story and what's really cool is I think at the end the videos of a younger Yuki was really this actress. This season has tried some really different and interesting things, and this is an example of that being for the better. And give props to Maya for writing and directing it all. Truly, truly special gem of an episode in a gem of a show. You should check it out.

A good short film, but a miss for Pen15

[trbothrowaway · 6/10 · 12 January 2022]

It's a really well made 30 minute French New Wave inspired story. Full of heart and provides a lot of depth to a character who is usually overshadowed by everyone around her. (Which is the point of the episode.)

But it's a bit of a disappointment as a Pen15 episode. I know there's a trend in TV comedies to have one episode per season explore a tertiary character - Dave and Mythic Quest have some amazing examples - but for me this episode doesn't scratch the itch I expect from the series. Pen15 is side-splittingly funny, even at it's more brutal and most tender. But this episode trades the comedy for a character study.

I can appreciate it for what it is, but I have to give it a 6/10 for its context as an episode of the overall series.