It was only a year or two ago when I
first learned of Jo Koy (if I had encountered him earlier than that, then I forgot). At that time,
clips of his comedy specials were constantly showing up in my Facebook newsfeed. Those clips went viral among Pinoy circles
as they were bits about his Filipino heritage, most especially the upbringing he
got from his archetypal Filipino mother, which Pinoys found to be humorously relatable.
The recent boost of Internet fame
is probably what prompted most of the enthusiasm when he visited the
Philippines last year to shoot his newest Netflix standup special, which was
just released last June. This latest special of his –
titled In His Elements – isn’t purely
a standup special, but more of a variety show and a homecoming travel log rolled
into one. For this, he brought with him
some of his Fil-Am friends – some of which were visiting the Philippines for
the first time – to perform in it (as well as let them experience the local
culture and cuisine).
As a result, as far as standup
comedy goes, I found Koy to be underwhelming here. But this is mostly because he didn’t spend
much time doing actual standup comedy. Because
of the format, he was basically like the host or emcee of a talent showcase program,
in which he did a few jokes in between the numbers of comedians Andrew Lopez,
Joey Guila, and Andrew Orolfo; breakdancer Ronnie Abaldonado a.k.a. B-Boy
Ronnie; Grammy-winning producer !llmind; and singer Iñigo Pascual.
I guess that if you go into In His Elements expecting a traditional
standup comedy special, you will probably feel a bit letdown. For while it does entertain in general, it
isn’t exactly a satisfying showcase of Jo Koy at his best (for there’s no time
for him to do so). I wonder how those
who watched this show live felt. Are
they aware from the get go of what they were getting into? Or were they also expecting a straight up Jo
Koy standup and were left a bit disappointed that it wasn’t so?
It’s a shame, really, since, after
watching In His Elements, I decided
to watch Koy’s previous specials – Don’t
Make Him Angry, Live from Seattle,
and Comin’ in Hot – and I actually
found him to be a hilarious standup comic.
While his material may not often
be the cleverest and most original, he is animated, charismatic, and versatile
(he can dance and sing quite well), making his delivery constantly
compelling. Thus, his jokes rarely fail
to draw their desired effect. I was in
stitches all throughout those three aforementioned specials.
On the other hand, In His Elements is crafted in a way in
which comedy isn’t really the priority. “Pinoy
pride” is. This is Koy’s passion
project, and he’s clearly passionate about celebrating Filipino culture and
showcasing Filipino talent to the world.
His heart is worth appreciating, sure.
But I still would have preferred if he used the opportunity of recording
a special in the motherland for the first time to, well, actually record a
legit standup special wherein he leaves his countrymen gasping for breath from
unceasing laughter – which he’s very much capable of doing.
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