Seriously…episode 2 is MUCH MUCH better than episode 1…and here are the reasons why:
(1) Alan Thicke is allowed to go completely over the top, but in a gruff, gentle, ridiculous way that makes him utterly loveable as an ex-dork/ballroom dance champion/sad movie extra. His dance sequence with Kam Fong is simply outrageous…in an epic sort of way. 
(2) Sherry Miller having far too much fun, shang-hi-ing (cough) illegal Chinese refugees to industriously wrap her cannabis deliveries…and serving them rice krispie squares, because she thinks they might be missing food from home!
(3) Kaitlin’s experience in night school, with the army of ditzy, barbie-clone, bubble-gum morons…and she is the only one capable of answering the math questions! You’ll never listen to “Pop Goes the Weasel” in the same way ever again. Then she brings Cowboy with her to class, for moral support…and sexual olympics!
Extra bonus points for the wonderful, geeky math teacher, who warmly welcomes Cowboy to class as “another recepticle of knowledge”. Hehehe!
(4) Steve, jPod’s new boss, gets some exceptionally good emotional release. This is one confused, high-strung dude (“It’s not potpurri…it’s pot!”)…and we get see some of his comedic potential at last! (“I know judo!” indeed)
(5) Ethan, wearing his cast-off refugee clothing, meeting his new benefactor: Kam Fong. It is, by far, the best realization of a jPod character – he’s as stiff as the suit he wears, and turns on a dime between grim-crypto-facist-Chinese-gangster…and gushing, geeky dance fan. Raugi Yu is wonderful to watch, especially when he gets to deliver deliciously preposterous lines like “If you have to ask, you don’t want to know.”
The episode concludes with a nice little scene between Ethan and his older brother, Greg, as they sit down, play old-school video games, and annoy each other in the gentle, loving way indicative of a close knit family. It was the perfect, sweet ending to an episode that finally demonstrated the potential of this new series.
I don’t think I’ll be reviewing jPod on a regular basis…but I have been convinced to tune in for a third week. You can’t ask for more than that. 
