Fresh Off the Boat writer Rachna Fruchbom on that 'The Color Purple' duet

Every week, the cast and crew of ABC’s Taiwanese American family comedy, Fresh Off the Boat, is taking EW behind the scenes. For each episode, one member is recapping, sharing thoughts on what went down, and walking us through the ins-and-outs of the show. This week, writer Rachna Fruchbom brings us into the season 3 episode, “Sisters Without Subtext.”

Hi! I’m Rachna Fruchbom and I’m a writer on Fresh Off the Boat. If you’re worried about my qualifications to talk about this episode, don’t be: I have a sister and not to brag, but I also know what subtext is. I guess what I’m saying is, please stop questioning me. Just kidding, I know you trust me implicitly because I’m a comedy writer you’ve never met.

Anyway, this week we learn a little more about the Huang’s family and neighbors. Now that the show is a couple seasons in, we get to add more layers to our secondary characters, which is a lot of fun. First, Jessica’s sister, Connie, comes to town with big dreams about going to art school. Louis is forced to face his fear of spiders and Jessica is forced to question why she’s so down on artistic pursuits… or is she? That’s what we in the biz call a teaser. You probably already knew that, but it helps me feel like you’ve learned something from reading this, so just let me have it. Jessica also gets to sing a bunch. Get excited because Constance Wu can SING. (And Susan Park, who plays Connie, was nervous about singing but spoiler alert: she crushed it.)

In the other story, Honey and Marvin have to face the reality of their big age difference when they visit a Lifestyle Community for Senior Citizens with Eddie, Emery, and Evan. Ray Wise and Chelsey Crisp are a true delight and our boys are adorable as always — maybe even a little too adorable, as Emery and Evan quickly discover. A highlight of the episode is a fun treadmill stunt with Chelsey that we were all nervous about and then ended up getting in one take… or did we?*

*We did.

Fresh Off the Boat airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.