41/37
At the beginning of the series, Willis (Jimmy O
Chronology
The story of an Asian-American actor who struggles with clichéd roles and stereotypes, both at work and in his personal life.. Yang), Fatty (Ronny Chieng) and Carl (Chau Long) see Detective Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet) on TV and discuss her possible ethnicity: Carl declares, “She looks Thai,” while Fatty claims, “Dude, she’s obviously Korean. Meet your Asians.” In fact, Bennet is the child of a white mother and a Chinese father. Earlier in her acting career, she changed her last name from Wang to Bennet (her father’s name) after encountering casting agents who said they couldn’t cast her for Asian or Asian-American roles, but her name prevented her from being considered for white characters or.. Inside Chinatown is a brilliant but underrated reflection of the world – a mirror that exposes how society often judges people by their headlines.
It makes you wonder: Am I complicit in perpetuating these stereotypes?
The series poignantly depicts this with a scene where Willis Wu cannot enter the police station until he proves his worth by delivering food. It’s a powerful metaphor: sometimes, if you don’t fit the mold, you have to prove your worth in the most humiliating or unexpected ways just to get your foot in the door. The locked doors of the municipality represent the barriers faced by those who do not conform to the "majority" an idea of what is acceptable or valuable. While the series focuses on the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community and the stereotypical roles that Hollywood has long neglected as background extras, kung fu fighters, it forces viewers to confront bigger questions. Am I limiting others – or even myself – by what I assume their worth is?
But for me, knowing the context of Charles Yu’s original book helped
It’s not just about the API representation; it’s about how society at large undervalues anyone who doesn’t fit perfectly into its preferred narrative. The series can be confusing if you don’t understand its satirical lens beforehand. The production team does an incredible job of balancing satire with honesty, blurring the line between real life and the over-the-top Hollywood “procedural” format. They cleverly use contrasting visuals and clear camerawork to draw you into different spaces – Hollywood’s glossy expectations versus the harsher realities of life. The involvement of Chloe Bennet (real name Chloe Wang) connects to the series’ themes on a deeply personal level.
But for Bennett, it was about creating space for herself to follow her dreams
She famously changed her last name to navigate Hollywood, caught in the impossible middle of not being “Asian enough” or “white enough” for casting directors. It’s a decision that’s up for debate – was it an act of survival, assimilation, or betrayal? This theme resonates in one of the show’s most poignant scenes, where Lana is told, “You’ll never fully understand. You’re mixed.” It’s a devastating admission of the barriers that persist, even as you try to bridge the divide. Lana’s story highlights how identity can be both a strength and a hindrance, and the line serves as a painful reminder of the walls society creates—from the outside in and the inside out.
Check out our November calendar for more!
Inside Chinatown doesn’t just ask us to look at the system; it forces us to question ourselves. Whether it’s Willis Wu at the station door or Lana trying to connect in a world that sees her as neither this nor that, the show unflinchingly depicts the struggle to belong. And as viewers, it challenges us to question our own role in those struggles: Are we helping to break down barriers or quietly reinforcing them? The new season of “The Silos” is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month.
