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How well do you know your parents? Why is it so hard to live up to their expectations? It’s their fault, right?!

Wrong, as Chor Chi (Ron Ng) and I eventually figured out. Unlike Chor Chi, I love my dad, but like Chor Chi, I know very little about my dad. Back in high school, I interviewed my dad for an assignment but he was reluctant to tell me anything and I think that’s because he had went through a lot of (war) trauma he didn’t want to recall. Throughout my life, I’ve only heard snippets of his life from my relatives. Unlike Chor Chi, I wanted to know more but obviously wouldn’t ever chance upon a time vault. Stepping away from my boring connection with Chor Chi though, what I’m driving at is that this theme of "understanding between parent and child" is what makes A Chip Off the Old Block emotionally and perhaps educationally good. It’s important to realize that just as your experiences shaped you into who you are today, the same goes for your parents. You definitely don’t know their whole story and sometimes, there are things they keep hidden for your benefit. (I realize this is a generalization but I believe it applies to most parents.)

Whether the writers of Chip intended to portray this struggle toward understanding between parent and child or not, I don’t know. But the theme wasn’t fully explored anyway. There were also various loopholes in the plot, which I assume is because there were 5 writers putting together this story. Still, with the addition of some layered main characters, a neighborhood of whackos, and nice comedy flare, I would say Chip is a slightly better than average show with a subtle tinge of depth.