House of Ho | Review
For the subset of Asian-Americans who believe representation is the most pressing issue facing our community right now, House of Ho is an early Christmas gift to them. The new HBO Max docuseries follows the lives of the uber-rich, multi-generational, Vietnamese-American Ho family in Houston, TX. Think Crazy Rich Asians meets Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
Family patriarch Binh Ho relocated to Vietnam with his wife Hue decades ago with no money and has, since then, built successful banking and real estate businesses. Binh and Hue have three adult children: Judy, Washington, and Reagan. Judy is their eldest child and only daughter who is going through a divorce, which is taboo not just in Vietnamese culture but also in the Ho’s deeply Catholic faith. Washington is the second-born and first son, the latter title being the most important as Washington is expected to carry on the family’s legacy and bears the burden of having to live up to Binh’s high expectations. Reagan is the black sheep of the family due to his ability to stand up to his parents and voice his honest opinions; he doesn’t appear much in the show (he appears for one episode). Also regulars are Aunt Tina, who is Binh’s youngest sister and will probably be a fan favorite due to her wild, no-filter personality, and cousin Sammy.
Binh Ho, Hue Ho, and Aunt Tina
During a period when millions of Americans have lost their jobs and housing due to a global pandemic, it may seem ill-advised to debut a show about a real-life wealthy family—and I’m not saying it’s not a bad idea. After all, we know the super rich will be fine and have even gotten wealthier during the pandemic. But Americans also love watching trash TV about the lives of rich people (MTV Cribs, The Real Housewives franchise, and the aforementioned Kardashian series). Thankfully, like Crazy Rich Asians, the show focuses more on family dynamics and the differences between Vietnamese culture and American culture, rather than simply depicting extravagance. Expecting to simply hate-watch the show, I found myself appreciating the conversations that were being depicted, especially as a Vietnamese-American myself who is familiar with some of these same topics. I actually found myself caring about some of the Ho family members.
In the very first episode, Judy reveals she’s divorcing her husband, her parents clearly disappointed. In Vietnamese culture, you make marriages work no matter what. Judy spends the season dealing with her divorce, her parents’ disapproval, and the issues with dating again so soon. It’s so relatable to any second-generation Vietnamese-American who must choose between being happy or doing what your parents want.
In addition to Judy, the series mostly centers around Washington and his wife, Lesley. The pair couldn’t be any more different. Lesley is a Vietnamese-American woman whose family didn’t come from money, works two full-time jobs as a pharmacist and mother, and tries to be responsible with the family’s finances. Washington, on the other hand, is a spoiled playboy whose idea of a job is partying, gambling, and drinking. I found Lesley to be the most down-to-earth, relatable, and likable family member of the main cast. Meanwhile, Washington has the charisma of a rock and makes rude comments about his wife publicly. But their relationship was the most compelling, as Lesley tries to balance being a traditionally supportive Vietnamese wife, while also being an opinionated American woman, and Washington attempts to grow up, be a better husband, and address his alcoholism.
Lesley Ho, Washington Ho, Binh Ho, Hue Ho, Judy Ho, Aunt Tina, and Cousin Sammy are the main cast of House of Ho.
The first episode was a bit jarring, as it seemed like the family members still needed time getting used to being filmed. There are moments that felt awkward, like when Judy and Washington caught up in Judy’s renovated house. Their body language was stilted and awkward. Other moments felt contrived, as if the family members were asked to think of anything to complain about, such as Washington venting about Judy living in his home for the past few weeks. Luckily, by episode 2 the show gets into its groove and feels more natural.
The one thing I wish the show had done was feature more Binh and Hue. The parents play more like supporting characters to Judy, Washington, and Lesley, but the few times we get to hear from them, such as their talking heads or Hue’s visit to the Asian supermarket, are some of the show’s highlights. We see Hue shedding tears about Judy’s divorce and how it’s viewed in the Vietnamese community, and also see Hue’s eyes light up when talking about wanting to move back to Vietnam. I also wish we got to see more of Reagan—my self-proclaimed “Best Ho.” He seems like the Ho sibling who’s least-affected by the family’s wealth and stays away from the family drama (which is probably the reason he’s not a regular on the show). Reagan doesn’t hesitate to talk back to his parents when he doesn’t agree with their traditional views; it was genuinely moving to see him make a rare appearance at a family dinner and defend Judy’s pending divorce because it’s what makes her happy.
Judy Ho with her three children.
House of Ho is not the first or even only Asian or Asian-American reality show at the moment (there’s Bravo’s Family Karma and Netflix’s Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives). But the show is groundbreaking in that it’s the only one on air right now that centers around a Vietnamese-American family. In fact, to my knowledge, it might be the only one in American history! It’s not exactly prestige TV, but I don’t think anyone was expecting it to be one. In the ongoing fight for representation in media, Asian-Americans should be able to fail just as much as they are able to succeed. Because Asian-American representation on TV is so rare, we expect the few that do appear to be outstanding. But for us to achieve true on-screen equality, Asian-Americans should be able to have bad shows, okay shows, great shows, and everything in between. For me, House of Ho is a guilty-pleasure. It’s something you watch when you want entertainment with a little dose of cultural specificity. It’s comfort food, and like many of the best comfort foods, I like mine Vietnamese.
