The APAHM Project Days 28-30: Laid
- Lauren
- May 30
- 5 min read
Series: Laid
Created By: Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna
Release: 2024
Where to Watch: Peacock
Why It Made The List:
Based on a 2011 Australian sitcom of the same name, Laid proves that Asian Americans contain multitudes. Riding off her Academy Award nominated performance in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and her hilarious role in Joyride, Stephanie Hsu headlines her own series from Asian Canadian showrunner Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe, Fresh Off the Boat, Young Rock) and Sally Bradford McKenna.
My Thoughts:
I think in past APAHMs we have covered how important Asians (and women) in comedy is. It shows that we have range and we are no longer the butt of the jokes but the ones making them instead. Nahnatchka Khan and Stephanie Hsu have both been in the comedy game for a long time and this pair up is just a genius move. This is Khan’s 4th APAHM appearance and she has such a great way of taking something heavy like immigration, growing up poor, or mysteriously killing your past lovers and making it funny. And that brings us to Laid.
Laid begins with Ruby (Hsu) finding out her college ex has suddenly passed. She decides to attend his funeral and reconnects with a guy she hooked up with in college. They share a car to leave the memorial service and after a little argument, the guy gets out of the car and BAM gets hit by oncoming traffic right in front of Ruby. With her friend AJ’s help, they begin to find a pattern in the recent deaths. Every man Ruby has slept with are beginning to die in the order in which she slept with them. They attempt to warn the men and find a cause or a solution, but all seems futile. Which extra sucks for Ruby because she really wants to hook up with her newest client, Isaac.
The premise is absolutely absurd, taking the dual meaning of “body count” to a new level. But through Ruby’s attempt to warn her past partners, she learns more and more about herself. How selfish she was in almost every relationship. How maybe she isn’t a very good person or friend. Ruby is saddened to learn about each new death, showing that many of these men (or women) were more than just a fling or one night stand. However, we really see her exes’ words get to her when Isaac confesses his feelings for Ruby. After a cinematic kiss in the rain, she tells him she cannot be with him. For maybe the first time, Ruby is being selfless in her relationships. He says he is willing to wait for her, but eventually calls her out for avoiding him.
There is an anomaly in AJ and Ruby’s research. It turns out Richie, her ex from 3 years ago, was skipped in the lineup and survives. They still don’t know why this is, but Ruby is relieved, especially after she and AJ have a falling out and AJ leaves Ruby to deal with her problem alone and leaves her homeless as well. When Richie and Ruby visit another ex, they encourage Ruby to make amends with her father so that she can be a better partner.
Ruby, AJ, and Richie eventually find out that Ruby’s co-worker and fling put a hex on Ruby. The woman who placed the hex says it can’t be lifted but rather transferred. Ruby is thrilled to hear this but AJ points out she would be committing yet another selfish act by making someone else endure this burden, and consequently, kill more people.
After a grand gesture of forgiveness on Ruby’s part, AJ forgives Ruby and helps her find a person with a low body count to transfer the hex to. They land upon their cranky, elderly neighbor and wait a month to see if the next ex in the lineup survives. They see him alive and healthy and Ruby takes this as the universe’s sign to take things to the next level with Isaac. However, they later learn that the man did in fact die, meaning Issac and AJ’s boyfriend (yes, Ruby slept with him too) are at risk.
The season ends with Ruby’s estranged father knocking on the door. He received a letter from Ruby, one she left at Richie’s and was part of a therapy exercise, and he explains that he too was hexed before.
The show unfortunately ends there as it was cancelled after one season. I don’t know if I was left wanting more, but I did enjoy Hsu’s performance here. I am not someone who usually laughs out loud while watching TV, and when I do, I take it as a queue it must be really funny. Hsu’s comedic timing is great here. And while she may not be the most likable character in the show, she gives depth to a woman in a crazy situation in an even crazier show. I also enjoyed all the fun cameos as Ruby’s exes. John Baptist, Phineas, Simu Liu, Uli Latukefu are just some of the familiar faces in Laid. Khan found pockets of opportunities to include more diversity, not just in the show, but also in Ruby’s romantic endeavors.
In Conclusion:
I remember seeing Stephanie Hsu for the first time as May in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and thinking to myself, “of course her name is May.” And I’m not about to go back and watch the exact scene, but I remember her character being the one to show Joel a part of New York City he wasn’t too familiar with: Chinatown. Specifically, an underground, secret, illegal mah jong parlor in a basement. And it seems Stephanie Hsu has always found comfort in characters like May — free of stereotypes (despite the stereotypical name), assertive, a little loud, and a lot of funny. She has successfully associated herself with the comedy genre.
That is until, EEAAO, which of course has it’s funny moments. But her performance as Joy is a perfect literal depiction of all Stephanie is capable of. She’s not just funny. She’s not just a tad crude. She is vulnerable and chaotic and powerful and cunning. In the same way we don’t want to be put in a box, we don’t want our sole or primary identifier to be “that Asian person,” Stephanie’s career has shown that, just like any other human, we contain layers and are multifaceted. We are, well, human. Not some demonized breed or foreigners, but people with emotions and talents and personality that is perfectly tailored to ourselves. Hsu, with Laid, refuses to be reduced to a singular word (“funny”). The words we choose have weight and meaning and consequence. We could all take a lesson out of Hsu’s book to put more and more positive adjectives in front of our names.
Shout Out!
Today’s shoutout goes to Narra, a sibling-,Filipino-American owned drink company! I haven’t eve tried this product, but I am a sucker for cute packaging and a good tea latte. Narra (which is the national tree of the Philippines) was inspired by Victoria and Miggy looking forward to merienda, which is “the Filipino tradition of taking a midday break to sip, snack and recharge.” Their teas are plant-based, have only 4-6g of sugar, and have no artificial ingredients, meaning it’s the perfect way to boost your energy! They have exciting flavors such as Roasted Oolong Strawberry Matcha, and Black Milk Tea. Be sure to check them out online or in one of 700+ stores nationwide!
If You Liked This, You Might Also Like:
Always Be My Maybe on Netflix
BEEF on Netflix
XO, Kitty on Netflix
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