WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Turning Red, now streaming on Disney+.
In Turning Red, Sandra Oh's Ming spent most of the film trying to protect and control Mei -- both her human and Panda side -- biding time until the ritual that would separate the creature from the girl. Of course, Ming's attitude was understandable to an extent because she didn't want her daughter to suffer like it was still a bit overbearing. But seeing Ming struggle with not living up to what her own mother, Wu Lee, envisioned would help Mei heal the family's generational trauma by opting to keep her fluffy Panda. However, despite all of that, by the time the post-credits wrapped, it's clear Ming wasn't the key parent in Mei's life -- it's her dad, Jin.
Now, throughout the film, Jin relatively kept quiet, letting Ming run the show. Ming dictated things at her family's temple, while Jin enjoyed himself at home cooking. He even avoided the menstruation conversation by letting Ming handle these big issues, which made some feel like Jin was just backing out to make this a mother-daughter movie, but that wasn't the case.
Jin was the quiet voice of reason and comfort because, when he wasn't alleviating the housework from his wife, he was offering Mei sage advice. He told her Ming got rid of her Panda after a fight with Wu Lee over her choosing him as a husband ended violently. Yet, Jin held no malice to the family, showing through his sentimental actions towards Wu Lee and the aunts that reconciliation and forgiveness were available. He also spoke about embracing one's flaws, which convinced Mei to keep the Panda.
A lot of this had to do with him really connecting to Mei on a deeper, more personal level and listening rather than imposing rules. He trusted her, which wasn't the case with Ming, who felt Mei would lose control in public and cause chaos. The honesty Jin emanated got Mei to embrace her past, and it's why she was blessed by her ancestor, Sun Yee, in the astral plane. And to top things off, Jin led the incantation to turn Ming back when her monstrous Panda emerged at the 4*Town concert, reinforcing that he looked after everyone.
And after all that, the post-credits summed Jin's importance up when it found him listening to 4*Town's hits, rocking their merchandise and dancing along to the music. Jin was doing Jin, unapologetically so, which explained why his words impressed Mei so much. Jin just wanted Mei to be herself and took time to experience and relate to the things she loved, which is a great representation of a great parent.
To see how Jin is the best parent in Mei's life, Turning Red is now streaming on Disney+.
Source: Trendz OH
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