Okay, I know she was in the previous episode, "One Flew Into the Empty Nest," but this is the episode where Jen becomes a permanent fixture of the show.
I'd watched the show up through the 5th season and then stopped. Molly Ephraim was one of the bright spots of the show, in my opinion, and when she left, I had no interest in resuming.
However, a few days ago, I casually watched an episode that had this new character, Jen. I found her funny, cute, and with a great dry humor. And so, I picked up watching the show again from where she enters.
I could also relate to her character a bit as I am an ESL teacher who has lived and worked in China, Taiwan, and Korea. I thought it was spot-on in this episode where she is trying very hard to be polite and not be rude. Many Asian people can be very indirect about their true feelings or perhaps not even share them at all.
Krista Marie Yu is a fantastic addition to a cast that needed someone now that Eve has left. Throughout most of television history, the addition of another "child" usually backfires (The Waltons, Little House, Cosby Show, etc.). But Jen is already one of my favorite characters on this show. She is quite refreshing!