If there’s anything to enjoy about 2 Broke Girls – and this is a long stretch on my part – its how the writers have kept the girls desperate, even with their new business and entrepreneurial spirit. Conceptually, ‘And The High Holidays’ has some fun ideas behind switching the perspectives of Caroline and Max when it comes to their outlooks on life and their chances at success. Of course, it butchers these through a totally unnecessary plot line, and the writers constant need to have the two leads undermine themselves left and right (because forward-thinking women is still a mind-blowing concept when it comes to the writers of this show).
The title alone should suggest a certain level of pandering: it screams “THIS EPISODE IS ABOUT POT”, which surely enough, it is. When Max and Caroline are struggling to make rent, Max is selling their cupcakes to stoned people to help relieve their munchies – a sign of the subtlety to come when it deals with marijuana. Max is adamantly for anything pot-related, Caroline spews the normal “pot is yucky and makes you totally change” kind of dialogue that keeps the conservatives and Bible humpers clapping their hands in the studio audience.
But shallow is the show’s M.O., and so Caroline’s change from effervescent entrepreneur to totally nihilistic occurs after she willingly eats a pot cupcake (even though the last time she was around pot, she gave everyone judging looks and covered her nose). All of a sudden, Max becomes the positive one, hanging up decorations and fighting for their business, while Caroline dives off the deep end, constantly talking about “how we’re all going to die.” And because pot food cause black-out hallucinations and adolescent behavior, Caroline ends up at an IHOP at 4am, rolling around in syrup talking about the Mayans (a scene we are thankfully spared from watching).
It’s a very cheap way to cop out on something that could’ve made for a meaningful holiday episode: Max’s sudden change of heart could’ve been infused into the episode much earlier, with Caroline’s growing desperation and depression stemming from their lack of success or her general stress level over paying rent, but instead, she changes perspective only when she’s on the EVIL DRUGS.
But what’s more bothersome is how unreliable the show is willing to make Caroline: one minute she’s turning down money from her boyfriend, the next she’s accepting it from someone else because they tell her she’s ‘family’. In other words, the entire episode is rendered totally pointless because in the end, Caroline and Max not only don’t have a heart-to-heart about their perspectives, but they get bailed out in the exact same way they had been trying not to through the episode. There were a few less penis and gross sex jokes, but overall, 2 Broke Girls finishes 2012 the same as it started: inept at storytelling, characterization, and writing anything believable and/or funny.
Grade: D+
Other thoughts/observations:
– why was everybody woo-hooing about Caroline and Andy kissing? I seriously think they fill the room with laughing gas and/or cocaine for these mindless studio audiences.
– Han loves to get shit on by everyone so much, he gave them $350. What a guy.
– for those wondering, I’ve heard from various lady friends that a little pot goes a long way for bad cramps. Now you can say you learned something today.
– 2 Broke Girls gets political: not only did we get the ‘stoner summary’ of the last election, but Max makes a throwaway comment about how giant sodas are illegal in NY.
– the name of the girl who sells weed is Keifer… I can see whoever thought that up masturbating with joy at how witty they are.
– whoever let the word ‘reindeers’ make it into the episode: you’re a lazy fucking idiot.
– Mexicans can’t afford condoms, so they have a lot of teenage pregnancies…. this is what 2 Broke Girls considers ‘funny ethnic humor’.
What did you think of tonight’s episode? Feel free to leave your thoughts/comments below!
–
Discover more from Processed Media
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Another “classic,” episode that was a continually disastrous and, like always, terrible. However, I did laugh a few times mainly from Candy Andy’s character (“clever” name). What is so amazingly terrible about this show is it’s totally lack of consistency. For example, Caroline goes from now wanting to sell cupcakes to people who smoke pot, and getting out of the “drug business” (which they were never in) to agreeing to sell pot cupcakes (because the pot “happened” to fall into the mix, why couldn’t max think of the idea, other than it be happenstance) and lastly trying a pot cupcake. Not to mention the most unrealistic pot scenes I’ve seen in quite some time, which most shows do this so I won’t hold it against them. The continual racist jokes in this show are now just offensive, particularly the jokes toward Mexicans in this show, teenage pregnancy, “getting deported oh no they just can’t afford it.” It’s not that I’m easily offended but when writers do this just at of laziness it is just pathetic. Also, I fail to see why Han continues to try and be nice to these two girls who treat him like utter shit, and then he gives them money? What the hell? You touched on it in your review but why is Caroline fine with accepting money from co-workers but not from her boyfriend? How does that make any sense? Why would the writers even do this, what logical reason is there behind it? Also why won’t the writers just let them fail for once, and let the audience watch them crawl and work their way back? At least then the audience could respect them, and their work ethic, so far in this series they’ve done nothing other than work at a dinner and take handouts, while making cupcakes from mixes bought at a store. However, you did mention the crowd laughter and I’m convinced these are “fake laughs,” like that scene in “Annie Hall,” when they are manufacturing laughs and noises in the production room. There is no other way I can explain this, thank god they have stopped cheering when Sophie enters. What really made me angry about this episode (which I guess they all do, but I didn’t hate this one till the end) was when they try to tie in a “family message” into it at the end. How do these girls ever treat their co-workers like family, or help anyone (except earl) other than themselves. They treat Han like shit and continually mock him for his small stature and ethnicity and steal from the store, and are terrible employees. However, they are all a family? Fuck this show.
Sorry I haven’t commented in the past few weeks, been busy with finals, i am editing my video , on the show, over the break. However, I have been reading your other reviews, particularly Sons of Anarchy, great work keep it up. Also will you be posting a review on Homeland Season 2 (or have you already?), I like many others, have been extremely disappointed with the second half of the season would be interested to see what you think.
no plans to write about Homeland as of yet – I haven’t watched the second season at all yet. Hopefully will have a chance to watch it next week, and might publish something if I can get it out in a timely fashion. Most likely not, however – lots of things planned for the spring!
The Show was GREAT, you guys are so overly critical it’s not that serious, it’s a fun show, especially when Sophie went crazy when she got her cupcake, this is not CSI, Or Scandal, it’s “2 broke girls”. if you want real life, step outside and turn the TV off, nothing wrong with a little escape from reality, hell that’s why I sometimes play the Sims, lighten up! maybe you all could use a little pot!
There’s nothing fun about this show – and Sophie is the stupidest fucking character on television. Polish people don’t talk like a retarded Arnold Schwarzenegger with balls in his mouth, in case you’ve never met one. I don’t care if a show is serious or not – it just needs to be funny, and make sense, neither of which the show does on the most basic of levels.
As for your “this is not CSI or Scandal comment”, I’ll simply direct you here: http://processedmedia.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/scandal-pilot-the-gut-feeling/
There are a ton of great silly comedies, arrested development, parks and recreation, 30 rock, it’s always sunny, and the Leugue even. None of these shows are “art,” but they are funny and smart, try them and compare it to this piece of shit.
If you are going to call someone a lazy fucking idiot, you should probably at least edit through your own errors. The show is meant to be cheesy and silly. If you want to leave a negative review that is one thing, but don’t rant and call the writers idiots.
whoever let the word ‘reindeers’ get through is an idiot – in the context of the episode, it’s not written as a joke. So if it is, its the most subtle joke this show ever told, a concept that would get one fired from writing on this terrible show.
And I do edit through my own errors, so if you find something, I welcome you to point it out. And this is not a rant, THIS is a rant: http://processedmedia.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/2-broke-girls-and-the-three-boys-with-wood-review/
I didn’t call any of the writers idiots – I will call them lazy, because they not only write unfunny shit piles on a weekly basis, but they have no idea how to either write consistent characters or plot, and continuously shove that lack of talent down our throats with bits about anal sex – not to mention making everything Max says either self-deprecating/insulting to others/racist… or just plain IDIOTIC. This is a half-hour show of dick/pussy metaphors and women who undermine themselves around every corner.
You want to see a REAL ‘silly, cheesy’ comedy, go watch Parks and Rec (spoiler: its fucking awesome). Shit, go watch Don’t Trust the B In Apt 23, it’s barely above average, but is way, way better than this.
Wait people exist who actually, not only like but defend this show? Dear god please let the Mayans be right.