By Sasha Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 4, 2015
There’s a lot of same-old same-old on TV. Sitcom, reality, law, rich-people drama, crime, crime with a smooth-talking guy that knows all — any genre with a smooth-talking guy that knows all — the list goes on.
So when a TV show finds a new niche and strikes a chord, it’s a good thing. Think Game of Thrones, Community, The Good Wife, Walking Dead; they’re a twist on the old stuff, commentary on the current stuff or a fresh idea based on a great story.
Broad City has managed to find its own niche: it’s all about girl humour for Abbi and Ilana, the creators and stars of Broad City. And this isn’t 2 Broke Girls humour. This is the nitty-gritty of being a real girl, a comedy of the female experience: periods, coworkers, catcalls, social media, dildos, romance, pegging, friendships — Broad City handles it all. It’s not always glamourous or sexy, and that’s a wonderful thing.
Season two continues with season one’s strengths as the 20-something New Yorkers Abbi and Ilana continue to take on young adult life, with all its pitfalls and joys. The chemistry of their friendship is amazing, New York is dirty and flawed, and life is colourful.
After season one, viewers were left wondering how Broad City would evolve. There was a threat of stagnation; the show was leaning a bit hard on the comical differences between wild-child Ilana and the-girl-next-door Abbi (who has an Oprah tattoo). At a certain point, the show was simply Abbi being Ilana’s foil character.
But with season two comes a focus on Abbi and all her wonderful exploits. In episode one, she finally snags a date with hot Jeremy; one melted dildo later, and that relationship falls apart, perhaps signifying the end of Abbi’s basic bitch, girl-next-door status. She’s moving on and establishing herself, however awkwardly. And by episode five, she’ll knock your socks off. She’s not turning into Ilana, she’s paving her own wicked way.
Broad City is blossoming. Any character or relationship that seemed one-dimensional in season one — the gross roommate Bevers, Ilana and Lincoln’s fuck-buddy status, Jeremy as the flawless crush — evolves into something fearless in season two. Nothing is left to trope, and anything near cliché will be flipped upside-down. It’s smart, snide, and wholehearted, and I can’t wait to watch more.
