Over the television year, not only do specific shows and specific seasons stand out, but so do specific episodes. Certain episodes rise above the rest of the television landscape in a variety of ways, whether it’s due to excellent direction, strong character exploration, or something else entirely. For the past few years, Sound on Sight …
It has been an extremely strong season of Broad City, and though this is a somewhat strange episode to use as a finale, it ultimately feels like an inspired choice. We have no sense of closure with Ilana and Lincoln’s relationship, which I had been anticipating. No arc is particularly remarked upon or addressed. It is essentially just an episode of Abbi and Ilana walking down the street in New York City as they decide what to do for Ilana’s 23rd birthday. It feels as defiant as the beautiful moment before the title card when a man walks by and tells them to smile, so they turn around and force a fake smile with their middle fingers.
As practically every one of these reviews mentions, the power of Broad City comes from the power of the bond between Abbi and Ilana. Their friendship is closer than most, stronger and more understanding and affectionate. It’s the kind of thing we should strive to achieve in our own lives. It’s strange, then, that one of the series’ best episodes is one where they replace each other with equally glorious guest stars.
Sometimes, Broad City doesn’t try to do anything more than be the funniest show on television, and it is at these moments when it becomes that and more. Wearing her dazzling Froot Loop pants, Ilana is responsible for a child this week. Abbi is trying to sell her artist’s rendering of Whoopi Goldberg’s favourite food (spaghetti). And Trey is a former pornstar. As wonderful guest star Amy Ryan says, “How very funky.
Broad City has never been overly concerned with plot serialization. Most of the time, you can jump in on any episode and be able to understand everything that’s going on. There are certain constants – the undying love between Abbi and Ilana, the amicable relationship between Ilana and Lincoln. The problem with this, even within an absurdist comedy such as this, is that the result can become stasis. If nothing really changes, it can be difficult to find new stories to tell, and your audience will get bored. Broad City is learning this deep into its second season, a place many shows in the past have felt the same growing pains. There have been hints at certain elements that are presented here, but “Citizen Ship” feels like a momentous episode for Ilana and Lincoln in particular.
It is a common worry that we have become too dependant on the Internet and on our phones. We spend so much time plugged into the Matrix, as Ilana puts it, that we can’t handle any time separated from it. We can forcibly remove ourselves from its hold over us, but we inevitably begin to crave it and, in some ways, require it. We are helpless without it, and if this episode proves anything, it’s the the truth of that statement, at least for Abbi and Ilana.
Alter egos for characters in comedy television series is nothing new. Indeed, Abbi’s Val is a similar kind of double life persona as Ron Swanson’s Duke Silver on Parks and Recreation. There’s something special about Val, though. Maybe it’s because, as has been pointed out by many others online, that crazy lady back in the season premiere screeching, “VAL!”, on the subway wasn’t so nuts after all. Maybe it’s because it allows Abbi Jacobson to break out a ridiculous Prohibition-era accent, strutting around like an old-timey diva and swallowing diamonds with aplomb.
There’s something beautiful happening with Abbi on this season of Broad City. In season one, Abbi was the straight woman to Ilana’s antics, being dragged along on her escapades and exposed to things she’d never seen before. By the end of the season, some of that had changed, but there’s something altogether different happening now. Four episodes into the second season and Abbi is now experiencing sex acts that Ilana has only dreamed of. Now that’s character development.
Here’s some personal context: I spent most of my day before watching this episode in a health clinic, dealing with strep throat, waiting, waiting, waiting. It goes without saying that it was a less-than-ideal way to spend my day. I turned on “Wisdom Teeth”, and suddenly all was right in the world. The long day faded away. The pain in my throat faded away. It was almost as if I was high on four Vicodin and some strong weed.
We here at Sound on Sight love Broad City. Our own Jake Pitre wrote in his most recent review of the show’s second season that as one of the best shows in the half-hour comedy format, it’s one of the most exciting and enjoyable on television. Well Abbi and Ilana, no stranger to YouTube, helped …
As many have already noted, 2015 (much like the previous year, really) looks to be the year of the half-hour comedy. As television becomes ever more saturated, it appears that the best work—comedic or dramatic—is happening in half-hour chunks. Transparent season one had more emotionally resonant, dramatic moments than any current drama series, but it’s typically classified as a comedy mostly because of the episodes’ 30-minute runtime. The fact is that television’s most remarkable work is being done in this format, and Broad City is certainly no exception.
Seconds into the second season premiere of Broad City, it’s unbelievably exciting to be back in the company of Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, two of the most wonderful and delightful people on our little planet. In the first season, this simple comedy seemed initially to not be much more than a funny hangout show. Quickly though, the intense friendship between these two characters developed into something truly beautiful, one of the very few female friendships on television of such strength, honesty, and mutual adoration. The exploration and celebration of that relationship is what makes Broad City so special outside of its consistent hilarity, and judging on the premiere, nothing’s changed.
There are plenty of interesting new series to be on the lookout for, but many TV fans will be most excited about the return of some of television’s best offerings. Here are Chief TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Managing TV Editor Deepayan Sengupta’s picks for the most exciting (currently scheduled) midseason returns of 2015. Banshee …
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television, one that continued the nichification of the medium, with highly specific and underrepresented voices breaking through in every genre. There was a comedy explosion, particularly on cable, with dozens of new series presenting confident first seasons and several returning shows reaching new heights. The dramas didn’t disappoint either, with visionary creators bringing new life to familiar settings and taking greater risks with their returning series, deepening their worlds. Throughout the year, directors and cinematographers brought lush visuals, composers pushed the auditory envelope, and an astonishing number of actors gave fantastic, memorable performances. More than a few shows delivered spectacle on a weekly basis, while others went small, deriving incredible power out of stillness and self-reflection. Some series swept the audience up, week in and week out, and others built subtly, only showing their hand in their season’s final episodes. There truly was too much great television this year for any one person to see it all (95 separate series were nominated by our contributors!), so limiting the discussion to 10 or even 20 series would be ridiculous. Instead, here is Sound on Sight’s list of the 30 best series of what has been another wonderful year for television.
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television, one that continued the nichification of the medium, with highly specific and underrepresented voices breaking through in every genre. There was a comedy explosion, particularly on cable, with dozens of new series presenting confident first seasons and several returning shows reaching new heights. The dramas didn’t disappoint either, with visionary creators bringing new life to familiar settings and taking greater risks with their returning series, deepening their worlds. Throughout the year, directors and cinematographers brought lush visuals, composers pushed the auditory envelope, and an astonishing number of actors gave fantastic, memorable performances. More than a few shows delivered spectacle on a weekly basis, while others went small, deriving incredible power out of stillness and self-reflection. Some series swept the audience up, week in and week out, and others built subtly, only showing their hand in their season’s final episodes. There truly was too much great television this year for any one person to see it all (95 separate series were nominated by our contributors!), so limiting the discussion to 10 or even 20 series would be ridiculous. Instead, here is Sound on Sight’s list of the 30 best series of what has been another wonderful year for television.
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television, one that continued the nichification of the medium, with highly specific and underrepresented voices breaking through in every genre. There was a comedy explosion, particularly on cable, with dozens of new series presenting confident first seasons and several returning shows reaching new heights. The dramas didn’t …
Part 2 of our listing of the best television episodes of the year to date looks at individuals outings of shows such as Bob’s Burgers and Fargo.
Emmy nominations will be announced on Thursday, July 10 by Mindy Kaling and Carson Daly. The pundits and critics have come to a consensus on the most likely nominees out of the numerous television shows on the air: a showdown between Breaking Bad and True Detective in Best Drama Series, Modern Family accruing a number …
The high amount of quality programming currently on television has been the source of many discussions over the years. With numerous shows on the air, and several new and returning shows set to premiere over the next few months, the decision of what shows to dedicate one’s time to, particularly in the case of midseason …