Broad City
“Getting There”
Season 3, Episode 9
I’m a fucking baby grown up.
After last week’s episode of character arcs coming to a halt, Ilana and Abbi take a much needed vacation. Although we never find out where they’re going until the end, the journey is said to be a game changer. And really the journey is exactly what this episode’s about. No matter how arduous the trip, these two seem to make it wherever they’re going and have a great time along the way. So don’t think a stopped subway or mean flight attendant will do anything to slow them down. It doesn’t matter where these two are going as long as the experience itself is worth it. Abbi and Ilana have been through so much in terms of development that a vacation is probably the best thing to happen to them right now.
From the cold open, one of the themes for the episode is on display. The two attend a free yoga class (donations preferred) that has students squashed together like sardines. Ilana is getting off on the sweating, smells and ambiance of being close to someone while Abbi just doesn’t fit in. In their separate expressions, we see that both are entirely different people that are seemingly drawn to one another. Ilana compliments Abbi and vice versa. Just look at the two as they prepare to leave for a big, unknown trip. Abbi is already packed, impeccably so with her shirts folded precisely and her bags neatly strewn. Ilana, on the other hand, is hardly awake and requires Hymie to help her hurriedly pack. To that point, Abbi and Ilana are on opposite ends of the spectrum with Ilana rushing to get to the meeting spot and Abbi using her extra time to eat breakfast in the park. Seeing action like this always raises the question of why these two are friends. But then they meet up and everything works so well.
Ilana continues her disastrous ways that have been leading her down a ruined path all season. Here, she realizes she’s an actual child when she forgets her passport. Abbi, meanwhile, has planned the trip to the airport with enough time padding that they couldn’t possibly be late. Ilana ‘s expressions illicit a slight wakeup call in her mind; she needs to grow up. But things keep working out for her like when the two of them are able to get a cab by knocking on an off duty driver’s front door or Hymie being able to meet them with Ilana’s passport. Ilana’s journey to self-improvement is never going to be fulfilled If she can’t grow up herself, sans help.
But that’s why this episode is called “Getting There.” Ilana is on her way to be a better Ilana. Abbi is trying to look past her mistakes. She mentions to Bevers that Trey has been changing his shifts to avoid her and she appears bothered by it. On the same parallel plane, Hymie reminds Ilana that the bag she packed belongs to Lincoln, who broke up with her – and to some effect Hymie -- last week. They have no clue what’s going to happen next week, next month or next year. The only thing that Abbi and Ilana can do is try to be better.
Should you watch “Getting There?”
By this point, you’re probably already invested in the season. With one episode left, it’s going to be hard to see how these two characters end up. Ilana and Lincoln can’t possibly end up together. Abbi and Trey might, but that’s probably not the point. Twice this season Abbi suggests the two expand their friend horizons yet Ilana shoots the idea down. These small if not important threads could be tied up if need be. But should they? Would there be a loss in what makes the show important?