Broad City
“Twaining Day”
Season 4, Episode 2
Strap on your strap on; lace up your skates. ‘Cause it's time to durnce.
It’s odd that the second episode in the fourth season of an already great show towers over the premiere. But it’s none the less fitting that season four of Broad City began with an introduction on how Abbi and Ilana met. While the story (-ies) was tantalizing, Broad City works best in the present – away from the meta references of today and in its own world of cartoonish glory. That’s where “Twaining Day” resides. It’s hilarious in delivery and keeps things moving forward. Everything from the abortion clinic escort cold open to the cameos is quintessential Broad City.
Season four technically began last week but it officially begins with a new life for the ladies. Abbi is happily working at a graphic design company called Graphix as Wanda Sykes’s assistant. Just the thought of these two in a room together is enough to make anyone laugh. Sykes’s character is a doting boss, wanting every small detail in her order of cat litter focused on. Yet Abbi is ready to deal with it if it means she can give suggestions on some designs. Ilana, on the other hand, is jobless after getting fired in “Game Over.” She awakens in the bed of a young woman, steals a baked potato and hurries to a job interview.
The story amps up appropriately when Abbi accidentally sends a package to her old place of work, Soulstice, and it’s soon revealed she and Trey didn’t end well. Here’s where continuity pays off. Longtime fans get a neat little reference to North Brother Island from way back in season one. Not only that, a revival of the Abbi-training-Shania-Twain runner is there too. Abbi is thrust into both as she learns Trey is working with Shania (who turns out to be a handful). It’s the singer who leads the two to find that connection once again. And it turns out the word to turn Abbi on is “Bazinga.” Go figure. All is lost, though, when Trey admits he assumes Abbi isn’t the relationship type. This hurts her but he’s too busy with a broken penis to notice.
Ilana has a better day as a first time waiter at a restaurant where she’s encouraged to be mean to patrons. Not to mention the manager is RuPaul Charles, the king of mean. He urges her to let the hate flow but Ilana isn’t that person. Using a ball of tinfoil (from the aforementioned baked potato), Ilana finds her niche at the restaurant. While Abbi’s story is wonderful, Ilana’s is pure entertainment exemplified more so thanks to the wonderful comic timing of RuPaul (his non-clapping clapping is to die for!). Here’s hoping he comes back for another appearance. At least 90% of his lines are magnificently quotable.
Should you watch “Twaining Day?”
Again, the premiere was great, but “Twaining Day” is another level of Broad City. Guest stars Wanda Sykes, RuPaul and Shania Twain killed their scenes. Since I couldn’t organically fit quotes in the review, the best ones will be posted after the break.
- "Condragulations!"
- "His dick is definitely broken."
- "When there's a spark, you gotta ride it. Damn. That's a good lyric...Fuck, I'm good." "
- You're my pretty little liar and that's the truth."
- "Air quotes are pretty big now."
- "Dumper's Post is way more sophisticated than it sounds."
- "You a regular Tanya Harding."
- The whole exchange between Trey and the paramedic:
- o “Sorry man.”
- o “Ma'am?!”
- o “No I said man.”
- o “Oh sorry, doctor.”
- o “Oh, I'm not a doctor.”
- o “OKAY."