I’m sort of at a loss on how I’m supposed to approach the review for this week’s episode of Broad City “Wisdom Teeth”. There’s a lot to process considering not a lot actually goes on. Here’s what happens: Abbi needs to get her wisdom teeth out and Illana is excited to volunteer in taking care of her afterwards. All this requires is making sure she takes two Vicodin every four hours and making sure she gets some rest. Of course this gets messed up in about ten seconds of Illana taking care of her friend in Abbi ends up taking four Vicodin and drinking a highly potent weed concoction of Illana’s. Abbie spends the episode high as a kite and wandering the streets of New York City as Illana desperately runs around trying to find her.
It’s a funny episode and it’s a crazy episode. Visual gags are put into great and frequent use this week where the direction takes a dive off the deep end for the betterment of the episode. Abbi’s over the top makeup drawn on by Illana, the montage of Illana making her marijuana milkshake and Abbi’s trip…so to speak…at Whole Foods are all shot in vibrant, music video like tones and it’s what makes Broad City a show that separates itself from the pack. It isn’t afraid to play with what they have so even when it misses at least it does so when attempting something fresh. Abbi in Whole Foods, delusional and hallucinating that her stuffed animal is alive is easily one of the most bizarre scenes I’ve ever seen, nearly jarring with just how surreal it takes it.
Illana Glazer got to put to use her more aggressive side this week in a number of fantastic ways but, the one that has become one of my favorite recurring jokes of the show is her anguished yell for Abbi. She rides her bike through the street, terrorizing a man trying to steal her bike and shuts Lincoln down when he tells her to calm down. It’s the first episode of the season so far that has split the narrative between Abbi and Illana so that one doesn’t feel jilted and this week’s Illana is the character at her best: obsessed with Abbi.
We also get to see more recurring cast members than usual. Arturo Castro appears as Illana’s roommate Jaime who spends his day in fluorescent hell trying to pick out the perfect flavor of frozen yogurt for Abbi. I had nearly forgotten he was ever on the show so it was a nice reintroduction. He isn’t integral to the show but I’d much rather see him get dressed up in a nurse outfit with Illana that Bevers annoy Abbi.
Hannibal Buress also made another appearance and he’s just so good. Every line he says has me laughing because it’s always with such sincerity, exasperation or often times both. He’s so easily amused by Illana’s antics and yet when he finds out she lost Abbi is only surprised that he didn’t see it coming. Lincoln is a side character that I always want to see more of.
The episode ends with Abbi spending more than $1000 at Whole Foods, Illana finding her and putting an end to her destruction and the two of them plus Hannibal sharing a bed which just seems right. There’s also the end scene where Abbi and her neighbor finally decide to go out on a date together. Sure, it’s due to Abbi’s drug induced state, but it’s a date all the same.
It was a good episode but it’s not one where there’s much to say. Abbi gets debilitating levels of high, Illana panics and the episode is shot with an exciting if not dizzying hyper-activity. It was good, not great but enjoyable all the same.
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7.5/10
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