Broad City, “Wisdom Teeth” (2.3) - TV Review

Broad City, Season 2, Episode 3, “Wisdom Teeth”

Wednesday, January 28, 2015, 10:30 PM (EST), Comedy Central

“Wisdom Teeth” is a perfect episode of Broad City. When Lincoln takes out Abbi’s wisdom teeth, Ilana attempts to take care of her during her recovery. Although she tries her best to be responsible, all hell breaks loose in the most absurd ways. It showcases the best of Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer’s physical comedy, packs in a joke every 2 seconds or so, and manages to create layers upon layers of meaning and hilarity. I’m in awe of these two women. Their talent knows no bounds. I also very much want to hire Ilana as my personal chef.

For some reason, both Abbi and Ilana have been naked a lot this season. Last week, Abbi danced around her apartment naked to “Edge of Glory.” This week, Ilana gets her turn when she shows up to Abbi’s art class as a nude model. She’s instructed to change positions every minute, which will force the students to “soften the rough edges of the crudeness.” Broad City never wastes an opportunity for truly inspired crude humor, so Ilana’s awkward and revealing prezel shape was the only way to end that scene. Abbi pretends for split second that she regrets her suggestion to Ilana to get into nude modeling for the money. She knew deep down Ilana wouldn’t do it without her friend Abbi there to admire her.

In Lincoln’s dentist chair, Abbi gets super high on anesthesia right from the start. Even though it’s an unrealistic scene (there would definitely be a bigger team of personnel to perform the procedure, especially with anesthesia), it’s incredible. Abbi’s dream sequence is full of psychedelic spinning rainbows and three versions of Abbi’s infectious happy dance. Ilana is there to hold her hand, provide moral support, and grill Lincoln on his procedure. He reassures her that he won’t screw it up because “I mess up this white girl’s teeth and the black dentistry game is over. I’m gonna get these teeth. For my people.” *raises fists in the air. Hannibal Burress is a national treasure.

Abbi is completely out of it after the surgery is done, mumbling to herself incoherently and wiping out when she tries to stand up. Ilana gets her into a taxi. On the way home, she scores some weed from a dude on a bicycle without the taxi even coming to a stop. Abbi also bleeds profusely from the mouth, proving once again that this show is great at gross out humor via bodily fluids. Back at the apartment, she enlists Jaime to help her out, first by child proofing the apartment. Then they both feed Abbi the full dose of Vicodin by accident. Ilana instructs Jaime to go to a froyo shop called 42 squirts and get a “real Abbi flavor.” Jaime takes this task a little too seriously and ends up overwhelmed by the myriad choices and whether or not they capture Abbi’s beautiful complexity. He spends the rest of the day there, agonizing over flavors and toppings until the shop closes and he barfs on the floor after having ingested way too much froyo for one day.

Meanwhile, Ilana gets cooking in the kitchen to make a special homemade edible shake for Abbi. She has to put on giant rubber gloves, safety goggles, apron, and rain boots just to make this one concoction. It’s glorious. The way it’s filmed and edited reminded me of Breaking Bad. Left to her own devices in her compromised state, Abbi makes a connection between the guy who jerked off on her purse in the park to Jeremy, so she calls him to profess her love. Ilana gives her the weed shake and then proceeds to put the most horrific-looking make-up all over her face.

When Ilana takes a break to naked video chat Lincoln, Abbi slips out with her giant stuffed animal hallucination and new friend Bingo Bronson, played by the guy who normally plays Trey (her boss). As they traipse around town in a happy daze, Bingo suggests Abbi make some poor life choices, like chugging yoohoo at a convenience store and wreaking havoc at whole foods to the tune of $1482.56. Ilana loses her shit, searching all over the neighborhood attempting to retrace her best friend’s steps. She gets a call from the credit card company confirming the exorbitant whole foods bill and is able to locate her. Her sincerity when she says she was worried about Abbi melted my heart.

The jaw-dropping revelation that Abbi’s eternal crush/neighbor Jeremy wants to go out with her feels sudden. I genuinely thought they would extend that crush until season 10, but I’m happy we get to explore their relationship this season Their first hallway encounter of the episode involves Abbi mentioning that the wisdom teeth surgery will make more room in her mouth for blowjobs and stains on her underwear. Classic. Somehow, he’s charmed by her 23 minute voicemail in her drug-induced state of euphoria and agrees to go out with her. This time she’s completely sober, but she still manages to briefly break from reality for a reprise of her spastic happy dance. If he finds that cute, Abbi may have been right all along in alleging that they’re soul mates.

This episode had everything I love about Broad City and life in general - crude dick jokes, Lincoln, enduring love between best friends, drug-fueled fantasy sequences, romance, whole foods, giant stuffed animals, and Drew Barrymore impressions. If I never got another episode of Broad City I would be devastated, but at least I’d know it went out on the highest note possible.

[The Roundup]

• “I’m kind of a model.”
• “It’s good, it’ll make more room in my mouth. I didn’t mean blowjobs. Although, that’s true. I do them. I enjoy them both ways. It’s a two way street.”
• “Wow it’s been four hours already?” “Awww, you’re so out of it.”
• “Not while you’re jacked up on uncle sam pills.”
• “I deserve a break. WAnna show me your LL Cool J. Your Lincoln Log.” “No.” “I”ll show you my ta ta’s.” “Yes.”
• “I hate to say it but you got a serious case of boyfriend penis.”
• “I never thought an old people face would make me hard. That’s nice to know!”
• “Fuck don’t tell me to calm down I hate when men tell women that!”
• “I can tell from your voice that this is not a fraudulent charge.”
• “I should get an apothecary bag.” “I’m so horny right now it hurt.”
• “Oh and I love your Drew Barrymore impression.” SWOON.
• “I LOVE YOU BINGO BRONSON!”