The sixth season episode of Sex and the City titled "The Catch" famously ends with Carrie facing her fears and flying on a trapeze to the sounds of Michelle Branch. The season premiere of Broad City, which aired last night on Comedy Central, wonderfully channels that scene when Abbi and Ilana attend Lincoln's trapeze school "graduation." There's no dramatic music, just Lincoln sort of listlessly swinging back and forth. And why was Lincoln studying the circus arts?
"I saw it on an episode of Sex and the City," Lincoln explains. "The Miranda in me thought I'm out of my comfort zone, but the Carrie in me couldn't resist. So I did it."
Abbi chimes in: "You know what? I'm really a Miranda-Carrie too, I think with a little bit of Charlotte, even though she really annoys me."
Ilana then mimics Samantha: "Who am I? Honey, I have a cyst on my uterus and I need to get fucked until it pops." She adds, "Sometimes I'm happy about it and then other times I'm like, it's gross."
It's a delightfully meta moment: Abbi, Ilana, and Lincoln indulge in SATC's fantasies, just as we are indulging in Broad City's. The reference, however, also highlights the different ways the shows approach the misadventures of women in New York. In the world of SATC, New York is a runway. In Broad City, it's a roller coaster. You may not look pretty riding it, you may throw up, you may get the shit scared out of you, but you're going to have an awesome time.
Take the premiere. Ilana and Abbi go fishing for the bike lock key Ilana dropped in a subway grate using gum. Since they can't retrieve it, Ilana has to wear a heavy chain around her waist for the entirety of their day. They endure a violent sample sale. Abbi gets trapped in a Porta-Potty that is lifted skyward. Ilana gets stuck to a van, which begins to move, taking her with it. It's wild, frightening, and a damn good time.
Whereas Sex and the City has a whole plotline about how the bathroom door should remain shut, last night's episode of Broad City opened on Abbi and Ilana's toilets. In a spectacular montage, we see a year in Abbi and Ilana's bathroom rituals. They pee, poop, examine their bodies, get sick, hook up, read Hillary Clinton, take pregnancy tests, and smoke up. It's deliriously joyful, honest, and just a little bit disgusting. Not that disgusting is a bad thing — we're al little bit gross sometimes. Broad City in a nutshell.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT