A Man. And His Blog.

Season 1, Episode 10 (10)
Date of airing: Nov 21, 2011 (CBS)
Watched for review: 2011
Number of review in January/2012: 36/36

Was this the Thanksgiving episode or a preview for a Christmas episode? It was definitely both, but I would have wished for some clarity. Just because America has hundreds of holidays being mentioned in all kinds of TV shows doesn’t mean the writers should take America up on that offer. It’s almost considered to be a cliché to have Thanksgiving or Christmas episodes. But what am I talking about here…

The episode was okay. Not really the burner for me, because Caroline (Beth Behrs) went out of character near the end, and I don’t blame the F juice she was zipping in one zip. Sorry, but including her father into the story to make her blow up about all the Christmas mainstreaming, and that it’s all about spending money was a bit too much for me, though I had to smile when Mary (Katierose Donohue) pushed her into the gift box. The whole blow-out was completely ridiculous though. As if Caroline was on cocaine in that scene, and as if she just lost all hope of having a nice little Christmas. In Thanksgiving. So, that went by me, and was one of the horrendous moments of the show since I started liking it.

In addition, Max (Kat Dennings) wasn’t really included in that “fight”. She just was there, didn’t wanna take the Elf job, and when she had the opportunity to make more money, she was happy to do so. That was the other out-of-character moment in this episode – though not as catastrophic as Caroline’s blow-out: I would have never imagined that Max is taking her job seriously for once, just to get a mixer. But then again I don’t really know so far how serious she is in making cupcakes, and after all, it was all about buying a new mixer.

And finally, there was this whole Mary thing: How annoying was she? When she started talking all of a sudden, I was on Max’s side and wanted to punch her repeatedly in the face. It’s okay to have some craziness going on in Christmas feat. Thanksgiving episodes, but that was too much even for me. But maybe the writers needed a reason for Mary to push Caroline at the end.

Other than that, this episode proved that I shouldn’t like holiday-themed episodes. It wasn’t much funny this time. 6/10

The mixer cums hard on Max

Breaking into the gift is such a bad thing to do

Season 1, Episode 9 (9)
Date of airing: Nov 14, 2011 (CBS)
Watched for review: 2011
Number of review in January/2011: 33/33

The episode was alright. It somehow feels like it took part of the Johnny-three-(or four-)parter, without giving much of a conclusion. As if the writers wanted to have a “tragic” love story in their sitcom, and as if they wanted to get rid of it, just to look like awesome writers, because they don’t have a happy ending yet. Fortunately the episode was working because of it. And because the chemistry between the girls is growing with every episode.

I mean, the scene where they put all the cupcakes in their shirts was just awesome. It’s not just good situational comedy, but it also shows that both Beth and Kat play well together, and they’ve found each other’s comedy timing. I can almost imagine they pass each other the story ball in form of improvisation, and that not all the situational comedy shown during the past couple of episodes was written in the scripts. If not, then it’s great that the two have found each other after this short while (and from here on, the show can only get better, when the writers go a bit deeper into the stories).

Other than that, the rest of the episode was nice. Finally the girls are getting some work done with their cupcakes, which also shows that the writers are serious in not forgetting all about the cupcake business. It’s getting mentioned numerous times in every episode, and so far it doesn’t get old. Instead the dream business of the two girls is getting a development, and now a $500 order. Would be nice to have this continued over the season, with the girls actually getting money, making something out of themselves for a couple of episodes. Or, like Caroline already did, helping each other out with the money. Just so the friendship can be deepened.

The drama between Max (Nick Zano) and Johnny was okay. A bit predictable, but it’s part of an ongoing storyline here, and it’s a plus for a CBS sitcom to have an ongoing storyline (or for the writers to continue trying serialized storytelling in their shows). Cash (Marsha Thomason) could also be a recurring character for a while, but only because I suspect she knows about the kiss, because her chocolate joke did not just have a double meaning, but it was also the funniest word-play in the episode (besides being the funniest joke in the episode besides the cupcake-in-shirts).

It’s curious how I find the show to be better after the first batch of episodes. It’s most likely just because the actors have finally found their comedy timing. Now better stories and bringing in the supporting characters into the plot, and everything would be fine. 6/10

Let's get those hoops straight

Now the love story should be obvious to anyone

Season 1, Episode 8 (8)
Date of airing: Nov 7, 2011 (CBS)
Watched for review: 2011
Number of review in January/2012: 29/29

Hey, a date episode. Without date-rape jokes or similar. Instead it was just a normal episode, which kinda developed the love story between Johnny (Nick Zano) and Max (Kat Dennings), and also didn’t forget to put some rocks on the way of the two getting together. It’s script writing 101, and it’s good that the writers do it like that. Finally this sitcom becomes a bit more normal than it was during the first couple of episodes.

Short: I liked the Max/Johnny plot, but I didn’t like where it was leading to. Nothing against writing 101, but that Johnny has a girlfriend was so clichéd, I couldn’t stop rolling with my eyes. Sure, I shouldn’t, because it’s normal in today’s television. But I just found out I have a problem with this. I don’t know why, I just have. But until then the story was sweet. Loved how Johnny just dropped by in the middle of the night (after I stopped wondering why the girls were still awake, wildly discussing and making cupcakes); loved how Caroline (Beth Behrs) pushed Max for the initiative; loved the moment on the billboard. And even how Han (Matthew Moy) and Earl (Garrett Morris) were pushing Max for her first date in … ever? Yeah, it was a cute storyline, and I’ll take it as long as Max isn’t funny in those storylines. I need her more in a story than laughing and joking about anything in and around her life.

And to give Caroline a storyline, the crappy hoarder story was written into the script. Well, it was alright, but extremely non-saying. Yeah, the girls got some money selling stuff on eBay, but what else did the story gave me? Was it there to give Caroline a story, so that Max isn’t the only one busy in those 21 minutes, or did the writers do anything to connect the hoarder story with Max hoarding her feelings for Johnny? At least the writers were able to connect both storylines, though there was still too much time wasted on Caroline cleaning house for somebody else. And there weren’t really much gags in there, except the hoarder hoarding another hoarder, which turned out to be the hoarder’s hoarding mother. Yeah, that was literally the only worthy gag in this episode.

At the end something was probably missing. Or there was something missing in fact, because I don’t know what to write anymore. 6/10

If Justin Bieber were a fuckable woman...

Makeout session! In front of witnesses!

Season 1, Episode 7 (7)
Date of airing: Oct 31, 2011 (CBS)
Watched for review: 2011
Number of review in January/2012: 23/23

Yep, definitely. Something must have happened between the fifth and the sixth episode. Maybe I have watched too much bad television (LUCK) in that time, which is why I’m starting to like 2 BROKE GIRLS. Maybe I’m just getting the fun of it now. Or maybe the chemistry between the girls is finally visible on screen, after it was only teased in the last couple of episodes.

I liked this episode. Sure, the stories should be starting to rock very soon, but at least the writers are focusing on the friendship, and how the cupcake business defines the two girls. And I totally like that they found a way to express themselves with their cupcakes, even though it took a goddamn long time to do so. And yeah, insulting people with cupcakes is a great idea. All of a sudden the writers have created new ways of writing jokes, which can actually replace all the sex jokes. I’m proud of the writers at this stage of the show. Really.

The class with those fake-Italian bitches Stephanie (Carla Gallo) and Serena (Jade Catta-Preta) was hilarious. First, I couldn’t believe that the Michael joke was in fact hilarious, and second I was laughing about the behavior of the two fake-Italo bitches. I was cheering for every bad joke Max (Kat Dennings) did on them, and I was even more cheering, when she slammed the cupcake with the rose on the table, and started to insult them. That was not just a hilarious moment, but in fact a scene, which defined Max as a character. There weren’t many character-defining scenes in the show so far, so I’m happy-dancing to every one of them coming at me after seven episodes.

But the story needed a while to get running. There were lots of jokes hiding between the two fake-Italo bitches, but instead the episode wasted half of the running time to get to Brooklyn. Here I would wish for a smaller introducing story, and instead going right into the actual story. I didn’t need the scene in the restaurant with “Battlefield Earth” (I was laughing out loud at this one – I never saw the movie, but I know all the bad jokes surrounding it, so I was happy to have gotten the meaning of this joke) telling Max her cupcakes ain’t pretty. I didn’t even need the story to go that way in the beginning with Max being told in her own restaurant that her cupcakes are awesome. Too much time was wasted for stuff I already knew.

One joke the writers overcooked though: the vagina bed. I was laughing the first two times, but then it became a dying running gag. I hope it’s gonna be over with in the next episode. Which also brings me to realize that this show needs running gags. I don’t remember one single running gag, and we’re in the seventh episode… 6.5/10

Boohoo, hipsters!

Hellyeah, pretty girls with a cupcake

Season 1, Episode 6 (6)
Date of airing: Oct 24, 2011 (CBS)
Watched in: 2011
Number of review in January/2012: 19/19

Looks like the break I’ve had with this show helped a bit. It was the best episode since the pilot, and I blame the proper story for it. It was actually thought through, and had a meaning in the long haul, and I’m almost about to think that the writers know what to want to show with this sitcom. After six episodes, it’s not bad. Some shows don’t even manage to realize what they want in six seasons…

It’s nice to see that Caroline’s (Beth Behrs) bed story was connected to Max (Kat Dennings) and her flirtations with Johnny (Nick Zano). First off, it’s cool he returns and remains a supporting character. I kinda love the flirtations between them, and that Max is not the only awkward person in this mix. I think I was laughing more about the awkward balls-situation on the horse than on all the sex jokes (oh my god, I couldn’t count them al), because it felt authentic, and it looked like as if the coupling of Max and Johnny is written for a bigger part of this season. Now I hope that it becomes an ongoing storyline. Because the show needs such a story, and it needs Max outside of her comfort zone full of sex jokes.

That meaning, Caroline’s story went outside to have a smoke, because there wasn’t much for Caroline to talk about. I liked that she questions her job and that she will never get out of the status of being a poor girl, but the episode could have done more with that. After all, it was just written in to see her on the mattress, trying to build her bed, and eventually bond Max and Caroline at the end with another shared experience. The writers obviously have a problem with including a proper B plot into the episodes, and make it worth the while.

And how surprising is the return of Peach (Brooke Lyons)? I was forgetting all about her already, and I wondered when Max would be back as a babysitter. Would be nice to have Peach as a recurring, because Max needs the world she is scared of, where she doesn’t know what to do. Like I said, get Max out of her comfort zone and it could get a bit more interesting. The only thing is just that each and her babies are way too much for me. I can’t laugh about this, because I’m wondering how the writers can come up with this shit.

And all the sex jokes? Well, I was laughing about the nine inches, because that came from nowhere, but I think the writers should scale back with those sex jokes. Make some racist jokes. Or cupcake jokes. Or blonde jokes. Somehow I think the show wants the older audience of CBS to believe there’s something called “sex” out there. 7/10

Look at this beautiful poster Caroline did!

Max needs something to bite and chew on

Seriously: This show is super bad. But I can’t stop watching. Blame the actresses, because they are starting to develop the friendship this show needs to succeed. But the show doesn’t really succeed so far. It goes back to the money storylines, but they need to be more exciting. And there needs to be more situational comedy, and not dialog humor. Which is old as stinking fart.

I didn’t count, but at least half of the show’s gags probably came out of Max’s (Kat Dennings) mouth, because she thinks she can rocket-start some comments about her and other people’s situation. In addition I do not like how Kat acts the crazy scenes – when Max doesn’t like something, like the flashmob scene at the beginning, she comes with a “Hell no” (or a stunned “Oh face”), but that line delivery comes over so unnatural, I cringed. Not a good sign.

So, Caroline (Beth Behrs) has an ex. At least William (Travis Van Winkle) delivered some sort of background story for her, which I liked, but which could have been better. This would have been the episode, where Caroline shows everybody that she doesn’t care about her family’s past anymore and that she’s happy about her current life. But no, she does the Wild E Coyote, when William came to the diner, and nippled up in the walking freezer. Not funny, not really a great story at the end, and I so did not care about anything. The only funning about the story was when Earl (Garrett Morris) sped up the clock after 2am, so that the diner can be closed and William can be kicked out of the diner. Unfortunately that was the only scene where I was actually laughing.

The 90s horse riding party was actually a cool idea. But: It wasn’t even part of any kind of story, except Caroline’s efforts to pay for Max’s student loans. The 90s party (even the 80s popup lame hipster “will do anything to be ironic and lame” party) could have been served with so many hilarious moment, but nothing happened. The hipster’s boyfriend, dressed as a woman, only brought a smile to my face, and Han (Matthew Moy) trying to get laid was a nice effort to get him a story, but it failed with me.

So, at the end, I still like this show, even though it’s bad as hell. Mysterious. The Fringe Division should investigate that case, because I don’t know what’s going on. Normally I would cancel a show in this stage of a season. 5.5/10

Crazy '80s hipsters. What a disgrace

Do what the shirt says!

This would be the episode, when I would have decided to cancel this show. But Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) are so damn likable, and even though they can’t crack any jokes, I wanna cuddle with them, I wanna hug them, and I wanna be best friends with them, because they don’t care, behave like idiots, but at the end they surprise everybody, when they actually care about themselves – in a good way.

So, Max finally has the chance to live Caroline’s life for one hour. Pretty nice, but just not funny. I found her reaction of the “house for the clothes” and the “museum” pretty much over the top. And when I thought about it a bit more, I even found that Kat Dennings absolutely cannot bring over the excitement, which she should have brought over in those scenes. Seriously, her OMG moments were badly acted. I don’t know if it was because she can’t act or because she can’t act in a sitcom. Maybe the writers should give her better material, to actually see if she has got something.

Same goes for Caroline. At no time I was believing that she either cared about her life left behind, or all the stuff left behind. No connection to her story there, instead she was just thinking about her teeth. That’s what I always mean, when writers never use their ideas in a proper way: That would have been a great opportunity to let Caroline shine as a character in a comedy, develop her a bit, and make a drama out of this show for a couple of seconds. But instead, the alarm went off, because Max went for the fur. Not funny. Though the sight of two broke girls with everything on they could grab in ten the subway was kinda hilarious. Though I wasn’t laughing.

The “dad phones” moment was a nice touch though, especially when Max was talking to him. That lets me believe that there is a bigger friendship between Max and Caroline, which also lets me believe that the writers want to cash into it. But after four episodes I can say that this didn’t work well so far. 5/10

One broke girl bathing in richness

Two broke rich girls in the subway

And this show becomes weaker. Did not like this episode, because it tried to much to cash in to character work, which didn’t work here at all. Instead, the whole act in the Goodwill was annoying as hell, the humor did not work, as well as the acting. Which was over the top. I’d wish for the friendship between Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) to develop more, and not their way of bringing each other (not) to laugh.

Yes, the complete second act in the store was horrendous. It should have been shortened to two or three minutes, let Caroline play her ugly face, after she entered the cheap store, and make a few jokes about it. The $5 dance, the Strokes t-shirt thing, and the dialog with the cashier were not necessary. They stole time, they didn’t develop the characters, and the story with that rival girl wasn’t even funny to begin with. Yeah, it was kinda interesting to let Max and Caroline battling it out with girls, who could be similar to them, but why not making it so, instead of introducing the story of Max and her memory of the t-shirt and making bad jokes about it?

Same goes with the half of the third act in the bar. It did not work for me. Though it’s nice when the writers follow a storyline with the girls entering the bar, and information dumping a potential relationship between Max and bartender Johnny (Nick Zano), the duel between Caroline and that chick did not work, because the scene could have developed, when Max would have been involved, but since she didn’t, it was just a scene, which tried to cash in some funny gags. Which weren’t.

The only good thing about the episode was the last act, when the other Hispanic woman came to the diner, and Max was talking about her closeted boyfriend – that was not just the only funny thing for me, but here I could see that the writers wanted to have both Max and Caroline involved in each other’s situations. Max backed up, because she didn’t care anymore, but Caroline stepped up and helped her new girlfriend. That should have been the case throughout the whole episode, and instead it was just the outcome and “message” of the story.

The Facebook thing was annoying in the beginning, and Oleg (Jonathan Kite) seems to be annoying as well, when he always does his sexist jokes. Would be nice to let him have a story, otherwise I could punch him in the face every time I see him. 4/10

The pervert blows

Hair-pulling is a bitch thing

As expected, this episode was weaker than the pilot. Though I still like how Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) behave ad talk as new-found friends, the premise still doesn’t give anything. I don’t really buy that they have great future plans with their own cupcake business, and I don’t care about the other characters of the show. Not even Robbie (Noah Mills), who still seems to be part of the show, could bring me to a giggle.

Well, the only thing which could was Max with the knife under her pillow, and her being freaked by Chestnut. The rest of the comedy was pretty much not my thing, and now the writers try to much to push for the situational comedy. The scene with “fresh Brooklyn” on Caroline was not funny, Han (Matthew Moy) looking up to Caroline’s butt was not funny, Caroline being drunk was not funny, and like I mentioned, Robbie in the bedroom was not funny. And the Brangelina running gag is already sooo old after two episodes, I ask myself when the writers stop using that. Somehow Max’s babysitter job does not fit into the show, since it is not developed yet. So, either this part of the show gets developed, with fresher humor, or the writers cut it completely and focus on the diner.

The story… What story? I barely recognized a story here. The episode could have gone more into Caroline’s efforts of “moving into” Max’s apartment and trying to like it there, while Max is trying to have a roommate. But no, they are just talking about how Max masturbates (I was surprised about that gag – with the older audience watching. But then again…), how Chestnut is still there, how Max doesn’t want Caroline to invade her space, and how she obviously doesn’t want her cupcakes to be sold. Not much of a story, rather some work of characters here, which didn’t work really well this time.

I don’t even know what to write anymore, since almost nothing has happened. Without a story, I can’t talk much about the show and must try to talk about the characters. And the only thing about Max and Caroline I can say is that I kinda love them, but they need to be more interesting (and their jokes more funny) for me to really really like them. 5/10

Max and the horse: a friendship ready for a spin-off

Han missed the chance to see some bush

I’m surprised. I thought I would smash this show and made it hate me. And me hating it. But the pilot was actually … good. Shocker. Okay, it was not that good, but it wasn’t bad either. I was expecting more from a series creator, whom I haven’t seen in TV yet or one of her stand-up gigs, but still annoys me anyway.

The character work of both Caroline (Beth Behrs) and Max (Kat Dennings) worked incredibly well for a sitcom like this. The rich blond one got everything Paris Hilton also had in her life, except the brainless head, and she got the plans for something bigger, even though she just lost everything. Max is the working girl, who doesn’t care about not having a private life, and has the talent to make it to something. Even in real life, those two kind of girls would have been best buddies, and they are pretty much fitting for a premise like this in a comedy series. Count me in on them being likable from the start. And Kat Dennings is cute, she could actually be an up-and-rising start in Hollywood. Because I haven’t known her before this, though I saw her name in the THOR credits.

The pilot was good. It had a story (since both characters got introduced), it had a surprising ongoing storyline (bringing together the $250,000 to open the bakery), it already finished with one story (goodbye Robbie [Noah Mills], I will never miss you) and it started another one (well, the business proposal, and Max and Caroline living together). So far, so good, and the characters are likable too (at least for me). If the future episodes work well like this one, then I will have no difficulties with 2 BROKE GIRLS at all. Which should be totally surprising, after I wasn’t much into the show at all and didn’t even wanted to watch it.

Only the comedy part was, expectedly, not that good. I was laughing when Caroline married and divorced the ketchup, but that’s it. The rest was either misfired punchlines, old jokes, or not really developed. I had the feeling that the comedy was only delivered through the humor, and the episode never got the chance to be comical in situational moments. The scene with Robbie and Caroline was over the top, and the whipped cream scene with Caroline didn’t work for me. The rest was mostly through dialog, so that’s what the writers should work on in the future. In addition, keep the other characters coming. The diner colleagues were all no-names, who didn’t have anything intelligent so say. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind, when 2 BROKE GIRLS is all about Max and Caroline. After all, those two girls were working in the pilot… 6/10

No, nobody came on Caroline

There is a baby in this screencap