We wrapped last season with a celebration of Abbi's birthday, so it's appropriate that Ilana's day takes center stage this time. I generally think of Abbi as the mellow one (comparatively) and Ilana as zany, so it's interesting that the energy and humor was flip flopped for their special days respectively. I think this points to a broader trend of how the ladies are attempting to grow and evolve the series. In season one, Ilana was a cartoon character, down for anything and perpetually stoned and happy. Abbi was anxious, neurotic, unconfident, and a little delusional. Season two gifted us an empowered Abbi, a woman with a lot more confidence, who achieved her dream of becoming a trainer (sort of), pegged her long time crush and left him in the dust when he turned out to be an asshole (pun intended), and generally gave less and less of a fuck. Where season one Abbi played straight man to Ilana, season two Ilana seem to be in more of a supporting role this time around, cheering Abbi from the sidelines through her adventures. This was brilliant, because it saved both characters from becoming rote, and allowed for unexpected story lines. But I can't say I wasn't missing Ilana a little bit.
And that's where this finale feels very strategic to me. Both girls are pretty mellow, taking a back seat to Brooklyn itself as the star here. They both feel more realistic, with Abbi trying to show her young friend a good time as the older, in theory more established one. Even when they're chasing a hipster down the street, where Broad City might usually choose to plant surprise jokes, it's pretty much just a straight forward chase scene. I honestly was kind of twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the episode to begin in earnest, and then I realized it was almost over. For the most part, this episode was not a stand out for me. But I don't think it was supposed to be.
Because then the last scene happens. The girls regroup at a pizza place and discuss their goals for the coming year, another remix of the final scene from last season's finale where they discussed their bucket list. But true to the trend, where last season's bucket list was goofy and played for laughs, this season's goals are earnest and surprisingly intimate. Ilana's list in particular opens new doors for the character. She wants to gradually tone down her dosage of antidepressants. This is the first indication we've got that Ilana is not just a magical unicorn person who lives in the land of great weed and better sex, who can rock a fanny pack or a weave with equal aplomb, who radiates cool and carelessness. This is a huge step forward/away from the cartoon character chic that Ilana's character has been built on, and really humanizes her. It's hard to understand why such a wonderful person would be sad ever. But then one of her final lines over the last shot of the episode, in response to Abbi, is "I hate pain. I love pleasure." And there's our answer. Ilana doesn't deal well. She's an extreme person, and logically she'd feel pain as intensely as she feels pleasure. And that's really interesting, and a place that Broad City hasn't really gone yet.
It's also something I think is really important. Broad City as a show and Ilana in particular are quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon. She's sort of a beacon of light in TV land right now, a portrait of a young woman who wears whatever she wants, eats whatever she wants, says whatever she wants, and not even on purpose. It never feels like the show is trying to make a statement with Ilana, Ilana just exists as she is. Which makes her character so much more powerful than if she was reduced to some dogmatic feminist agenda. She is realness. She's inspiring, and awe-inspiring. And that last part could get problematic. Ilana's character has become a cultural touchstone in certain circles, mostly with young women. But too much awesomeness can push relate-ability into unattainability. Season two as a whole, and St.Mark's in particular brings Ilana back down to earth, and gives her some shades of grey (not that kinky kind). We get to see some of Ilana's humanity here. And in a show that's not pushing any specific agenda, this fits my agenda just fine. Because now I can truly relate to her as a human. If Ilana has bad days and has to medicate some times (with marijuana or antidepressants or what have you) and is still so awesome, then what's stopping me from being awesome too? What's stopping me from getting out of bed on bad days? What's stopping me from rocking fanny packs? Ilana Wexler is totally tangled up in Ilana Glazer, so I'm assuming this reflects some of the real life Ilana's experiences too. If Glazer can co-create a hit TV show, and still is terrified of pain, what's stopping me from making something amazing?
I think we've known for awhile that we're witnessing the birth of an icon. Broad City is unlike anything else out there. Ilana Wexler and Abbi Abrams are truly new and fresh characters. This show has gone from being a sleepy little afterthought to Workaholics, to a cultural institution. And Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobsen know it. So I'm glad they seem to be carefully building both their characters and their show to keep everything fresh, keep it real, and maybe, hopefully, live up to their sudden cultural importance. In less-skilled hands, it wouldn't be surprising if the show couldn't live up to the hype. But these last couple of lines, and the mellow, sort of bemused tone of St.Mark's points the show in a new and exciting direction, and forecasts some changes in tone and content we can expect for season three. And I for one welcome it.
I actually can't fucking wait.
