***Warning: Spoilers Ahead***
I have no problem saying that Broad City is one of the most criminally underrated television shows of the past five years. The show was created by on-screen and real-life best friends Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, who play versions of themselves in the series as they go about their day-to-day life as two young, Jewish women living in New York City. Starting as a web series in 2009. With two seasons under its belt, the show was officially picked up by Comedy Central in 2013 and with the help of executive producer, and SNL alum, Amy Poehler, Broad City was a hit. Their on-screen personas seem to be exaggerations of their real-life selves: Ilana is an extraverted, lovable slacker with not a judgemental bone in her body, and Abbi is an awkward, semi-responsible artist with a bad luck streak and a competitive edge. In honour of the show’s fifth and final season premiering on January 24th, here are the best moments of the show’s history.
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Season 1 Episode 1, “What a Wonderful World”
In the series premiere, the girls must find any way they can to make $200 in one day so they can attend a secret, pop-up Lil Wayne concert that night. Ilana reveals to Abbi that a man has hired them to clean his apartment for $200, if they do it in their underwear. As if that wasn’t unappealing enough, upon arriving to the apartment, the girls discover that the man, played by Fred Armisen, is dressed as and acts like a baby. They clean his whole apartment, but discover that he really believes himself to be a baby, claiming that he can’t pay them because “I’m a baby, I have no money.” The scene is hysterical, and makes you wanna fight this baby-man while also laugh at his ridiculous dialogue.
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Season 1 Episode 3, “Working Girls”
Another moment in season one that is simply perfect comes from one of the supporting roles, Lincoln, who is Ilana’s number one friend-with-benefits. Ilana is dog-walking to make extra cash, and upon arriving at the park, Lincoln bonds with the dogs, calling one “kinda standoffish.” He proceeds to name the dogs after their personalities, naming one dog in particular after “the wonderful, the esteemed” actress, Judith Light, due to the dog’s haircut resembling Judith’s blonde, flowy, wispy locks.
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Season 2 Episode 3: “Wisdom Teeth”
In this season two episode, Abbi has her wisdom teeth removed and Ilana must take care of her for the day. While high on painkillers from the operation, Abbi does a spot-on, albeit very stoned impression of Drew Barrymore in the cab. The best part is that Ilana is laughing right along with you as Abbi speaks sideways out of her mouth and pronounces words just like Drew, until blood starts gushing out of her mouth.
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Season 2 Episode 5: “Hashtag FOMO”
In one of the show’s most iconic plot twists, Ilana learns a hidden secret about Abbi that not even sober Abbi knows: when Abbi gets blackout drunk, she goes to an underground, 1920s-style bar and becomes “Val.” Val is a lounge singer and beloved regular patron of this bar. When she becomes Val, Abbi speaks in a Classic Hollywood voice and says stuff like “hot dog” and “scallywag.” The entire scene is so unexpected and spectacular, and the best part is when Abbi doesn’t remember anything the next morning, curing Ilana of her “FOMO” (Fear Of Missing Out) from earlier in the episode as she is the only one who knows about Abbi’s alter ego.
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Season 2 Episode 6: “The Matrix”
I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of this one: after googling Judge Judy’s net worth and episode count, the girls get lost in the World Wide Web, getting “sucked into the Matrix” which leads them to forget they were even in the same room. They realize after Ilana Facetimes Abbi on her laptop, and the girls decide to ditch technology for the rest of the day. Though this plan ultimately fails them, wasting the day online to the point that you forget where you are is unfortunately too relatable.
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Season 3 Episode 1: “Two Chainz”
In premiere of season three, Ilana gets a call from Lincoln about his “graduation” from his trapeze class. The moment is brief, but the mere sight of Lincoln “trapezing” makes the whole episode. It’s made even better when he calls his mom after to tell her.
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Season 3 Episode 3: “Game Over”
This is one of the most well-known references to the show, and rightfully so, as it’s also one of the most hilarious. Ilana is confronted by her pushover boss, Todd, about her inappropriate workplace attire, as it reveals her midriff and is, frankly, a hoodie for dogs. Ilana clarifies that it’s not a dog hoodie but actually a hoodie from “the dog owners’ section at American Apparel,” but realizes her mistake when Todd points out that there are holes in the hood for a dog’s ears. It’s hysterical enough, but Ilana proceeds to share that this is not the first time this has happened to her.
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Season 3 Episode 8: “Burning Bridges”
In virtually the only only serious moment of the show’s four seasons, the eighth episode of the third season shows Ilana dealing with her feelings in a new and raw way when Lincoln breaks things off with her. She tells Abbi that he broke up with her, though she realizes that they were never really together despite the fact that he always wanted to be, and bawls in Abbi’s arms as she tells her that he doesn’t even want to be friends. It’s a heartbreaking exchange, as Abbi first thinks Ilana is crying because she just found out Abbi lied to her about dating her boss, Trey, whom she and Ilana both make fun of, but realizes it’s much deeper than that.
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Season 4 Episode 1: “Sliding Doors”
Though season four lacked the unity and laugh-out-loud hilarity of its former seasons, the premiere did exactly what it needed in order to get fans hooked. The episode shows how Abbi and Ilana first met, showing an alternate universe where certain things may never have happened throughout the course of their lives had they made it onto the subway that one day, and what really happened. Though we see how many things were different, such as Ilana’s gay roommate Jaime, still in the closet and Abbi’s roommate’s freeloading boyfriend, Bevers, with a ripped body, the most shocking detail is Ilana’s signature curly hairdo straightened to a crisp. The episode as a whole is its own iconic moment, showing that Broad City’s still got it.
Edited by: Amanda Cloutier-Santos