It's All About The Cupcakes

2 Broke Girls, S01E22

Caroline used their connection with Peach to get them a job making cupcakes for one of her friends in Manhattan.  Max refused to do it at first because she both didn't want to deal with the fickle nature of butter cream nor wanted to jeopardize her babysitting job.  Caroline later convinced her to do it, but due to a delay on the subway, the cupcakes were ruined before they got to the party.  Peach pretended to fire Max at her friend's, but later she begged Max to come back and babysit her kids full time.  Max decided to take a leap and focus more of her time on her cupcake business, so she turned Peach down.  Oleg and Sophie bickered about whether the sex between them was good and whether they were in love.

Caroline usually has nothing but good intentions, but it's a little pushy of her to talk to Peach without Max's knowledge and get them a job.  Their cupcake business isn't taking off so well that they can afford to start cutting off their side income already.  I feel like the funnel bitches just sparked a lot of jealousy inside of her, and she wanted to prove that they could get the same kind of success in such a short amount of time.  I agree that Max needs a push or she'll just be at that dead-end job (or countless others) for the rest of her life, but I don't think that Caroline really thought much about Max's feelings when putting her babysitting job at risk.  They need to move the business along for sure, but they also need to make sure that they can pay the rent and get food.  The diner surely isn't going to pay them enough.  Thank goodness they still have Sophie's cleaning job to help them out.

Sophie and Oleg's relationship is starting to get irritating.  They need to either be together or not be together, instead of us having to randomly see them coming out of the kitchen, looking disheveled and ashamed.  They've screwed so many times in that restaurant that I can't imagine anyone ever eating there.  I would be too terrified that some of Oleg's "special ingredient" might have gotten in the food.   Thanks to the uncertainty of their relationship, we got to hear a lot of distasteful jokes from Oleg, including proclaiming that Sophie's sausage was done (referring to his pants) and that the ham in the freezer was already glazed before they got in there.  I see why Sophie doesn't want to admit anything when it comes to someone who is disgusting for both the eyes and the ears.

My favorite part was when Max was upset with Caroline on the subway and didn't talk to her for a while.  They were sitting between one lady who kept saying that the delay was due to a dead body and a man who wanted Caroline to just shut up.  The latter was definitely my favorite.  I really felt bad for them when they not only got stuck on the subway for a while, but also had to exit it and walk two blocks to the next station in the parts of the subway where rats could eat them.  I also thought it was crazy that they had to leap across this gap to get by where an uncoordinated person could have surely injured themselves.  Caroline was worried about the rats, but I would be more worried about falling and breaking a hip or something.

I like Peach, despite her airheaded nature and incompetent maternal skills, but her friend Constance is another matter.  She had the right to be outraged that they were late with damaged goods, but she didn't need to be such a bitch about it.  They agreed to fix the problem, but she didn't want to hear it.  Peach had Max's back for a second, but peer pressure won out in the end.  I think it was victory that neither of them threw their cupcakes at that mean whore for treating them like sub-humans.

I think my favorite line in the episode was when Peach came to the diner to look for Max:

[Peach] I'm looking for Max.... I think her last name is Black. Oh, sorry, it might be "African American."

[Earl] You think her name is "Max African-American?"

Nice try at being PC, yet wrong timing.  It does make a good point about how sometimes being PC is just too much and maybe it would be better if people didn't have to edit themselves so much.

I wished that Max would have taken her job back because those twins are really adorable.  I was reminded of that fact when they were doing their photo shoot in an earlier scene.  Max promised she would stop by to see them someday, but I wonder if we'll ever get to see those times.  I usually don't care too much about kids in shows, but those are some adorable children.

I'm not too sure that Max quitting that job will be good for her, but she's listened to Caroline's advice so far and it hasn't been too bad for her, so maybe it's all for the best.  I look forward to the day that they quit the diner job (except that we won't get to see Earl).  I'm starting to wonder what they are going to do to end the season with a bang because lately they have been moving along at a gentle pace, not having too much success and not having too many drawbacks.  I'm hoping that balance between them of less than 700 dollars can rise to a sizable sum in the finale.  If nothing else exciting happens, that would be a great ending.

Spring Break Is Anywhere There Are Portable Saunas And Bacon

2 Broke Girls, S01E19

This week Caroline and Max went on "spring vacation" after Caroline was asked to dog sit for two of her friends.  They not only manage to have a great time, but they also find a blogger who writes about their cupcake business, thanks to Caroline.  Sophie is also seen many times hooking up with Oleg again.  I'm not sure if that's not a big grosser than Caroline having to purge a dog's anal gland.

I loved how Max was so excited about the portable saunas.  It reminded me a little of how much she adored Caroline's bathtub in her old house.  I almost thought she might just spend the entire time sitting in there until she was nothing but a raisin.  I have never seen one of those things myself, and I thought they looked a little ridiculous.  But I guess when you don't have the option of going to a real sauna or a spa, that sort of thing must be priceless (if you enjoy that sort of thing).

Max was also a cute combination with Barbara Streisand at the party while she pretended to be the type of girl who carried her dog everywhere.  Since Max seems to have a soft spot for animals, I could see her future self having a designer bag or something of the like where she kept her dog on her person at all times.  And she would definitely be able to pull off the right attitude to prevent anyone, like Zeke from the party, from making her follow the rules about animals not being allowed.  I guess Zeke must have thought she was pretty cute (or the dog too) to make Max leave the party.  I was hoping maybe the two would get close, but I can't see him being more than a "spring fling."

I'm glad that Caroline didn't ruin their chances to have a well-known food blogger write about one of their cupcakes.  I was worried that with their pretty standard cupcakes that they wouldn't be able to impress the lady, but I was pleased to see that Max thought outside of the box and incorporated elements of food and drink she had been exposed to during their mini-vacation.  A beer-batter bacon cupcake?  I don't like bacon that much, but I might try that.  Hopefully, the free publicity will pay off and their website will get more business.  If they get too much, though, I don't know how they will be able to manage baking in between working at the diner (but I guess they ultimately want that much business so they could quit their job).

I don't know what Sophie is thinking constantly having sex with Oleg.  At least he isn't walking around their apartment building or diner like he is some kind of god.  Sophie sure looks a little embarrassed, but she just goes right back to him.  I usually wouldn't judge, but she's basically dating him now and should just make it official.  What's the point of "sneaking" around if everyone already knows your business?  Just go ahead and take that final leap, Sophie.  Woman up.

Things have been going pretty well for their cupcake business, but I foresee some kind of road bump soon.  It can't go too well or it wouldn't make good TV (although, I feel for the two girls and I would personally be happy to see them get their dreams with little trouble).  At some point along the road of their success, I would like to see Max get seriously involved with someone.  It would be great if it was someone who could sweep her off her feet and give her the kind of relationship that she's never had before.  Caroline can be an airhead sometimes, so I'd not like to see her get distracted by a man again (look how she did with that random Greek guy).  Let's find Max some love!  She deserves it.

Who Cares About Caroline's Birthday?

2 Broke Girls, S01E18

Mainly because this was a Caroline-centered episode, I didn't particularly like it.  It was her birthday, and she hooked up with a pretty fine web designer.  Just like the party that Max planned with pretty much only balloons as decorations, there were some things lacking this week.

What comes to mind is that there wasn't enough Sophie.  Her best moment was when she was eating a cupcake and ogling Caroline and the hottie making out.  We've also come to expect her to reject Oleg for a good minute or two, and this time she barely had a few seconds to send him an insult.  Dang.  And there was no interaction between she and Earl this time.  Double-dang!  The fact that she hooked up with Oleg was almost gross except that Oleg thankfully didn't go around bragging about it in the nastiest way possible.  Dodged a bullet there.  I wonder if that will be the end of their fooling around or will it progress beyond just "hand stuff."

It was also pretty predictable that the reason Caroline didn't want to celebrate her birthday was because she wouldn't be able to spend it with her dad.  When isn't it about her dad??  Like, there needs to be a limit to how much of a daddy's girl she is.  It's getting a little annoying.  We did get to see a glimpse of him, but I wasn't straining my eyes (or going back a few seconds) to see what he really looked like.  It's not really that important to the story.

If I have to be truthful, besides the extremely ghetto lady with the dreads, my favorite thing about Monday's story was the Capri Suns.  I love these and when Max said that she was going to have them at the party, I totally thought she was joking.  But they were all drinking them!  And Oleg's call for all the party members to "raise their capri to the sun" was excellent.  Seriously, back in the day I used to drink those things like water and inhale them as quickly as air.  This episode didn't have much to offer, but I respect a good shout-out to my favorite portable drink.

I wonder what kind of business they will get after that website is up and running.  I'm hoping that whatever mishap it will bring will be up to my standards.  A reference to Capri Suns can only get you so far.

Max's New Family

2 Broke Girls, S01E17

You know, after this episode I noticed that this show warms my heart for real sometimes.  It's very unexpected because the tempo of this show is more light and edgy, rather than anything deep that might  evoke your emotions.  There's something about good things happening to Max that make me smile and feel good to see them.

This time Caroline was being crazy about not getting sick.  At first, I thought she needed to just chill out, but with Han sneezing in people's faces, I'd get a little psycho too.  What the hell??  He needs one of those cold masks they wear in Japan in the winter.  Something.  Cuz that is just nasty!  He makes up for it a little bit by paying for Caroline to visit a pharmacy that also has a doctor working there.

Before they get there, Sophie comes in the diner and has another sexy chat with Earl.  I am loving this pattern of their banter.  Why don't they just get together?  It doesn't seem like they would when Sophie claims that she is meeting a guy there she was introduced online.  The clearly men-loving man that shows up is far from my expectations of who she would date.  Everyone else can tell, so I figure that Sophie must know herself that the man is gay.  She's not an idiot or either she might actually fall for Oleg.

Oleg takes another whack at winning over Sophie with his velour suit and numerous penis remarks.  Sometimes he wants to make me gag, but at least he's not too bad on the eyes.  He's not a hottie, but he's not a troll either.  In fact, if he didn't refer so much to sex, he might be all right.  Maybe.  Anyway, Sophie rejects him again, and Oleg gets annoyed that a gay man has a better chance with her than he does.  That's gotta sting.

Caroline talks about her "adopted" Jewish family she thought she had been close with.  This is because the pharmacy they were sent to ended up being in the Orthodox Jewish district.  I really wish Caroline would shut up!  She goes beyond offensive with her overly eager attempt to show that she knows the Jewish community with her random Hebrew phrases and stereotypical mannerisms.  The lady at the counter was much nicer to them than she needed to be.  She was particularly fond of Max, who she thought looked just like her.  Even though Caroline was being offensive, they land a cupcake gig for the lady's son's bar mitzvah.

When making the cupcakes that have to be kosher, Max decides to ignore this and make 40 cupcakes the non-kosher way.  However, Caroline convinces her to do it right.  Somehow I wish that she didn't listen to her because Caroline is so annoying when she wants someone to do something.  The best thing about this scene was Sophie coming with her new boyfriend and admitting she knew he was gay, and it just want she wanted.  Great.  I knew she wasn't a dummy!  But I was worried about her giving a man she met not too long ago the keys to her apartment while she wasn't there.  I thought that would prove to be a problem, but it didn't.  Good for her.  I wouldn't trust that guy for at least a few months.  You never know what con some guy on the internet is trying to pull on you.

To blend in at the event, Caroline gets them appropriate attire, which includes over-sized cardigans.  They looked like homeless old ladies.  You know that something has to go wrong, but I didn't expect it to be that the boys there would start talking to Max and Caroline like they were gangsta rappers.  What in the world??  It was completely hilarious.  Not only did they keep propositioning the two for sex, but they were so completely opposite of the quiet and obedient personalities they presented to the rest of the family.  I don't blame them for wanting to act out with the strict life they probably have, but that was too much.  Too much in a great way.

The best part was when the mother and grandmother dote upon Max when she breaks out in a fever.  Max has never experienced such tender, motherly care.  And the older ladies just love her.  I just loved it.  She deserved to have someone take care of her like that.  However, it didn't last long after Max had to confess that four of the cupcakes were not kosher.  So not only did her the little love fest end, they didn't get paid for the cupcakes.  The latter was less disappointing than Max losing favor with her new mother and "Bubbie."   But the mother did let her keep the cold compress.  Aww...  I felt bad for Max.  She screwed up but it wasn't the end of the world.  I wish she could have really bonded with them and gotten more of the motherly love she had been missing on.  Earl is already her substitute dad.

The girls made no money this episode, but Max made a sweet connection.  I like episodes that focus on her opening up her heart a little more, as long as they don't involve Caroline.  Caroline is a good person at heart, but she tries too hard.  I'd like to see more of Max growing in this way next week.

A Heart Attack Is A Good Valentine's Day Story

2 Broke Girls, S01E16

This Valentine's Day episode was less about romantic love and more about fatherly love.  Our favorite cashier, Earl, comes down with a heart attack as he is about to get off work.  He treats the condition with little anxiety, remarking that he started feeling the pain when Sophie came in her revealing dress.  Now that is not much of a shocker because her melons were quite on display when she came into the restaurant, sporting a purple parasol.  Wow.  I also like what Sophie says to Earl before he has his attack:

I wish we had black people in Poland when I was growing up.

Caroline and Max rush Earl to the hospital with Sophie's town car.  The ER is full of people, and the guy at the front desk is anything but sympathetic to Max's sense of urgency.  Her threats to this unhelpful man are hilarious.  They tell him that Earl is actually Morgan Freeman, and that Max is his daughter.  The guy finds it hard to believe and even less when she says that Earl is the "love of her life."  Max wonderfully explains that both of these things are true because they're from the South.  Being a Southern girl myself, I can appreciate that kind of joke.  My favorite threat that Max uses on the front desk guy is that she would "cut [him] so deep that [he'd] have a vagina."  Her thug side really came out when Earl was in trouble.  I loved it.  I don't have to necessarily understand how their relationship came about, but you really see Max's deep love of him.

Caroline is able to get Earl a private room after asking for the help of her ex, Dr. David, who works at the hospital and practically owns it.  I was surprised that after he complained about his Dartmouth shirt Caroline never returned that he pretty easily agreed to help Max and Caroline out.  I wasn't really sure why, but Caroline took it as a sign that the two might get back together.  It was here that I thought we would see that random hook-up for the sake of it being Valentine's Day.  No such luck.  He rejected her because he didn't want anything to do with her family now that Caroline's father was in prison.  Wow.  What an asshole.  I guess we were a little deceived by him helping Earl to think that he was a decent guy.  Well, Caroline is better off.

It was funny when Han comes to visit Earl at the hospital.  He was still wearing his Cupid wings from the restaurant and Earl mistook him for an angel.  One of his concerns about going to Heaven was that there would be no jazz music.  Ha.

I also found myself unable to hold back a giggle when Sophie and Oleg talk in the restaurant.  He wants her to come clean his apartment and she responds:

Oh, you cannot get me to come.

Oh, I can get you to come.

No, I can longer come anymore.

It goes on like that for longer than I thought it would and the sexual implications are funny since it's Sophie, who is almost dead serious, and Oleg, whose brain never leaves the gutter if he can help it.

Caroline's father surprises both girls with some flowers at the end of the episode.  Aww.  I like that Max turns the sentimental moment into something sexual to distract us from her real feelings.  But that's something that I like about her character.  As far as romance goes, Max did apologize to the front desk guy at the end and give him some Valentine's candy.  He then asked her out, and Max only hesitated a second to get his number.  Hey, I think they have something special.  If anyone can sit there and take Max's most thug-like threats and not wet himself, he's probably a good match for her.

This episode was a good blend of funny, but also a bit heartwarming.  They should have more stories like this one.  This might be one of my favorite Valentine's episodes I've seen within the past week.