Trading Z's For Some G's

2 Broke Girls, S02E12

The girls found out they had forgotten about a huge order of cupcakes due to their lack of sleep.  They snuck out of the diner earlier by faking an illness and tried to bake a thousand cupcakes in a limited time span while being extremely sleep deprived.

I was impressed by a lot of things in this story.  One being that Han is so nice that he keeps Caroline and Max around when they are sleeping blatantly in front of customers.  I guess he's just a super-understanding guy.  It was more amazing that after Max and Caroline faked being sick to cut work and then needed Han's help later, that he agreed.  He's just a big ol' sweetheart.  I mean, Max was piling on the short jokes and he still let them use his ovens.  They really owe him big.  The most impressive thing was that they were able to bake all those cupcakes in such a short time even with Earl and the others' help and especially since they ruined the majority of them at the near end.  Realistically, they shouldn't have been able to pull it off.  Not without one of them falling asleep in the oven or something.  A missing earring was like the least worst thing that could have happened.

I kept thinking there must have been some way they could have checked all those cupcakes without destroying them.  I mean, like sticking a toothpick or something in them?  I dunno.  Caroline probably wasn't thinking at full capacity when she just started tearing them up so quickly.  I would have tried to think of another way.  After all, once they covered them in frosting, I doubt anyone would notice a hole or two.  What a waste.  It was a bigger waste when you think about the earring not even being in any of them.  I guess it was just a way to add more drama and get that Andy issue out in the open.

I'll have to side with Caroline about it being a little weird that Max continued to be friends with Andy after the breakup.  They do have a good friendship and all, but there's no way for it not to be weird when Caroline and Andy still have some feelings for each other.  It would always be awkward and they wouldn't be able to keep Caroline completely out of it.  To my dismay, Andy did the right thing and broke up with Max too.  Aww.  They make such good besties.  Plus, Max loved all that free candy he could give her.  But she'd soon be looking like the worst friend ever to Caroline if she kept texting and talking to Andy as if nothing had happened.  Now I really wish Andy and Caroline would get back together some day.  Love the exchanges between Andy and Max that we'll not get to enjoy anymore.  Boo.

The funniest thing I found in this story was when Caroline was doing her guy voice terribly and she asked Max to let her hear hers.  Max responding that she's doing her guy voice right now was cute.  I liked it even better when Caroline and Max laughed at it together like they were going insane from lack of sleep.

Something that also caught my attention was when Max noted Andy's "Bradley Cooper tone."  He actually sort of looks like that actor--I wouldn't have noticed that before.  No wonder I think Andy is pretty good looking.  Which once again makes me sad if he's not going to make an appearance every now and then.

I liked this episode.  I don't know why, but it was sort of exciting to see hundreds of cupcakes being made.  It was incredible that they got it done in the state they were in and were able to collect $4,000 for it--damn.  If the girls keep this up, they may be in pretty good shape.  Just wish that Caroline and Andy's reunion was in good shape.  Unfortunately, it looks like the two have agreed to close the chapter on that book.  It doesn't stop me for wishing for their reconciliation, though!

Shut It, Carol!

2 Broke Girls, S02E12

The girls were having trouble paying rent so Max was selling cupcakes to some potheads who needed snacks.  They upgraded into selling pot cupcakes and were surprised when they met Andy at their delivery site.

Of course, Caroline wouldn't be cool with Max selling cupcakes to people who are getting high, but if you think about it, when they sell cupcakes to anyone, they might be taking them home and enjoying them as a snack with their pot.  Caroline was being her usual annoying self, getting in the way of Max's profitable idea.  I mean, they didn't have much choice doing something a little shady when Caroline had too much pride to borrow money from Andy.  I was like, seriously?  You're going to be that proud when you're crawling on floors and jumping out of windows to avoid payment?

Anyway, one of my favorite parts was when Caroline was so proud that she had followed Max to find out that she was really following some guy with long, black hair.  I loved that not just because Caroline thought he was Max, but later when the guy was getting arrested, his girlfriend came out looking and sounding like Caroline.  They had somehow stumbled upon their meth doppelgangers.  Loved it.   Later, when Sophie came knocking at their door after they had finished making the pot cupcakes, Caroline shouted out just like Carol had when her boyfriend was being arrested.  I loved that Max responded to her the same way the guy had to Carol:

Shut it, Carol!  Shut it!

I was expecting that I would like Caroline being stoned since she said it made her personality change, but she was sort of worse than she was before.  I guess being overly positive is slightly better than all doom and gloom.  Then again, I guess it just depends how you do the latter.  Caroline wasn't being very funny about it--she was just sort of ruining their chance to get any money.  She also crushed that chance when she tossed out their cupcakes at Andy's arrival and hopped out to the fire escape.  The only thing I did like about her being high is that she had phone sex with Max.  It's funny because I'm not surprised she called her at all (especially with her admitting she'd marry Max if given three choices).

It was sweet that Andy gave Caroline money and said his success was pointless if he couldn't share it with her.  He's the best.  Caroline better never screw it up with him.  It was also sweet of the diner people to come and give money for the girls' rent.  I expected Caroline to turn down their money too, but luckily calling themselves family made her swallow her pride.  Wow.  I was sort of surprised that Han contributed because I kinda feel like he's a little pissed they're not working so hard at his business anymore.  Then again, he did succumb to Max's demands that he sit at their shop and eat eight cupcakes.  Either he is really afraid of her or he wants them to be successful on some level (maybe both).

I think I would have liked this episode even better if Caroline wasn't such a wet blanket about the pot.  Sure, it put their business into a gray area, but they gotta hustle if they want their business to stay afloat until they get a real customer base.  I hope by next time they have a better plan for getting the money so they don't have to hop out of windows to avoid their landlord.  If not, I hope they find something interesting like pot cupcakes again.  It's both an entertaining and cool idea.

Cupcake Cinderellas

2 Broke Girls, S01E23-24

The girls were excited about a meeting with a famous party business owner who had initially agreed to look at their cupcakes, but was only giving them the runaround because he didn't want anything to do with the bad publicity associated with Caroline's father.  After this and some hate mail Caroline got, she got depressed and lost her fighting spirit.  It returned with both Max bringing back Chestnut and Max trying to save face with her old fling Johnny by bragging she would be doing business with Martha Stewart soon.  Caroline suggested that they really go meet Martha Stewart at a gala that Caroline frequented in her wealthier days.  With help from their friends, Max and Caroline were able to dress the part and make it there in time.  They were denied access at the door, but they managed to sneak in as servers and change back into their fancy garb in the bathroom.  While Caroline was finishing changing back, they stumbled into Martha and got her to taste their cupcake.

I would have thought that Caroline would be used to her name giving her trouble while her father was still being punished for his possible crimes.  At this point in the game, her getting depressed about hate mail and blocks to their cupcake success should have been just another day for them.  When Max brought Chestnut back to cheer her up, I almost wished that the horse had trampled all over her.  I would have just left her alone with her woe-as-me attitude.  Maybe Max hasn't gotten such hateful letters before, but she's definitely gone through enough hardships that Caroline's worries should look like a trip to the ice cream shop in comparison.

What did get things interesting was when Johnny showed up at the dinner.  I loved how Earl was treating him like a piece of trash.  It was so funny!  However, I wished that Max had just played it cool and not boasted about her own success to compete with all the good things happening in Johnny's life.  But I can't blame her.  He had success and an engagement to announce.  I think the best thing he could have done to make amends with Max was to not show up in her life at all.  All it did was make her feel ashamed about how far she had come with her own goals.  However, if he hadn't come along to talk about how great he was doing Caroline might not have had the idea for them to speak to Martha Stewart.

I knew from the moment that Caroline said she didn't have anything to wear to the gala back at their apartment that Sophie would be the one to provide them with clothes.  The montage where they were trying on clothes wasn't that great (except the moment where Max and Sophie were playing with each others' boobs), but the dress that Max picked in the end was really beautiful on her.  She really has a chest to die for.  If I could look that great in a dress like that, I would totally wear it.  I'm always excited to see Max outside of her ugly, mustard-colored uniform, but this time she really looked fabulous (Caroline was all right).

Earl was so sweet when he brought them corsages.  It was like they were going to the prom or something and he was a proud father.  That added to the element that the night was going to be magical, not unlike Cinderella going to her first ball (it would be Max's first gala).

I don't know about them getting to the event on a horse, though.  Wouldn't it be hard to go fast on it in the streets of New York?  There's no one they didn't encounter traffic.  But I liked how they were able to charm the policemen into holding Chestnut for them and not arresting them for riding a horse on a bridge illegally.  Plus, it would have been just too much if after all of that they ended up in jail.  It would have been more realistic, but not very entertaining for the sake of this show.

Since they were later spending so much time in the bathroom, I had a feeling that was where they would meet Martha.  I liked that Caroline was bad-mouthing her a bit before she realized she was there.  She also had a lot of balls to say such things to her and then offer her the smooshed cupcake right there in the bathroom.  This once again confirms that Caroline is the muscle in their business--she gets shit done.  They got Martha's approval and got her to take their business card.  That was more than I thought they might accomplish.

I think this was an acceptable season finale.  It wasn't ground-breaking, but this isn't what this show is about anyway.  Will the girls finally get some legitimate business now that Martha has their business card?  Who knows if we'll ever find out, considering it's not a guarantee that this show will be picked up next season.  Whether it does or not, I will say that I've enjoyed what I've seen so far, even with all the distasteful jokes and superficial plot developments.  I want to see what else is in store for Max, so I'll try to keep positive about the future of this show.

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.

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.