4.01 - "And the Reality Problem"
Directed by Don Scardino
Written by Michael Patrick King
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington
Last night, 2 Broke Girls returned with an okay demo in the Nielsen ratings, but did the episode return in as good a quality as it should have been? I'll be reviewing the fourth season of 2 Broke Girls on SpoilerTV which I am so excited for as I am a big fan of the show - it's one of my favourite comedies.
Season Guide
Click on an episode title to be taken to my review of the episode.
4.01 - "And the Reality Problem" (October 27, 2014)
4.02 - "And the DJ Face" (November 3, 2014)
4.03 - "And the Childhood Not Included" (November 10, 2014)
4.04 - "And the Old Bike Yarn" (November 17, 2014)
4.05 - "And the Brand Job" (November 24, 2014)
4.06 - "And the Model Apartment" (December 8, 2014)
4.07 - "And the Loan for Christmas" (December 15, 2014)
4.08 - "And the Fun Factory" (January 5, 2015)
4.09 - "And the Past and the Furious" (January 19, 2015)
4.10 - "And the Move-In Meltdown" (February 2, 2015)
4.11 - "And the Crime Ring" (February 9, 2015)
4.12 - "And the Knock-Off Knockout" (February 16, 2015)
4.13 - "And the Great Unwashed" (February 23, 2015)
4.14 - "And the Cupcake Captives" (March 9, 2015)
4.15 - "And the Fat Cat" (March 23, 2015)
4.16 - "And the Zero Tolerance" (March 30, 2015)
4.17 - "And the High Hook-Up" (April 13, 2015)
4.18 - "And the Taste Test" (April 20, 2015)
4.19 - "And the Look of the Irish" (April 27, 2015)
4.20 - "And the Minor Problem" (May 4, 2015)
4.21 - "And the Grate Expectations" (May 11, 2015)
4.22 - "And the Disappointing Unit" (May 18, 2015)
'And the Reality Problem' Recap
The episode opens with Max and Caroline ready to close the shop where Caroline decides to open the tips jar. A man comes to the window and Caroline realises it's a hipster hold-up. He tells them to hand over all the money and that he has a gun. Max doesn't take the bait and the hipster ends up giving them a twenty.
In the diner, Caroline realises their cupcake competition has went out of business. Max is happy but Caroline is concerned that all the cupcake businesses are going bust. Han comes in after being gone but nobody realised he went to San Francisco for a convention. Han wants a new food addition to the menu but Oleg protests. Han says it's four dollar toast but Caroline thinks it's too fancy for the restaurant as the customers prefer plain things. Sophie walks in and shows off her Tinder account. She sees a tweet off Kim Kardashian and Caroline praises Kim.
A woman comes to the window of Max's Homemade Cupcakes and wants to speak to the owner. She wants to know if they want a popular reality show filmed there. They find out it's for Keeping Up With the Kardashians which Caroline is excited for but Max doesn't want them filming there. They go to Sophie's to use her TV to watch the show. They end up watching it through to the morning as they had gotten addicted, now Max thinks the show is genius. They agree to let the show film there.
Later while working at the cupcake shop, the pair are happy and still obsessed with the show. The woman comes to the shop and tells them there's been a change, that the girls can't walk to the shop as it's too far in heels. The girls are disappointed and Max is angry. When Caroline is trying to sleep, Max is making so much noise as she has made hate cupcakes for the Kardashians. Caroline refuses to get out of bed so Max threatens to close it with her in it. Caroline's hair gets caught and Max has no choice but to use the scissors. Caroline suggests using her "make-up remover" which is actually lube. It doesn't work when somebody knocks on the door. Max tries to open the door but the lube makes it too slippery. It's Oleg who has burnt too many breads for Han's toast.
Earl later comes by when Max comes through the door, Caroline still in bed. She reveals she had part of a brownie while smiling. Max cupcake-bombed Kim Kardashian's hotel and finds Caroline being still in bed ridiculous, but Caroline says her hair is too important to her. Han comes and soon Sophie does too, so it's an apartment with everybody in it. Sophie reveals Kim has tweeted about them, which Max reads as a picture of her cupcakes with their brand name, with a hashtag "Not cool". At first Caroline seems angry but she is actually happy because a lot of people hate the Kardashians so she gets Max to cut her loose. Caroline screams at the amount of hair has been cut off.
At the Cupcake Shop, Max is talking with some customers slating the Kardashians. Caroline comes to the window, revealing her new hairstyle. She had to use the last of their savings. A black car pulls up in front of the cupcake window where Kim Kardashian steps out. Kim apologises for not filming at the shop the other day and offers to buy a cupcake and tweet about it for real. Kim is about to give them a hundred but Caroline says they can't break it so the cupcake is on the house. Kim thanks them and puts the hundred in the tips jar. Max asks if her mother would adopt her, which Kim replies with her catchphrase. Max and Caroline freak out when she goes into the car, and cools down when Kim looks back. They freak out again when she is out of sight.
New total: $1,950.00
'And the Reality Problem' Review
Man, how I missed 2 Broke Girls over the summer. This is my first review of the show and I want to express how much I love Max and Caroline, I think they're amazing leads for a comedy. They have electric chemistry and can really bounce off each other for comedy. They actually compliment each other even though they are very different. The season four premiere really showcases their friendship, as does every other episode, but it really works here. Most of the comedy comes from the pair, though I also love the comedy from Sophie. I think she absolutely steals every scene she's in.
One of the best parts of the episode was at the beginning when Sophie comes into the diner and reveals how popular she is on Tinder. I tried Tinder once, which was actually hilarious in itself, so hearing the consecutive pings made me snort. Sophie was really happy that she was getting lots of people interested in her. The woman who I am guessing was the agent or location scout for the Kardashians was really funny too, when she scolds someone on the phone and ends it with "mommy loves you". Twist!!
I like how the girls hated Keeping Up With the Kardashians before watching it. It actually resonates with how I felt about the show. I thought it was TV-trash and I hadn't even watched it. My mother and sister love the show and one day, they were watching it in the living room. I didn't have much to do so I just sat down and watched it for a little while... and I enjoyed it. I hated myself for it, but at the same time, it just felt like an insanely good guilty pleasure. I didn't go as far as Caroline and cried, but it entertained me. I think the Kardashians get a lot of stick but I don't hate them, I kinda like them. I actually respect that they've done so well for themselves, not just anybody could do that. Nobody can deny how successful they've become and while I might be jealous of that, I don't hate them for it.
Han being small jokes are a little past their sell-by date on the show now. Occassionally, it's funny if the joke is well done, but a lot of the time, it's more miss than hit. I get that Han is Family Guy's Meg on the show, but there comes a point where every single scene he's in he's insulted for being small and it just loses its value over time. They need a new recurring gag with Han. I do love his innocence though, and saying the wrong thing that sounds really filthy. Oleg is Oleg as usual and I always enjoy his sexual innuendos and dirty references. I also liked how he jumped the gun when Caroline was on the bed.
Speaking of Caroline on the bed, when she got her hair caught is classic Caroline. I loved how it happened, with Max pushing the bed up with her in it and Caroline pleading for Max to stop. That's classic Max too. I actually really love Caroline's new haircut, it really suits her. I love it so much more than Kaley Cuoco's new hairdo.
Beth Behrs' new hair > Kaley Cuoco's new hair
Kim Kardashian's blink-and-you'll-miss cameo was smaller than I thought it would be. Okay, so it's not exactly blink-and-you'll-miss, but they could have used her more. Even though I knew she was coming on the show, I still dropped my mouth like Max and Caroline when she stepped out of the car. I guess I got really swept up in the episode with the characters and began to feel what they felt. I did enjoy Kim's cameo and she was super sweet, not awkward at all. I honestly dropped my mouth again when she put the $100 in the tips jar like Max and Caroline haha. This is yet another special celebrity appearance on the show recently, following Lindsay Lohan earlier this year. I really wonder who is next.
Funniest Quotes
Caroline: Oh my God, it's a hipster hold-up!
Hipster: Hand it over, I have a gun.
Max: Well I have a death-wish so that's not gonna work!
Max: I have a way with people.
Caroline: It's like there's a serial killer out there coming after cupcakes!
Max: Well he should be easy to outrun 'cause that'll be one fat Dexter.
Han: I am not gay, I'm restaurant curious.
Oleg: Pick up! Pulled pork. And it's good 'cause before I pulled it, I gave it a dry rub.
Han: At first I was reluctant to put something so big in my mouth but the hot butter drizzling down my chin was my sticky reward!
Sophie: Guess what? Seventy-eight guys want me on Tinder. *ping* Seventy-nine! *ping* Now it's eighty!
Max: How long have you been on Tinder?
Sophie: Ten minutes! This guy is a plumber, are you kidding me? Yes, that's a match! And this guy isn't even wearing a shirt, that's another big yes.
Max: So! I was on fire! That's the last time I try witchcraft for free snacks.
Sophie: I love the Kardashians. They're like the Kennedys but with bigger asses.
Woman: Would you be interested in having a popular...
Caroline: Yes
Woman: I didn't finish.
Caroline: Sorry, it's just I haven't heard the word popular in so long.
Max: Yeah, she's over. She's like the Blockbuster Video of people.
Max: Ooh, maybe it's 16 and Pregnant and they're doing a 'where are they now' segment and they found me! Or what about you, Here Comes Honey Boobless.
Woman: You will do what I say or you are OUT! Okay, mummy loves you. *puts phone down* Sorry, my baby's Nigerian. I mean, if you're gonna live here, learn the language!
Caroline: Just give me one good reason why we shouldn't keep up with the Kardashians!
Max: I'll give you FIVE good reasons. Kim. Kamber. Klondike. *Caroline shakes her head* And the little ones, Crispy and Cream.
Caroline: Not even close.
Max: Fine. Kim. Cookie. Kool-Aid. And the little ones Captain and Kangaroo.
Caroline: It's like Dancing With the Stars. Except without the stars. So Dancing With the Stars.
Max: Okay, tell me one good thing about this show that I hate 'cause I've never seen it.
Caroline: Well, it's all about this family and their struggle to... keep up. Yeah okay, I've never seen it either.
Caroline: The only way we'd get more exposure is if Orlando Bloom and Bieber bitch-slapped each other in front of our shop.
Caroline: Oleg, come to the bed, I need you.
Oleg: All right! Only took you four years but I'm here, baby!
Sophie: Oh my God, Kim Kardashian hates someone I know!
Max: Hey Caroline, we finally get to scissor.
Episode Verdict
The season four premiere of 2 Broke Girls starts very well. It had some great comedic moments with very quotable lines. I kept writing down the quotes from most parts and it started to feel like I was just writing out the whole script. I enjoyed this premiere very much. It wasn't the best premiere of the show and it wasn't the best episode, but it was certainly far from being a bad episode. That's good, it means season four has arrived and hopefully the entire season will keep up (with the Kardashians wink wink).
What did you guys think of 'And the Reality Problem'? Let me know in the comments and be sure to watch the next new episode of 2 Broke Girls, November 3rd on CBS!
