Big changes are underway in the world of Broad City. For one, Ilana has sex with a guy over six-foot-five, which she’s apparently wanted to do forever. For another, Abbi and Trey actually hook up, simultaneously making them the show’s least likely couple and, perhaps, the one that makes the most sense. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
Jaime is out of town, so Ilana decides to list her apartment on B&B-NYC, an Airbnb stand-in, which she’s sure will make a ton of money. Since Bevvers and Melody (whom Abbi had completely forgotten was her roommate) are also out of town, Abbi decides to do the same. They each list their apartments for $700 a night, and decide to spend the night camping on Ilana’s roof. Abbi’s renter is a hot French guy, Henri (Benjamin Thys), who seems to be hitting on her, and keeps texting her throughout the night asking for personal information.
Camping on Ilana’s roof goes great … until it doesn’t. As if the traffic noise isn’t enough, the top of the tent blows onto the street below, where it causes a massive car accident. Momentarily homeless, Ilana calls Lincoln to see if they can crash with him, but he’s got a girl over — did I detect a little tinge of jealousy on Ilana’s part? — and since Elliot is in New Jersey, their only option is to stay out all night.
While wandering the city, they overhear a guy on his phone yelling about a party at the 40/40 Club, a Flatiron hotspot co-owned by Jay-Z. Apparently, this “Hernandez party†is getting free bottle service. Ilana and Abbi adjust their outfits accordingly, head to 40/40, and claim to be with the Hernandez party. They get in easily enough, and no one in the party seems to notice that they’re complete strangers. Ilana bumps into an absolute oak tree of a man, and they start to hit it off when Abbi identifies him as NBA player Blake Griffin. While Ilana makes plans to go home with him, she encourages Abbi to go back to the hot Frenchman who keeps sexting her.
Back at Blake Griffin’s place, Ilana quickly realizes — hmm, how do I put this delicately? — that his Tab A won’t fit in her Slot B, so they embark on what I can only describe as one of the goofiest sex montages in TV history. Unfortunately, while Ilana gets a sexually fulfilling piggyback ride, Abbi comes home to realize that she’s been robbed by Henri. It turns out him asking for her birth date wasn’t a sext; he was trying to break into her safe. (Of course Abbi is the type of person who uses her birth date as a code.) She tries calling Ilana, to no avail, so unsure what else to do, she calls Trey.
Trey and Abbi haven’t spoken since they kissed in “Rat Pack,†but he nevertheless shows up ready to do battle with anyone who would dare rob Abbi. His immediate, unquestioning enthusiasm is honestly touching, and although Abbi initially relegates him to the couch, she eventually gives in to her reluctant attraction and has sex with him.
The next morning, Ilana comes over so they can swap stories about their crazy nights. Abbi is noticeably cagey when Ilana asks her what it was like to sleep there alone, and even more so when she finds Trey’s used condom, which she mistakenly connects with the thief. (“This is it! This could be the key to the whole crime!â€) Abbi’s reluctance to tell Ilana about Trey suggests that he’s more than just a hookup. Given the nature of their friendship, the idea of Abbi having a meaningful relationship with a guy is presumably a big fear of Ilana’s — and not only that, but when the guy in question is Trey? The same Trey whose porn movie Elliot watches? The same Trey whom Abbi used to hate? Nevertheless, I’m excited about this new development in the Broad City universe. Ilana’s been involved with Lincoln since day one, but the closest Abbi ever got to a relationship was Jeremy. Ilana is always excited when Abbi gets laid, but how excited will she be if Abbi falls in love?
On the whole, “B&B-NYC†is quintessential Broad City in the greatest possible way. It keeps Abbi and Ilana together, then shows how disaster happens when they split apart. It features aimless New York wandering, buffered on all sides by unusual run-ins. And, as per usual, it takes seemingly boundless joy in the strange world of mid-twenties hookups. The best thing about “B&B-NYC†isn’t how it stays true to the show, though, but how it explores slightly different territory. Abbi lying to Ilana about her romantic life is a bold choice, and I could not be more excited to see how it pans out, both for the characters and for Broad City as a whole.
Other Thoughts:
- “Let’s go to the good diner.†“But the bad diner is so close to everything!†This exchange was one of the most New York–specific jokes Broad City has ever done and I loved it.
- That’s comedian Alan Starzinski dancing like no one’s watching in the opening montage at the 40/40 Club.
- I know nothing about his basketball career, but Blake Griffin is really funny in this episode. Athlete cameos can be a real crapshoot as far as comedic timing is concerned, but Griffin seemed very game. I especially loved his love for the WNBA.
- The NYPD urgently leave Abbi’s apartment because there’s “a black man on a park bench pretending to read a book.†Would that it weren’t so very real.
- “Did you draw that with paints?†Oh, Trey. Sweet, dumb Trey.
- Lincoln using Blake Griffin’s shoe as a murse was so cute I actually giggled. Not laughed. Giggled.