2 Broke Girls, S4E8 “And the Fun Factory”: A TV Review

This is not a great start.

Look, this is my first post of 2015, but even that can’t offset the fact that before this I saw the 13th, and last, episode of Selfie, a show that never even got a proper season finale while this show staggers forward into the second half of its fourth season. That already had me primed to be somewhat less than gracious, but then we have the following happen in the first five minutes:

• the diminutive Asian diner owner referred to as “Han Jobs”
• the implication that he knows more about gadgets than Caroline because “formerly rich doesn’t beat currently Asian”
• his immediate defence of the Australian woman he’s flirting with online, saying “she’s part Aboriginal but has a great personality!”

So allow me to say, right now, eff absolutely everything about this show. This is some straight-up racist garbage and it physically pained me to have to listen to these lines. They made me want to visit the writers’ room with a sock full of so many quarters people would think I was about to spend two weeks at the arcade.

That being said, I am a consummate professional and managed to press on. See, once you can look past the absolutely disgusting racist humour they insist on broadcasting across North America from week to week there are a few redeeming factors that carried me through [that and the fact that there are people who actually happen to read these reviews].

For one thing, 2 Broke Girls actually appears to be building some momentum, with their business loan carrying over from the mid-season finale last month. As explained in that last review, the $10K was specifically for the production of t-shirts, not anything to do with their actual business of making cupcakes. It seems like a weird swerve, but at least now Max and Caroline are headed in an actual direction.

That’s not all the narrative has in store, either, as it’s not just any factory they turn to for their shirts. American Ace, for all intents and purposes, is the apparel carbon copy of the New Belgium Brewing Co. Lauded two years ago by Gordon, this company is not only 100% employee owned, it also treats said employees extraordinarily well. That’s all very much in line with American Ace, where “every employee gets a percentage of the company after 6 months” and “the longer you stay the more it grows.” This isn’t a terribly familiar concept hereabouts, and it’s actually great to see this model of business portrayed, even if it’s on a sitcom such as this one.

What’s more, Max’s cynicism [sensibly built up in this case due to working at several factories when she was younger] is undone here by the reveal that Ace Hardwick and his company are the real deal. The “Help Us” card she and Caroline find in their box of shirts flips over to complete the sentence: “Help You To Your Full Potential At American Ace!” The show doesn’t even make any jokes at what could easily be perceived as a “hippy dippy” way of making money, the only real one taking the form of the two Michelin-man-shaped guys who introduce themselves as “part-owner” followed by their actual duties [janitor and security guard, respectively].

That’s worth a good number of points, even if the cold open nearly reduced me to a bubbling puddle of frustration. It would also be good to mention that while both items directly have to do with where Max and Caroline [and consequently, the show] are headed, it’s not entirely clear where that is exactly. Characters are introduced [Ace Hardwick, the two pillowmen, two ladies they had a rivalry with] but none seem very lasting. Not only that, but there’s no indication of when the shirts will be sold or even how many were produced.

At the end of the night 2 Broke Girls nearly drives me away before pulling me back by spotlighting something that is actually good in the world. I’m still sticking with it, for better or for worse. The funny bits help too, for sure, and you can see some of those down below-

Current Total: $3,945.

New Total: $13,945. I actually have no idea why the $10K business loan only kicks in this episode. Also, shouldn’t it be significantly less since they presumably sent some to American Ace to make their shirts?

The Title Refers To: There’s a factory and it’s sort of fun? This particular one features two different carts, one with gelato and designer coffee and the other with prosciutto. Granted, this pokes a bit of fun at the model, but seems too absurd to really be taken seriously.

Stray Observations:

• Sophie’s B-plot has her creating a line of “vagina wigs” that results in a whole bunch more racist humour that I don’t even want to get into. Credit where it’s due, her “Everybody’s Merkin For the Weekend Collection” has a great name.
• The cover image up above is of the factory where Max expected “more torture, less Foosball.”
• Caroline just wants free [high quality] food.
• “You’re pretty much eating cardboard there you want me to get you another?”
• The noise she makes when being handed her prosciutto also raised this episode numerous levels.
• “Tortilla Flat, wasn’t that your stripper name?”
• The young Ms. Channing played Rizzo insteady of Sandy in her high school’s production of Grease because she let the girl with the limp have the role.
• “We know what you’re onto here!” / “What, profit-sharing and health care?”
• Maybe It’s Maxoline: To avoid a spat with two female workers Caroline blurts out that her and Max are lovers. They do not kiss to prove it, much to the disappointment of, I’m sure, some people out there. Here’s how Max reacted:

• 2 Broke Girls Cheesecake Menu: You get to see Sophie’s merkin fall out from underneath her dress, which is really more gross than anything else.