2 Broke Girls, S6E18 “And the Dad Day Afternoon”: A TV Review

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I began watching the promo for this week’s 2 Broke Girls. Max meeting her father, really? Typically any references to her upbringing are about her extremely neglectful mother, and the last time that was touched on in any major way was literally three seasons ago.

That episode was the Season 3 finale, “And the First Degree”, and it’s impossible for “And the Dad Day Afternoon” not to be compared to it, for better or for worse.

At this point in time we don’t know how many more episodes of Season 6 of 2 Broke Girls has left, but we know this isn’t how it ends. The title for the one following has already been released, and if past seasons are any indicator there are a total of four more to go. All that being said, Han doing the legwork for Max to see her deadbeat dad for the first time in her life is the kind of momentous event which one might think would be reserved for a finale, especially given the whole gang embarking on a road trip to Rhode Island [“America’s least exciting state”].

With that in mind, I guess it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that it never actually takes place. Max’s resigned prediction of “If I know one thing about the man I know nothing about: he’s not coming” 100% ends up coming true.

Thinking about it more, the fact that they were directed by Gary’s sister, a police psychic, should have been further evidence things may not work out.

“And the First Degree” revolves around Max getting her GED and inviting her mother to see her graduate with the Northeast High Class of 2014. Mrs. Black never ends up showing, but her friends at the diner do. To quote a famous line from Harper Lee’s magnum opus, “You can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family.”

It’s not a terrible theme or story element, especially at that point in time when the relationships between the cast weren’t as polished as they are now. By repeating it again, however, even three years down the line, the showrunners end up not saying much at all. We already know that Earl, Sophie, Oleg, and, whether there’s a lot of admission of this or not, Han [AKA “the cast of American Horror Story: Minivan”] are all people who care about and support Max. Hearing it again is a nice reminder, but it’s also an unneeded one.

Although the narratives and story beats are essentially the same, there are a handful of differences worth noting. One is how much more comfortable 2 Broke Girls is now in the first few months of 2017. The characters not only feel like they genuinely enjoy being around one another, but their general camaraderie is allowed to rub off on audiences as well. Intentional or not, there’s also Max tempering her excitement, and her resulting disappointment being far less crushing than the last time this happened.

“And the Dad Day Afternoon” wraps up an enjoyable Sunday out that had the goal of emotional resolution. While that’s never actually accomplished, the characters and [hopefully] audiences are nonetheless left with the good time that resulted. Max closing the episode by affirming an injured squirrel [“C’mon, little guy. We don’t abandon anybody.”] may seem heavy, but it’s couched more in optimism than bad experiences and the ability to persevere through them. Much like its central character, no offence at all to Beth Behrs, 2 Broke Girls has come a long way.

Current Total: $5,672.72.

New Total: $6,475.54.

The Title Refers To: Max’s father and the phrase “dog day afternoon”, which essentially means “a very bad day”. Possibly also a reference to the 1975 crime drama of the same name starring Al Pacino.

Stray Observations:

• “Oh my god, the customers are nakee!” It has been years since I heard that particular Rugrats terminology.
• I enjoyed the censorship of well-placed menus, booths, et cetera.
• Earl thinks that daddy issues are bunk. His daughter is also married to a forgetful old man named Burl.
• “Barbara just smiled politely at her first ugly baby.”
• “I don’t know his name, or where he lives, or where he gets dialysis, I’m assuming.”
• Caroline was a runner-up for Jigsaw Palooza 2003.
• Han’s not working on his Gary-prescribed day off, he’s meeting his friend, “Friendo”.
• Oleg’s “XXX GPS” was my favourite joke of the episode. “Oh, that exit is closed for construction, naughty boy.”
• “Can’t a woman just talk to you? This is why we march.”
• Han learned how to speak squirrel on Zoboomafoo.
• “It’s illegal to kill squirrels in the Ukraine. Ever since Putin trained them as spies.”
• “You’re Trevor Noah and I’m John Stewart! I got my Emmys, I’m done now!”

This episode opens up on the Williamsburg Diner filled with mostly nude patrons. In the event that a large number of naked extras pop up again, and need explanation, our latest feature is:

Why Am I Naked?

Han explains this scene-

-as being due to the “annual naked bike ride”. This is likely a reference to the World Naked Bike Ride, which is an international event. Contrary to its name one does not need to be naked to participate, although that is certainly permitted and encouraged. I know for a fact it’s a real thing because my aunt and uncle witnessed one while in Paris and took a few pictures.

As of 2010 the World Naked Bike Ride had expanded to 74 cities in over a dozen countries, and the US being one of them certainly goes without saying.