The Unicorn Scale: Broad City (Part 2)

(To the tune of Ilana’s melody) I wri-i-i-i-ite, I write, I wri-ite!

Welcome back, my lovelies! How is your summer shaping up? I’ve definitely busted out my warm-weather clothes and beach reads.

With the dawn of summer comes the end of TV shows, and this year marked the end of many notable series. Game of Thrones finally answered who would rule Westeros. Veep showed us what happened to Selina and her foul-mouthed staff. Even Deadwood finally got its wrap-up movie (including getting its own Unicorn Scale).

But in the din of final hurrahs, a story ended that was innovative in its own right: the celebration of female friendship that is Broad City. The fifth and final season follows adventurous twentysomethings Abbi (Abbi Jacobson) and Ilana (Ilana Glazer) for one last spin around the Big Apple. Now we’ve covered Broad City in this space before, so why is it coming up again? Did a new bi character get introduced?

Before I go any further, as per usual, here is where I warn everyone and their mother that from here on out, the article will contain SPOILERS for the final season of Broad City. So if you’re curious to see what cropped up in the final chapter of this Comedy Central series, now is a good time to check it out. (It’s also available on Hulu, if that offers any assistance.) If you’re stubborn enough to push through and still read this review, but are either unfamiliar with what the Scale is all about (or just need a refresher), I highly suggest checking out the very first article penned in the series, which I’m gonna drop right here.

Broad City’s final season finds the beloved bffs Abbi and Ilana experiencing growing pains. After the previous season of political disillusionment and the haunting fear they may not be reaching their full potential, Abbi and Ilana consider whether they are treading water — both in antics and careers. This does not in any way mean the dynamic duo don’t still get up to bananas-level misadventures. But both express how they may be hitting walls in their absurd routines. That includes venturing forth in new directions; for Abbi, that includes dating a doctor, Leslie (Clea DuVall).

That’s right — Ilana’s wet dream finally came true. Abbi started exploring queer relationships.

What I Liked:

I appreciated how naturally Abbi’s new relationship plaited into her life. Abbi Jacobson herself is bi, and I always figured that fed into writing Ilana’s bi-and-proud sexuality. So while I was a bit surprised the show wanted to demonstrate Abbi’s new foray into a same-sex relationship, I was delighted to see it play out. It comes about as Abbi comes into a crossroads in her life, wondering if she can manage to make her art into a full-time career. 

Her Meet Cute with Leslie still feels like just that, but one that is organic to the Broad City world — after Abbi garners an injury from attending an art gala she is also supposed to be catering. Her casual pondering feels less like an experiment and more like a natural extension of her trying to stretch herself. This still comes with mistakes and the end of the relationship due to an assessment of her lack of maturity, but it doesn’t feel like something Abbi would be opposed to exploring again in the future.

I appreciate the fact I don’t even have to question if Abbi is a fully developed character, as she has been one of the leads for four seasons. She is full of hopes and ambitions, fears, and flaws. She has feelings and habits and feels like a fully lived-in character. Her latent discovery of her bisexuality feels like an important part of her identity, but not a defining characteristic. She doesn’t exist to titillate another character or to act as an evil, queer foil — a trope that is quickly becoming a thing of the past in bi representation in media. Abbi is messy and flawed, of course — there’s a point in this season where she gets stuck between buildings upside-down, after all — but she doesn’t exist as a one-dimensional characterization.

Also, Ilana’s reaction to this news is layered but fairly supportive. Ilana has had a sexual crush on Abbi for the bulk of the series (in the season premiere, Ilana gives Abbi a montage of candid footage of her booty), which Abbi has understood and accepted but never rejected her about. It has never jeopardized their friendship, but rather been another component of it. So when Ilana discovers Abbi is actually not straight but is exploring this part of her identity with someone other than herself — the response is relatable for anyone who has been in a similar situation. 

Luckily Ilana’s jealousy only hangs around for an episode or so — her friendship with Abbi means more to her than that, and she is still willing to call her out when she thinks Abbi isn’t being true to herself. Even if it’s something as low-stakes as trying to become a “hat girl” because her new girlfriend gave her one. That is true friendship.

What I Didn't Like:

If memory serves, I don’t think Abbi actually uses the word “bi”. This seems silly since Broad City has had no problem either using the term or displaying Ilana’s messy-but-self-possessed bi-ness in action.

I almost want to take umbrage with the way that Abbi and Leslie’s relationship ended — with the latter rejecting Abbi due to a lack of maturity — but it’s so in league with the show’s tone that it scans. And the arc of their queer relationship pushes Abbi to grow, feeding the natural evolution of her character. So I guess I shouldn’t quibble about it. Too much.

The Rating:

Broad City was a trailblazing show — a feminist take on modern female friendship, which at its outset was a rare find in the current TV landscape. It was not afraid to be grotesque and tender in all the right places. I saw one review recently that referred to it as “our sex-positive Laverne and Shirley for the 21^st century”, and I couldn’t agree more. Except this time around, both Laverne and Shirley get some decent same-sex action. And that is a vast improvement.