Apr 17 2012

A Taxing Day. Review: 2 Broke Girls – And the Messy Purse Smackdown

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  • April 17, 2012

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Review: 2 Broke Girls, S1 Ep 21, “And the Messy Purse Smackdown”

Air date: Monday, April 16, 2012, 8:30/7:30c on CBS

Rating: ★★★★★

Procrastination is almost an art, and Max (Kat Dennings) has it down pat. I thought I was bad, but she takes the cake—she’s never filed her taxes. Her nonchalant attitude is sort of irritating, though. Does she really think the IRS is going to let her get away with not filing taxes for years? It was fate having Caroline (Beth Behrs) enter her life because that girl really saves Max’s butt in “And the Messy Purse Smackdown.”

A Taxing Day. Review: 2 Broke Girls - And the Messy Purse Smackdown 1

Caroline (Beth Behrs) tells Max (Kat Dennings) she is going to mail Earl's (Garret Morris) tax return

How funny is it to see Earl (Garret Morris) sitting in a booth, drinking after filing his taxes? He must not have anywhere else to go if he’s at the diner. He’s been a diligent taxpayer since 1950, celebrating with a bottle of liquor before Tax Day every year. It’s sort of a ritual for him, and he’s especially proud of this “achievement” (if you can call it that). I think the girls are proud of him, too. I wish I had an uncle like him.

But you know this show can’t let an episode go by without inserting a stupid stereotype. When Han Lee (Matthew Moy) assumes Earl is celebrating because of MLK Jr. Day, Earl chides him, telling him he does celebrate other days. Having Han Lee reduced to a cardboard personality with ignorant assumptions is really a disservice to Moy, who has the comedic talent and timing to flesh out a three-dimensional character. Morris is woefully underused in his role as Earl, too. If the writers took more time to flesh out the secondary characters, this could be a pretty good ensemble cast.

With Caroline helping Max out, Max starts having visions of them becoming “billionaire bitches” and daydreaming of outlandish things they’ll get if they strike it rich. For someone who is pretty street smart, Max appears to live in a bubble, oblivious to important matters, like doing her taxes! Although, her behavior when it comes to finances is a pretty accurate representation of middle America.

There’s one scene that made me cringe. When Sophie knocks on the girls’ door, she claims she’s Kim Kardashian. Kardashian gets a lot of flak—I’m not a fan by any means—but when Sophie walks in and says, “No, I’m not Kim Kardashian. No, I work for a living,” it’s a low blow. Not only that, but the laugh track is full of cheers and hooting. Really? Do the writers not know the Kardashian sisters have a fashion line at Sears? They would’ve been better off picking on Paris Hilton. Writers, get your information straight—Kim Kardashian works, Paris Hilton doesn’t.

A Taxing Day. Review: 2 Broke Girls - And the Messy Purse Smackdown 2

Caroline (Beth Behrs) convinces Max (Kat Dennings) to file taxes

Because her nose is all up in Max’s tax business, Caroline forgets to mail Earl’s tax return for him. Bemoaning, “The only thing I’ve ever lost is my virginity,” didn’t elicit much sympathy from me because how long does it take to simply mail something? I mean, isn’t there a mailbox right outside the diner, or somewhere nearby? There’s a first time for everything, Caroline! Poor Earl. If he knew what trouble the girls had gotten into, he probably would’ve never forgiven them!

For the first time in her entire life, and with Caroline’s help, Max manages to file her taxes right at the very last minute. We are talking right under the wire, a mere two seconds before the post office closes. With cheers from the people in line, I couldn’t help but be just a tiny bit relieved for Max. Another year of not filing taxes would’ve been another nail in her coffin. Caroline may have misplaced Earl’s tax return, but she manages to help Max file her taxes for the first time. Man, does Max owe her, big time.

Watch 2 Broke Girls Mondays at 8:30/7:30c, only on CBS.

Visit the show’s official website at http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/.

Follow 2 Broke Girls on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/2BrokeGirls_CBS.

Follow actors Beth Behrs (@BethBehrs) and Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) on Twitter.

LIKE 2 Broke Girls on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/2BrokeGirls.

All photos © CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

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Juana

My favorite forms of escapism are books and telly/film. I require plenty of solitude.

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