2 Broke Girls: Caroline, Max, and Being Jewish

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Talk about some golden moments of laughter! And when's the last time you heard so many Jewish phrases? I wasn't thrilled that the side story was so boring and uncomplicated, but the episode was overall pretty good. I don't know what was more amusing - that Caroline tried to act Jewish even though she wasn't great, or that the family loved Max as if she were part of their Jewish family even though there was no reason to do so. Max certainly benefited from the attention and compassion, so that was probably a needed moment for her. Between that and last week's flowers, she must really be learning about love! Caroline, on the other hand, is still struggling with no longer having the world at her disposal... no more seemingly-free doctors and medicine, continually being disappointed when old acquaintances won't return her calls, and people not being amused at her attempts to be cute. Ridicule it all you want, but I think that 2 Broke Girls has some good writing - we're really starting to see more of the characters now, so let's hope that they grow as a result.

2 Broke Girls "And the Kosher Cupcakes" (S01E17): Caroline is a germaphobe now, since it's flu season. [why the heck is Caroline wearing that flippin' necklace AGAIN??!?] Max tells Caroline that poor people can't just get antibiotics, so she needs to man-up. After Han sneezes on Caroline, he tells her that he'll pay for her to see a doctor at a nearby pharmacy, as long as she doesn't have cancer. [haha.] Max goes with her and they soon realize that the drugstore is in an Jewish Orthodox neighborhood. Because Caroline used to have a Jewish neighbor who was a doctor, she feels comfortable using Yiddish words, even if she doesn't always use them correctly. [too bad that even he won't call her back anymore!] The pharmacist takes a liking to Max (calling her a spitting image of herself) and the girls end up with a job to make 80 cupcakes for a bar mitzvah the next day, with a potential earning of $275. [that's a little more than $3 per cupcake, you guys...] Unfortunately, Caroline isn't able to see the doctor before the place closes. [figures.] Max starts whipping up her usual batch, but Caroline reminds her that she needs to use kosher ingredients. [ewww on Max's plaid shirt and big brown belt. strange mic problems with Caroline for a half-second there.]

Photo: Adam Rose/Warner Bros.

At the bar mitzvah party, the girls wear conservative outfits and have kugel while they wait to be paid. The bar mitzvah boy is polite in front of his mother but has a huge mouth on him otherwise. [I was SHOCKED.] For instance, he asks Max how much it'll cost for her to show him her breasts. [for real.] The family soon notices that Max is running a fever, so they put her to bed, put a cold compress on her head, and bring her soup. The doctor prescribes some antibiotics, and Max feels so loved that she admits a few of the cupcakes were from the original batch... therefore, not kosher. [I can't believe she said this! So uncharacteristic of her normal lying, cheating ways!] Meanwhile, the boys continue to bother Caroline, who is more than ready to tell on them.  girls are paid nothing, and Caroline keeps her mouth shut. The episode ends with Caroline deciding to man-up.[yeah, okay, whatever.]

[The only other thing going on in this episode...] Sophie comes to the diner to see a man she met online, and Max and Earl joke about how feminine the guy is. [the orange traffic cones joke was a bit crazy. "I'm looking right at him and I don't see straight, either." ha!] Sophie soon had her new boyfriend back to her place. She tells the girls that she knows he's gay, but that's what she likes. [.....ok]

Cupcakery Savings Total: $865.00  [you'd think that it would go down... they did spend money to buy the ingredients they used...]