In “Hurricane Wanda,” a fictional, Sandy-inspired storm hit New York, knocking out power and, more importantly, finally giving Broad City an excuse to put its full cast in one room. And like all stories that take place on a dark and stormy night, this week’s episode centered around a mysterious crime, though in this case the victim happened to be a size 11 women’s toning shoe.
Unfortunately, that intriguing-sounding setup resulted in what was probably Broad City’s weakest entry yet. It’s pretty unfair to fault TV shows for covering similar ground in a world of finite topics, but Broad City didn’t do itself any favors by using a gag (the fecal whodunit) we’ve already seen in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s masterful “Who Pooped the Bed?” By comparison, “Hurricane Wanda” felt kinda lackadaisical, lacking the momentum that has smoothed over the sometimes mixed quality of Broad City’s earlier episodes.
As always, though, there was still plenty to like, including a written note that neatly summed up the terrible core of bathroom anxiety (“CAN’T FLUSH. WANNA DIE.”). One of the best subtle gags was Ilana’s bad Never Have I Ever entry (“Never have I ever dealt with how my parents’ divorce affected my overall view of relationships”), which made everyone in the room reluctantly drink. Also Jaimé’s bizarre, heartfelt non-confessions were probably my favorite running joke from the episode, and showed just how great Broad City’s supporting cast can be.
Traditionally, bottle episodes like “Hurricane Wanda” give shows a chance to slow down and more fully develop their core characters, but other than finding out about Abbi’s motivational Oprah tattoo, I don’t know think we learned that much last night. I guess we did find out where Bevens’ sister’s 11th toe was, but that’s something I’d just as soon forget. My main problem was really that “Hurricane Wanda”’s leisurely pace just meant less jokes, which, on Broad City, tend to be pretty damn good.