Should you watch it, wiki it, or wait for the recap? Watch it.
Max receives her old teddy bear from her mother, and discovers that her childhood stuffed toy is actually a valuable collectible. Meanwhile, Han brings his fish tank to work, revealing his prized fish to the gang. What disaster awaits Han’s fish at the diner, and will Max’s teddy bear prove more valuable than nostalgic?
“And the Childhood Not Included” is the third episode of the fourth season of 2 Broke Girls. It delves a little more into Max’s terrible childhood (only mentioned, never shown) (come to think of it, we haven’t quite seen flashbacks to Max’s childhood now, have we?) and also builds a little bit more on Han’s character – taking him more in the direction of socially awkward geek than short Asian man.
It’s a pretty good episode with lots of action, and a fast-paced one too, with the way the plot develops. It’s amazing that they can still keep diner scenes fresh after so many seasons! Caroline is the star here (despite the toy belonging to Max), which plants the focus of the episode firmly on its two premises – the Broke Girls.
Highlights
Teddy Ruxpin makes for a good prop
Surprisingly, the teddy bear is a pretty good plot device because it serves as a joke in an of itself. Disclaimer: being a toy collector, I obviously dig such episodes. But what the teddy bear stands for, a symbol of Max’s childhood, is what propels the story forward – especially when Max has to make a decision between the bear of her past and her needs of the present.
Han gets the spotlight
Yay, another Han-centric episode! Again, disclaimer: being Asian, I root for Asian (or Asian looking characters). As mentioned previously, his entire character had been flanderised into a short Asian stereotype, and it’s good to see him moving into geekier territory – like fish. Or the previous episode’s awkward dancing.
Caroline’s fishy floundering
Caroline’s fumbling is grounded in character – being a rich girl, she’s never had to take care of pets before, which leads to the episode’s predicament. Her reactions to the situation are hilarious, but we also see how she’s grown over the seasons. In the past, she might have whined and let Max save the day, but now she’s taking greater initiative to solve her own problems. Go Caroline!
Letdowns
Very little Sophie
She only appears for a scene or two, and doesn’t get involved in the plot. Being the over-the-top character she is, it’s often funnier to get her input on a situation since it always escalates the stakes and problem.
Too much reliance on props than character
Not that I disliked the props, but it was heavily MacGuffin driven rather than being motivated by the characters. Put it another way – these props could have appeared in another sitcom, and similar hijinks could have ensued, rather than it being specific to the series.
“And the Childhood Not Included” is still a pretty good episode of 2 Broke Girls, seeing as which it continues the advancement of Han’s character and shows the growth of Caroline. No cupcakes here though (except for a brief scene at the end). Here’s to hoping we see more of the Teddy Ruxpin prop in future episodes!
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