6 Lessons in Friendship from 2 Broke Girls

I finished binge watching 2 Broke Girls early this morning. I was warned that due to the unceremonious cancellation of the series, they left a lot of issues unresolved. We still don’t know if Caroline stuck with Bobby or she went off to be with Candy Andy. (Who was once referred to as ‘The One’ for Caroline in the series and she’d blown it with him.) We are all curious to know if commitment phobic, daddy issues riddled Max actually settled down and went through with her wedding with Randy. She was engaged at the series finale but it is difficult for fans to believe she would go through a wedding without a hiccup or several ones. Their savings was down to 0 and Caroline and Max stuck with the diner jobs they have been trying to escape forever. It was obvious the creators had a season seven planned but due to the series getting axed, none of us the wiser. We really need a 2 Broke Girls movie to tie up all the loose ends. I honestly started watching the show because I wasn’t too happy about where my life was headed. The series was criticized for relying too much on sexual humour. But underneath it all, 2 Broke Girls taught me that if you have just one really awesome friend by your side you can survive anything. Here is some of the best friendship defining moments from the series.

“Caroline – I love you.” – Max Black.

Max and Caroline meet on the pilot episode when Caroline loses everything when her father is arrested for running the Ponzi scheme. She winds up working in the same diner as Max, who takes pity on her and takes her in. Caroline befriends the distant Max, and starts dreaming of owning a cupcake business together. Max never knew her father and her mother (as is heavily implied throughout the series) was a drug addict. Max had a difficult childhood and she uses her dark sense of humour to cope with life. It is difficult for her to let anyone in or let her guard down. Caroline becomes the first person she ever says I love you too and someone she deeply cares about. She does care about the other diner people and treats Earl like a father figure, but Caroline is Max’s person. Max bursts into tears right after admitting she loves Caroline, which she had done trying to mend their friendship. She gives up being herself even for a second and letting her guard down just to assure Caroline how special she is to her.

“I would do anything for that girl to go to school here.” – Caroline Channing.

One of Max’s dreams was to go to a pastry school. Even though she gets in, the girls learn that they cannot afford the tuition there. While Max resigns to fate saying nothing good would ever happen to her, Caroline negotiates a deal with the school so that she could work at the office to pay off the money that would cover Max’s tuition. Caroline really is willing to do almost anything to make sure Max’s dreams come true.

“Max is here for emotional support.” – Caroline Channing. 

When Caroline goes to confront the married Head Chef at Max’s school about his intentions with her, she drags Max with her. She had dragged Max so many times to her dates with this man that when she declares what Max is there, he replies, “Yeah, I know how this works by now.” Even their potential love interests know that they are a packaged deal.

 “Don’t worry, Max. I didn’t forget about you.” – Bobby.

When Caroline’s boyfriend Bobby pops by to give her a red rose, he brings scratch cards for Max. It is obvious that the guy knows Max’s importance in his relationship to Caroline. He invites her to their family dinner saying, “My whole family will be there and you’re Caroline’s whole family. You will be there too.”

“I mean, this all Caroline has.” – Max Black to Randy.

Max and Randy realize they want more than just a fling when she surprises him at the airport. Caroline, a die-hard fan of romance encourages them to pursue a relationship even if long distance is tricky. Max agrees to give it a shot, saying that was all Caroline had because her friend has been vicariously living through her love life. At this point, Randy is too used to her and doesn’t even seem all that surprised to see her at the airport.

“I wouldn’t leave you either.” – Caroline Channing.

Max tells Randy six years ago she would have moved to LA to be with him in a heartbeat. But now that she has built a life for herself and around people who care about her, she wasn’t going to follow him to LA. When Caroline asks her if she was okay and why she didn’t move, Max jokes about it and doesn’t tell her the reason why. But Caroline knows the real reason Max hasn’t run off to LA. It is wonderful to see the two women constantly tested and having to choose between getting ahead and choosing one another.

There are many other instances in the series where Max and Caroline’s friendship shines through. Caroline doesn’t want to go back to Wall Street when she finally comes into some money because she knows that would mean leaving Max behind. My favourite relationship depiction of the series was between Candy Andy and Caroline. He understood that he would have to be in Max’s good graces to be in Caroline’s life. He bribes her constantly with candy, and he also continues a friendship with Max even after his breakup. He finally has to break up with Max too because they both realize neither he nor Caroline would move forward if they were still in touch. I loved the dynamic the trio shared. 

I was rooting for him to get back because it would have been fun watching sophisticated Caroline and Randy, deal with their immature partners – Andy and Max. Because c’mon, everyone knew Bobby wasn’t going to last!

Have you seen 2 Broke Girls? What were your favourite instances from the show?