2 Broke Girls "And the Disappearing Bed"

     Last night's episode of CBS's 2 Broke Girls, "And the Disappearing Bed," takes a side trip from the main mission of saving up for a cupcake business. Caroline (Beth Behrs) does make business cards, and encourages Max (Kat Dennings) to give one to Peach (Brooke Lyons). But Peach doesn't use their cupcakes. And Caroline grows weary of sleeping on the couch, so she invests in a do-it-yourself Murphy bed. So the savings pot is considerably smaller by episode's end. Luckily, Max won't be worrying about that when awkward, charged moments with Johnny (Nick Zano, Melrose Place, Cougar Town) have her in a tizzy.

     The opening of "And the Disappearing Bed" is extremely satisfying for anyone who has ever worked in the service industry. Max calls out a very cheap tipper, who responds nastily that he doesn't have to tip, causing his date to dump him. It is required to tip. Sure, not by law. But society has agreed that its OK to pay waiters and waitresses far below minimum wage, relying on tips to make up the difference. As such, it's completely unacceptable to withhold gratuity, as people in the service industry are often poor without benefits, struggling to make ends meet. If you cannot afford to tip a decent amount, do not go out to eat. And if you can afford to and don't, it ought to be illegal, because you are effectively stealing straight from your poor waiter's pockets.

     Caroline is a brilliant sales person. It's too bad she doesn't go personally to speak with Peach, or it's very likely they could have landed the catering gig. Caroline might assume Max possesses the same skills, or some version of them, but she just doesn't. True, Caroline does get a few seconds on the phone with Peach, but in person, Peach could not hang up on her. Losing this one job aside, the business cards will likely pay off. Caroline knows what she is doing with marketing, too. Thus, while the total money saved does go down this week on 2 Broke Girls, one might consider it an investment in the future of the company that will reward them over time.

     The bed, of course, it less necessary. But it's also an investment. After all, how effective is a grumpy Caroline, sleeping on a crappy couch, going to be at selling the business? Thus, it's logical for her to write it off as business expense, even if it's a personal item. The only question here is, how did the bed, which Caroline, who is used to sleeping on very expensive stuff, declares very comfortable, come so cheaply?

     "And the Disappearing Bed" is fun because it lets Max try her romantic side. Not that there is much of one to the girl, but Dennings really finds a way to make her charming, even as she is mumbling and stumbling. Johnny is a fairly good match, as he doesn't judge her, and keeps coming back, though one wishes he would give a little more back towards her. Still, any movement on this part of Max's life is welcome, and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

     Watch 2 Broke Girls Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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