Broad City: 10 Ways Abbi Got Worse & Worse

Broad City gave all women BFF goals and also taught people all over the globe to embrace their authentic, unfiltered selves, irrespective of their circumstances. Abbi Abrams and Ilana Wexler’s friendship is nothing short of iconic, and they have been through thick and thin together.

That being said, Abbi’s co-dependent relationship with Ilana largely kept her from taking herself seriously as a functional adult. From professional instability to bad romantic decisions, Abbi has had some less-than-lucky moments in the show. Here’s how Abbi got worse and worse as the show moved on.

10 Her Choice In Partners

The final season of Broad City had Abbi coming out as bisexual, and actually dealt with the premise in a great way. But Abbi’s taste in men, especially, got worse and worse as the show progressed.

In season 1 episode 5 she hooks up with a DJ who’s not only shallow, but a pretty questionable human being. She then goes on to date her trainer Trey, who has zero self-awareness. Abbi even swipes right on her high school teacher Richard, whose profile she sees on a dating app, and fans unanimously agree that it’s somewhat creepy.

9 Her Co-Dependent Relationship With Ilana

Abbi and Ilana have always been too attached, even for BFFs. Abbi only realizes how toxic their relationship had become when she tells Ilana about her decision to move to Colorado for an artist’s residency. And although Abbi was clearly trying to wean herself off of Ilana and had decided to take adulthood seriously, Ilana doesn’t cope with this decision well.

It is also revealed in the same episode that they both have always factored each other in when making life-altering academic or professional decisions. And while this may be sweet, it’s not all that healthy to be so dependent on a friend.

8 Her Financial Priorities

Abbi and Ilana had a complicated relationship with money, and it only got worse. Just like many other broke BFFs in NYC, they had to at one point sell clothes at a thrift store. Abbi desperately needed cash, so she obviously opted for the $903 instead of the $13,000 in-store credit.

But out of this money, she spent $226 on an apothecary bag, which seemed like a bit too much. She also obviously didn’t need the bag and it was a legitimate splurge which, judging by her credit score, she really couldn’t afford.

7 Sense Of Boundaries

Maybe because Abbi has basically no boundaries with Ilana, and they spend most of their time with each other, Abbi has a warped sense of privacy. This takes a toll on other aspects of her life, as well, because she ends up making other people uncomfortable.

This only gets significantly worse as the show progresses, and the girls get way too comfortable in their shared inner circle. This also means Abbi never really has to make an effort to respect others’ boundaries because she always finds a safety net in Ilana when things go wrong.

6 Her Work Ethic

While Ilana was made for the gig economy, Abbi had her share of struggles when it comes to keeping a job. This is not to say that she didn’t try. It’s just that she has troubles doing the bare minimum and is not great at following instructions.

Like when she accidentally kills her boss Dara’s cat while delivering cupcakes, or she ignores her other boss when she says no to Abbi’s request of arranging the display window and gets fired as a result. Fans have noted that the reason why Abbi has a problematic work ethic is because she doesn’t take any of her jobs seriously, as she wants to pursue art.

5 Her Self Esteem Issues

This is something Abbi has struggled with, but it got significantly worse as the show went on. She often ends up doing things she’s not okay with just so she can make her partner feel better. Fans have argued that this possibly stems from a low esteem issue.

Like when Jeremy asked her to indulge him in his particular sexual proclivity, she was obviously not comfortable with the idea, having never done it before. She calls up Ilana to ask for her advice, and she goes on to do it anyway, instead of asking for some time to think about it or talk it over.

4 Her Sense Of Hygiene

Broad City is one of the few shows which encouraged women to embrace their authentic, gross, human selves, instead of shaming them or imposing unrealistic expectations upon them. That being said, Abbi’s lifestyle choices have often made fans squirm, and she obviously needed a better perspective on hygiene.

Be it some of her bathroom habits or her refusal to be grossed out by certain things, Abbi’s questionable stance on personal hygiene could be a result of her aversion to the idea of adulthood.

3 Denial About Her Own Self

It is only in season 5 that Abbi finally comes clean about how much Ilana really affects her sense of self. While waiting to get into a Lil Wayne concert, Ilana and Abbi address how they have been co-opting each other’s time, which has kept each of them from growing into full-fledged adults all these years.

It is a lot more problematic for Abbi because she doesn’t have Ilana’s confidence or self-worth. The two friends have actually kept each other from actually exploring life as a functional adult.

2 She Became A Toxic Friend

For their entire adult lives, Abbi and Ilana have had each other’s backs. They are very invested in each other’s problems, which also means neither of them had to solve a crisis on their own without the other helping out.

This went on to become somewhat toxic, as neither of them called out each other’s bad or unethical ideas, and instead encouraged each other to take the wrong risks. This also made Abbi a dysfunctional adult, who cannot depend solely on herself.

1 Her Social Life

Abbi has always been honest about how she only has one BFF and is bad at making friends. While this is not in itself a flaw, Abbi would definitely have benefitted from a healthy social circle that did not include Ilana.

As the show progressed, Abbi found new friends and got to know more people, but never really made them an active part of her life. So, by the time the show concluded, Abbi’s move to Colorado seemed like an overwhelming decision, because for the first time ever, she would truly be on her own.

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