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![No matter the gag, a prank-based cold opening can be a vehicle for instant conflict, drama, and anticipation. Check out this rapid-fire opener from Brooklyn Nine-Nine's S6E17 "Sicko" . Here, writers successfully play off of an absurdly mundane premise and successfully spin their 45-second quickie into a playfully transfixing intro. 00:02 JACOB Guys 00:03 JACOB (cont'd) I have a great idea for a prank. 00:04 JACOB (cont'd) Before Holt comes in, I'm gonna put ink on the podium where he puts his hands. 00:07 TERRY I don't think he'll fall for that. 00:09 HITCHCOCK I did! JACOB How? 00:10 JACOB (cont'd) I haven't even opened this yet. 00:10
HITCHCOCK I guess it's unrelated. 00:11 00:13 ROSA Captain Holt hates pranks. This is gonna backfire, man. JACOB Ugh, fine, 00:14 JACOB (cont'd) I'll tone it. down. I'll move his podium a foot to the left. 00:18 AMY What! He'll be so angry. 00:19 JACOB Okay, five inches. 00:20 AMY
Five? 00:20 JACOB Three. 00:21 AMY Three?! 00:21 JACOB One?!
00:21 AMY One?!! 00:22 JACOB
All right. I'll move it. a half inch. 00:23 AMY Fine. It's your funeral. 00:25 JACOB Oh my god 00:27 JACOB (off-screen) Worst prank ever. So stupid. 00:28 JACOB (cont'd) Holt's not even going to notice. 00:30 HOLT (off-screen) Good morning. 00:31 00:33 00:34 HOLT (off-screen) You guys, 00:36 HOLT the podium, it's 00:38 00:39 HOLT Ha. [chuckles] 00:42 HOLT [laughter intensifies] 00:44 HOLT
[riotous laughter] 00:46 HOLT [riotous laughter] 00:47 HOLT [shouting] You're crazy! How did you pull this off? 00:50](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a27d24_0b1148f008f348d99456ca6df72d566a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_550,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/a27d24_0b1148f008f348d99456ca6df72d566a~mv2.jpg)
![In Broad City S1E7, "Hurricane Wanda", our ladies remind us why there's nothing like a solid dream sequence cold opening! In their irreverent, form-bending style, Abbi and Ilana demonstrate just how instrumental the a dream-like setting can be to advancing an episode's character development; establish a fresh and nuanced emotional stake; and draw attention to the sitcom-as-constuct format as only these two luminary writer-actresses can.
Follow along for a play-by-play. 00:00 00:03 00:05 00:07 ABBI What?! 00:08 ABBI (cont'd) How am I getting shorter? 00:10
[knocking] 00:12
ABBI Jeremy. 00:16 JEREMY Hey Ab. ABBI Hey. 00:19 JEREMY
Locked out of my apartment.
You have a spare, right? ABBI No, I don't, I don't. 00:23 I would totally remember if I had, um, one of your keys. JEREMY That's weird. 00:28 JEREMY (cont'd) You'd be the person I'd pick if I gave someone a spare, so I just assumed you had one. 00:32 ABBI
I would be? I mean I would take one. If we want to go through that, and that commitment, I would have it with me whenever. 00:38 ABBI (cont'd)
Um.... While you're here, inside my apartment, 00:41 ABBI (cont'd) maybe you could help me put up a shelf? 00:44 JEREMY I'd love to.
00:46 ABBI Let's do that then.
00:48 ♪ Blade of grass to look like something new ♪ 00:51 [crashing] ABBI
It's this guy. It won't stay on the wall. 00:57 ABBI Crazy. 00:59 JEREMY Do you mind if I take off my shirt? 1:01 ABBI Wow... Um. Sure. 1:04 1:07 ABBI Where'd you get all that oil from? 1:09 1:11 JEREMY Now I can put up that shelf. 1:12 ♪ 1:13 ♪ 1:14 ♪ 1:16 ABBI You're so... slippery. 1:19 JEREMY Wow. That was a hot dream. My neighbor Abbi is so sexy and now I have this great big humungous boner. 1:34 ABBI Oh my God. [breathing heavily] So intense. BEVERS Hey sleepy head. 1:42 BEVERS (cont'd)
Someone had a sexy dream, huh? ABBI Shut up Bevers. Shut your stupid face. 1:49 [groaning] ILANA Yeah girl, get it! 1:51 ABBI Ilana. I'm so happy you're here.
1:54 ABBI (cont'd) I was thinking maybe we could masturbate next to each other. 1:56 ILANA Really? I'm always trying to get you to parallel play. You're never into it. 2:00 ABBI It's because I want to, so badly.
2:03 ♪ 2:05 ♪ 2:06 ♪ 2:07 [gasping] ILANA Oh my God. What a way to start the day. 2:14 NICOLE It's 5 pm. 2:16 ILANA Great--Closing time. 2:18 ILANA (cont'd) Have a good night. 2:20](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6ae4e7_0cc1e802d11542888274b33abbd69cf9~mv2.gif/v1/fill/w_500,h_282,al_c,pstr/6ae4e7_0cc1e802d11542888274b33abbd69cf9~mv2.gif)
![Only one episode in, and the ladies of Broad City are already boldly announcing themselves as rising, form-breaking powerhouses in the world of situational comedy. With a nod to their modest beginnings as an indie Youtube web series, the show's first ever cold opening plays on the medium of video-chatting software as both a facilitator and filter among friends. In under two minutes, Abbi and Ilana-- their real names, as well as the names of their characters-- packs in the character development, sets up numerous episodic and seasonal plot-lines, and use prop-based humor as a clear nod to this show's intended audience--that's right, this may not be one for the young or sexually repressed. Screenwriters, enjoy our play-by-play breakdown S1E1: "What a Wonderful World" below, and be sure to catch Broad City on Comedy Central! 00:00 00:04
00:05 [vibrator buzzing] 00:08
[music playing] 00:11
[computer alert beeping] 00:14 ILANA Ab, Ab, Ab-- No joke, today is the day we become Abbi and Ilana, 00:17 ILANA (cont'd) the boss b*tches we are 00:18 ILANA (cont'd) in our minds. Are you with me? 00:21 ABBI Yeah, I'm with you. Awesome. (beat) Are you-- Is that the whole thing? ILANA Obviously I have a plan. 00:28 ILANA (cont'd) Tonight we are going to see a secret pop-up Lil Wayne concert at Bowery Ballroom. 00:33 ABBI
I can't, I'm so broke. 00:35 ILANA No excuses, girl. I'm getting big ol' balls of mozzarella today. Chea-- Get it! Chea-- Harder. 00:40 ABBI You're gonna have to speak in English for me. 00:42 ILANA I am getting my paycheck today and I can spot you, bitch! 00:44 ABBI I wish that I could, but I am so close to finishing season one of "Damages," and I made this, like, amazing cashew stir-fry for the week, so I'm actually pretty booked. 00:54 ILANA Stir-fry? Can I talk to the
Abbi who stole a van? 00:58 ILANA (cont'd) Ab, you're so stuck in your little routine. 1:00 ILANA (cont'd) I bet you schedule when you jack off. 1:02 ABBI Schedule when I ja-- (exhales deeply) 1:06 ABBI (cont'd) Oh, my God. 1:08 ABBI (cont'd) Is that Lincoln? 1:09 LINCOLN Yep. 1:10 ABBI Is he inside of you? 1:11 LINCOLN Yep. 1:12 ILANA I'm just keeping him warm. 1:13 ABBI Alright-- Let's just set some ground rules here for everybody involved. 1:17 ABBI (cont'd) I don't want to see you have sex. 1:19 ABBI (cont'd) Let's try and avoid that. Lincoln, uh... 1:21 ABBI (cont'd) You seem well. 1:23 LINCOLN Thank you-- 1:24 LINCOLN I've been doing this no-bread diet and it's pretty good. It's been working. 1:27 ABBI Alright---I'm gonna head out, then. 1:29 ILANA Peace, bye. 1:30 ILANA That was hot-- That was cool. 1:32 ILANA That was like a threesome, in a way. LINCOLN Uh, Ilana... What are we doing? 1:36 LINCOLN (cont'd) Are we just having sex, hooking up? Are we dating? 1:38 LINCOLN (cont'd) What is this? ILANA This is purely physical. 1:43 LINCOLN
Why does this always happen to me?](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6ae4e7_992f4537c46f4e5ca92f98629506ec8e~mv2.gif/v1/fill/w_500,h_283,al_c,pstr/6ae4e7_992f4537c46f4e5ca92f98629506ec8e~mv2.gif)
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