【child eroticism】

2017 has been -- to put it mildly -- a roughyear,child eroticism and even after 10 months of practice, pop culture is still struggling with how to tackle the political turmoil.

Some shows, like This Is Us, offer the TV equivalent of chicken soup for the soul -- a warm, fuzzy, apolitical hug that allows us an hour of escapism -- while American Horror Storymanifests our anxieties and bludgeons us with them, forcing us to confront our fears without giving a damn if they trigger us.

SEE ALSO: Ilana Glazer opens up about firing people because of sexual harassment

Comedy Central's Broad Cityhas never been shy about sharing its opinions on sex, drugs, politics or womanhood, and the sixth episode of Season 4, aptly titled "Witches," combines all those ingredients into a potent brew that's guaranteed to leave you feeling empowered, even if it sometimes feels like the world is still trying to burn you.

While in the process of rewriting the season following the election, creators and stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer decided to bleep out President Trump's name like an expletive -- and the show even created a Google Chrome extension to allow you to censor it from your browsing experience.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

"We just got to a point where... in real life, we’re talking about the current administration. We’re talking about Trump, and it sounds so gross, like, every day, saying it so many times," Glazer revealed at the Television Critics Association press tour back in July. "We just didn’t want to share airtime. He’s got enough."

But then, Jacobson said, it quickly became its own kind of joke, particularly because of the other Standards and Practices issues they have to deal with while making the series: "We are censored in certain ways on the show, and it ends up being a big part of our job in the later part of production, in the edit, where it’s what can we show, what can we say, pixels, all these S&P notes and things like that. And there are all these different levels of jokes, and I think it was actually something we came up with in the end of writing."

The duo also chose to make the election a pivotal part of the narrative. In "Witches" (which Jacobson also directed), Ilana discovers that she's been unable to orgasm since Nov. 8, an issue that her sex therapist, Betty, tells her is sadly widespread. While the problem is mostly played for laughs, it speaks to an underlying reality that this kind of political climate (and the deeply personal stakes that are attached to changes in legislation) can affect your mental health and physical well-being in unexpected ways, even when you're trying to keep calm and carry on.

SEE ALSO: How modern witches are gathering online to stop Trump

"You're not alone; orgasms have been down 140 percent since Trump was elected. It's been horrible for everyone," Betty commiserates, before admitting that the collective angst has at least been a great boost for her. "I'm technically the only small business owner that that human skin-tag has ever helped."

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Betty coaches Ilana to push through the anger: "you're traumatized by the fact that a sexual assault-bragging steak salesman has become our president. You need to find a way to rise above it in spite of him."

At first, every time Ilana pictures something she finds attractive, her mind immediately supplies buzzkills like the "electoral college," "Mike Pence," and "tiny, tinyhands," but in the end, she finds satisfaction by remembering all the inspiring women who came before her (no pun intended).

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Jacobson and Glazer admitted that they felt a responsibility to discuss what the country is wrestling with, both for the sake of realism and to engage in the conversation.

"Our show always exists pretty present... It’s still happening now with us in the world, and we talk a lot about pop culture, and obviously Hillary Clinton was on last season, so it is political, but this season it was just a thing of... this is a thing that’s happening right now," Jacobson said. "This is happening in the other Abbi and Ilana’s lives. This is something that they’re going to be talking about all the time. This is existing. For us to not be talking about it as friends in the show is would have been insane and would have felt wrong."

"I think you can see in the industry right now, everybody’s message is becoming clearer," Glazer agreed. "If you aren’t talking about the political landscape, that’s kind of something. You’re nottalking about it. It’s not casual, and if you’re going to talk about it, you have to clearly state your beliefs and where you stand ethically or politically. So, our messages heightened and crystallized this year."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In the end, Ilana gets back in touch with her inner "come queen" and Abbi learns to accept herself despite the appearance of a few grey hairs, leading the duo to stumble upon a witchy celebration of female empowerment in the woods, where the collective lady power is enough to literally put a crack in Trump Tower's facade.

As Lindy West recently wrote in a searing New York Times op-ed on America's enduring culture of sexual harassment, "The witches are coming, but not for your life. We’re coming for your legacy... We don’t have the justice system on our side; we don’t have institutional power; we don’t have millions of dollars or the presidency; but we have our stories, and we’re going to keep telling them."

Jacobson and Glazer just proved how vital those stories are.

Preach, witches.

Broad Cityairs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon speak out about sexual harassment in Hollywood

---

Topics Donald Trump