This is where a show like The Walking Dead constantly fails. So many of the characters have
been and continue to be underdeveloped and thus when certain characters are
given air time we have no real reason to care about them. Too many of the
character don’t have a defined set of character traits that can be reliably
returned to and that determine how they’ll act in any given situation.
Besides the occasionally erratic Winston (who, to be fair, they've gotten better about), the five main
characters of New Girl are
well-realized. When a character makes a joke, I know it’s a Jess joke or a Nick
joke or a Schmidt joke and it speaks to that character and thus the joke is
ultimately funnier for being a well-observed character moment rather than just something
designed to create a reaction.
This is the beginnings of a comedy that’s amusing but it’s
the shows that go one step further that are really brilliant. The next step is
to play these characters off one another to explore different dynamics and
examine relationships. New Girl
continues to do this incredibly well.
It’s present in the A-plot which revolves around Schmidt
throwing a 10 year anniversary for him and Nick being roommates. There’s laughs
to be had at they’re odd couple bickering over the party’s details, but the
scene that truly sells this episode’s pairing of them is the scene towards
episode’s end where Nick comforts a heartbroken Schmidt (who has just witnessed
Cece getting proposed to by Shivrang).
It also exists in the ongoing awkwardness between Nick and
Jess as they dance around suppressed feelings and general uncomfortableness.
The show has handled the fallout from the kiss really well (more than I could
have ever imagined). It’s landed every beat of this story, and the aftermath
remains to find new ways to express the tension between these two characters that don't feel repetitive.
It’s even there in the Jess-Winston plot where they fight
for the attention of a footballer named Jax McTavish. This story may not go far enough,
but it’s still a nice look at Winston and Jess that reminds us why their
friends. There’s a competitiveness here that speaks not just to vied affection
but the type of rivalry that could only arise between two longstanding friends.
It’s this consideration to character that makes the show
work so well. This is especially true when the plots aren’t particularly very
good. The whole B-plot about Jax the football play isn’t new or interesting, nor
is him revealing a more feminine side, but the plot doesn’t feel pointless or
needless because it remains squarely about Jess and Winston and what this
situation means to them. New Girl can
get away with plots that I might find less than stellar because its character
work is too good not to elevate some occasionally second rate material. Which isn't to say this episode is all second rate material, the Schmidt material in general is great and it's a really good exploration of his relationship with Nick. Plus this continues to deal with the longstanding plots of the relationships between Cece and Schmidt, and Nick and Jess in a way that still resonates.
Stray Observations:
-Jess’s continued inability to articulate sexual desires
remains hilarious: “I need a different mouth on my mouth” “I want to French you”
-Schmidt is not above writing a strongly worded email to his
florist.
-“Now that our mom’s approve, you want to do this thing?”
-“Take your football back to Europe”
-Nick is proud about his decision to buy a portapotty: “I’m
a small business owner”
-Nick to Jess on convincing people to use his terrible
portapotty: “Really sell it”
-Jess on the ongoing problems between her and Nick: “You
think this is about a portapotty?”
-Max Greenfield’s acting when Schmidt sees Cece get proposed
to is excellent and so damn heartbreaking.
-Jax proves to be a real problem: “I found my third wife”
-Apparently hot air balloons need propane to work. Go figure.
Grade: B+
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