So … question: What was last week about anyway?
Here’s my theory: The writers have been so busy putting together the first 14 episodes of New Girl … they’ve been under such intense pressure to perform week in and week out … pumping out all those Schmidtisms and Nickisms and Jessisms … putting the “wack” in the wacky situations … that, on the 15th episode (last week’s), they just couldn’t do it any more.
Remember Little Blackie from True Grit? Remember how Rooster compelled that poor horse onward, way past any semblance of decency? (Of course, in True Grit there was a reason for pushing that horse the way Cogburn did … to save Mattie.) Well the way I see it, The Powers That Be pushed the writers of New Girl the same way Rooster pushed Little Blackie. But for no good reason. The result was “Injured.” Little Blackie fell flat and ended up dying in True Grit, that particular episode of New Girl did as well. It wasn’t pretty. The writers had been ridden hard and put up wet.
This week, however, things were miles better. There was an actual story. The jokes all fit neatly into place. We saw some outstanding back and forth between (little-used) Winston and Nick. We witnessed an incredible transformation in Schmidt (and back again) and we saw one of my favorite things about the show, Jess’ admittance of wrong doing. (Perhaps a little more revealing, however, was the fact we got a flashback of a “fat” Schmidt when the gang first came to occupy the loft as a threesome. Nice aside there.) All I have to say is it was terrific to see everyone back in a groove and motoring along like a well oiled machine once again.
Last week I posted “There was supposed to be genuine, heart-felt meaning mixed in with all the flotsam and jetsam we witnessed.” This week? We got it. This week there was indeed heartfelt meaning in seeing Schmidt lost, then the joy of seeing him come back to the fold.
And that’s all I’m really asking — for a little understanding among all the frantic energy. There just weren’t any loose ends this time around … and that’s what results in a good half hour of New Girl.
Note of Nitpickiness:
Quotes:
“Where’s my Burr coffee grinder?” — Schmidt
“Uh, you know I think it’s in the hutch.” — Jess
“You put it in the hutch?! Thi … uh … this thing was on the street!” — Schmidt
“It’s a coffee grinder Schmidt. I think it will be okay.” — Jess
“A top-of-the-line, Conical Burr coffee grinder! You know what that means? It means it doesn’t smash up the beans like some pedestrian blade grinder … it actually grinds them for a deeper, richer, more satisfying flavor profile.” — Schmidt
“Oh … well … I’ve used it repeatedly to make home-made crayons. Does that show up in your flavor profile, Schmidt?” — Jess
“I can’t believe I never noticed it before, but … Schmidt? You are legitimately crazy …” — Jess
“I think we’re all a little bit crazy, don’t you think Jess?” — Schmidt
“No, I mean … you’re like aging ballerina, child chess prodigy, professional magician crazy.” — Jess
“It’s my mom’s fault. You know I come from a Jewish family, but she used to tell me the reason Santa didn’t come to our house was because my room was dirty. The only thing I ever controlled was what I ate. That’s why I got fat.” — Schmidt
“Yeah … I got fat because I used to eat Concord grape jelly from the jar using a candy bar as a fork.” — Jess
“I made it into the ocean without my aqua socks!” — Schmidt revealing to the gang his thrill at making it to the ocean without his aqua socks
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on Mar 14, 2012 @ 00:08 EST5EDT
