New Girl was back with a bang with a surprisingly original episode that really brought out the best of the gang. The episode was essentially a flashback episode, formed under the guise of Jess needing advice concerning the possibility of taking on a new job. Jessica Day, not a teacher? I’m not sure if any of us could truly imagine that. It was a plot that made for an interesting view into the backstories of the characters, but the nature of Jess’ situation also proved to be relatable to many of the viewers. It is perhaps the combination of these two things that made the episode a great one.
The backstories all centred on the origins of the gang’s jobs, intended to have some gem of inspiration behind each, but, as this is New Girl, they instead told tales of comical happenstances. These included Winston’s love of basketball stemming from a toy basketball that happened to put in his crib as a baby, and Schmidt’s more cliché realisation that ‘money gets the girls’. Past Coach was as confident as always, which was no surprise, and the true surprise came from Nick’s revealing that he did pass his law bar exam after all, and thus truly must love his bartending job. Nick’s story then lead us to the real hero of the episode, good old Kevin ’97.
“How long has that guy been here?”
“Kevin ’97? Since 1997, Jess, why else would we call him…”
It somehow always seems the background characters that become the most interesting of the episode, so hats off to that loveable old man for bringing out some joy.
The episode ended with Jess making an unsurprising decision, and Cece apparently getting a job at the bar – something I’m excited to see more of, because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good dash of Cece, especially put in a situation she is not completely competent at. The icing on the cake for the episode was the happiness shared by the gang at the end, apparently having forgiven all that transpired over the first half of the season, while Kevin ’97 danced his heart out over by the duke box. Overall, a good, solid episode.
Review Score: THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
New Girl airs in Australia on Channel Ten.
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