In the penultimate episode of this season, Mindy finally faced something that she hasn’t faced since, arguably, way back in season one: a complete and total loss of confidence. She’s definitely pregnant, and starting to show, and her confidence has completely been drained by the fact that she no longer fits into her pre-pregnancy clothing.
This episode has a big reveal: Tamra’s fabulous but elusive Cousin Sheena. She’s played by Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox, and is absolutely and completely fantastic. Sheena is brought in by Tamra to help Mindy get her groove back, and even though she’s brought in to help Mindy, she ends up helping Danny instead. Mindy is thrown into a deeper depression when Danny laughs at her transformation, and he tries anything and everything to make Mindy feel confident again. Despite Sheena helping Danny realise how he can help Mindy, Mindy ultimately realises that only she can make herself feel confident again.
Peter seems to be doing well in Texas, as the Shulman and Associates staff all receive invitations to his upcoming wedding to Lauren (the invite included a registry with Peter’s weed dealer and him asking everyone to ‘sext’ their RSVP). Jeremy is left feeling lonely, and asks Danny and Morgan to come to a singles pyjama party to help him find a new girlfriend. Morgan, very comfortable in his relationship with Jessica (guest star Julia Stiles), is shocked to see her there. Danny finds out that she plans on dumping Morgan, as Morgan has let himself go since they have become a couple. Danny finds himself in trouble with Morgan when he tells Morgan the reason that Jessica dumped him, and Mindy and Morgan help each other find their confidence again. Jeremy, meanwhile, finds his new-found confidence leads him to find a new partner in the form of the mystical How I Met Your Mother Mother herself, Cristin Miliotti.
I liked the overall message in “What to Expect When You’re Expanding”, even if it was cheesy at times. It was especially nice to see Jeremy get his groove back, after a season or two of wallowing around. It was also great to see how the friendship between Tamra and Mindy has developed. Even though this season hasn’t been as entertaining as the previous two, it has given supporting characters more to work with, while still maintaining the amazing celebrity cameos that The Mindy Project is known for. Next week’s episode “Best Man” is the season finale, and I’ll be interested to see if The Mindy Project comes back for another season. The show has moved so far away from what it was in the beginning – it’s all part of the evolution of Mindy and her life. Things change, lives change, priorities and goals change. While I like that Mindy’s writers haven’t shied away from that inevitable change, I wouldn’t be surprised if viewership dropped off this season. I hope that The Mindy Project comes back for another season later in the year, but it wouldn’t surprise me if next week’s finale wrapped things up in a neat little package, just in case.
Review Score: THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Mindy Project screens in Australia on Channel 7
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