What’s “normal” for New Girl?

You and I both know there’s nothing “normal” about New Girl.

That being said you have to realize titling an episode with that moniker isn’t going to make it so. But that’s okay.

Why? With last week’s episode such a frantic whirlwind, it’s kind of nice for New Girl to cool its jets a bit and take on some rather calm story lines for a change of pace. That’s one of the things I appreciate about the show over the course of its freshman season: It throws out inanity by the boatload one week, brings us back down to earth the next. Its ebb and the flow gives us a sense of balance so we don’t list too far to one side for very long.

But just because things are balanced doesn’t mean we didn’t learn something this episode:

• Winston landed a pretty cushy job in terms of security, replacing his nanny duties with something concrete. As it turns out, it might not be the right fit for him, but that remains to be seen. The good thing is he’s gotten himself in a position dealing with adults instead of children, so he’s moving forward. Finally, a little bone thrown at Winston.
• Jess is still confuzzled about Cece and Schmidt’s relationship, but at least she’s accepted it.
• And, for whatever reason, we’re being led down a path of complete and utter gunmetal gray when it comes to the involvement between Jess and Russell. Why we’re being subjected to the interaction between these two — what little of it there is — is beyond comprehension. Because there is absolutely zero electricity between these two.

The fun part of the show was the “True American” game the gang played, bringing Russell into the fold for a bit. The confusion on his face was some of the best scenes Dermot Mulroney has had in his several episode stint thus far. (We’ve all been in a situation similar to “True American” … haven’t we? You get wrangled into something you have no clue about, you act like you know what you’re doing, you fumble along and end up winning the game with beginner’s luck or somesuch. It’s all part of a new experience that takes us out of our comfort zone and creates a memory … sometimes a good one, sometimes not..

The camaraderie between each of the guys in the episode is familiar territory (if you’re a guy, that is) and completely relatable. I mean … take a gander at that photo above: What’s not to love about it?

There are just a couple episodes of New Girl left. I’m a bit anxious to see where The Powers That Be leave us until fall comes rolling around.

Note:

• Per FOX, New Girl has been picked up for another season. Good news indeed.
• Kareem Abdul Jabbar … as a guest on the show?!? A bit odd, don’t you think?

Real Life Side Note:

• Look what I got in the mail today: A real, honest-to-goodness Douchebag Jar from FOX. (I think someone’s trying to tell me something …)

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Apr 11, 2012 @ 00:24 EST5EDT