Hey, it’s the show after the Super Bowl! Man, how many of you were just wishing the game would end so we could get to some fun TV? I sure was.
Obviously, New Girl is playing to a broader audience here, so understandably, some of the characterizations and scenarios themselves have to be broadened. Ultimately, it all does feel a bit contrived, but I do think the Nick-Jess “I love you” scenario works in the context of this being a post-Super Bowl episode. I get the feeling that the words have been said before, but they apparently haven’t been, so whatever.
Anyway, what this does is set up the Jess-Nick relationship for the audience, and it also serves as a reminder that role reversals are not uncommon for this show. Usually, it’d be Nick freaking out, but the episode reminds us that it derives its humor from different places. Of course, that’s most evident with Prince; everything works here because he’s such a character, because he’s the perfect singer to be featured in an episode of New Girl.
And what this episode is is an episode of this show. It’s not a Super Bowl New Girl; it’s still fundamentally New Girl. It stays true to these characters, and what I like most about it is that it does a nice job with the supporting cast. It’s easy to get caught up in the post-Super Bowl spotlight (it still does a little, but hey, that’s understandable) and focus solely on the Jess-Nick-Prince storyline–which is good–but I like the moments we get with the rest of the cast. Coach is starting to be utilized in a better way now, and I love the Coach-Winston pairing. Cece and Schmidt get some nice scenes as well.
Ultimately, the episode falters in certain places, but it’s entirely enjoyable. Hopefully this will convince some more people to watch this gem of a show.
GRADE: B
-“Did that just happen?”
“We danced with Prince.”
“Where do we go from here?” This scene is perfect. The show really is self-aware.
-Prince’s love of pancakes…Chappelle Show reference.
-Winston screaming “I LOVE YOU!” is perfect.
-Prince has a butterfly, and he can order it to do stuff.
-*Finger guns*
-“Prince is terrible at Frisbee. He has, like, 10 of these up there.”
-Nick’s scream in response to seeing Prince: classic Nick Miller. Also, trojan horsing inside a group of models, as well as all his drunk gibberish.
-“Do you think Prince’s house has a drawbridge?”
-Some product placement going on with the Ford Fusion scene. Ah, whatever. The jokes are great there.
-The opening scene’s discussion of panties is a great hook.
Photo credit: FOX, New Girl
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