The Mindy Project

The Mindy Project

Episode 15: Mindy's Minute

Mini-Review

By: Carlos Uribe

The Mindy Project is about an OB/GYN named Mindy.

Spoilers Ahoy?

This is an episode that is about public perception, fame, or something. I'm not actually sure if the show was trying to comment on anything or whether it just thought it would be funny if Danny was forced to go on television. It all begins when Mindy has submitted some short films giving advice to women about their bodies. She dresses up in a puppy costume and uses a puppet to try and present this information in an entertaining manner. She's proud of her work but the cab drivers are annoyed by her singing and Danny is embarrassed. As the public reception seems to get worse, Mindy can't help but feel bad. That is until she's offered the chance to get on the local news to have her own segment. Danny intervenes to try and have the segment be as professional as possible so that the segment doesn't reflect poorly on the firm. Mindy takes his advice. It seems to go smoothly until one of Mindy's hypochondriac patients call hers. Mindy leaves Danny alone at the set. He expects her to come back but she remains at the hospital to be there for her patient. Danny is forced to go on and he does pretty badly. His nerves get the better of him. It's a complete disaster that only ends in his humiliation. The segment is canceled and the status quo is returned. It's a basic plot that has a lot of hysterical moments. It's not just Danny that is funny but Mindy and the mid-wives as well. I especially like the environmentalism ad that the mid-wives put out that attacked “big doctor” as if it was big oil. This was definably an episode about media but the problem is I'm not sure if it actually had anything to say about it.

The sub-plot involves the reintroduction of Beverly. She's the character that was fired all the way back at the beginning of the season. She was going to take the firm to court due to age discrimination but they offered her a job as a receptionist. She accepted. Her entire plot after they all welcome her back is to have problems with the computer because she's old. The premise behind it is simply and stereotypical but it manages to work well. There were some moments that felt a bit odd or where it tried to hard but there were many more that simply worked well. A specific scene that comes to mind is when Beverly finally admits that she needs help and all the characters rush to help her. She needs help attaching a file to an e-mail. How she follows through some of the instructions she got was simply the highlight of the plot. The sub-plot might have been predictable and familiar but at least the show managed to make it work because of sharp writing. To me, this wasn't the best part of the sub-plot but rather how it minimized Morgan's role on the show. He became a lot more bearable when he was used in very small doses. I'm not sure if Beverly won't get on my nerves soon as she's a similar character because she's wacky but Beth Grant does a good job with the role. Overall, I approve of the sub-plot as it works well.

Mindy's Minute was a funny episode of the Mindy Project. The main plot and the sub-plot had me laughing a lot but it didn't really have anything to say about the topics that it covered. The media was made fun off a bit, the characters had some pretty great moments, and the laughs were there but it was absent of themes or a larger meaning. This was still a pretty great episode and I think it's actually one of the best this show has done. At the same time, it only gets a mini-review because I don't really have anything to say about this episode.