New Girl
Episode 19: Quick
Hardening Caulk
By: Carlos Uribe
New Girl is a show about Jess and her three best friends (Winston,
Nick, and Schmidt)
Spoilers
Ahoy!
I'm
going to admit something: I didn't find this episode of New Girl to
be completely funny. It made me laugh but it didn't feel like the
episode was putting in as many jokes as usual. That opening scene at
the bar where Schmidt was trying to forget Cece by getting drunk had
a few jokes but it felt like it was trying to get all the plot points
up as quickly as possible. The two plots that run throughout this
episode have to do with relationships. Jess has to deal with her
growing sexual attraction to Nick as he starts trying at life. The
reason he's started to try is revealed a bit later on: it's because
he's now dating the new owner of the bar, a woman named Shane. The
other plot of the episode has to do with Schmidt. He's trying to
accept that Cece is going to get married. He tries drowning his
sorrows and doing everything he can to get his mind off her. It is
imperative to understand where he is emotionally in order to
understand where the writers are taking him this episode. They are
trying to set up a metaphor between Cece and a fish that isn't very
subtle but they manage to make it work because they showed Schmidt's
emotional state. They did this before they even went into the
aquarium which helped sell this metaphor to the audience. If they had
randomly started in the aquarium and tried to make the metaphor then
it wouldn't have worked so well. This is an expertly plotted episode
New Girl where everything is well plotted out-but it could have used
a little more time to try and find ways to fit more jokes in.
Developing the relationships and moving things forward is great but
New Girl can't forget that it's a comedy. I'm not saying they have
forgotten as the episode did get a lot funnier as it went on-but that
the first half rarely made me laugh. The second half was hysterical
but that doesn't excuse the lackluster beginning.
The
Nick and Jess relationship is in an odd place by the end of the
episode. This is all because of Nick. He didn't think Jess wanted to
sleep with him so he pursued his new boss. Shane doesn't really have
much of a personality but that's because she's largely there as a
romantic obstacle. She's a strategically placed character but it
helps that she's played by Odette Annable. Annable is a fine actress
who basically sells that she's sleeping with Nick because she wants
to rather than because the plot requires it. Nick doesn't know want
Jess desires until she accidentally admits it while hooked up on pain
medication. Nick suddenly freaks out because he wants to be with Jess
but he's worried that being with Shane is going to ruin his chances.
He tries his best to keep his sexual relationship with his boss a
secret from Jess but he quickly fails. The episode ends with a pretty
intense fight with sexual undertones. They basically keep trying to
sleep with each other but they don't stop yelling. Even when they try
to go to different rooms, they can't help but come back to each
other. They are very much attracted to each other and they can barely
control their sexual urges. To the show's credit, they dont' actually
have sex. The last thing we see is them going back into their rooms
but it wouldn't be a surprise if we later find out that they sealed
the deal. It'll be interesting to see how this interaction shakes up
their dynamic even more. We spent whole episodes dealing with the
aftermath of the kiss-but to have both of them admit that they want
the other? That's a whole other step in their relationship that's
going to shake the New Girl universe even further. After how the
writers handled the post-kiss episodes, I have every confidence they
can handle the consequences.
The
episode's sub-plot dealt with the aftereffects of Cece getting
engaged on Schmidt. He's not happy as he gets himself drunk to try
and make himself feel better. His friends are worried about him so
Winston takes him to an aquarium. While there, Schmidt falls in love
with a fish that reminds him of Cece. He tries everything in his
power to get the fish even though it's against California law. There
is never a doubt in the minds of the audience or his roommates that
the fish is really a metaphor for Cece. When he describes the fish,
he includes details that make it clear who he is talking about.
Winston tries to help him get the fish but he fails. His friends
can't give Schmidt what he wants. The only person who can is Cece as
she does gift him the fish. The problem is that Winston assumes that
it's best if Cece keeps her space. She's still engaged and it'll hurt
Schmidt too much to see her. This makes sense as he's emotionally
unraveling. That is until he actually does wake up. He decides that
he's going to free the fish because he realizes the metaphor. He
can't keep holding on to Cece because she doesn't belong to him. His
attempt to free the fish ends up symbolizes his logic but his drastic
failure signifies it's going to be tougher to let go of Cece than he
thinks.
Quick
Hardening Caulk is an episode that has a rough beginning but it
quickly explodes in a frenzy of chaos. The ending in particular is
funny. The road getting there might have been a bit rough but at
least the destination was worth it. The narrative momentum has been
in high gear ever since the kiss and this episode simply keeps it
going. New Girl has rapidly become of my favorite comedies on the air
for a reason-it's a funny show that knows it's characters and is
strong enough to mess with it's own dynamic. I can't wait to see what
happens next.
Other Notes:
This
was an episode that did get funnier as it went along-but the
beginning was too much
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