Review: 'New Girl' - 'Control': The little-nipped drummer boy
Jess gets Schmidt to relax, with disastrous consequences
Schmidt (Max Greenfield) tries on a new persona on "New Girl."
A review of last night's "New Girl" coming up just as soon as I reinstate my ban on high-waisted shorts...
I'm of two minds on "Control." On the one hand, it did something very important to the long-term viability of the series by illustrating exactly why the other guys put up with Schmidt. Max Greenfield and the writers have turned Schmidt into the funniest character on the show, but his behavior — like Jess's behavior — can be so extreme that it's hard to fathom other people, especially someone with Nick's personality, living with him for years on end. So having Jess disrupt the ecosystem to show how dire everyone's life gets without Schmidt helped lay a good foundation for his place in the apartment, and the show, which in turn gives the show license in future episodes to have him go back to his douchiest.
On the other hand, I didn't find most of the episode funny. And where the second half of last week's episode intentionally dialed down the jokes to let the group bond emotionally over Nick's cancer scare, "Control" was trying to be a normal, laugh-filled episode. I just don't think most of the comedy worked. We're only midway through the first season, and it already feels like the life has been sucked out of any story where the guys warn Jess not to do something, Jess does it anyway and is shocked that the guys were right about the consequences. Beyond that, I never bought Schmidt's transformation into laid-back drum circle guy. He doesn't have enough guile to pretend to become that guy to teach the others a lesson, and yet he always seemed to be faking it. His whole transformation, and then reversion to type, felt rushed.
Nick and Winston's fight over Nick being a deadbeat was a bit better. I did like, for instance, that Winston had already planned out a section of the speech he could jump to in the event Nick told him to relax. On the other hand, the show is in danger of putting Nick into the Schmidt position of making us question why the others are friends with him. I get that he and Winston have known each other since they were kids, and apparently he and Jess are soulmates, but Nick can be an incredible ass sometimes, and it doesn't feel like that storyline so much resolved itself as it got absorbed back into the A-story by blaming the conflict on what Jess did to Schmidt.
(Also, points off for not pulling a "HIMYM" and setting up a fake ItsNickMillerTime.com website.)
What did everybody else think?
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March 14, 2012 at 10:08AM EST Reply to CommentGood point about the long-term good and short-term bad. I thought it was the most "sit-commy" episode of the series by far, and as such, didn't enjoy it as much as I usually do.
Also, I wouldn't call setting up a website as "pulling a 'HIMYM'", because virtually EVERY TIME you hear/see a URL on any TV show these days, you can count on a real-world version of it having been set up.
sepinwall I know, but HIMYM was the show that first developed a reputation for doing it every single time.
March 14, 2012 at 10:18AM ESTJenny Sitcom-wise, I think Arrested Development led the way (with, at least, ImOscar.com and ImNoScar.com). Are there earlier examples?
March 14, 2012 at 4:06PM ESTJohn I feel like the Simpsons with WhatBadgersEat.com was the first one of these I recall. I believe it was ~2000.
March 14, 2012 at 5:54PM ESTChampSkins
March 14, 2012 at 10:15AM EST Reply to CommentEhhh.... New Girl is a show that I sometimes think can be funny, then it goes and does an episode like this that is so UNfunny that it makes me question why I even watch it.
This show cannot figure out what to do with itself. The plots for every single episode just feel outdated and odd. I really just don't see how they can have a long-term future for the show.
The Nick and Winston storyline was terrible, especially considering last week Winston chipped in to pay for his Cancer scan. So now all of a sudden he is complaining about how much money Nick owes him? And I know the episode was probably shot out of order, but that is just a bad job by the showrunner to allow the two episodes to air back to back.
Ugh, this show frustrates the hell out of me because it shows glimpses every once in a while of what it could be, but then constantly has duds like whatever it was they had last night.
Lisa
March 14, 2012 at 10:29AM EST Reply to CommentWhat am I missing with this show? I don't get it. There are so many funnier ensemble shows that seem easier to get into like Happy Endings, P&R
Brian Those two shows are definitely better than New Girl (and are IMO the two best comedies on TV right now). That doesn't mean New Girl should be completely disgarded.
March 16, 2012 at 12:48PM ESTjeff
March 14, 2012 at 10:33AM EST Reply to Commentthough, in its defense... It'sNickMillerTime.com is supposed to not exist... due to Nick Miller devoting too much time to his half finished zombie novel...
sepinwall True, but they could set up some kind of placeholder site where Nick is promising something awesome is coming soon. Maybe one or two entries and then nothing.
March 14, 2012 at 10:40AM ESTJobin
March 14, 2012 at 10:34AM EST Reply to CommentSchmidt in a fat suit puking upon seeing the messy apartment for the first time was hilarious.
Schimdt in the fat suit brings me so much joy, I'm glad they have been wise to use it only occasionally so far.
Ray Good grief - I was thinking during the episode that Schimdt was basically Monica from Friends but I didn't make the fat suit connection until now.
March 14, 2012 at 3:29PM ESTCol Bat Guano
March 14, 2012 at 11:06AM EST Reply to CommentI liked this one. I think it's a stretch to demand too much realism from this show. It's a sitcom with some funny characters, not really a ground breaking comedy. I do agree they need to find a balance for Nick before he needs to start putting money in the douchebag jar.
Joanna
March 14, 2012 at 11:16AM EST Reply to CommentEven a not-so-great episode of this show still makes me and my teenage kid laugh our asses off. I don't mind that the show is taking risks with the format and not always hitting it out of the park; it has grown from its initial premise, and it's head and shoulders above most of the other dreck out there. The new show that follows it is a good example: Megan Mullally is completely wasted on an ensemble with no comic timing, an insanely ugly and distracting set, and writing that strains for funny but just gives us manic.
SpyTV
March 14, 2012 at 11:30AM EST Reply to CommentI agree this show needs to fix a couple of things, but it's still one of my favorites. It isn't at the level of Parks or Community, but it's pretty darn good. Yes, they need to make Nick less of a curmodgeonly jerk (why would anyone want to hang out with him?). On the other hand, Jess and Schmidt were great together, I loved the stroll on the beach. She comments on the birds, and he sees a cat eating a dead bird. She mentions the sand, and he sees the used needle. That was a great glimpse into the mind of Schmidt.
keith Remember that in TV circles, making New Girl more like Community would be considered a bad thing.
March 14, 2012 at 12:01PM ESTJonathan
March 14, 2012 at 11:31AM EST Reply to CommentNo applauding that Winston got some well due characterization in the episode? I think this is the most Winston we've seen, other than his bells episode. I enjoyed this version of Winston, and got a kick out of the pre-drafted letter to Nick.
maria Winston's pre-drafted letter was probably my favorite part of the episode.
March 14, 2012 at 12:58PM ESTChris L
March 14, 2012 at 11:47AM EST Reply to CommentThis one was lame, but Zooey looked FANTASTIC in that black miniskirt & hose. That's all.
keith
March 14, 2012 at 11:58AM EST Reply to CommentThey seem to be making Schmidt the main character. That's amusing. It's a perfectly likeable show, it doesn't need to slay all the time. I'll keep watching forever, but I'll probably never watch a repeat. This will be around for a few years.
Jim
March 14, 2012 at 2:04PM EST Reply to CommentLast week Schmidt had no problem hanging out on the beach. (Of course Cece was there and I would have no problem hanging out with her anywhere.) This week Jess had to cajole him down to the beach and he wasn't going to step off that sidewalk until the hippie girl motioned him over. Out of order or just bad showrunning?
Mark Kawakami In fairness, there's a huge difference between hanging out by the Santa Monica pier and hanging out in Venice Beach. Schmidt really would hate Venice.
March 14, 2012 at 2:56PM ESTBob Loblaw
March 14, 2012 at 2:35PM EST Reply to CommentIs there any character on TV less likeable than Nick? Sure there are characters that are designed to be unlikeable ("You love to hate him"), but Nick is not supposed to be one of these.
His one-note, reflexive rejection/disdain for everything is tiresome, and it makes the character predictable. In any scene, you know what his reaction will be. I could see if the producers were positioning him as a "I think a lot of modern culture is silly" type, such as Ron Swanson. But Ron at least has hobbies, interests, people that he genuinely likes. Based on how he has been written, I couldn't honestly state that Nick likes any of the people he calls friends.
His statement last week that "I'm the guy who doesn't do anything" perfectly encapsulates the problem with his character. In an episode dealing with mortality, you would think this statement would have been offered up with a note of regret, "why haven't I done more?" But the way the actor conveyed the line, it came across as more "this is who I am." And it smacked of twenty-something guys trying to make themselves more interesting to women by talking about their supposed "hidden" or "dark side." Why would anyone want to hangout with a guy who is perpetually negative, and by his own admission, never wants to do anything fun, interesting, or creative?
Frankly, Nick's unlikeableness is far more unbelievable and off-putting than any of the Jess character's so-called quirks or 'adorkable' behavior.
Fixing Nick would not be hard, it would just take giving him a hobby or interest that allows him to be interesting and vulnerable at the same time. Like, what if he was into flowers and flower arranging? Or we find out that he is the president of some vaguely nerdy or embarrassing fan club? Something that would give him some depth and make him less tiring to deal with.
keith True. Regular schlubs should be more relaxed. The way it is, Nick's path to redemption and either returning to law school or doing something he actually loves should be the main arc.
March 14, 2012 at 3:03PM ESTMatt
March 14, 2012 at 2:52PM EST Reply to CommentDid we all forget the cut away of when Schmidt first moved in to be their roommates and Winston was somehow there even though he was supposed to be in Latvia playing basketball and Coach was the first roommate anyway or am I wrong?
Bob Loblaw I believe the timeline was Winston--Coach--Winston
March 14, 2012 at 3:01PM ESTsepinwall Yes. Coach replaced Winston (and took the big room) when Winston went to Latvia. Winston returns, Coach is evicted off-screen (and permanently shunned by the others), and Schmidt moves into the big bedroom.
March 14, 2012 at 4:24PM ESTDr. Gross
March 14, 2012 at 5:59PM EST Reply to CommentI loved Schmidt referring to Nick's room as "The White Whale," a hilarious moment in an otherwise unspectacular episode.
TO Agreed, that was the one joke I actually still remembered today when thinking back on it because I enjoyed it so much. Glad I'm not alone. Schmidt's delivery was great.
March 14, 2012 at 7:41PM ESTnath
March 14, 2012 at 8:01PM EST Reply to CommentYeah, as a poker player, I very strongly sided with Winston on this one. Don't play poker if you don't plan to honor your debts, no matter what goes on away from the table.
Ty
March 15, 2012 at 6:57AM EST Reply to CommentI cant be the only one that loved this episode... I watched it twice the day it aired on tv... Ive also laughed hard at every episode so far and this made me laugh the hardest. The only thing that was off was Schmidt trying to be the chill hippy... otherwise I thought it was great. The scene with the birds, sand, and wind when the kite hit him in the face and the scene with the fat suit throwup absolutely killed me. me and my friends had to rewind those scenes like 4 times and they never got old.
I personally like all the characters and think they fit well. Nick was actually my favorite for a while... like his cool humor. but Schmidt really shined in this one. Winston is funny 2, great acting makes it seem real. Zoey has this cute sexy nerdy teacher thing goin on... shes perfect for this show... and Cici.... WOW she's smokin...
Ill watch this show til the end... I hope they never change the actors... but how will the title work after say 5 seasons?
Tony
March 15, 2012 at 10:15PM EST Reply to CommentThe past two episodes have not been good. A cancer scare in the first half of the first season makes no sense. And this past episode I agree set up for the future but was just not funny. The praise this show gets overall astounds me because honestly it has nothing on Happy Endings.
Tony
March 15, 2012 at 10:18PM EST Reply to CommentThe past two episodes have not been good. Having a cancer scare in the first half of the first season makes no sense at all. And this past episode did set up for the future but was just not funny. I do enjoy this show overall but I can't understand how it gets such huge praise, Happy Endings is so much better.
Tony sorry about the double post guys, the whole reCapthcha threw me off
March 15, 2012 at 10:20PM ESTThe Noble Robot
March 16, 2012 at 3:34AM EST Reply to CommentYeah, I think this is the kind of show that is mainly junk food, but one that "cultured" comedy fans (those of us who thumb our nose at CBS sitcoms and tweet about Community's darkest timeline) don't have to be embarrassed to watch.
The Noble Robot ...by which I mean it's not really worth poking holes in.
March 16, 2012 at 3:35AM ESTJane
March 18, 2012 at 1:16PM EST Reply to CommentI disagree that Schmidt's lack of authenticity as a laid back beach hippie was a problem in this episode. Isn't it consistent with his character to be they guy who tries way too hard?
This one was more enjoyable than last week's cancer scare, which hit a little too close to home. It hit so close to home, actually, that I was annoyingly aware that they were talking about a possible thyroid tumor while touching Nick's neck where a salivary gland tumor would be. I know Jess' friend is a gynecologist so she hasn't had a lot of above the neck experience since med school, but still.