Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: 'New Girl' - 'Kryptonite': Schmidt happens

Jess gets a new roommate and has to confront her ex-boyfriend

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Sep 27, 2011 9:30 PM

Jess (Zooey Deschanel) channels her rage on "New Girl."

Credit: FOX

A quick review of tonight's "New Girl" coming up just as soon as I get a new thumb ring...

I was very curious to see "Kryptonite" for a couple of reasons: 1)Because when I like a comedy pilot as much as I enjoyed the "New Girl" pilot, I want to see if the show can keep up the quality or if the pilot was just a case of the writer using every good joke they had for these characters and situation in one script, and 2)Because Damon Wayans Jr. made the strongest impression of the three male roommates, and I wanted to see how Lamorne Morris fit in as the new/old roommate.

On the latter, I'd say that Morris didn't make much of an impression at all, unfortunately. The "New Girl" producers say they didn't want to reshoot the pilot with a new actor because they liked how it came together, but the problem is that having spent a half-hour showing three dudes adjust to this magical unicorn-riding creature in their midst, they couldn't do that all over again with another dude in the very next episode. So Winston is barely introduced at all, and doesn't seem to be defined by anything except being understandably puzzled by Jess's presence in his life. There's no there there at this point.(*)

(*) FOX also made a later episode available for critics to screen, and I put it on immediately after Kryptonite to see if Winston had become a more-defined character. Not so much, so far.

On the larger qualitative point, I thought "Kryptonite" did okay - not great, but not anything to set off red flags just yet.

It wasn't as funny as the pilot - and the climax with the guys putting on Jess's floppy hats was so similar to the "Dirty Dancing" serenade last week as to be one of the more blatant examples of the "repeat the pilot 5 more times" phenomenon I've seen in a while - but Zooey Deschanel continued to do some good physical comedy (I liked her high dribbling before the flatscreen got busted), Jess finally losing her temper was funny, and I thought Liz Meriwether did a good job of making the ex seem amusingly douchey in a way completely unlike Schmidt. (And Schmidt's own d-bag tendencies were toned down quite a bit here, instead making him a guy who's super-neurotic about his own machismo. Probably a better way to go long-term.)

I think "New Girl" is always going to be a balancing act, because Jess is so quirky as to border on cartoonish and/or insufferable - and she unfortunately crosses that line in that mid-October episode - but most of the components I liked in the pilot were still present here, so not a bad start.

I'll probably skip reviewing for a bit to let the show find its sea legs (or not find them) and check back in later in the season.

What did everybody else think?

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: New Girl, Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Alan Sepinwall

Next 57 Comments

asarael

I'm surprised so many people liked Wayans's character in the pilot. I was excited when I heard he would be in this show but to me his character was at times just looking bored, and at other times he was an over-the-top caricature that reminded me of a bad episode of The Office.

That being said I definitely agree that his replacement didn't really contribute anything. I'm on board with Jess / Schmidt / Nick as characters -- hopefully they find a way to develop the other (two?) cast members.
September 27, 2011 at 9:42PM EST Reply to Comment
@DwainIBe

I missed the jar. I missed Wayans yelling at everyone. The ep felt flat at times. It pulled itself together at the end, but I'm still worried.
September 27, 2011 at 9:57PM EST Reply to Comment
Budo

I tried to watch the pilot three times, with days in between attempts, and just couldn't. Zooey Deschanel and some nice writing alone could not make up for the fact that I absolutely hated all three male leads (yes, even Wayans). I thought their performances, as well as the direction, were amateur Youtube quality.
September 27, 2011 at 10:09PM EST Reply to Comment
- eddie willers I couldn't make it through the pilot either....I thought it so bad that I erased it from my DVR queue.
  September 27, 2011 at 10:49PM EST
- Lester B. That's too kind. There was no nice writing in the pilot. This show is garbage.
  September 28, 2011 at 1:25PM EST
- Haik Mendelovich Exactly what I thought.
  
  The setup is seriously flawed. The roommates don't need to exist.
  
  Zooey + life would have been much better.
  
  The Seinfeld crew, this ain't.
  September 28, 2011 at 6:54PM EST
Dr. Gross

I actually thought this episode was much funner than the pilot, mostly due to the tweaks in Schmidt's character that you identified.
September 27, 2011 at 10:32PM EST Reply to Comment
- Shannon I definitely agree. I don't totally understand it, but I found myself loving Schmidt by the end of the episode.
  September 27, 2011 at 11:03PM EST
- Bern Couldnt agree more. Schmidt's character is more funny and less obnoxious (in some people's eyes) than before.
  September 28, 2011 at 2:36AM EST
- booyamachine @Shannon it was the thumb ring
  September 29, 2011 at 8:10AM EST
Karyn

I miss Schmidt the total douchebag. He was easily my favorite pilot character. And how much do I just want to throttle Jess. I don't think I can take any more of this show, sadly. I'll miss you, Deputy Leo.
September 27, 2011 at 10:46PM EST Reply to Comment
- Rob How can you not mention that the new roomie returning from playing basketball over seas was shorter then Jess?
  September 27, 2011 at 11:01PM EST
- Karyn I did find that unintentionally hilarious, but I figured that was why he had to play in Latvia!
  September 27, 2011 at 11:03PM EST
Moi

I liked the first show, but I found some of Zooey's antics really annoying in this episode. The cluelessness gets a little old. I kept wanting the show to just GET ON with it, at times. The driving around and around the house before confronting the ex drove me nuts. Why wouldn't the roomies either drive or stop the car? Why wouldn't they go with her to the house to get the stuff? So she could cutely break the tv again? Filler.
September 27, 2011 at 10:56PM EST Reply to Comment
- Liz I actually liked that they didn't march up to the door with her. They knew that she had to make the break with Spencer all on her own, and the show managed to avoid the trap of the men having to "save" the woman.
  
  Although when she was carrying all her stuff out, then they might have jumped out of the car to help, just to be courteous.
  September 27, 2011 at 11:27PM EST
- Col Bat Guano The sitting in the car watching her struggle with her stuff drove me nuts. They're desparate for the TV, but their going to make her carry it along with all of her other possessions? Just too sitcommy for my tastes. I liked the pilot a lot more than this one.
  September 28, 2011 at 2:06PM EST
- rockknj I got a "The Jerk" feel with Jess carrying her stuff away when Navin said I need this, and this, and this etc. as he walked away.
  September 28, 2011 at 3:03PM EST
rynowertrine,

I'm actually liking the two original male leads more than I would have expected. Agree that Morris didn't really make an impression. Hopefully they'll work that out in upcoming episodes.
September 27, 2011 at 11:08PM EST Reply to Comment
Matt W

You've got Schmidt on your face.
September 27, 2011 at 11:31PM EST Reply to Comment
toonsterwu

I thought the ending saved this episode. It was very ... dull. Granted, part of the problem was that they were trying to fit in a new character, and the balance didn't seem there.

I sort of missed Schmidt's douchebag jar, to my surprise. That said, I agree that toning it down and taking it the way they did may make more sense. I hope this is the last we see of the ex. It should be - she ended by finally moving on.

I like Zooey a ton, but I still think this show is going to be at its best when its working as an ensemble, and not a Zooey vehicle. The one standout character so far, to me, has been Nick. He works as a character. He's the one guy who seems, real. Schmidt seems like a character, Zooey is Zooey, and we don't know squat about Lamorne Morris yet.

Still think there's something to be mined with Zooey and the model gf (name is slipping me). And it's still disappointing Coach isn't here. Maybe when Happy Endings finishes (I have a tough time seeing that show go to a 3rd season ... I sort of liked it), he can miraculously come back.
September 27, 2011 at 11:44PM EST Reply to Comment
DonBoy

"The guys help the new pretty girl in their living quarters get her stuff back from her jerkass ex-boyfriend" is also the plot of the Big Bang Theory pilot.
September 27, 2011 at 11:55PM EST Reply to Comment
amg

I missed Coach. Can they at least have him guest from time to time? I don't watch his other show, so I'm bummed they couldn't stick with him. I liked that dynamic. The pilot was definitely better on a few different levels. I agree that Nick is the best/most real character so far. Hopefully the new group will find a better groove in weeks to come.
September 28, 2011 at 12:32AM EST Reply to Comment
Angela

The "Schmidt Happens" part was HYSTERICAL!

September 28, 2011 at 12:33AM EST Reply to Comment
snowlarbear

i thought the new dude could have had more of a comedic moment/secret genius when "best for last" showed up on his mix cd, but they didn't play off it enough.

i think zooey and the roommate that also is going through a breakup had some good chemistry, maybe that's how the show will end up. zooey relating to one of the roommates based on how she's feeling that week/arc, and the other 2 doing random antics.
September 28, 2011 at 2:44AM EST Reply to Comment
Shannon

Did anyone else catch the (500) Days of Summer shoutout with Zooey on the park bench?
September 28, 2011 at 8:17AM EST Reply to Comment
- Lisa YES. I thought it was just me.
  September 28, 2011 at 10:02AM EST
Boricua in Texas

It was not as good as the pilot, but I am starting to like these characters, and will likely stick around for more. By contrast, I was deeply disappointed with how bad 2 Broke Girls got in the second episode. That one may be deleted from the DVR queue.
September 28, 2011 at 8:42AM EST Reply to Comment
JLC

My 14 yr old daughter & I laughed at the pilot a lot - we both found the new episode boring - with recycled material (hats) and odd WTF contrived moments - why did Jess have to carry all the stuff from her old house? I was relieved to have a little lightening of the sex banter - I thought that the pilot had a few questionable references for prime time... (motor-boating & tea-bagging - really?)
September 28, 2011 at 8:44AM EST Reply to Comment
Mike

Did they ever explain why Coach was suddenly gone? They just casually mentioned the new roommate was a friend of Coach's, but I don't remember hearing any reference to why he was missing.
September 28, 2011 at 9:40AM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall On the show? No. The producers have said in interviews that the idea is that Coach was subletting Winston's room while Winston was in Latvia. Doesn't explain why the guys are going to suddenly stop hanging out with Coach, though.
  
  Again, they should've either reshot the pilot or just had Morris playing Coach. This is silly and does more harm than good.
  September 28, 2011 at 9:46AM EST
- qrter I was really surprised they didn't do some kind of 'handover'. I felt kind of embarrassed for the show, watching it.
  September 29, 2011 at 1:46AM EST
Jobin

The shame is that Coach was a good idea for a character, and someone who would have been able to help Jess and in turn he was going to help her.

Now with Morris they can't have him be the exact same character, and it looks like they don't even know what they what the character to be, since all we know about him is that he plays basketball and he had the big room.
September 28, 2011 at 9:56AM EST Reply to Comment
JimBriggs

I'm trying to like it, but it just isn't that funny. Zooey's adorkableness seems forced, Schmidt's doucheyness/insecurity seems forced, and Winston's an unknown. Nick's ok but is a character that could slide into any number of sitcoms. I'll give it another try, but I'll have to watch it in the bedroom because my wife and daughter have already dropped it.
September 28, 2011 at 10:57AM EST Reply to Comment
- Joseph Agree 100%. I liked the pilot fine, but thought this ep dropped off in quality quite a bit. Or else I'm just bored with the characters already. I'll give it another couple weeks before making a final decision, but right now it doesn't seem like a show worth sticking with long term for me.
  September 28, 2011 at 12:44PM EST
maria

I didn't really mind the guys, but Jess went from annoying in the pilot to totally insufferable in this episode.

And I also agree that the dropping of the tv was totally contrived. The roommates all just sat there watching her struggle with carrying all that stuff, without getting out of the car? Even when it was obvious she would soon drop the television they were so anxious for? It probably wouldn't have bothered me so much if I hadn't been so frustrated watching brain-damaged Jess being over-the-top annoying the whole episode.

I just don't see how or why they would put up with her.
September 28, 2011 at 11:19AM EST Reply to Comment
- Jessamyn The whole TV dropping thing was baaaaad. And so unnecessarily bad - if the writers felt it necessary to have the TV dropped, there's no reason the roommates couldn't have leapt out of the car when she emerged with it, only to get there too late. Their just sitting there was extremely weird.
  
  On the other hand, I did like the scene with Schmidt trying to find the perfect pose in his room: he twigs that his roommates are messing with him, but is so focused that he hops through the poses again anyway, demanding an answer. Too bad they couldn't have done something like that at the end with the biggest/smallest room psychout, which was Sitcom 101.
  September 28, 2011 at 2:07PM EST
sheed

CiCi is hot never cancel it
September 28, 2011 at 11:35AM EST Reply to Comment
blinky

The second show of The New Girl was a mess. If you look carefully at the first segment, you can tell it was edited from about 20 different takes. Cut, cut, cut: no flow at all.
As cute as Zooey's blue eye may be, they still can't hide the fact that she can't act her way out of a Pinkberry cup. As evidence I would submit her work in The Happening and Tin Man. In both cases she looked like she just walked on set and read cue cards. Staring blankly is not method acting.
Furthermore, The New Girl is a clone of Friends without the unique characters and actual actors playing the roles. Oh yeah and writing, they definitely need writing.
September 28, 2011 at 11:46AM EST Reply to Comment
Victor

I think that this episode had some of the same things as the last that were great. The writing is awesome. I love the build up of the jokes and I've actually watched the episode twice (thanks DVR!!) and I notice a lot of jokes I missed the first time through because I was laughing to hard. I'm excited to see the show develop and continue and I love the original male leads and I hope they can continue to keep up with Jess's character. The roommates all seem really one dimensional at this point and I look forward to the point when we can focus on situations other than just Jess's breakup.
September 28, 2011 at 2:16PM EST Reply to Comment
- qrter Wait.. did you just write "thanks DVR!!"..?
  September 29, 2011 at 1:48AM EST
- DVR You're welcome, Victor.
  September 29, 2011 at 3:39PM EST
edwina

Definitely worried after that episode, the new guy does not have the comedic chops or charisma of Damon Wayons Jr. The Jess character will always be walking the fine line between annoying and charming and the former predominated last night. I sure hope it gets better. Where was the douche bag jar? that's a funny bit, maybe the don't want to beat it to death.
Call me disappointed, hopefully, prematurely.
Write a comment...
September 28, 2011 at 2:20PM EST Reply to Comment
Tausif Khan

Is Zooey Deschanel playing a character who is supposed to be mentally challenged?

What was that shreik that she made at her ex-boyfriends house? It didn't make her seem angry for me it made her seemed unhinged.
September 28, 2011 at 3:42PM EST Reply to Comment
Tyler R.

I didn't make it through the whole show. I stopped when Jess was carrying the TV out of her old place. Why did I stop there? What self-respecting male friend is going to watch his female friend carry a TV of that size and not help. I'm usually not a slave to realism but that really turned me off and elicited a very visceral response from me. I get the premise but the combo of that and the 'erase board scratching' dialogue up to that point and I'll never watch this show again. There's a difference between film Zoey and TV Zoey: I can't take two hours of sustained 'adorkable' film Zoey but a TV season's worth is insufferable.
September 28, 2011 at 4:07PM EST Reply to Comment
Tammy

I know it's only wishful thinking, but I was really hoping that this show would be much darker. When Deschanel seems game to poke fun at her own persona, why not take full advantage of that?

Jess is clearly crazy. Being around that sort of craziness long-term is bound to do something to a person, if there wasn't already something off about them before. The show should embrace that truth, move to FX, and pair itself with Wilfred. I would watch that.
September 28, 2011 at 4:11PM EST Reply to Comment
srpad

This episode was not as good as the pilot and I think the new actor was part of the problem. Coach just had much more character presence then he does. Coach was the no nonsense straight man of the group and I don't see that in the new guy.

Otherwise it was somewhat funny. I am sticking with it and hope it keeps up.
September 28, 2011 at 5:25PM EST Reply to Comment
- mawee Loved the pilot toooooo. Hung in there with newby but don't know if I want to keep watching?
  September 28, 2011 at 8:06PM EST
darthzombie

Wow I am surprised by all the hate, I found myself laughing throughout the episode. Though I agree don't understand what they are doing with Morris and the whole situation with Coach was mishandled...
September 28, 2011 at 5:33PM EST Reply to Comment
- booyamachine I'm shocked at the almost unanimous hate. Comedies take some time to get on their feet and this is already pretty damn funny.
  
  Zooey is pulling this off much better than I had expected her to. The roommates are all funny, I suspect in time their chemistry will gel.
  
  I get a very strong 'Happy Endings' vibe (not just because of the DW Jr. connection) from the show. That show also took a few weeks to hit a stride, I suspect this show will too.
  September 29, 2011 at 8:16AM EST
timeo

Liked it better than the pilot. But, wow, this series has a long way to go. It's one thing to rely almost exclusively on Zooey's (not inconsiderable) charm. But, a show with a protagonist so whiny and helpless is going to wear thin really quickly.

My advice for the inevitable New Girl 2.0 is to make Jess less clingy, cut back to one roommate and push pass the "I'm remaking my life" plotlines.
September 28, 2011 at 5:40PM EST Reply to Comment

Next 57 Comments

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Review: 'New Girl' - 'Kryptonite': Schmidt happens

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Option 1

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@DwainIBe I missed the jar. I missed Wayans yelling at everyone. The ep felt flat at times. It pulled itself together at the end, but I'm still worried.

eddie willers I couldn't make it through the pilot either....I thought it so bad that I erased it from my DVR queue.

Lester B. That's too kind. There was no nice writing in the pilot. This show is garbage.

Haik Mendelovich Exactly what I thought.The setup is seriously flawed. The roommates don't need to exist. Zooey + life would have been much better.The Seinfeld crew, this ain't.

Dr. Gross I actually thought this episode was much funner than the pilot, mostly due to the tweaks in Schmidt's character that you identified.

Shannon I definitely agree. I don't totally understand it, but I found myself loving Schmidt by the end of the episode.

Bern Couldnt agree more. Schmidt's character is more funny and less obnoxious (in some people's eyes) than before.

booyamachine @Shannon it was the thumb ring

Karyn I miss Schmidt the total douchebag. He was easily my favorite pilot character. And how much do I just want to throttle Jess. I don't think I can take any more of this show, sadly. I'll miss you, Deputy Leo.

Rob How can you not mention that the new roomie returning from playing basketball over seas was shorter then Jess?

Karyn I did find that unintentionally hilarious, but I figured that was why he had to play in Latvia!

Col Bat Guano The sitting in the car watching her struggle with her stuff drove me nuts. They're desparate for the TV, but their going to make her carry it along with all of her other possessions? Just too sitcommy for my tastes. I liked the pilot a lot more than this one.

rockknj I got a "The Jerk" feel with Jess carrying her stuff away when Navin said I need this, and this, and this etc. as he walked away.

rynowertrine, I'm actually liking the two original male leads more than I would have expected. Agree that Morris didn't really make an impression. Hopefully they'll work that out in upcoming episodes.

Matt W You've got Schmidt on your face.

DonBoy "The guys help the new pretty girl in their living quarters get her stuff back from her jerkass ex-boyfriend" is also the plot of the Big Bang Theory pilot.

Angela The "Schmidt Happens" part was HYSTERICAL!

Shannon Did anyone else catch the (500) Days of Summer shoutout with Zooey on the park bench?

Lisa YES. I thought it was just me.

Boricua in Texas It was not as good as the pilot, but I am starting to like these characters, and will likely stick around for more. By contrast, I was deeply disappointed with how bad 2 Broke Girls got in the second episode. That one may be deleted from the DVR queue.

Mike Did they ever explain why Coach was suddenly gone? They just casually mentioned the new roommate was a friend of Coach's, but I don't remember hearing any reference to why he was missing.

qrter I was really surprised they didn't do some kind of 'handover'. I felt kind of embarrassed for the show, watching it.

Joseph Agree 100%. I liked the pilot fine, but thought this ep dropped off in quality quite a bit. Or else I'm just bored with the characters already. I'll give it another couple weeks before making a final decision, but right now it doesn't seem like a show worth sticking with long term for me.

sheed CiCi is hot never cancel it

qrter Wait.. did you just write "thanks DVR!!"..?

DVR You're welcome, Victor.

Tausif Khan Is Zooey Deschanel playing a character who is supposed to be mentally challenged?What was that shreik that she made at her ex-boyfriends house? It didn't make her seem angry for me it made her seemed unhinged.

mawee Loved the pilot toooooo. Hung in there with newby but don't know if I want to keep watching?

darthzombie Wow I am surprised by all the hate, I found myself laughing throughout the episode. Though I agree don't understand what they are doing with Morris and the whole situation with Coach was mishandled...

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@DwainIBe

I missed the jar. I missed Wayans yelling at everyone. The ep felt flat at times. It pulled itself together at the end, but I'm still worried.

Haik Mendelovich Exactly what I thought.

The setup is seriously flawed. The roommates don't need to exist.

Zooey + life would have been much better.

The Seinfeld crew, this ain't.

Dr. Gross

I actually thought this episode was much funner than the pilot, mostly due to the tweaks in Schmidt's character that you identified.

Karyn

I miss Schmidt the total douchebag. He was easily my favorite pilot character. And how much do I just want to throttle Jess. I don't think I can take any more of this show, sadly. I'll miss you, Deputy Leo.

rynowertrine,

I'm actually liking the two original male leads more than I would have expected. Agree that Morris didn't really make an impression. Hopefully they'll work that out in upcoming episodes.

Matt W

You've got Schmidt on your face.

DonBoy

"The guys help the new pretty girl in their living quarters get her stuff back from her jerkass ex-boyfriend" is also the plot of the Big Bang Theory pilot.

Angela

The "Schmidt Happens" part was HYSTERICAL!

Shannon

Did anyone else catch the (500) Days of Summer shoutout with Zooey on the park bench?

Boricua in Texas

It was not as good as the pilot, but I am starting to like these characters, and will likely stick around for more. By contrast, I was deeply disappointed with how bad 2 Broke Girls got in the second episode. That one may be deleted from the DVR queue.

Mike

Did they ever explain why Coach was suddenly gone? They just casually mentioned the new roommate was a friend of Coach's, but I don't remember hearing any reference to why he was missing.

sheed

CiCi is hot never cancel it

Tausif Khan

Is Zooey Deschanel playing a character who is supposed to be mentally challenged?

What was that shreik that she made at her ex-boyfriends house? It didn't make her seem angry for me it made her seemed unhinged.

darthzombie

Wow I am surprised by all the hate, I found myself laughing throughout the episode. Though I agree don't understand what they are doing with Morris and the whole situation with Coach was mishandled...

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