New Girl - Episode 4.03 - Review: "Julie Beckman’s Older Sister"
This week’s episode of New Girl featured the return of Jess’s father, Bob Day (Rob Reiner) and new girlfriend, “Trashley” Ashley (Kaitlin Olson from FX’s It’s Always Sunny…), a girl Jess went to school with. Jess and Cece try to come to terms with the fact that her father is with someone she considered her mortal enemy in high school while the guys get into some trouble when Schmidt goes for a new job interview. The subplot may have been as ridiculous as the cookout from last week, but I’ll admit, I’m still happy New Girl is retaining that light-hearted nature so far instead of devolving into the relationship melodrama.
Jess tried to keep her cool together, but from the moment she saw who her father was dating, you knew she was going to pop like a balloon. It reminded me of the old joke from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, “Bill, do you think your mom was a senior when we were freshman?...Shut up, Ted!” It’s just creepy and Bob Day should have known what type of reaction bringing her to dinner would illicit from Jess. The idea of marriage was just the breaking point.
I think I can finally admit that Schmidt is the glue that keeps me watching this show. Maybe it’s the hyper realistic references to pop-culture or just how we phrases everything, but every week, his quotes stand out among the rest. As reliable as ever, Schmidt was a professional during the interview, but crumbled as soon as he felt too much pressure from the guys who participated in his test group even with Winston having the break out moment… “This is my hammer, Mjiolnir!”
Overall, the episode had some nice moments, the pizza discussion in the parking garage, the Jess and Cece flashback. It once again felt like an earlier episode of New Girl while moving the plot forward. Jess learned from her mistake that her father’s happiness is more important than who he’s dating. Like any daughter, she only wants to see her father happy. Kudos to the producers for using “She’s So High” by Tal Bachman when Ashley and Bob rekindled their feelings. I thought the quip with Nick, Schmidt, and the dirtiest thing in his room was a fantastic way to close out the subplot. The black and white video was fantastic! It almost seems like the gang is headed for a mid-life crisis even though they’re barely breaking their late 20’s. I’m still holding out for “True American” and I hope it delivers. Until then, comment below and tune in next week to New Girl.
Favorite Quotes:
“Well spoiler alert, you just ruined Annie.----Nick
“She had sex with her D.A.R.E. officer!” -----Cece
“You should be living in a tree in Costa Rica ----Schmidt
“Let’s blast America in the face with a little bit of Schmidt!”----Schmidt
