New Girl isn’t a perfect comedy series. But when it does get its groove on, your viewing is rewarded with a lot of laughs. I held on to the hope that they would deliver the same for its fifth season, because Zooey Deschanel would be missing for several episodes because she had to give birth.
With Cece (Hannah Simone) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) getting married, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) are tasked to be their maid of honor and best man, respectively. Groomsman, and later bridesman, Winston (Lamorne Morris) finds himself falling for his partner Aly (Nasim Pendrad), but can’t make a move because of her animal actor agent boyfriend Tripp (Kal Penn). When Jess finds herself chosen to be a jury member in a high profile murder case, Nick offers her room for rent to raise money for Schmidt’s bachelor party. After a slew of questionable tenants, Nick rents out the room to the gorgeous pharmaceutical sales representative Reagan (Megan Fox).
I’ve always enjoyed watching New Girl, but it does have its ups and downs, especially with last year’s seemingly crowded cast. I mean, I love Damon Wayans, Jr. and his character Coach, but his return to the cast seemed to make it feel as if there’s way too many characters to keep up with. With big personalities, it’s important that you get the right mix of interactions and chemistry among the characters. Coach leaving enabled the group to keep their shenanigans within the loft and made for a more manageable viewing of craziness.
One would think that missing the titular New Girl for several episodes would cause problems, but Zooey Deschanel’s maternity leave paved the way to introduce a new group dynamic. With Jess usually managing the different eccentricities of her roommates, on top of her own, it was interesting to see how Nick, Bishop, Schmidt and Cece would fill the adorkable void. Each of the characters keenly felt her absence, with the surprising result being the more meaningful friendship between Cece and Winston, earning him the title of bridesman, on top of being Schmidt’s groomsman.
With a slate of pretty great guest stars, including the return of David Walton as Jess’s ex Dr. Sam (somebody give this guy a series of his own that would last more than a season or two), the series was able to keep all the shenanigans familiar and fresh at the same time. I wasn’t surprised by the type of character she portrayed, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Megan Fox’s stint in the series, with her portrayal of Reagan as a no-nonsense pharmaceutical representative who’s averse to commitment somehow meshing well with the loft members. It’s kind of hard not to get sucked in with the group dynamics, but her character offered an anti-Jess approach to things that somehow doesn’t offend those who are loyal to the titular character of the show. Her chemistry with the group is pretty much spot on and it’s not hard to root for the rather unconventional pairing with Nick that she eventually developed (even if you know that Nick and Jess would probably still end up back together).
Even though Jess eventually returned after her jury duty stint, which led to events that caused her to look for a new job and rekindle her romance with Dr. Sam, it was Schmidt and Cece who were central in the season’s biggest storyline. Say what you will about how Nick and Jess are meant to be together, but it’s actually Schmidt and Cece’s romance that demanded an emotional investment in viewers. As unlikely as the pairing was in the series’s premiere five years ago (has it really been five years?!), their romance was the one that seemed the most real. They were weirdly compatible and the way Schmidt treated Cece in the weeks leading to their wedding was sweet and sincere, even when he’s trying his hardest not to sound critical of her crazier ideas or habits. As for their wedding…. fans of the series would have considered the events to be perfectly Schmidt and Cece.
There’s one other theme that featured heavily this season, and that is maturity. In truth, the loft members are actually just a bunch of kids and flawed people who tend to hold on to their eccentricities with tenacity. But in season 5, most of them experienced character growth that leaned towards maturity. It was bittersweet to watch, because you worry if the maturity would come at the expense of their lovable quirkiness. But you can’t help but look forward to how that maturity translates in season 6.
Happy viewing!!
P.S. Winston is still hands down my favorite character. And I love that he and Cece are now friends. God bless his weird, cat-loving soul, and may he never change even if he has found the seemingly perfect girl for him.
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