Monthly Archives: May 2013

Grading the Season Finales 2013: Once Upon a Time

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Title And Straight On ’Til Morning (2.22)

Written By Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz

What Happens? Picking up where last week’s “Second Star to the Right” left off, this episode begins with the characters dealing with two tragedies: one recent (the shooting of Neal and his disappearance through a portal) and one impending (the destruction of Storybrooke and all of its residents born in the Enchanted Forest, meaning everyone but Henry). Regina believes she has the power to slow down the destruction of the town enough for everyone else to escape, sacrificing herself in the process. In order for the townspeople to escape, though, they have to open another portal, which means getting at least one magic bean from Tamara and Greg. Charming is aided in this quest by Hook, who believes in self-preservation rather than dying for his cause as Tamara and Greg do.

Once Charming retrieves a magic bean, he and Snow decide to take a chance and send the self-destruct mechanism to another realm through the portal instead, saving Regina in order to do what’s good even though it might not be easy. However, once the Charming Family reaches Regina, Emma discovers that Hook took the bean for himself, leaving them with no option other than to prepare for their death and leaving Henry alone without his family. While Emma says goodbye to her parents and Henry shares a moment of understanding with Regina, Rumplestiltskin prepares for the destruction of this world by restoring Belle’s memories (thanks to a magical potion made by the Blue Fairy and given to him by Grumpy, who never forgot the kindness Belle once showed him) and allowing himself to grieve for his son.

Before Storybrooke is demolished, however, Emma realizes that while Regina may not be powerful enough on her own to stop the destruction, her magic may be able to work with Regina’s to stop it—and she’s right. But as soon as the moment of relief ends, panic sets in when the Charmings and Regina realize that Henry has gone missing. It turns out he’s more valuable to Tamara and Greg than the destruction of Storybrooke, and they take him through a portal to another realm.

Just as all hope appears to be lost for Henry, Hook returns with his ship, a magic bean, and a change of heart. It turns out he has a soft spot for abandoned boys with selfless streaks and big hearts, as we discover his relationship with Bae through flashbacks. What was at first a chance for Hook to find family and redemption in raising Milah’s son and keeping him safe from the shadow hunting him, turned into one of Hook’s darkest moments when he let the “Lost Ones” take Bae after the boy learned the truth about his mother, Hook, and his father. In the present, Hook wants to redeem himself for what he did to Bae by saving his son since everyone believes that Bae/Neal is dead (although we see him at the episode’s end being discovered by Aurora, Philip, and Mulan). Hook’s knowledge of Neverland will surely come in handy on the journey to rescue Henry, as Rumplestiltskin sees that’s where the boy is headed. Leaving Belle behind to keep Storybrooke safe and hidden as he goes to rescue his grandson (although Henry was once said to be his undoing), Rumplestiltskin sets foot on Hook’s ship with Charming, Snow, Emma, and Regina to save Henry from Peter Pan—the shadow who has been hunting a boy who looks just like Henry since Bae was a child in Neverland.

Game-Changing Moment Following last week’s big moment where Neal was sent through a portal, this episode also used a different realm to change the course of the show in a major way and set the stage for a very interesting Season Three. I definitely thought this season’s cliffhanger was going to be Henry going to Neverland somehow, but I honestly believed Hook was going to kidnap him for some reason. I didn’t see Tamara and Greg’s involvement coming at all (and I can’t say I’m thrilled about it). However, the quest to find Henry has the potential to create some fantastic storytelling and powerful moments between the men and women who I feel are the best actors on the show. It unites all of these characters against a common enemy, and that can only be a good thing after a season of so much fighting and so many fragmented stories. Also, the introduction of a new realm and a new villain have me excited for next season to start already—and isn’t that exactly what a finale should do? I think the choice to make Peter Pan evil is fascinating (and actually pretty believable—his story was always darker than it looked at first glance), and making a beloved fairytale character a kidnapping shadow creature is exactly the kind of twist on a classic story that makes Once Upon a Time compelling television. This is how you create a mysterious, interesting villain—not the haphazard way Tamara and Greg were thrown into the show. With Henry and his family’s journey to Neverland setting the stage for Season Three, I feel optimistic that this show, which has felt disjointed for some time now, will find its direction and heart once again.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (5/5 – 5/12)

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This past week was the relative calm before the storm of season finales coming my way as a TV viewer. Most of the shows I watch had strong episodes that set up what look to be even stronger season finales.

Once Upon a Time had its best episode in weeks with an emotional hour that made me love Bae/Neal more than ever before and absolutely broke my heart with his tragic separation from his family once again. Game of Thrones continued to effectively build a sense of foreboding and lay the groundwork for the incredible moments coming in the rest of the season. Castle gave us a compelling case and an even more compelling cliffhanger surrounding Beckett’s future at the 12th precinct. New Girl featured some great scenes with Jess’s father and one ridiculously romantic moment on the rooftop. The Mindy Project was absolutely hilarious—from Mindy and Casey in the shower to Mindy accidentally performing a routine on a stripper pole. And Saturday Night Live welcomed back Kristen Wiig with some of my favorite characters she brought to life during her time on the show (Garth and Kat! Target Lady!).

While all of these shows featured some great individual moments, my favorite thing on TV this week came from The Office. The show’s penultimate episode was its most enjoyable and emotional in a long time—mainly because of the scenes between Jim and Pam and Dwight and Angela.

Jim’s way of showing Pam how much she means to him left me a crying mess. From the clips of their best moments set to a fantastically appropriate song (“Open Your Eyes” by Snow Patrol) to John Krasinski’s flawlessly earnest delivery of “You are everything,” this moment was all that a diehard fan of their relationship could have hoped for as the show ends its run. And the callback to the Christmas card was perfect, but what I loved most was that we’ll never know what it said. That’s for Jim and Pam—not for us—and that’s the way it should be.

The huge leap forward for Dwight and Angela was also incredibly emotional. Rainn Wilson gave me a new favorite Dwight scene with his proposal. He doesn’t usually show that kind of emotion or sincerity, so seeing such pure joy and love on his face was a beautiful thing. I never thought Dwight and Angela could make me cry, but I guess I was wrong. I am going to be an absolute wreck on Thursday when I say goodbye to Dunder Mifflin for good.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week? Do you have any predictions for what’s going to be the best moment next week (in what’s sure to be a week of exceptional moments)?

A Girl and Her Gatsby: A Love Story

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Gatsby_1925_jacket (1)

The Great Gatsby is my favorite book.

I don’t have a lot of definitive favorites. I have a favorite movie for every genre, time period, and situation. I have a different favorite song every year. I don’t even have one favorite color. (For the record: hot pink and black.) But I have a favorite book. Only one. Only Gatsby.

Today, Baz Luhrmann’s film version of The Great Gatsby opens in theaters. Today, the world is introduced to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jay Gatsby. I actually have no doubt that DiCaprio will make a compelling Gatsby, but he won’t be my Gatsby.

No, my Gatsby lives only in the pages of my dog-eared paperback copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece. I met my Gatsby during a rainy Easter vacation week when I was 13, and it was love at first read. Gatsby turned out all right in the end, and I turned out all right because of the myriad of things he taught me and continues to teach me 11 years after I first discovered his story.

My Gatsby taught a 13-year-old little girl about the importance of dreaming and doing everything you can to achieve that dream. My Gatsby taught a 17-year-old high school senior to remember to pick a goal worthy of being chased with your whole heart. My Gatsby and his fate taught a 21-year-old college student to balance romanticism with pragmatism. My Gatsby continues to teach me today, at 24 years old, about the true meaning of greatness and the way one life can significantly alter the course of another.

As I grew up, I realized that The Great Gatsby isn’t really Gatsby’s story at all. It’s Nick Carraway’s. And, in being Nick’s story, it’s our story. We’re all Nicks each time we encounter Gatsby on the page, trying to figure out what to make of this mysterious man, judging his actions against our own values, and ultimately being changed in whatever small way we allow ourselves to be changed by having encountered his innocence and fervent belief in a singular dream.

That’s the true greatness of Gatsby—he’s whoever you want him to be. For some, he’s an empty, naive fraud chasing after a horrible woman who deserves the fate he gets. For others, Gatsby is a dreamer whose ability to dream in a world that has no place for such innocent belief any longer makes him a hero. For me, my Gatsby is a tragic hero—a man whose spirit couldn’t survive in such a careless world but was strong enough to change at least one person for the better.

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TV Time: New Girl 2.24

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Title Winston’s Birthday

Two-Sentence Summary The morning after Nick and Jess’s first night together (and the day before Cece’s wedding) is interrupted by the arrival of Jess’s father, who believes Nick to be unworthy of his little girl because he sees too much of himself in the younger man. Meanwhile, Cece deals with an unfortunate henna accident, Schmidt deals with the beginning (or restarting) of a relationship with Elizabeth, and Winston deals with the fact that his friends may have forgotten his birthday.

Favorite Line “You know how much I love to explore space and time!” (Winston)

Episode M.V.P. While I loved both Schmidt and Winston in this episode, I thought it belonged to Jess, Nick, and Bob. Their dynamic and the way it built from comedy to heartbreak felt incredibly natural, just like so much of this season has felt. Jess had a lot to do both physically and emotionally in this episode, and I thought Zooey Deschanel did some of her best work of the season in this half-hour. Nothing she did or said felt forced—from her easy laughter with Nick before the chaos rained down around them to her palpable panic at having to do too many things for too many people while still trying to make her own future a priority, too. While I loved everything Deschanel did in this episode, three moments in particular stood out. The first was her immediate defense of Nick when Bob told her Nick wasn’t good enough for her. I loved that she didn’t even wait a moment before telling her dad that that there’s nothing wrong with Nick. Jess’s feelings about Nick were also a huge part of her monologue to her students about life being messy, which I thought Deschanel delivered with an incredible vulnerability and emotional honesty. You could feel her come to her decision in that moment; yes, things with Nick are messy (she went so far as to call him a mess during their kissing in “Quick Hardening Caulk”), but the messy things are the best things in life—because they’re real. The final Jess moment that really got to me was her reaction to Nick’s breakfast on the roof. For so long, we’ve really watched this relationship through Nick’s eyes; we’ve seen it written all over his face how much he loves her. But this time, we got to see plainly just how much Jess loves him, too. The soft way she looked at him throughout that rooftop scene was perfect. Being in love looks great on Nick, and now we know it looks gorgeous on Jess as well.

Nick and Bob both worked so well in this episode because of Jake Johnson and Rob Reiner’s ability to so effortlessly show the way both of these imperfect men love a woman who they both feel is out of their league. Yes, they were both hysterical in their early scenes in the episode. (Any scene involving Nick screaming like a little girl will make me cry with laughter.) But what really made this episode for me was their sincerity. When Bob told Jess he’s not good enough for his little girl, my heart broke because you could feel the pain of this man who’s spent 30 years trying to be the best man he could be for his daughter but never feeling good enough. And that reflected back on Nick perfectly because you could see how much that hurt Nick—not just being rejected by a father-figure but the confirmation of what he always believed to be true, that he’s not good enough for Jess. Johnson played that moment perfectly; you could see Nick crumble under the weight of those words. I really hope Reiner comes back at least once or twice a season because he fits in with the cast (especially Johnson) like he’s a regular.

Favorite Moment I cry a lot when I watch TV. A LOT. But New Girl had yet to make me actually cry…until the end of this episode. When Jess got Nick’s text, I could feel my heart start beating faster in anticipation because I’d honestly thought they were just going to leave the relationship in a kind of limbo after the confrontation with Bob. But once Jess reached the roof and we saw Nick setting up the same breakfast he made her in the morning (but this time with the flower!), I started to tear up. There was just something so simple and beautiful about that gesture; it just furthered my belief that Nick is the most realistically romantic man on television right now. He may be a mess in every other area of his life, but that action showed that he loves Jess with a clarity and a simple honesty that is anything but messy. After what her father said to them, they both could have taken a step back. But he made her breakfast on the roof, she showed up, and they were both looking at each other like any doubts that could ever exist about them had no place on that rooftop.

Of course, however, this is New Girl, so the moment had to be interrupted, and it had to be by Schmidt (and later Winston). But that interruption proved to be emotional and beautiful in its own right. The last moments of the episode—with Winston, Schmidt, Elizabeth, Nick, and Jess together on the roof—were moments filled with the kind of silly, sentimental, honest, and hopeful energy that has made me love this show since Season One’s “Injured.” This is a show first and foremost about friendships, and I love that the writers and cast never seem to forget that.

A New Girl GIF* For My New Girl Feelings

winston i can't do this

Yes, New Girl is a comedy, but it’s a comedy that stands apart from the rest because it’s one of the most emotionally honest shows on television. That emotion was what made this episode so special. It made me laugh, it made my heart skip a beat (I can’t end this review without mentioning the fact that Nick kissed Jess’s shoulder!), and it made me cry. The best part about it was the fact that, despite putting me through the emotional wringer, this episode never felt emotionally manipulative. It all came from a very genuine place for each character, and that makes me even more excited for next week’s big wedding finale (even though I’m not sure my heart will be able to handle it)!

 

*I have no talent for GIF-making. Thankfully, I am highly skilled at searching Tumblr for the best GIFs. I take no credit for this beauty. 

TV Time: Castle 5.23

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Title The Human Factor

Two-Sentence Summary When the man behind a website famous for leaking government information is killed by a drone, the team at the 12th precinct must work with Jared Stack, an operative put on the case by the attorney general. Beckett’s tenacity and intelligence earn her Stack’s respect as well as a chance at a job in Washington.

Favorite Line “That theory is highly improbable. And coming from me, that’s saying something.” (Castle)

My Thoughts “The Human Factor” was much better than I was expecting it to be. It came on the heels of “Still,” one of the best episodes of the season and was originally supposed to follow, “The Squab and the Quail,” which was one of the worst. I was worried that it was going to bring Castle and Beckett back to an angst-filled place in their relationship before the finale, but I am so happy to say that my worries were all for naught. Instead, we saw them as flirty, fun, and united as ever. I’m happy that the obstacles coming their way in the finale are external ones, and they’re believable ones. After so many seasons of seeing how good Beckett is at her job, it felt right to see her offered a chance at something bigger. This episode did exactly what it was supposed to do—it made me excited for the finale while standing on its own as a solid episode with a very strong case at its center.

This was probably one of the most interesting cases Castle has come up with this season. I found myself drawn to the more “procedural-ish” (I love inventing words!) aspects of this episode even more than I was drawn to Castle and Beckett’s interactions, and that only happens with the most compelling cases. I think what made this case stand out were the guest actors. From the son’s palpable anger over his father’s abandonment (and its reflection of Castle’s own abandonment issues) to Stack’s journey to respect Beckett and her abilities, these characters felt like real people with real emotions and believable motivations for their actions.

The case itself also raised some interesting questions about national security, the use of drones on American soil (and abroad), and morality in general. I love when this quirky little show gets serious because it does it in a natural way. There’s never a “very special episode” feel to it (except maybe when it comes to the Johanna Beckett case); it’s merely a matter of reflecting reality: Sometimes life is funny and light, but sometimes it’s serious and makes you think about things much bigger and more complex than your world usually is. I’m not always a fan of episodes where the 12th precinct deals with federal agencies (Season Four’s two-parter was not a favorite of mine), but the conflict in this episode felt real and understandable from both sides.

I think the real reason I loved the case so much—more than its complexity or its great guest actors—was because it allowed Kate Beckett to shine. Beckett is extraordinary for so many reasons, but it should never be forgotten that one of the first things Castle (and, by extension, the audience) came to love about her was just how good she was at her job. When I watch other characters come to admire Beckett’s skills as a detective, I feel like a proud mother. Beckett is my favorite character on TV for so many reasons, but one of the first things that stood out about her was that she was allowed to be exceptional at what’s typically known as a masculine job, and those exceptional skills were what attracted Castle to her as much as her looks.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.21

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Title Second Star to the Right

Two-Sentence Summary After Regina is kidnapped by Tamara and Greg, Emma, Neal, Snow, and Charming begin searching for her—and discover the truth about Tamara in the process. In flashbacks to Bae’s life after falling through the portal, we see him living with the Darling family and allowing himself to be kidnapped and taken to Neverland in the place of one of the Darling boys—a sacrifice later paralleled by his descent into a portal Tamara created after shooting him in order to keep Henry from losing both his mother and father.

Favorite Line
“Henry needs you. He can’t lose both of us. Don’t make him grow up like we did.” (Neal)

My Thoughts When I first started watching Once Upon a Time, I fell in love with the creative twists on fairytales that I grew up with, the emotional moments that built characters and relationships better than any other show I was watching, and the gorgeously complicated dynamics between characters who were family even though they didn’t know that yet. Somewhere along the way, those things got lost this season with the introduction of more new characters than the show knew what to do with, a revolving door of villains, and a plot-heavy/emotionally-lacking style of storytelling. Thankfully, “Second Star to the Right” proved to be a return to many of those first-season elements that made the show so compelling and moving. This episode was an excellent setup for next week’s season finale because it proved that the stakes aren’t just high in terms of the plot; they’re high for almost every character on an emotional level.

Before I go any further into my review, I have to ask: Is this the darkest and scariest episode this show has ever aired? For being an 8 p.m. network drama often billed as a family show, this episode was quite disturbing—from the “death” of a major character to the decision to turn Peter Pan into a child-stealing shadow to Regina’s electroshock torture. I know that you have to sometimes go to a very bleak place in order to set up a season finale (like Henry eating the turnover last season), but this was almost oppressively bleak at times.

One of my favorite parts of this episode was the flashback storyline. I find young Bae incredibly compelling as a character because he’s so earnest and yet so broken at such a young age. The actor who plays him really does a fantastic job. I thought his rapport with Wendy was adorable, and his panic in the face of magic was heartbreakingly believable. I really enjoyed the darker take on the Peter Pan story that was told here because there really is something unsettling under the innocence of the original story. Not growing up may seem like a fun concept for a little while, but being stuck in a world without your family where you never mature or grow doesn’t exactly sound like a fate I’d want for myself. And that’s what made Bae’s sacrifice all the more noble. To willingly go back to a world ruled by (presumably) dark magic when you’ve lost everything trying to escape that fate just to save a family from being torn apart is a heroic act of the highest degree.

Seeing young Bae be so selfless, brave, and true (pun intended) made all of Neal’s big moments in this episode (and there were several) feel like they were coming from a genuine place. This is a man who has always wanted to do the right thing, but it keeps costing him. He’s been through so much and has been broken and emotionally damaged in ways not even Emma can comprehend. But in this episode we see him trying to right his wrongs, and I found myself rooting for him more than ever before (and I say that as someone who’s loved Neal since “Tallahassee”—before we even knew who he really was).

When Neal apologized to Emma, I truly believed that he spent every day regretting what he did to her—and so much of that comes from the raw and real chemistry between Jennifer Morrison and Michael Raymond-James. What I love about their scenes is that it always feels like two real adults interacting—theirs is a very messy, very damaged love story in a world where they’re surrounded by magical examples  of “true love.” But their love has never felt any less true than Snow and Charming’s or Rumplestiltskin and Belle’s—at least not to me. It’s true in a way that’s right for the world they grew up and fell in love in: a world without magic. It’s true in a way that hurts, but this episode showed that it’s also true in a way that heals.

Emma and Neal have always represented human drama in the midst of the supernatural—that’s why I loved “Manhattan” so deeply. They’re two people whose lives were destroyed by dark magic but somehow found in each other a very human and very tangible kind of magic. These are two characters who have suffered so much. All magic comes with a price, and too often that price has been their happiness. That’s what hurt so much about this episode. Once again, Neal is faced with sacrificing himself to the whims of dark magic, but this time it’s to save his own family. And once again, Emma has someone she loves—some hope for happiness and family—ripped away because of magic. Neal has spent so much of his life trying to keep himself from committing the sins of his father, so he chose to be brave and fall through the portal to keep his son from growing up an orphan. But that choice came with its own price, which was reflected so heartbreakingly on Emma’s face after the portal closed. Each one of her sobs hit me like a punch to the gut. These two characters have been through so much already: their profession of love as Neal prepared to fall to his (believed) demise was one of the most heartbreaking moments in a show full of heartbreaking moments.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (4/28 – 5/5)

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Before this week started, I knew it was going to be one of my favorites of the year in terms of TV because all of my favorite shows were airing incredibly important episodes. And I am happy to say that my hopes were actually exceeded on so many levels. This was a week filled with major plot moments, great character development on every show, and huge leaps forward for my favorite TV relationships. 

Once Upon a Time brought some of the focus back to Emma and Henry’s relationship, providing us with some adorable scenes as Operation Cobra was resurrected as Operation Praying Mantis. Game of Thrones perfectly brought to life one of my favorite scenes from all of the A Song of Ice and Fire books when Jaime showed Brienne how much he trusts her and respects her by sharing the secret of why he became the Kingslayer. Castle gave us an emotional look at the history of Castle and Beckett’s relationship and took their relationship to a new level by having Beckett finally tell Castle she loves him. And Parks and Recreation ended its season with big changes coming for many of its characters—especially Ron. 

While most of these shows had moments that would probably have been my favorite in any other week, my pick for the best of the best comes from New Girl. After sharing hilarious stories about how they each lost their virginities, Schmidt, Winston, and Cece left Nick and Jess alone with their feelings and a whole lot of sexual tension—which was finally released when Nick opened the elevator door, literally swept Jess off her feet, and carried her to his bed. While the lead-up to their first time was epic in and of itself (Nick’s smile! That kiss!), what solidified this moment as one of my favorites of the whole TV season is the aftermath. Their smiles and laughter told us all what we could have easily guessed from their chemistry all season—it was GOOD. Seeing both Nick and Jess so happy together, simply being their silly selves with one another, was enough to make me melt. 

 

What was your favorite thing you saw on TV this week? Any predictions for what we’ll be talking about at this time next week? 

Grading the Season Finales 2013: Parks and Recreation

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It’s that time of year again—season finale time! Last year, I had a lot of fun grading the season finales for all the shows I watched, so I decided to try my hand at that again this year, starting with the season finale of Parks and Recreation.

Title Are You Better Off? (5.22)

Written By Mike Schur

What Happens? Leslie celebrates the conclusion of her first year as a city council member with a town forum where she asks the people of Pawnee, “Are you better off now than you were a year ago?” Unfortunately for Leslie, most of the townspeople feel they aren’t better off, and they launch into a litany of complaints aimed at her perceived attacks on their personal freedoms (campaigning against giant sodas, keeping Lot 48 from becoming a Paunch Burger location) and moral indecency (teaching sexual education to senior citizens, turning the video rental store into a porn store). This impassioned group of angry Pawnee citizens then begins a campaign to recall Leslie from her office, but Ben encourages her to stand strong in the face of this adversity because he knows she truly believes Pawnee is in a better place than it was before.

While Leslie is fighting her detractors, her friends all face various other long-term challenges. Andy finds a positive pregnancy test in the garbage at Ron’s cabin, and he resurrects his Bert Macklin persona in order to discover the identity of the mother-to-be (with Ann’s help, as we soon learn the test isn’t hers). With Leslie and Donna eliminated from the hunt, Andy is led to believe the woman is Mona-Lisa. Tom is initially terrified of the idea of his unstable girlfriend brining a child into the world. (Plus, he already has problems of his own with a new competitor for Rent-a-Swag—who may or may not be Diddy—opening a store across the street.) Thankfully for all involved, the test isn’t Mona-Lisa’s, but then Andy is left with only one other option—April. However, April also isn’t pregnant, though she does have big news: She got into veterinary school in Bloomington, and Andy is more than happy to support her as she chases her dream. In the end, Andy believes his detective work was all for naught—until Diane enters Ron’s office and asks to talk to him.

Game-Changing Moment The end of this episode featured two big moments that set up major changes for some of the most beloved members of Parks and Rec’s supporting characters. First, the news of April’s acceptance into veterinary school was surely a shock to many (including myself) who’d assumed she was going to be the woman behind the pregnancy test. I have to admit it; I liked this plot twist a lot better than the idea of April and Andy being parents because both of them clearly aren’t ready for that yet. However, April’s new career path felt right after a season of watching her grow, and I loved seeing Andy be so supportive of her.

The second of these major moments was the reveal of Diane’s pregnancy. I did not see that twist coming at all (although my mother did!), and I loved being so surprised by it. For most of the episode, I was wondering why there was such a lack of Ron after he’d been on the receiving end of some really great storylines this season, and then I got my answer. After that ending, I found myself already getting excited to see where this will take Ron next season. His relationship with Diane was a welcome addition to Season Five, and I can only imagine that impending fatherhood will be a welcome addition to Season Six as well.

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TV Time: New Girl 2.23

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Title Virgins

Two-Sentence Summary When Jess gets an unexpected text from the man she lost her virginity to, all the loft roommates (and Cece) begin sharing their “first time” stories in an attempt to determine whose was the worst. After withholding the real story of his first time from everyone but Jess, Nick finally decides to stop thinking and carries her to his room for their own first time.

Favorite Line This episode had so many winners that I’ve composed a little Top Five list of favorite “Virgins” quotes for your reading pleasure:

5. “This guy’s the worst. Playing guitar for girls? Girls don’t like that—that’s a fact!” (Nick)

4. “If I pee while it’s happening, will she die?” (Schmidt)

3. “Ruh-roh.” (Jess)

2. Mysteria: Aren’t you a virgin too?
Winston: Just my penis, baby. Just my penis.

1. “Do you like DVDs? Do you sell cookies? Not a cookie bar.” (Schmidt)

Episode M.V.P. The entire ensemble was on fire once again this week, but I have to single out the guys as the true reason “Virgins” was such a standout New Girl episode. In both the flashbacks and the present-day scenes, Schmidt, Winston, and Nick were at their very best. Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, and Jake Johnson play off each other so perfectly; you really find yourself believing that you’re watching three best friends interacting when they share scenes, and that was especially true in this episode.

I think it needs to be said before this season is done: Winston is sneakily becoming a scene-stealer on this show. Morris has owned everything he’s been given this season, and this episode was no exception. His teenage Winston was such a believable mixture of innocence (watching Titanic and not knowing what was going to happen, asking Mysteria what she did for a living) and false bravado (#2 on my list of favorite lines). And in the present, Winston was hilarious in his disbelief over Mysteria actually being a prostitute and his strange optimism over his “last chance” with Daisy.

Schmidt, on the other hand, is no one’s surprise scene-stealer anymore. He’s the character I look to for genuine laugh-until-I-cry moments in almost every episode, and he provided a few gems in “Virgins.” Fat Schmidt is always a welcome addition to an episode because of the naïve vulnerability and inherent sweetness in that character, so I loved his awkward interaction with Nick about the basics of sex (and his strange “Penis! Vagina!” dance). But what really made me laugh until I couldn’t breathe was that genius bit of physical comedy involving Schmidt, Nick, and way too much personal lubricant. It went on just long enough to remain hilarious throughout, and the fact that it happened with “I’ll Make Love to You” playing in the background made it even funnier.

And then there was Nick. Oh Nick Miller, Nick Miller, from the streets of Chicago—just when I think I can’t love you any more, you talk about Jess’s “secret garden,” hide in the bathroom to eavesdrop on conversations (which Schmidt and Winston find totally normal), have a standoff with an imaginary troll during a mushroom-induced trip, and still manage to end the episode looking perhaps hotter than ever before. Johnson can add “Virgins” to the already-long list of episodes he could use for his Emmy submission. He managed to go from awkward teenage boy to perhaps even more awkward college student to a grown man unwilling to let the right moment pass him by anymore. Yes, he was incredibly funny throughout (crying in front of Octopussy, crawling on the floor of his dorm room as Schmidt tried to have sex, letting random jealous outbursts take over whenever Jess talked about Teddy), but what got me once again was his disarming sincerity. I thought his story about his relatively normal first time was delivered perfectly, with just the right sense of nostalgia and vulnerability as he chose to only tell Jess. And then the way he stopped the elevator and carried Jess to his room was the epitome of hotness. There’s something so ungodly attractive about Nick (and by extension Johnson) when he’s interacting with Jess, and this took it to a new level (as it should).

Favorite Moment When Nick stopped the elevator doors from closing just as “Anything Can Happen” started to play, I could feel my heart start beating faster in anticipation of what was to come—that’s how you know a TV moment is a great one. What I loved about Nick and Jess finally taking this step in their relationship was that, like their kiss in “Cooler,” a whole episode was built around getting them to this point, but it still managed to feel natural and spontaneous. It was a moment I knew was coming, but that didn’t make the payoff any less sweet. In fact, it made it feel even sweeter because it felt earned and believable and right. Words are failing me when I try to describe just how sexy Nick was in that scene—the way he held Jess was just so…FGHGHLDGFHAKSFHJDGKHDGJK. (Yes, I believe a keyboard smash is the only appropriate reaction to that level of hotness.) But what really sold me was Zooey Deschanel’s reaction. For a split second, Jess looks at Nick and you can see how nervous she is for what’s about to happen—because she knows it’s going to change everything. But then Nick smiles at her—just a small smile—and Johnson sells the hell out of that moment. And then Jess kisses Nick, all her nerves pushed aside by that one small smile. Because of that beautiful little character moment, I was more than okay with the directorial decision to favor eye contact over kissing in that scene. It was actually more intimate, and it made the one kiss they showed all the most powerful.

My favorite part of that scene, though, was the very end of it. I loved that the sex was clearly very good and not bad or awkward like some sitcoms might have tried to force on the audience. I loved that neither of them seemed to regret it. And I loved that they were able to just be themselves after venturing into such new, intimate territory together. Their laughter, smiles, and facial expressions were so perfectly in-character and added a realism to this moment that kept it from being too melodramatic or too sappy. Their happiness was so palpable, and their dynamic felt so right. The best thing about Nick and Jess’s relationship has always been how genuine it feels, and that extended in a really beautiful way to this scene.

A New Girl GIF* For My New Girl Feelings

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That really just happened—and it was awesome! That’s what’s written all over Nick and Jess’s adorable faces here, and that’s how I felt after this episode. I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea it would be that good.

 

*I have no talent for GIF-making. Thankfully, I am highly skilled at searching Tumblr for the best GIFs. I take no credit for this beauty.