Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 2, Episode 18 of FOX's "New Girl" titled "TinFinity."
Aaaand they're back!
In this week's fine episode, the themes of love and loss were hilariously woven through with enough heartfelt moments to make it stick.
With their 10 year anniversary of living together just around the corner, Schmidt and Nick decide to plan a party. Or rather, Schmidt does, because that's his thing and he also doesn't trust Nick so much, and they go with "TinFinity" because, per Jess, the periodic symbol for tin is "SN" -- Schmidt and Nick. Jess, in the meantime, decides she has to get over that kiss with Nick because all she can think about is his mouth (not lips, mouth).
At their bar, Jess manages to strike out with a hipster, a geek, and an overly effeminate man. Just then, Winston walks in with SF pro-baller Jax McTavish (Steve Howey). The gang is against setting the two up, especially Winston who wants his new friend all to himself. But Jess, the confident, self-sufficient woman that she is, approaches Jax herself and they hit it off.
Nick tries to get Schmidt to delegate some party chores. He ends up taking responsibility for the balloons and the porta potties, even though it's giving him an anxiety attack just to think about it.
At Cece's, she and her arranged marriage partner Shivrang get ready to go out. He then casually proposes to her since both their mothers approve of the coupling and instead of the traditional "Will you marry me?" opts for, "So we're doing this thing?"
At the park, Schmidt walks around like a peacock amidst his meticulously arranged tables and decorations. Winston and Jess arrive and he tells her he refuses to lose Jax to her and will use his knowledge of sports as leverage. Jess informs him she'll just use her eyes, hair, boobs, legs, and adorable personality instead. Guess who wins...
Nick introduces Schmidt to his latest purchase -- a porta potty! He said he'd take charge, and he did. He's now a small business owner (ha!), the business being a nasty looking feces dungeon no one wants to do their business in. Schmidt thanks him and directs his attention to the super duper fancy shmancy porta potty he got as backup, only now it's front and center because it's honestly, as Nick says, as big as a visitors' center (or a spaceship).
Jess steals Jax away from Winston just as he tries to bond over "Homeland" with him. They play flirt football while Winston gets tackled (I'm sorry, I know nothing about football, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't supposed to get repeatedly tackled with no ball in hand). Just as Nick harasses everyone in line for Schmidt's bathroom, Jess comes by to save the day. She tells him she's been having fun with Jax because he talks about his feelings, to which Nick sneers. Bah, feelings. Poo. Jess agrees to use his porta potty and make it seem like fun if he promises to stop camping out in front of it.
Schmidt, overly stressed over the event, picks on the DJ. When Cece and Shivrang show up, he picks on Shivrang with cow meat references (You get it? He's Indian). He then moves on to pick on Nick with a pre-drafted speech that has Nick saying things like "I am nothing without you." Nick gets mad that Schmidt feels like he's better than him and reminds him they used to be equals when they started out back in college. Just two equally lovable losers. He says he's not even sure what they're celebrating and storms off.
Jess and Jax continue to pass the football back and forth (not a metaphor) when Jax confesses that he really, really likes her. Like -- really. So much so that he starts crying, then panics, then runs off to get a manly beer. Jess asks Winston about it and he tells her Jax is known for being intense. He doesn't just like, he loves. Jess contemplates this and finds Jax downing popcorn like a pre-menstrual teen. He tells her he just got out of a relationship so he's sensitive. She tells him it's okay, she cries too, and a lot. Right as they are about to kiss, Shivrang grabs the mic.
Since he's up on stage, the DJ initiates the toast sequence as Schmidt earlier nagged him about. Shivrang calls on Cece and tells her he knows he wasn't supposed to make a big deal of this but he's excited to spend the rest of his life with her. She says yes. Through the music, the bright lights, and the streamers, Schmidt looks at the happy couple and he is utterly crushed. Jax takes the opportunity to get up on stage too and starts professing his love for his future wife and the mother of his children, Jess. And to think she just wanted another set of lips on hers to erase any trace of Nick ...
Nick runs after Schmidt to see if he's okay, and though he says he is, he also voices his disappointment over things that don't turn out the way you expect them to. Nick takes him over to his parked hot air balloon. When Schmidt gave him balloon duty he wanted to go all out, but he was so preoccupied with the porta potty he hadn't realized he needs propane to get the balloons up in the air. But that, that moment there between them, is why they're celebrating, and at least they can hold on to that. Then Winston and Jess join, and for a second it's really nice. That is, until Jess freaks out about drinking from a liquor bottle Nick has just drank from, since his lips were on it. She runs off. She's sooo into him.
Great Quotes
Schmidt: "I can't talk right now, I'm writing a strongly worded email to my florist."
Schmidt: "Winston, does he think you're Omar Epps?"
Nick: "His hands are so big and warm, I wanna fall asleep in them like Thumbelina."
Nick: "I want people to use this, I want it to be the main potty."
Schmidt: "No, no, no, I don't think that should be the main anything. People will just be better off if they made a kaka in their hand."
Schmidt: "Ten years, two hearts, one home!"
"New Girl" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on FOX.
