'New Girl' Season 1, Episode 20 Recap and General Appreciation - 'Normal'
by Andy NeuenschwanderA solid opening this week, and one that sets up the conflict nicely: Russell is a pretty classy dude, and the guys (who are pretending the floor is lava) are not.
That comes into play when Jess finally has Russell over to stay at her place after her "sexcation" at Russell's house/mansion. The problem is that the guys are less than "normal"... Nick wants to go over his idea notebook with Russell, Schmidt doubts Russell's actual classiness and taste, and Winston does his Winston thing, messing with him and making him out to be a racist.
Hey, does that mean Winston has a thing? He messes with people? Winston has a thing! Yay!
Winston also gets a new job, continuing the much-needed focus on his character (see, they know what they're doing over there). The job is as a research assistant for sports radio host Joe Napoli, who is a total jerk. But since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar works there, Winston takes the job.
He gets harrassed so much, though, that he eventually (at Russell's suggestion) dips his balls into Joe's milkshake. Joe finds out, but thinks it's hilarious, so crisis averted. Especially fortunate considering that Elvin made sure Winston will never nanny again by telling his mom that Winston smokes pot around him. Diabolically clever kid.
As for Jess and Russell, things start out well enough when he gets into their house drinking game, "True American." It seems a Calvinball sort of thing, though they describe it as a real-life Candyland. All we can piece together is that the floor is lava, you have to name presidents, and there's some thing with numbers on the forehead.
Things take a turn when everyone's plenty drunk, and Jess tries to retire with Russell but he stays up talking with the guys and generally being dismissive. When he refuses to go apple-picking the next day (and gets stabbed in the hand by Nick's prototype of "Real Apps"), he goes home, and their first fight is officially on.
It's another one of those accepting Jess for who she is thing, only this time instead of "adorkability" (that word must end) it's about whom she lives with and where she lives. And that garbage disposal. And apparently the unsafe elevator.
Bonus points for Nick's man-crush on Russell, double bonus points for True American. I don't know the rules, but I know I want to play.
Notes & Quotes:
- "I did have a lot of sex, thank you!"
- "You're doing Aladdin again."
- "I'm not copying him, I love him."
- "I'm not going to get Winklevossed because of your sloppiness!"
- Peach Basket Catch-It-Up. I'm calling it that from now on.
- "...haberdash on the fly..."
- "That wasn't even the first stabbing this month."