'New Girl': Season 2, Episode 24: 'Winston's Birthday' Recap

The next morning…

Nick watches Jess sleep. He tentatively touches her shoulder and kisses her. She doesn’t respond, and he checks her pulse, which wakes her.

He tells her to stay in bed, and goes off. Jess pulls a soft pretzel from under her.

Nick attempts to make her breakfast, complete with a flower. As he rounds the corner, he runs into Bob, Jess’ dad. Wilson let him in. Nick gives Wilson the breakfast for his birthday, which he forgot about.

Elizabeth and Schmidt are finished in bed, as well. He wants a review on his new body, but Liz doesn’t care what people think about her, and she loved Schmidt before he lost weight just fine. She doesn't understand his concern.

Jess tells Nick not to tell her dad about them. She gets a call from her friend Peg; there’s an opening for a new teacher at her school. She wants Jess to apply for the position. Bob encourages her to go; he’ll stay with Nick.

Jess calls CeCe to talk; she’s getting married tomorrow. She’s seriously stressed. Jess offers to help. She calls Winston and tells him to go pick up her wedding sari and bring it to CeCe. Winston thinks it has something to do with his birthday.

Jess gets to the school—she’s not interviewing, they’re throwing her right in the mix as a sub, in the class from Hell.

Bob tries to talk to Nick about girls, but Nick panics and yells at him. He admits there is a girl. He describes the opposite of Jess.

Elizabeth visits Schmidt at work, looking sloppy in her t-shirt. Schmidt tells a co-worker he doesn’t know her. She is mad; she turned down a date to be with Schmidt. She says she is going to go out with him anyway, and she doesn’t care what Schmidt thinks.

Jess’ horrible class goes to lunch. Dr. Foster comes in to talk with her about the job. She is stuck.

Winston jumps into CeCe’s thinking there is a surprise party, but of course it’s nothing. CeCe, just awake from her nap, comes out. Her fresh henna tattoo on her hands has imprinted on her face. She calls Jess, who, on her break, runs to help her. She ends up smearing the henna all over more like a beard.

Nick and Bob chat. Nick talks about “Yolanda Winston,” asking for advice. Bob says any girl would be lucky to have him, and Nick admits he’s dating Jess. Bob screams he will kill him.

The henna won’t come off. Jess tells CeCe she slept with Nick but the henna beard takes priority. Jess runs home, ready to separate Nick and Bob, and finds out Nick told him. Bob wants Jess to date Winston instead. Bob says he used to be just like Nick, and he’s not good enough for Jess. Jess has to run back to school. Winston comes in with his own birthday cake.

The class is still nuts. Jess stands on the desk and yells at them. She starts ranting about her issues, and how she can’t date her dad. A kid offers her a cigarette.

Shivrang goes over; Jess called him. He says if the beard is their biggest problem, he’ll take it.

Elizabeth goes on her date, which is awful. Schmidt shows up in the ugly shirt she bought him and asks her to dance with him, goofily.

Jess’ dad sets up his bed between Jess’ room and Nick’s. During the night, she gets a text. She goes up to the roof, where Nick has set up the breakfast he was going to give her in the morning. Schmidt and Elizabeth come up with a telescope. Winston comes up and thinks it’s all arranged for him, and the telescope is his gift. They all tell him happy birthday, and Nick and Jess don’t get their breakfast.