Friday, 19 April 2013

New Girl Review: Episodes 1-4 (Season 2)


New Girl 
 Review Round Up
Part One: Episodes 1-4

 
After a tremendous first season, Jessica Day and her fun loving friends have returned in the United States for its second season. How has it fared so far. 

Episode One "Relaunch"

Season two's introductory episode was a great way to get back into the swing of things in this madcap, studio apartment universe. 

The format of the episode was somewhat reminiscent to the pilot of season one. This introduced Jess with an immediate major dilemma which would ultimately impact her character and lifestyle choices. Although some may say it was a bit rushed. it was delivered very well and got the ball rolling in shifting the dynamic of the life of Jessica Day swiftly.  
As for the boys: Nick and Winston, maintained comedic brilliance throughout, with no seriously major storyline set ups. whilst Schmidt had the best of both worlds with great lines throughout which elevates his brilliant ignorance, yet had a great follow up to the Schmidt/Cece situation that unfurled in last seasons finale.
What worked best in this episode was the chemistry between the whole cast. It was incredibly strong throughout season one and it has got even better. It feels incredibly believable for these characters to live together and go along with their kooky lifestyles. 
Nick and Jess are great as close friends with Nick constantly trying to help Jess face the realities of life but also provide humour to lighten the mood. 
Schmidt and Cece bounce of one another incredibly too, making it utterly believable that they are too similar in characteristics to actually attempt coexist with one another without the sexual tension, which is constantly there and is great. 
Winston somewhat felt like a lone wolf in this episode, somewhat detached from all the storylines, and he didn't really make much of a presence until the second half of the show. But in his small set pieces he was incredibly funny with his slapstick behaviour. His final moment was spectacularly hilarious. Some might agree he is similar to Eddie Murphy, but better with his delivery.  

Overall it was a solid episode which made me laugh out loud constantly. But the immensely strong character development and chemistry made it even better. It is a joy to watch and a welcome return.
9.0/10

Episode Two "Katie"
Originally I was not entirely taken to this episode. But after a few repeats I have grown to enjoy it, although there are still some elements which did not overly suit the show. 
This episode showed Jess going "off the grid" after the dilemma which she was faced with in the previous episode. Although the story was funny, it seemed very uncharacteristic of Jess to be in that situation, particularly as we have grown to know her character extremely well from the first season. But I suppose this was a reaction to her situation. Additionally this main arc was only funny when the other characters such as Cece and Nick got screen time along side her. 
The best storyline by far was Nicks standalone piece. It was very funny to see how gullible and naive he can become and even after he realised the truth he still continued to go along with it right until the very end.
As for Schmidt and Winston, their side story was simply satisfactory. There were a few laughs with Schmidt's typically crazy behaviour, but Winston was rather quiet for the majority. It was also a shame that Winston's part was not as built up as it could have been because the set up for him to have a larger presence in the show was there. 

I know I am one who does not like change. And perhaps it is because I have seen Jess to be the innocent, eccentric girl and wouldn't want it changed for the world. But her transformation was not met with satisfaction from me, which unfortunately dragged the episode down. Thankfully Nicks side story saved the day.      

7/10

Episode Three "Fluffer"
This was one seriously brilliant episode of New Girl and one of my favourites to date. Both the writers and the actors create a near enough faultless sitcom episode.

I have to start with the amazing chemistry between Jake (Nick) and Zooey (Jess). The two of them create such memorable moments with their almost bipolar interactions and confrontations between each other. There is an intense heat between the two of them, one which most fans will demand satisfaction from in the end (lets hope the writers deliver). The storyline itself between the two was simple, all about setting boundaries amongst friends, but was fantastic and created situations which led to the bipolar nature as stated previously. 

Schmidt's storyline was very funny but was a little bit questionable. It was directly in reference to the presidential campaign that (at the time of production) was reaching its climax in the United States. As a Brit I am not aware of FOX's political allegiance, if there is any. But it felt somewhat forced. Luckily Schmidt had some very funny puns and other wordplays to go alongside it. What salvaged this side story the most was the emotional story that managed to tie in towards the end. Something that definitely needs to be developed in later episodes. Cece plays a fairly minor role in this episode, following Schmidt's side story. But yet again, although great on her own, combining with Schmidt just made it better. Seeing her soft side towards him came across incredibly naturally and was rather sweet.

Poor Winston once again was overshadowed by the rest of the cast and simply provided some funny moments. But in these moments, his facial expressions (consisting of a creepy grin) was absolutely spectacular and laugh out loud hilarious. Although his role was minor, these little segments were balanced out perfectly or else the joke probably would have seemed overused otherwise.        

In conclusion, the main storyline was one of the best in New Girls lifespan so far. The side story equally as good (minus the political reference) and the humour was to an insane level of brilliance. Winston needs a larger presence though, which I'm sure he will get.

9.4/10

Episode Four "Neighbors"
 
This episode continued further the premise of Jess still being left in a sticky situation after her life changing dilemma. Luckily this episode results in a progression to get her back on track. 

It was great to see Jess and Schmidt in a joint storyline together this time as the majority seems to co-exist with Nick and Jess. Although the chemistry was not as strong as the previous episode, it was great to see the major differences between the two characters. The punch lines Jess had were not exactly funny as she used references from 1980's sitcoms and I found them to be more grating than actually funny impersonations.
As for Schmidt he was once again the typical douche bag we adore. His constant need for approval and attention was very funny considering how much power he actually holds. But on the more serious side of the story it was very well implemented. The use of the neighbours was a good technique for Jess's to realise that she needs to push herself. 
Nick's small part was also very good, although perhaps a little bit over the top. It was great to see how obsessive he becomes when he really gets involved in something he enjoys doing. His almost jittery behaviour from the adrenaline and excitement of his ploys was enjoyable to watch. 
Yet again we reach poor Winston. There was very little screen time from him. But fortunately what little screen time he did receive, it was pretty good. It was great to see Winston pushing himself forward in his career (which I hope will create a larger part for him in the future) and his small joint venture with Nicks obsession was funny, particularly his last scene.  

Although not one of the best, it was still a good episode. It was nice to see Jess seemingly attempt to get back on track and more funny to see all the guys behave like teenage boys with one another, even though they consider themselves old. Cece made no appearance in this episode, which was a shame but didn't detract the quality of the show.
  
7.4/10

So far the second season has wavered a little, but all have been great episodes to watch. Stay tuned for the upcoming part 2 which will review episodes 5-8  

No comments:

Post a Comment