A review of tonight's “New Girl” coming up just as soon as I show you some of my old baby clothes…
“Dice” felt like a step down from last week's premiere, but in a way I'm not too worried about. Jess's misadventures with the Dice app and the gang showing up stoned to a police academy party didn't provide as many laughs as the Biel-adjacent wedding hijinks, but both storylines felt like they belonged on the show. Last year had too many outings that felt like the writers were just throwing any damn idea at the wall to see what stuck, where “Dice” was an episode that just needed some more comedy polish.
In particular, Schmidt trying to coach Jess through the rough world of Tinder (or its non-union Mexican equivalent) was a nice return to Schmidt using his powers of douchebaggery for good rather than evil. That it takes him so long to realize Jess is looking for a relationship and not a hook-up is a bit goofy, but it's fun seeing Schmidt be so protective of her, and to see Jess in turn infecting Schmidt with her own optimistic personality.
The police academy party subplot was more hit-or-miss – as stories about characters trying not to appear stoned tend to be – but it helped that they kept it simple. Winston needs his old friends to help him make new friends, and that's ultimately what happens, even if it's not how he planned it. Get in, let Jake Johnson babble amusingly, give Winny the Bish a lame new nickname, and get out.
What did everybody else think? You still keeping “New Girl” on probation, or have these first two episodes made you feel more confident in a creative resurgence?