As we head toward the season finale, plotlines are finally humming on The Mindy Project. Romance is in the air, but so are problems like STDs and a surprise wedding. This week’s well-constructed episode picks up right where we left off, with the long-awaited kiss between Mindy and Jody. Mindy is definitely smitten: “He’s old and handsome like Bob Dole, but he’s not dead like I think Bob Dole might be.†She’s also wearing an adorable dress with pictures of shoes on it, so all is right in the Mindy universe.
Morgan, who naturally has a framed photo of Danny on his desk at work, hints at the Danny-Jody confrontation with this specific lie to Mindy: “It’s not like somebody walked into his office and said, ‘Stay away from Mindy or else!’†So we know that’ll be coming up again soon. Bonus points in this scene go to Morgan once again mentioning his birth father (Mindy is still more interested in her own problems) and to the intimate good-bye kiss between Mindy and Morgan.
Jody reacts to his kiss with Mindy by setting the wheels in motion for a breakup with Courtney. He asks her to lunch to have a talk, though she gets the wrong message when he accidentally picks her favorite restaurant. “It’s not like I chose some random vegetarian restaurant just because they didn’t have sharp knives,†he says. The scene progresses such that we’re sure we know what’s going to happen: Courtney will say a bunch of things that make it impossible for Jody to break up with her. And that’s initially true, sort of. She says she told her parents about the lunch — implying that she thought Jody was going to propose, and, “Dad actually had his first good day in quite a while.†They run into Courtney’s friend, who reveals that her husband proposed at the same restaurant. (Jody, under his breath: “At Buddha’s Kitchen?â€) But things ultimately swing in a surprise direction when Courtney later comes to the office to tell Jody that he gave her chlamydia.
Jody reacts to this in his Jody way: “Could your doctor be wrong? You did say ‘she.’†Then he does the noble(ish?) thing and breaks up with her: “If chlamydia won’t end this, I’ll have to rely on another STD — straight truth delivery.†(This is a very cheesy line, but I’ll forgive him because I was scared that somehow Mindy was the STD in this scenario.) Courtney is understandably annoyed and storms out, telling the entire office along the way that he gave her chlamydia. (Beverly to Jody: “It’s really gonna change how I picture you peeing.â€) Jody asks them not to tell anyone for fear of Mindy hearing, but when he walks out, Tamra says, “Texting doesn’t count, does it? Got to put this on Twitter.â€
Meanwhile, Morgan and Jeremy go to visit Danny at his new office to talk him out of opposing Jody and Mindy’s relationship. This is exciting and weird! Danny still exists! He goes to a different office! And then something even weirder happens: The nurse starts grilling the guys on whether Danny is still in love with Mindy. Obviously, the nurse is dating him now. Oh, and the nurse is named Sarah and she’s played by Greta Gerwig. Man, Greta Gerwig and Chloë Sevigny: Does this guy have a type when he’s not with Mindy, or what? (And wait: Wasn’t he just four weeks ago dating a different beautiful woman who seemed extremely cozy with Leo?) Danny eventually agrees not to stand in the way of Jody and Mindy’s relationship, but that’s no longer the big news when Sarah reveals that Danny still sometimes talks about Mindy in his sleep. She wants to meet Mindy to calm her insecurities. After all, Mindy is so cool that she tweets at Lady Gaga several times a day. And so, Sarah tags along with the guys back to work.
Back at Shulman, Jody tells Tamra that he hasn’t told Mindy about the chlamydia, to which she says, “You’re like a villain in a health-class movie!†Worse still, Mindy insists they go on their first date that night. He tries for “seven to ten days†from now, but she’s not having it.
Sarah has already shown up at the office, pretending to be a patient just so she can check Mindy out. Sarah loves Mindy, and vice versa. “You look like Taraji Henson at a small-claims court!†she gushes over Mindy’s dress. This makes Mindy, not knowing who Sarah really is, comfortable enough to confess that she has at least residual feelings for Danny: “Even today, I’ll just draw his penis to calm myself down.†When Sarah tells her that’s not her penis to draw, Mindy agrees — “You’re right. That is not my penis to draw.†— then confides that she has a date that night. And Sarah reveals that she is engaged! In other words, Danny is engaged!
That evening, Jody and Mindy have a great first official date, ending with a great kiss. “I’m gonna be whistlin’ about that all the way home,†Jody says. He tries to avoid going upstairs, but Mindy is persistent. She doesn’t have condoms, so he seems to be developing a disturbing plan that involves bananas and Ziploc bags when we are saved by Morgan texting Mindy about the chlamydia news.
Next week: The Danny-getting-married bomb hits Mindy! Let’s hope that Jody’s seven-to-ten-day window will be closed, too.