Holy smokes, has our little Mindy really changed as a person? More important: Is this necessarily a good thing? Just to be clear, I’m not talking about Mindy’s daily intake of doughnuts and cheesesteaks, because even if that does herald in her slow “march to diabetes,†it is such a core part of Mindy Lahiri, nothing could ever change that. Nor should it. Cheesesteaks always and forever!
But like all of those delicious, delicious calories, is Mindy’s romantic spirit also a core piece of her character? Or has all the heartbreak and divorce crushed that spirit for good? Mindy’s ex and everyone’s favorite midwife Brendan Deslaurier sure seems to think that her romantic idealism is one of her more charming qualities, and even though it’s good to be practical, she shouldn’t cast aside her heart completely just because she’s had some tough breaks. It’s a question that will surely be explored throughout the rest of this final season, but kudos to Brendan for bringing it up.
And to think this whole thing started out with Mindy trying to help Brendan.
While on their daily commute, Mindy and Morgan come across a man who looks like he’s about to jump onto the subway tracks. They pause their debate about content versus content versus contempt long enough to stop him from taking his own life. That man turns out to be Brendan Deslaurier. Even though Brendan ridiculously thinks that doulas should make more money than movie stars and doesn’t even know who Ryan Reynolds is (Just Friends?!), Mindy and Morgan decide to help the down-on-his-luck midwife.
Brendan is depressed because his brother, Duncan, pushed him out of the practice. When they go to talk some sense into Duncan, they discover that he’s gone full 1930s New York banker and there’s no turning back. He’s been inspired by the movie Frozen, which, according to Duncan, is about one sibling getting all the attention. Mindy tries to explain that Frozen is actually about sibling love conquering all, and Morgan offers his own interpretation — it’s about the fact that reindeers are better than humans — but it is of no use. Duncan declares that he’s “the Elsa now, bitch.†So, instead of mending Brendan and Duncan’s irreparable relationship, Mindy offers Brendan a job at Schulman and Associates. Although the other doctors aren’t too thrilled to have a midwife who decides chairs won’t be allowed in staff meetings, they have to admit that Brendan’s pricey services are beneficial, now that they’ve learned the practice is having some money issues. Brendan stays!
Plus, there is some much juicier drama overtaking the office. Tamra’s cousin Sheena is back (finally!), and she wants some answers. She tells Jeremy and Anna that after Tamra passed on a bellini at brunch, she figured out that Tamra is pregnant. Tamra informed her that the father is someone from work, but she’s raising her baby on her own. Cousin Sheena is pissed. She’s going to yell at every guy in the office until one of them confesses he’s the father. Turns out, she doesn’t have to go too far. Thanks to a late-night flour excursion to keep his office bread-maker in use (anyone else want an “Over My Bread Body†apron?), Jeremy spotted Tamra and Jody holding hands and walking into a screening of Tyler Perry’s A Very Madea Independence Day. Jody must be the father. And also, if you play with fireworks, you gonna get burnt. Hallelujah!
Jeremy and Anna can’t help themselves (Anna has a real thirst for office gossip now), so they go to Mindy with the news. As Tamra’s doctor, Mindy won’t tell them anything due to HIPPO (“everyone’s hungry, hungry for some medical secretsâ€), but they have a pretty good idea they are on the right track thanks to the book they found on Tamra’s desk: Family Affair: The Mary J. Blige Guide to a No Drama Pregnancy.
The gang takes their inquisition to Jody, and when he denies it, they go directly to Tamra for answers. She fills her co-workers in: Yes, she’s pregnant, but she used a sperm donor. She and Jody aren’t secretly dating. Jody just loves Madea movies, and if he goes alone, everyone thinks he’s a cop. She’s doing her friend a solid. Case closed, right? Unfortunately, when Brendan walks by and sees Morgan hugging Tamra in congratulations, he assumes Tamra told him the info Brendan just discovered thanks to Collette: Morgan is the father. The gasps are as audible as you’d imagine. So is the crash that Morgan makes when he immediately faints.
Once Morgan comes to, he wants Tamra to know that he’s fully in. He may have feet so smelly they made his podiatrist quit the business, but his heart works and he will love Tamra and their baby forever. It’s genuinely sweet, but it’s a lot and Tamra needs to think about it.
Naturally, Tamra’s family said, “Hell, no, he’s a Shrek,†which is hilarious and accurate, but Tamra wants the opinion of the people who really know Morgan, so she gathers the office outside on the rooftop courtyard. (I’m loving all these trips down Mindy memory lane.) Jeremy thinks Tamra should go for it because Morgan will always be obsessed with her. But, in a surprise, it’s Mindy who offers the practical advice to her friend: It’s easy for them to encourage Tamra to do the romantic thing, but Tamra’s the one who will have to live with those consequences. She’ll be fine on her own.
As Tamra takes it all in, Morgan shows up on the ledge above the courtyard with his grandmother’s ring to make a more formal proposal. Before Tamra Brandy Monica Webb (!!) can answer, Morgan topples over the ledge. The second time Morgan comes to, this time in the hospital (and with tales of a group-sex dream that no one wants to hear about), it’s Tamra who makes the romantic gesture. Her answer is yes! You guys, Tamra and Morgan are getting married. Who would’ve ever guessed this happy ending?
If you’re keeping track, so far in the final season Jeremy and Anna and Morgan and Tamra have found their way to happily ever after. Jody and Mary Hernandez hit a bump in the road toward their coupling when Mary learned about Jody’s rampant womanizing, but something tells me Jody will make up for his less-than-attractive qualities. (Is Garret Dillahunt ever better than in his delivery of “Who would’ve thought? Me, dating a woman of my generation.â€) So, where does that leave Mindy? Brendan’s suggestion that she not completely close her heart off when he comes in to quit the practice (it’s too dysfunctional and close-minded) seems to really affect our girl. Will she find love again? Does she even want to? We still have a whole mess of exes to revisit, so maybe we’ll see if the answer lies somewhere in her past. Until then, I’ll be searching for Mary J. Blige’s parenting book, because I, too, would like to know how to stop babies from hollerating.