Love Comes in Many Forms, But Self-Love is the Foundation
In a world filled with various types of love, it’s easy to get lost in the pursuit of romantic love and forget the importance of self-love. We often hope that a connection with someone else will fix our brokenness and validate our existence. However, The Mindy Project reminds us, through the heart-wrenching episode “When Mindy Met Danny,” that self-love is the foundation from which all other forms of love stem. Without caring for ourselves and our own desires, needs, and dreams, there can be no room for healthy and happy relationships.
Mindy’s Decision to Leave Danny: A Lesson in Self-Love
In The Mindy Project‘s midseason finale, Mindy makes the tough decision to put herself first and leave Danny. As she reflects on their first meeting and where they are now, she realizes that Danny’s words still hold true, even if he’s not living up to them. “Don’t ever let anyone try to stop you from doing what you want. Not even me,” Danny tells Mindy as they bond after their first day at work together. This line serves as a mantra for the first half of The Mindy Project‘s fourth season: no one should ever stop you from being the fullest, best version of yourself.
Danny’s Struggles and the Potential for Change
Although Danny struggles to remember his own words, he still has the potential to be the man who once inspired Mindy. His current behavior is a response to the birth of his child, as he wants to provide the best life possible for his son. Unfortunately, his good intentions have become warped into a harmful mentality that damages his family instead of strengthening it. However, Danny can still become his best self again, and there’s a strong chance that the love between him and Mindy will reappear after some space, time, and effort.
Heading into Uncharted Waters: The Future of The Mindy Project
As The Mindy Project moves into uncharted territory in 2016, a broken-up Mindy and Danny may not be what many fans expected for the show’s first Hulu season. However, the honesty and beauty of these episodes cannot be denied, despite the sadness that lingers. Hopefully, The Mindy Project will continue this approach to storytelling throughout the rest of Season 4, making us laugh or cry, and eventually bringing back the best version of Danny Castellano.
Other Thoughts and Highlights
- The flashbacks throughout the episode are terrific, especially the return of Stephen Tobolowsky as Dr. Shulman and Jeremy being a ladies man again.
- Mindy Laharo making a cameo in a future episode would be a delightful surprise.
- Mindy’s description of Jeremy, her breakdown of Danny’s office, and her objections to Wicked were all fantastic and so very Mindy.
- The origin story of Danny’s red glasses was absolutely wonderful.
- Mindy Kaling and Chris Messina both deliver incredible performances throughout the episode, with Kaling’s co-writing and wordless acting in the closing moments being particularly noteworthy.
- As The Mindy Project wraps up for 2015, fans eagerly await its return with new episodes in 2016. Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to all!
What did everyone else think about The Mindy Project‘s midseason finale? And what are your thoughts on this season as a whole so far? Comment below and let me know.
[Photo credit: Jordan Althaus/NBC]
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