There’s no denying that this season of The Mindy Project has headed into some dark territory, with the typical outrageous (and hilarious) actions of Mindy and Danny being replaced with more serious arguments, fights that could very well lead to an eventual break-up in next week’s winter finale, especially after Danny’s decision to press pause on his and Mindy’s wedding at the end of “The Parent Trap.” Some people have suggested that Danny’s recent behavior, the selfishness he shows by making decisions for himself and Mindy without ever considering what she wants, has been out of character, and that it has also been hurting The Mindy Project. However, and as I say this as someone who loves the character of Danny Castellano, this type of attitude has always been present inside of Danny since the very beginning of the series, and it makes sense that now, after so much change has occurred in both his and Mindy’s life, that he would embrace some of his worst impulses.
It’s not easy to watch Danny behave this way, and I can understand why some Mindy Project viewers are upset with how the story in Season 4 has been developing. But no matter how dour things may seem now, it’s really impressive and admirable that Mindy Kaling and her creative team are truly digging deeply into Mindy and Danny’s relationship and the truth about love never being the easy, cure-all solution to all of our problems, despite how much we desperately want it to be.
For the longest time, Mindy Lahiri wished her life could be just like a romantic comedy: she would meet the right guy, they would fall in love, and they would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, life isn’t like the movies, and keeping a relationship working is a much more difficult job than we might think. There will constantly be disagreements, obstacles, and incredible challenges that you and your significant other have to take on together, no matter whether you’re dating, engaged, or married. Love isn’t a probably free fantasy; if it’s real and it matters, it takes true effort to maintain, and you need to work alongside your partner (in life and in love) to deal with the issues that you face.
Although Danny has claimed many times throughout the series that Mindy is the one who falls prey to the “make-believe” of romantic comedies, he’s the person that, right now, is living in a fantasy. It’s wrong and selfish for him to expect his fiance to give up the things that she wants in life just to make him happier, and it’s so satisfying when Mindy finally calls him out on that behavior in their fight near the end of the episode. While both of them were deceptive (Danny with tracking Mindy’s cycle in an effort to try and get her pregnant again, and Mindy with taking birth control without talking to Danny about it), their fight about children finally allows Mindy to get to the root of their issues and be open and honest with Danny: he doesn’t see her as someone who can make her own decisions, and his constant need to have things always go his way is destroying the strong, healthy relationship they once had.
Can Mindy and Danny recover from this? I sincerely hope so; I’m not sure that I really want to watch The Mindy Project without the two of them together in some capacity, whether they’re broken up or still engaged. Still though, despite the uncertainty of where Mindy and Danny’s relationship is headed, I have to applaud the series for taking things in this direction.
I used to think that The Mindy Project was simply a romantic comedy, a show about a confident and unique woman who was able to find love in an unlikely place. Recently though, I’ve been seeing the series in a new light. Its story was never about Mindy finding love but about her truly finding herself. And even though things may be difficult between her and Danny right now, it’s hard to argue that Mindy Lahiri hasn’t become a stronger, more mature, and more fulfilled woman this season on The Mindy Project, and that development, despite any other criticisms lobbied against the comedy’s other characters, has allowed the show to, like its heroine, become the very best version of itself.
Other thoughts:
- Man, Mindy’s line about Danny being able to so quickly list her flaws was devastating.
- At least Morgan and Jeremy were able to bring some levity to this episode. I particularly love the discovery that Morgan initially took the job at the office because he was planning on stealing all of the equipment.
- Also, Morgan standing up for Mindy against Danny and driving home the point about how people can change was a really great scene for his character. It was nice and refreshing to see Morgan show much he cares about Mindy (in a proper way) and for his character to be taken more seriously for once, instead of just being a joke delivery system.
What did everyone else think about this week’s episode of The Mindy Project? Is the show getting too dark or serious for you, or are you enjoying this more realistic look at the changes that can happen in a relationship? Comment below and let me know.
[Photo credit: John Fleenor/NBC]
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