So can New Girl just do holiday-themed episodes from now on, please? Between the success that was “Thanksgiving IV” and the excellence that was tonight’s “LAXmas,” the FOX comedy has proven that whether it’s bringing the roommates together, or sending them on their separate ways, it understands how to create plenty of laughs, along with some genuinely heartfelt sequences, from the holidays.
As I said above, “LAXmas” tries to let all of the show’s characters head off in different directions but finds a way to keep them together for just a little bit longer when all of their flights get delayed. Jess, who has agreed to spend Christmas in London with Ryan and his family, takes the delay as an omen of what’s to come; maybe she’ll be a giant disappointment to Ryan’s parents, even with all of the presents that she’s bought for them (which are stolen by “Reverse Santa” but more on him later).
And Jess isn’t alone in her hesitation to travel for the holidays. Schmidt is reluctantly heading back home to Long Island, a place he’s happy to have escaped from, while Coach can’t get over the guilt of leaving his family behind to go on a Christmas vacation all by himself. Nick and Winston, on the other hand, have an entire plan for their return to Chicago, which involves lots of beer and women, a good combo for Winston since he’s a “Chicago 10” (actually more like a “7”), and Cece seems perfectly content about going to New York, even with Schmidt as her travel buddy.
Ultimately, New Girl uses this time at the airport to re-solidify connections between the group before they leave for the holidays. Not only do we have Jess doing everything she can to convince Billy Eichner’s airline worker to book the soonest flights available for her friends (before ultimately bonding with him and scoring Nick and Winston some sweet first class seats), but we also have Schmidt and Cece’s moments in the high-class, gold members’ club before they ditch a jerky Barry Bostwick (with Schmidt embracing his Long Island identity: “New York. Long Island. Billy Joel. Nassau County. Billy Joel. Again. Goodnight Saigon”) and share sodas in the food court.
It’s there, in the food court, that we get the first of two standout moments from the episode, when Cece tells Schmidt that “I really like being your friend,” a sentiment that he repeats back to her even though there’s clearly romantic tension between them. Between that exchange and Schmidt’s immediate refusal to even contemplate Bostwick’s character’s proposal (as he calls Cece “priceless,” without her knowing exactly whom or what he’s talking about), New Girl appears to be on the path of reuniting this dysfunctional couple. However, I hope the series sticks to its idea of them being friends for at least a good portion of the back half of Season 4; otherwise, the scene here in “LAXmas” loses a great deal of its meaning.
The other standout sequence from tonight’s New Girl may have been slightly more predictable, but it still landed for me (no airport puns intended), as Nick’s reassuring of Jess, telling her to go to England, proves yet again that this series will always come down to these two characters. Sure, the rest of the roommates and Cece join Nick outside the airport in order to fully convince Jess to fly to London and be with Ryan, but it’s Nick Miller who throws away first class and risks getting kicked off the plane entirely in order to stay on the phone with Jessica Day for just a couple minutes more. It’s a heartwarming moment that could be called cheesy if not for the steadily built connection between Nick and Jess; despite how ridiculous the situation is (and isn’t it always ridiculous when it comes to Nick Miller?), you believe it because of the show’s history and how good Jake Johnson and Zooey Deschanel are in these roles.
“LAXmas” is a Christmas episode that directly references and even insults holiday favorites like Love Actually. However, the episode’s at its best when it embraces these conventions and puts New Girl’s signature stamp on them, serving as a reminder to fans that this is a show that’s meant to make you laugh but also make you feel. New Girl‘s specialty is blending wacky humor with real, genuine emotion, and it pretty much perfects that recipe in “LAXmas,” leaving viewers happy with the show’s resurgence in 2014 and excited for what’s still to come.
Other thoughts:
– I really enjoy Billy Eichner on Parks and Rec, but he was even better in this episode of New Girl. As a slightly more toned-down character, Eichner still had great comedic energy and provided the episode with many of its best lines. “It’s Christmas,” Jess tells him. ““Oh, I didn’t know that,” he responds. “I thought they just did a black version of Annie for no reason.”
– As good as Eichner was, though, the montage of Nick and Winston trying to convince others not to fly elicited the most laughs from me. I particularly loved Winston “breastfeeding” his nonexistent baby, and Nick’s bickering with the actual airport worker: “Tammy don’t start with me! You’re in a mood!” The way that Jake Johnson delivered that line was simply fantastic.
– I hate when shows are forced to integrate product placement, but I thought New Girl‘s decision to involve Outside Dave in it was genius. I also loved how Schmidt called out how awkward and unnatural the entire situation was with Coach talking about his car. Here’s hoping if the show has to continue doing this, it does more self-aware scenes like this in a similar vein what Chuck did with Subway.
– Since I had just finished watching the midseason finale of The Flash before this episode, Jess calling the pervy Santa that stole all her presents “Reverse Santa” left me with a big ol’ smile on my face.
– Setting the episode ending montage to “God Only Knows” was a nice touch, but I loved that not everything went as smoothly as we had initially thought, with Ryan flying back to surprise Jess in LA after she had already gone to London. It stopped everything from being just a little too neat and cute.
– For next year’s Christmas episode, could we just get an entire half an hour devoted to the school play that Jess and Ryan were watching in the cold open? I nearly had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. Should have known it would be a great episode after starting off with that scene.
– After all of Coach’s talk about his three sisters last week, we finally meet one of them, as she guilt trips him over the phone. Although, Coach’s decision to head home is definitely the best one. Just look how happy he is with his niece!
– Real talk: I want to ride “polio horses” with Winston.
– Nick’s response to everyone’s flights being delayed: “That’s why we should’ve taken trains: Because the sky’s to0 fickle, it’s the playplace for butterflies.”
– Even in her saddest moments, Jess is still sensible: “Sir, I’d like the strongest drink you have. And also a wine spritzer in case I don’t like it.”
– “On time or naked is what I always say…I’ve never said that before.”
What did everyone else think of New Girl‘s Christmas episode?
Photo via FOX
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