For most of its running time, “The B*tch is Back” is a solid, funny episode of The Mindy Project. It features a great guest-starring performance from Garret Dillhaunt, some terrific one-liners, and Chris Messina dancing. However, it’s in the episode’s closing moments where it becomes something really special, as The Mindy Project reveals exactly why Danny wants Mindy to be a stay-at-home mom just as she’s ready to tell him that she wants to go back to work.
That conflict, which I expect to play out more in future episodes, is the at the center of “The B*tch Is Back,” as Mindy struggles with coming back into the office because of multiple reasons, including the presence of Dillahunt’s Jody Kimball-Kinney. Jody and Mindy’s first interaction is on the subway, where he berates her for breastfeeding Leo in public, and their constant back-and-forth (along with Mindy’s sudden friendship with Jody’s sister, Colette) is definitely a highlight of the episode, especially as we discover how the super calm, cool, and collected Jody actually feels threatened by Mindy. It’s a surprising revelation about this new character, and it sheds a little bit of light on who he is underneath his southern charm and overly confident nature, a deeper and darker part of Jody that I hope we’ll be able to explore more in future episodes.
Really, if you look at it closely, this week’s The Mindy Project relies a lot on deception, as the truth about both Danny and Jody isn’t revealed until near the end of the half hour. However, it doesn’t feel like a forced or strategic move by the writers; it’s natural that guys like Danny and Jody (who seem to get along well) withhold their real feelings and attempt to achieve whatever their goals are (in Jody’s case, it’s staking his claim at the office, while Danny just wants Leo to have a better childhood than he did) through more spontaneous, and somewhat abrasive, actions. It’s also telling that neither of their methods works on Mindy, as she gives Morgan the cranberry turtleneck, Danny’s original push present, and decides to come back to work after a quick pep talk from Colette, no matter how ridiculously Jody will continue to behave.
No, manipulation doesn’t work on Mindy, but what does make her reconsider her choice is when Danny is finally open and honest with her, telling her the truth about his rough time as a kid and showing her the “Leo” tattoo on his chest. This is yet another example of The Mindy Project showcasing the importance of real and thoughtful communication between couples, a fact that rings true whether you’re a sitcom character or just your average, everyday person. Mindy and Danny may bicker every once in a while and try to trick the other into doing something different, but nothing ever fully works between them until the truth is shared.
And now, as we see in the final moments of “The B*tch Is Back,” it will soon be Mindy’s turn to be honest with Danny, because as much as she loves him and Leo, she can’t become a stay-at-home mom if that’s not what she really wants to be. As Tamara says to Danny in one of the episode’s best moments, Mindy’s sacrificed so much already for their relationship and their child, but what has he done? There has to be a way that Leo can have that type of fulfilling childhood that Danny wants so badly for him, while Mindy is still able to go back to work. I have faith that Mindy and Danny will be able to work it out, and I fully trust The Mindy Project writers to make whatever happens next in this excellent fourth season just as fun, romantic, and powerful as these first four episodes have been.
Other thoughts:
- Mindy finds the mysteries on Dora the Explorer to be pretty hard. I’d love to hear her thoughts about Swiper.
- Morgan wearing that cranberry turtleneck may be one of the funniest visual gags The Mindy Project has ever given us.
- Mindy can’t remember how to pronounce Jeremy’s name correctly throughout the episode, and it’s never not hilarious.
- I love how Danny’s first instinct was to give Mindy a dance as her present. That was a nice callback to Diamond Dan’s moves in The Mindy Project‘s third season premiere.
- Both Chris Messina and Mindy Kaling are so good in that final scene. The Mindy Project is a very funny show, but its actors really shine in the series’ more serious moments.
- “I don’t care if you’re Michael…” “…Jackson?” “Flatley, the Lord of the Dance. Ugh, you’re racist.”
The Mindy Project fans, what did you think of this week’s episode? Comment below and let me know.
[Photo via Hulu]
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