New Girl Episode Synopses

8 December 2011

Episode 1 - Pilot
Jessica Day is an offbeat girl in her late 20s who, after a bad breakup, moves in with three single guys who posted an ad on the Internet. Goofy, positive, vulnerable, and honest to a fault, Jess has faith in people even when she shouldn't. Upon meeting Jess the guys can tell she's in a fragile state, prone to bouts of tears and spontaneous singing, and they aren't sure if they want to be babysitters. However, viewing Jess as a gateway into the elusive female mind, as well as a personal project, Schmidt encourages the guys to bring Jess into the apartment.

After days of enduring Dirty Dancing on constant loop, they decide to stage an intervention. Nick suggests the best way to get over someone after a bad break up is to have meaningless sex with someone (and he should know as he was recently dumped by the love of his life). Jess isn't quite ready, but the guys help her along. While they find her exasperating, it's clear that she's already endearing herself to them.

 

Episode 2 - Kryptonite
Winston has returned after a two-year stint coaching basketball in Latvia. Coach, who had sublet his room, is gone. Winston's surprised to learn that Jess has moved in. Before he's even allowed to get his head around this new living arrangement, he is pulled into Jess' break-up drama. The guys are refusing to loan her any household items in order to force her to face her fears and collect her things from Spencer's place. Jess has steadfastly refused to call him, but after she breaks Nick's TV he forces her to replace it with the TV she has at Spencer's.

Her first attempt at retrieving her belongings ends with her driving Spencer and Rochelle (the woman with whom he cheated on Jess with) to the airport. The guys are horrified when they learn this. Nick empathizes with her: he knows how hard it is to move on; by not taking her stuff back, she's putting off facing the fact that it's over. He goes on to say that Spencer is not a good guy, and is no longer her friend. In fact he's her kryptonite, and she needs to stand up to him if she ever hopes to move on with her life.

 

Episode 3 - Wedding
The guys are invited to the wedding of a mutual friend. Winston, who has been asked to be an usher, is happy to have a job at the wedding so as to stay busy and keep difficult questions to a minimum (who may be tempted to ask him what he's doing with his life since he's no longer playing basketball overseas). Schmidt is on the prowl for single women as usual, and has mixed feelings when he runs into Gretchen, an aggressive woman whom he hates yet always ends up sleeping with at wedding receptions. Nick is desperate not to come off as sad and alone in front of his ex-girlfriend Caroline, so the guys convince him to ask Jess to be his date.

Jess is more than happy to oblige. Nick introduces Jess as his girlfriend, and Caroline actually seems jealous. When Nick breaks character and wants to hang out with Caroline, it's up to Jess and the guys to stop him before she breaks his heart again.