By Amy Nancarrow
It’s the last Mindy for the year, and the stakes were high this week as we (and Danny) know that Mindy wants to be engaged to Danny by Christmas. This week’s Christmas themed episode promised just that – numerous times – but ended up going to a different (and better) place.
Mindy is convinced that Danny is going to propose to her, so much so that when Dr. Fishman (Niecy Nash) suggests that Mindy try out for a gynaecology fellowship at Stanford University in California, Mindy turns it down because of her ‘impending engagement’. When she finds out that Danny had instead bought himself a burial plot from “Forever Stones”, she decides that she should go to California and tries her hardest to get the recommendations needed for the application. Danny finds out about it, and after Peter convinces him that Stanford isn’t real and is instead an ‘engagement trap’, Danny sabotages Mindy’s chances at the fellowship. He soon finds out that Mindy really did want to go, and so performs a Christmas miracle and gives Mindy a better gift than a diamond ring.
Meanwhile, Danny agrees to set Peter up on a date with his friend Jessica. Unfortunately, after some prompting from Mindy, Jessica mistakes Morgan for Peter, and Morgan only realises after they’ve been on a date and slept together. He and Peter try to keep the charade up, with some help from Lauren and a reluctant Jeremy, but their plan is revealed to Jessica during Danny’s Ken Burns style documentary. Morgan explains all to Jessica and they agree to start over. Meanwhile, Peter and Lauren are talking again and getting along very well, which is something that Jeremy is definitely noticing.
The mid-season finale was very charming and quite funny. I loved seeing this ambitious, professional side of Mindy and it’s nice to see her actually being an OBGYN, as Mindy’s professional life is often glossed over in favour of the romantic storylines. The whole premise of the show was that Mindy wanted to become a put-together, successful woman, and bringing the professional side of that into play adds a whole new dimension to her already awesome character.
The Peter-Lauren storyline is clearly setting up Adam Pally’s exit, but I don’t mind that. I always liked the two characters together, and Peter has really been maturing over the course of the third season, so a reconciliation with Lauren and her young son Henry would nicely end his character arc. Pally and Tracey Wigmore have great on-screen chemistry and I can’t think of a better way to finish up Peter’s time on The Mindy Project.
Julia Stiles guest-starred as Morgan’s new love interest, and I liked her character, but hopefully she has more room to move during future appearances. It would be nice for her to stick around for a while and help Morgan grow, and because she’s Julia Stiles. “Christmas” was a great episode – funny, touching, charming and opened up a whole new side to the Mindy we know and love.
Review Score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
———-
