Review: The Mindy Project Season 3, Episode 14 – No More Mr. Noishe Guy

After a rocky start, Mindy (Mindy Kaling) is settling into life in San Francisco, and the very thing I feared would happen has happened: she is falling in love with the city.

This development seems to contradict Peter’s (Adam Pally) sage observation: “Home is where the heart is.” Come on, we all know Mindy’s heart is firmly ensconced in Danny’s (Chris Messina) palm, or as Peter puts it: “Dude… she has a mould of your penis as her keychain.”

It’s hard to believe Danny knows all this and still feels insecure about Mindy moving away, although Peter’s insight reassures him somewhat – nothing like knowing your girlfriend worships your member to boost the old ego, eh guys? Also, is it just me, or has Peter reached new levels of profundity in this episode?

Anyway, Mindy loves her some Danny. But slowly worming its way into her affections is the Golden Gate city, with the seductive prospect of a setting up a groundbreaking fertility clinic. Partnering Mindy in this project is the excitable Dr. Rob Gurgler (Tate Ellington), who could really do with a dose of his own anaesthetic. Ellington plays the character perfectly. I’m on edge whenever Gurgler’s on screen – he’s that tightly wound.

Mindy is completely torn between San Francisco and New York. Until, that is, Gurgler comes up with a suggestion: Danny can be part of the clinic too. Now Mindy’s mind is made up. She wants to start afresh in a new city, doing cutting-edge work at a modern practice. The only problem will be convincing Danny – the ultimate New Yorker –  to join her.

The dilemma eats at Mindy so much that she flies back to the Big Apple to tell Danny in person. When she arrives, she tries to broach the subject on a few occasions but can’t find the right moment. It gets even harder when Danny shows her the house he’s bought for the two of them.

Peter then upstages Mindy by dropping a bombshell of his own: he’s leaving New York to join Lauren (Tracey Wigfield) in Austin. Everyone at the practice is shocked by the news, particularly Danny and Jeremy (Ed Weeks), who are upset when Peter reveals he’s following Mindy’s advice.

So Danny is already annoyed with his lady love when everything comes to a head at Peter’s leaving do. Mindy has already texted Dr. Gurgler to tell him she’s shelving her San Fran dream, and he immediately jumped on a plane. He later shows up at the party in an anxious state. Sure enough, he soon blurts out Mindy’s secret in front of all the guests, including Danny, whose response is forlorn and heartbreaking: “But I just bought us a house.” This reaction is no surprise, but Morgan’s (Ike Barinholtz) is better; he instantly faints, dropping to the floor with a dramatic crash. Kudos to the writers for lightening what was a really tense moment.

Now Danny knows, Peter goes, and Mindy is burdened with woes. Usually, she and Danny resolve their issues pretty quickly, but this one seems to have them stumped.

Mindy returns to California and gets a call from Peter, who has saved the biggest bombshell for last – definitely an ‘OMG’ moment. He has the results of the pap smear he did for Mindy while she was in New York and… wait for it… she’s pregnant! Cue a close-up on Mindy’s face. Her reaction is priceless: “Exsqueeze me?” I actually let out a squeal watching it – way to grab your audience by the you-know-whats, writers!

We’ll have to wait until next week to find out if she tells Danny the news. And how is Danny, a devout Catholic, going to take it?

All in all, I loved this episode. Mindy is slowly maturing into her own person, and Danny is finally opening up to her – so much so that he’s now the one with insecurities. I also like Peter’s character development; to quote Danny, he’s gone from ‘an unemployable pervert to an employable pervert.’

What wasn’t entirely clear was the muted reaction to Mindy’s return after three months away. Jeremy was nonchalant, Tamra (Xosha Roquemore) pretended not to notice, and Morgan was more concerned with his workout than welcoming his friend back.

Beverly’s (Beth Grant) ridiculous interjections were the only thing that spoiled the show slightly. I really wish she would shut up sometimes – I mean, Mindy’s only been gone a few weeks and Beverly mistakes her for somebody else? Aside from her nonsense, No More Mr. Noishe Guy was simply awesome.