Sitcoms always, always have the best, most authentic proposals. There’s no question about it, and off the top of my head, I can list at least ten amazing ones. One of them is when Schmidt proposes to Cece (for real, in New Girl Season 4, Episode 22, “Clean Break”). For someone who always does too much, goes too far, and can be overdramatic on unbeatable levels, the subtlety at this moment makes it genuinely perfect.
The five-dollar bill makes an appearance again as the loft residents look into sentimental things for a clean break, and the episode quietly nudges us to remember its importance. Schmidt said something stupid the first time he met her, but Schmidt was one hundred percent sincere—theirs is an example of instant-love that’s so believable it’s why we write romance novels, isn’t it?
When Schmidt proposes to Cece right outside apartment 4D with everyone eavesdropping, everything in New Girl locks into place. While many believe that Nick and Jess are the couple, I’d argue that it’s actually Schmidt and Cece who anchor the show and set an example of what love should be like. Their ups and downs are frustrating at times (I loathe Schmidt’s inability to choose between Cece and Elizabeth), but in the end, their proposal is a reminder that she’s always been his choice. Schmidt has and will continue to choose Cece over and over again. At this moment, no decision is easier to make than asking Cece to marry him. It’s impulsive, yes, but he is full of so much conviction that it also brings one of the best performances from Max Greenfield.
Greenfield ensures that Schmidt’s heart is on full display when he asks Cece if she’s still in love with him. He’s never been more sincere or vulnerable when he openly tells her that he is. The tears prickling in her eyes and the quiet sigh of relief that Hannah Simone shows us result in a goosebumps inducing scene that the series utilizes perfectly.
That’s why it makes perfect sense that when she tearfully declares she is in love with him, Schmidt knows that there’s only one thing left to do. Proposing again might be impulsive, but this time it isn’t stupid. When he drops to his knees and presents the five-dollar bill again, he’s showing her that he means every word coming out of his mouth. He wants this. He wants them to not only be a couple but husband and wife—equals in everything, through thick and thin.
No other proposal could’ve been more enticing or suitable for the two of them because this moment takes us back to start. It reminds viewers of how far they’ve come, how devotedly he cherished her from the beginning, and that there’s no use in waiting anymore. They don’t need to continue dating again. They’ve been there and done that. They need to jump head-first into making the ultimate promise, and they do it in the place where it all began. The stupidest part of all of this is that it’s so ridiculously brilliant there’s absolutely nothing silly about it. It’s simply real, vulnerable, and lovely.
What are your thoughts on Schmidt’s proposal? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: Fox