New Girl is a comfort show for many comedy lovers, but the show isn’t always as sharp or as clever as some of its competitors. It flip-flops too much at times with frustrating relationship arcs that make it difficult to keep up. Still, it’s a worthy series to come back to, especially when it’s all said and done—when we know the ending. But that’s just it—New Girl Season 7 is the show’s strongest, in terms of nearly everything.
Four words, Ruth Bader Parekh Schmidt. There is no kid on television who’s funnier, more well-written, and perfectly brought to life than Schmidt and Cece’s firstborn daughter. Rhiannon and Danielle Rockoff are instant show-stealers from the moment she questions Nick Miller to the final scene we see her in. As nice as it is that Nick and Jess are finally being adults and giving their relationship a real go, it’s Schmidt and Cece who keep the show going. And it’s their kid who provides us with some of the most relatable moments of dialogue—one of them being, “The whole system is corrupt. Meow.” Yeah, kid. Yeah, it is.
The show gets funnier with every viewing, but genuinely, there’s something so wildly endearing about what New Girl Season 7 brings out. And it’s entirely because Ruth brings this absurd friendship into perspective. It’s because of her that we get lines like “Before you, I was his baby girl,” because that is something Nick Miller would say. We get Jess and Schmidt begrudgingly fighting over how to prepare her for the pompous daycare that she ends up commandeering anyway. It gives viewers a new perspective on the show, and it almost makes it feel brand new.
Often, when shows get a new character and a time jump, it feels jumbled for viewers to jump in. It takes a few episodes for us to feel like we’re in the same space, even as things are different. But that’s not the case here. It all feels surprisingly right and organic because even though we’ve missed a good chunk of these characters’ lives, the limited episodes ensure that the writers pack something worthwhile into every scene.
It ensures that they’re trying to not only give us something memorable, but also unapologetically hilarious. People don’t always love it when kids are included in narratives because it doesn’t feel organic, but the writing for Ruth is so clever, so natural, that she becomes an even funnier character than the adults. Genuinely, like we know this kid is growing up to become president someday, but that’s not why she’s the coolest. It’s because the adults around her are all falling apart, so she’s basically the one reminding the audience that, yes, they are, in fact, responsible.
New Girl Season 7 also shines as a season that’s trying to wrap things up, so it doesn’t leave too much room for frustrating antics that we’ve already dealt with. At the same time, Ruth’s inclusion also allows the show to tap into familiar movie tropes, like Winston insisting on Three Men and a Baby to put her to sleep. All these things bring the show’s general charm to the surface while adding in the type of character who makes it clear why we’ve been rooting for all these characters as long as we have. “Your face ruined it. You’re a dumb raccoon.”
What are your thoughts on New Girl Season 7 and the iconic Ruth Bader Parekh Schmidt?
First Featured Image Credit: ©Fox | Hulu