Just like Danny and Mindy’s relationship opened the show up to a whole new avenue of humour, Mindy’s pregnancy is doing exactly the same thing. Mindy is definitely pregnant (I keep waiting for the writers to say “PSYCH!” and make it all one big fever dream), and she’s suffering from very bad morning sickness, having to vomit in anything from an office vase to Danny’s little league trophy. Danny’s convinced that it’s because of her terrible diet, and makes Mindy eat meals of chicken (or as Mindy calls it, “white steak”) and greens instead of candy. Mindy, in retribution, makes Danny quit smoking, and so the two attempt to kick their bad habits.
The practice needs a new doctor after Peter’s departure and Mindy’s imminent move to open her own practice. Mindy runs into her old professor, Dr Phillips (guest star Vanessa Williams), and gets her in to meet Jeremy and Danny in the hopes that she will fit in with the “hip taste-makers” at Shulman and Associates. Seeing the dysfunctional environment, Dr Phillips declines, but it turns out that Dr. Bergdahl, the somewhat boring doctor from Philadelphia that they met earlier in the episode, is perfect for the practice. He proves to be a pretty good doctor when he correctly diagnoses Mindy’s acute morning sickness as stress related, not diet related as Danny has been saying. He tells Danny to cut Mindy some slack, and just like that, Danny Castellano stops being Mindy Lahiri’s nutritionist.
I really thought Dr Gurglar would be joining Shulman and Associates, and not only was I completely on board with that, but it made the most sense. The writers had spent weeks building up he and Mindy’s relationship, it just seemed like a natural progression. He would be the straight man to all of Mindy’s craziness. Although Dr Gurglar seems to be finished on the show, Dr Bergdahl seems to be in the same ‘normal’ vein, and that’s something that The Mindy Project needs. It’s also nice to see Peter sticking around in some capacity, even if it is only via a skype check up with Mindy and Danny.
One thing that I’m finding puzzling is inconsequential guest spots from stars. John Cho one week, Vanessa Williams the next; these are people that deserve one or two episodes, not bit parts that accrue a minute worth of screen time! One thing that has always frustrated me about The Mindy Project is their tendency towards using great guest stars for the sake of having great guest stars, and not using their own cast enough. It’s caused them to lose great cast members like Zoe Jarman, and it seems like a massive waste of the immense talent they have on the payroll.
In any case, it’s still hard to pick the end game of this season of Mindy, but I don’t mind that. This was the first filler episode we’ve had in a while, but it has set us up with a new doctor for the practice. I’m hoping that the show will get back to the cracking pace it set when Mindy was in San Francisco, and won’t fall back into the more lacklustre territory, like it did at the beginning of the season.
Review Score: THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Mindy Project screens in Australia on Channel 7
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