I was wondering how long it would take for one of Mindy’s ex-boyfriends to come back into the picture and stir things up, and even though we’re only three episodes into the new season, it’s charming lawyer Cliff (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton) that we have the pleasure of seeing again.
Mindy hasn’t filed her taxes in over six years and the entire office finds out about it when she is subpoenaed during a meeting. This could have serious ramifications for the practice, and soon Mindy is back in Cliff’s office, who she hasn’t seen since she broke his heart by cheating on him with Danny. After some convincing, and some lying, Cliff agrees to help Mindy – but only because she tells him that Danny broke up with her after sleeping with another woman. Danny isn’t too thrilled with the lie, but agrees to it for the sake of Shulman and Associates. He and Mindy are having troubles of their own, as he is hesitant to let Mindy keep things at his place. Despite using her best hiding places (behind the toilet, in the microwave, on the fire escape…) Danny continues to rebuff her efforts to share his space. Cliff figures out that Mindy is lying to him and reveals to her that Danny is still legally married to Christina, and that Mindy is technically his mistress. After everything goes haywire, Cliff relents and agrees to help Danny get a divorce in exchange for his prized possession: a seat from Yankee Stadium (which Mindy has carved expletives into and uses as her toenail-cutting chair). Danny buys Mindy a little dresser of her own to keep at his place and all is right in their world once again.
In what is becoming my least-favourite Mindy B-plot ever, Jeremy and Peter are still fighting over Lauren. She tells Peter that she wants to “put a pin in it”, even though he’s clearly better for her and great with her son, Henry. She tells Jeremy the same thing, although Peter doesn’t know that, and so he calls the Department of Immigration, who promptly flag Jeremy for review. As it turns out that’s the worst thing he could have done, as the thought of losing Jeremy only pushes Lauren further into his arms. Poor old Peter is left alone, and Jeremy seemingly gets the girl.
This episode was a step up from last week, and it’s great to see that the guest spots from Mindy’s ex-boyfriends won’t have to stop just because she’s in a relationship. Considering that’s one of the reasons that Mindy’s second season skyrocketed in popularity, it’s smart that the writers haven’t given up on that particular well of humour. I’ve always loved Glenn Howerton as Cliff; it’s a shame his relationship with Mindy wasn’t given more time last season, but hopefully since they’re all in the same building he’ll become a recurring character, à la Mark Duplass’ Brendan Deslaurier.
The recurring secondary plot is something that I have trouble with, mostly because I’m finding it difficult to suspend disbelief that a) Jeremy would so easily betray his friend and colleague, and b) that no one else in the office is calling him out on it. It also seems like a complete character shift for Jeremy, who spent most of last season becoming more well-rounded and less of a douchebag. I’m hopeful that all this leads to better things for Peter; maybe I just hate this storyline because Peter has well and truly become my favourite character. In any case, there’s something about this plotline that seems off to me, and I’m hoping that it’s all resolved soon, because both Ed Weeks and Adam Pally deserve better material than this – although I’ll take any excuse to hear Peter’s British impression.
It’s very early on in the season but this was a step in the right direction from last week’s episode. Adam Pally and Mindy Kaling were fantastic as usual, and it was great to see some familiar faces return to our screens.
Review Score: THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE).
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