‘New Girl’ season 2, episode 14 preview: Throw Nick Miller from the train

There is no way of getting around it: “New Girl” Tuesday night was completely and positively absurd. It may be one of the craziest episodes that the show has ever done, and we’re not quite sure if it’s in a good way or a bad way.

For whatever reason, the Nick / Jess storyline for one reminded us of one of the most insane movies out there in “Throw Momma From the Train,” hence the title for the article. Jess had a student at her night class in Edgar who she was convinced was producing some work that was a little bit to creepy, which led Nick to go on a spy mission under the false name “Pepperwood.” To try and figure out his deal. After a terrible attempt to spy at his place, they quickly made the discovery that he was try to kill Jess … sort of. He wanted to at least kill the Jess that was in the story he had created for class.

Was it sweet to see Nick stand up for Jess? Sure, but that’s where the sweetness ends this week. There are still so many things that are not fully explained here, including if this Edgar cat is really someone dangerous, or just has some serious issues that need to be worked out. There was also a ton of screaming, plenty of body contact, and the realization that Jess’ ringtone is a party song from two decades ago. It felt like a great idea in the writers room that swung for the fences, but never really came together.

The other storyline was at least more grounded in some sort of reality, as it provided the age-old storyline of “trying to find out what bad things people say about behind your back.” It was funny, but also done before. And before that. Heck, this probably in the first 40 episodes of the very first sitcom created by cavemen.

We said for much of the fall that “New Girl” is the funniest show on TV, and it may still be; however, this episode and the arrival of Nick’s father last week have us a little worried that the show is becoming a bit too cartoonish for its own good. The original charm of the show came when Nick’s insanity was a little bit more internalized, and he was the kind of guy that you thought was sane at first glance. This one was just a little too out there, and not in a good way.

Want to see more examples of some of the strange stuff that this show is up to right now? If so, be sure to visit the link here.

Photo: Fox