New Girl Review: “Elaine’s Big Day” (Season 2, Episode 25)

So the badger’s in the air vents, Nick and Winston are following behind – can you guess where this is going? The badger gets free, Jess climbs into the vents to investigate, and Nick and Jess fall onto the actual ceremony as it is reaching its conclusion. Schmidt gets to fire off a great line in the ensuing chaotic search for the badger – “I’ll funnel it into the mandeb!” – before running away. The Nick and Winston moments in the vents yield some great comedy, and also represent a neat little metaphor for the whole of Nick’s character – Nick’s biggest problem is that he feels like he has to fulfill everyone’s expectations of him, which is why he gets angry at Jess for blaming him for doing something that was “a Nick thing to do”, and gets into the vents because that is “a Nick thing to do.”

This leads him to “call it” with Jess, an act that is Nick essentially railing against what he himself wants to do, believing that to be “a Nick thing to do.” When Winston emerges from the vents long after everyone else has lost interest, to find Nick at the bar, he tells him that actually letting Jess go because it was getting complicated is “a Nick thing to do.” This causes Nick to chase after Jess who is, of course, already waiting for him outside.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, but things turn out very well for Shivrang – take that however you like. Cece has a moment with Schmidt and Elizabeth, but Schmidt runs away, leaving that particular plotline open-ended. Jess and Nick kiss and realise that they are made for each other, and the season ends the only way it should – with Nick and Jess doing the flirty arguing that they are so good at.

But just who is Elaine? Well, that’s a mystery, unless you watch the episode or look it up online in any capacity, as “Elaine’s” image is the one that greets you in every press shot for this episode. I didn’t actually recognise who it was, until the credits rolled, which I think says a lot about me and how great I am.

Overall, “Elaine’s Big Day” is a very good finale to what has been an exceptional second season of New Girl, and we should await the third season with baited breath.