Review: New Girl 4X02 – “Dice”

Tuesday nights for television have never looked so good. Season 4 of New Girl started off on a good note when it premiered last week, and it continues to do so with tonight’s episode. Tonight’s episode, called “Dice”, has Jess trying out an app that is similar to Tinder. Of course, she finds out about this through the only person who would be using it – Schmidt. But he has been hitting it off with the ladies on a consistent basis. This may be a relapse given he hasn’t seen Cece in a while and saw her for the first time in last week’s episode at a wedding.

As if the comedic material from tonight’s episode stopped there, the shenanigans have only begun. Cece, Coach and Nick decide to get high because Coach said he has never tried weed. Funny how this gets thought up at the bar.

Last but certainly not least, Winston is trying to fit in with the rest of the cops and gain a nickname. Tonight’s episode had me laughing and enjoying the awkwardness that we call New Girl.

So let us backtrack to the beginning. Can I just vouch and say that we have all been curious about Tinder; who was on it, how it worked, etc. So it was great to see how the show was poking fun at the whole situation. The easy swiping motions depicting levels of interest get Jess and Schmidt into some sticky situations in this episode.

Photo credit: FOX

Since Schmidt has agreed to help Jess use Dice, he becomes her teacher. He teaches her how to differentiate a perv from a nice guy. This scene of quick dialogue between Jess and Schmidt is the type of writing that has made New Girl funny and different from other sitcoms. They go back and forth and the short lines are funny and witty. Then after the lessons, he reveals that he has set her up on several blind dates to try out the techniques he taught her. This is just a recipe for disaster.

We have Schmidt who has a dynamic and loud personality. He does not mind taking risks and saying whatever is on his mind. However, Jess is lighthearted and does not like hurting other people’s feelings. She’s a people pleaser and is now completely out of her element.

I like the contrast between the characters. Schmidt and Jess have completely different views of dating and relationships; ones that complement their characters’ personalities. They could learn from one another. Schmidt should seek out a relationship that goes past the bedroom and instead have one that is long-lasting. Whereas Jess should be more of a risk taker and should try and not be too nice.

At this point, I’m interested to see how the characters continue to develop throughout the season.

While Dice has proven to be a handful for these two, we see that the rest of the gang decides to get high. You know when people get drunk, each person has a different personality that comes out. There’s a happy drunk, one who gets really emotional, and more. Looks like getting high brings out similar results.

As if the level of awkwardness couldn’t go further, the show brings it up a notch when the still-high Cece, Coach, and Nick show up to a party that is filled with policemen. Winston needs their support so he can seem cool and confident to his new buddies so there is no backing out now for these three.

In the end, everyone at the party finds out that Cece, Coach and Nick are high and decide to pull a small prank on the three. Schmidt tries to establish a real relationship with a girl on Dice but gets rejected. Jess realizes that Dice is not for her and Winston gets nicknamed “toilet.”

All is right with the world yet again. I’m looking forward to next week’s episode as I’m sure the gang will get caught up in another set of shenanigans.