New Girl is returning for its third season on Sept. 17. To prepare for the wonderful new season, we need to review what has happened in New Girl thus far. To get yourself in the mood, watch the theme song below and begin.
Season One
New Girl is a story of Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) and her three roommates Schmidt (Max Greenfield), Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) and Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris). When the series began, Jess moved in the guys because her boyfriend cheated on her and she didn’t have a place to go.
When Jess first moved in, she spent her time lying on the couch, sobbing and watching Dirty Dancing. After being stood up for a date, the guys came to her rescue and her crying on the couch days were over.
Jess’s love life was certainly interesting in season one. Jess dated Paul, her fellow teacher. That romance ended at a Christmas party when Jess told Paul that she didn’t love him yet. Paul didn’t want to wait. Then, Jess met a student’s father, Russell and dated him for a while. However, after realizing that she didn’t have passion for him- she ended that as well.
Nick’s love life was up and down in season one. At the beginning of the series, he had just been dumped by Caroline. While he said that he was over it, after running into her at a wedding, he broke down. It was after that that he decided to move on. He dated Julia, a lawyer that Jess didn’t like. Julia represented Jess in her court case after she ran a red light after stopping for a bird.
Julia went to Japan and Nick called her nonstop and that led to Julia breaking up with him. After the Julia breakup, Nick started dating Caroline again. Against the group’s effort to keep Nick away from Caroline, Nick decided to move in with her.
In the season finale, as Nick drove to move all of his stuff in with Caroline, he drove to the dessert and the gang had to stay the night. He decided not to move in with Caroline after all.
Schmidt was the resident douche bag, in a loving way. His one-line statements sometimes lead him to have to put money in a jar.
In season one, Schmidt has to deal with all of his roommates’ troubles. He is always there for advice- even if it is terrible. On the love side, Schmidt develops a relationship with his boss. Then, after meeting Cece, Jess’s best friend, he falls for her. The two start a secret sexual relationship until Jess finds out. In the season finale, Schmidt breaks up with Cece because he thinks that she is better than him and if it is meant to be, she will come back.
Winston, the final roommate, moves into the loft on the second episode. He returned from Latvia, where he played basketball. Winston has trouble fitting in because he had been gone so long. After a Christmas party, he gets a job nannying. After nannying for a few episodes, he finally gets a job working for a sports radio station. While he hates it at first, he finds his way to love it.
Winston tries to hook up with his girlfriend Shelby and- after she first rejects him- they finally have a mature relationship. He even chases her to Mexico to make sure that she knew that he didn’t want space. Winston is the first to know about Schmidt and Cece’s romance. He found out as he was driving to see Shelby.
Season one wrapped up with the gang back at their apartment dancing. Their new developed lives are what led into season two.
Season Two
In the beginning of season two, Jess is fired from her job. She decides to go by the name Katie and go on a date with Sam, a hot doctor. After Sam figures out that Jess isn’t Katie, they develop a “friends with benefits” relationship. After Jess sees how sweet Sam is at work, she tries to make their relationship more. He dumps her. However, on Christmas Eve, he tells her that he wants to be with her for more than sex and the two decide to continue their relationship.
Throughout season two, Sam and Jess have a solid relationship. After playing ‘True American’ and drinking, Nick kisses Jess and, after Jess tells Sam about it, the two break up. Nick and Jess begin to date and try to have a mature relationship.
Nick had a very hectic season. He tried to date Angie, a previous stripper. She left him. Then he thinks that one of Jess’s students is trying to murder her- but he isn’t. Nick has a rift in his friendship with Schmidt but it is solved with an air balloon. Then, Nick kisses Jess when she is dating Sam. After Jess falls for him, the two sleep together. They go on a date and run into Russell. T
Cece spends the entire season in emotional turmoil because she feels that she is on a ticking clock to get married and have children. She begins to date Robby and, after he says that he doesn’t want to get serious quickly, Cece breaks up with him. After that, Cece meets Shivrang.
The two become engaged into an arranged marriage. During her bachelorette party, she freaks out because she doesn’t know if she can marry someone without seeing their man part. After a talk, she accepts the marriage and in the finale, she plans to marry Shivrang. There are a few bumps, like- when she accidentally sleeps on her henna tattoo and it stains her face. Oops.
Schmidt spends the season wondering whom he loves. While he dabbles in dating his boss but his real relationship came from his college sweetheart. Schmidt had multiple flashbacks of when he was fat and was in a relationship with Elizabeth. His relationship with Elizabeth lasts until the finale.
Winston had the calmest season. Not much happened to Winston. He broke up with Shelby on Halloween. He gets a new girlfriend, Daisy, who travels. He mostly spent the season being the comedic relief to the romance between the roommates.
The finale of New Girl season three was action packed. It was Cece’s wedding. Schmidt and Winston decide to sabotage it. Some of the sabotage includes playing the Cotton-eyed Joe instead of Cece’s wedding song.
After Jess thinks that Nick is the one who did it- she says that they can’t be together because he is too immature. But Nick didn’t- until she calls him immature. After fixing everything, the wedding still doesn’t succeed. It isn’t the gang that ruins it. It’s Taylor Swift! Her character Elaine ends up breaking up the marriage because Shivrang doesn’t love Cece!
Jess realizes that she wants to be with Nick and they ride off into the sunset. Cece and Elizabeth ask Schmidt whom he loves and instead of answering, he simply runs away- leaving us to wonder who he will choose.
Let’s just see where season three takes our favorite New Girl crew!