NEW GIRL Recap: Elvis at a Funeral

Before I get into the episode let me say that New Girl has the best guest stars this year. This episode has Margo Martindale who is just a divine actress as well as Nick Kroll. If you are not watching The League on FX which stars Nick Kroll – among a number of hilarious actors – you are missing out. I highly recommend finding it on Netflix.

There Is No Place Like Home: Nick is at the loft with the gang when he gets a call from his Mom, his Father had a heart attack and has passed away. The gang decides to go with Nick to Chicago for the funeral.
With a warning about how crazy Nick’s family is they enter the house to find Nick’s brother Jamie (Nick Kroll) crying in a very over emotional manner and making out with someone I suspect is his girlfriend. Nick’s Mom (Margo Martindale) is glad he is home. She gives Nick a list of things he needs to do including planning the funeral and writing the eulogy – so basically everything.
Nick is there to take care of the family. Apparently he always has been the responsible one, something that surprises Jess – obviously. I mean, Nick calms his brother, hugs his Mom and gets right down to work.
Jess meanwhile introduces herself to Nick’s Mom who does not like her, “Are you Spanish?” she says in that way your Grandparents whisper about race like that makes it okay. Nick’s Mom also refers to the boys as Fat Schmidt and Winnie. She seems nice.
While going over funeral arrangements with Nick his Mom says Nick’s Dad always wanted a funeral just like Elvis, you know twelve white limos, an Elvis impersonator, etc…Nick says he will take care of all of it.
Later that night Jess finds Nick going over numbers to figure out what they can and can’t afford funeral wise and when she says she wants to help him Nick asks her to come up with the eulogy, something she can’t do.
Jess: “I didn’t really know your Dad except the one hour I committed fraud with him.”

I See Dead People: The airline lost Schmidt’s luggage so he tries on one of Walt’s suits, but he just can’t mourn in a suit with so many buttons. He freaks out and says he can’t go to the funeral…he is scared of death. He also doesn’t like the idea of an open casket
Schmidt: “All of a sudden I have to walk in and I have to see the carcass…that’s crazy.”
Winston practices being dead so Schmidt can practice being calm beside an open casket.
Schmidt: You can’t breath
Winston: Schmidt I need to breath…because I’m coaching you and also for regular life reasons.
Later at the funeral Schmidt sees Nick’s cousin trying to take the chain off of Walt’s body. In the fight Schmidt’s head get pushed against Walt’s mustache. Schmidt realizes it didn’t hurt him and he starts putting his head in and out of the coffin next to Walt’s head yelling, “All Day! I can do this all day!”

Elvis is In The Building: At the funeral everything is going okay when Nick shows up completely wasted with a homeless man who is going to be Elvis although the man – who is also pretty drunk – thought Nick wanted him to kill Elvis. Nick is proud of himself because he also wrote the eulogy while he was out getting hammered.
Nick: “Walt Miller, am I right?”
Jess decides she can’t let the funeral get ruined and she takes charge. She is going to sober up Nick and Elvis, Winston is going to buy time and Schmidt is going to stop asking people if they can smell the body.
Jess takes Nick into the bathroom where she is trying to clean him up. He says she looks mad but she says she isn’t mad, she has his back no matter how stupid it gets and with him it can get pretty stupid.
In an effort to stall Winston take the podium. He says this is a celebration; Walt would have wanted a party. Winston turns his head and upon seeing Walt’s body starts crying. Big wailing sobs. There might have been gnashing of teeth it was so serious.
Having cleaned up Nick Jess finds Elvis drinking in the lobby. Nick’s Mom sees this and says there isn’t going to be funeral, everything is ruined. Jess tries to tell her to wait and Nick’s Mom says she doesn’t like Jess and to stay out of it.
Jess of course can’t leave it alone and she knows Nick needs to get some closure so she puts on the Elvis suit and makes her way into the gathering. She uses quite a convincing Elvis voice and does some fantastic Elvis hip shaking moves. Nick’s Mom isn’t so pleased but Jess keeps singing, “In the Ghetto” to which Winston says, “You know this is every day in North Korea.”
The funeral goers start to smile and Nick, Schmidt and Winston stand in the back of the gathering smiling as Jess continues to sing and dance her way up the aisle.
Nick’s Mom says she is going to hit Jess but Nick stops her. He says Walt would have really liked this. He takes to the podium to give the eulogy. It is a sweet, funny and touching, I’m proud of Nick.
Jess walks over to Nick when he is done and takes his hand. She starts singing, “In the Ghetto” again and even gets Nick and his Mom to join in, before long everyone is singing along.
Schmidt: I really feel transported to the ghetto

In the end when leaving the house Winston has a number of mementos to remember Walt by from a hat to the leg to his favorite chair. As Jess comes down the steps towards the cab Nick’s Mom hands her a sandwich bag full of cheese puffs for the trip, she even gives Jess a hug.
Nick goes to leave and Nick’s Mom says she is sorry for depending on him so much as a kid and even now. She’s glad he has someone to take care of him – cut to Jess.

The episode ends with another shot of Jess at the funeral in full Elvis duds singing us to the credits.

New Girl airs Tuesday 9/8c on Fox