NEW GIRL Recap: Party with Prince

New Girl received the after Superbowl spot this year. It’s an honor because it is a ratings goldmine but it is also hard to watch if you tried to DVR it especially if you live in Seattle like I do and the coverage of winning the Superbowl pushed the show out a few hours
Anyway the point is it was a good episode, it has Prince people, FREAKING Prince. Like his music or not, think he is a little weird or not he is still an Icon. Let’s go back to the beginning shall we?

New Girl opens with the boys discussing who is going to move Jess’s panties out of the dryer. They say panties way too many times, a disturbing number of times. For some reason Nick won’t just move them himself and instead comes up with an idea. Cue Jess and Cece coming home to find the guys removing underwear from the dryer with a fishing pole. She doesn’t even care though because she has exciting news. They almost got hit by an SUV. That’s not the exciting part though, the exciting part is the driver of the SUV works for Prince and as a sorry for almost killing you, they are invited to a party Prince is throwing at his house. Quite honestly that makes it all okay that they almost died. They think so too if the dance they do is any indication.

While the girls are getting ready, Jess has to trouble picking the right shoes for a Prince Party, we get a flashback to Nick and Winston at a high school talent show. Nick is a HUGE Prince fan and I could have watched an entire episode of the flashback with Nick dressed up as Prince. The flashback is cut short though by Schmidt arriving in his best A List party suit. The boys remind Schmidt the party is for the girls, not them. Poor Schmidt is really upset as this party was supposed to catapult him to the next level – aka cooler friends. According to Schmidt the life they have now cannot be his finish line.

The boys put the girls into their waiting limo and Nick says, “I love you.” The silence that follows is uncomfortable, although not as uncomfortable as the two gun finger salute Jess gives Nick as the limo pulls away. In the limo Jess realizes she did finger guns in response to Nick saying I love you for the first time and rightfully freaks out.

At the bar the guys are explaining to Nick why a man is never supposed to say I love you first. Nick just couldn’t help himself, Jess looked so pretty. Besides Nick isn’t upset he said it so much as how it was said, he does love Jess but he didn’t want to just blurt it out. Nick is worried he is moving too fast and thanks to bad advice from the guy’s thinks he can take the I love you back. Seriously, he is taking dating advice from his three single friends. He doesn’t seem to care what I think though and the next thing you know they are all dressed up and in line at Prince’s house where they are going to try to get into the party. So, everyone in LA knows where the stars live? Is that a thing?

Outside the house the boys are discussing how to get into the party and Schmidt is getting impatient as his new life is waiting for him in there. How the others put up with him sometimes I do not know. At least he is being his old annoying self, the new Schmidt was bothering me.

Winston thinks they need to try fire and ice, it’s what got them into parties in high school. This involves Coach and Winston having an impromptu reunion in front of a security guard while proclaiming they saved each other’s lives. Then one of them asks about a third person only to be told they didn’t make it. They pretend to get teary eyed and hug and say it will be okay. The security guard overcome with emotion for their reunion and lost comrade lets them into the party. IT WORKS! Prince needs new security because I was at Comic Con a few years back at a party thrown by Syfy where the Director of Syfy Communications got stopped at the door for ID. I digress. Next up its Nick and Schmidt turn to try their own version of the ploy. It does not work but a few moments later Nick slips in with a gaggle of models. That only leaves Schmidt. Poor Schmidt is stuck outside by himself.

In the party Nick finds Jess to unsay I love you but Jess says she has something she wants to say first. Only she can’t say it, she panics and passes out. She comes to completely embarrassed. Nick says he will just take the whole thing back, she doesn’t have to worry. Only Jess doesn’t want him to take it back. This is interrupted by Schmidt coming thru the hedge. Oh good, he’s now in the party as well. The friends leave Jess and Nick to discuss their issues only they are interrupted again, this time by Prince. He introduces himself because who wouldn’t know it was him? Jess and Nick freak out culminating in Nick fainting.

When we get back from commercial Prince is sitting between Nick and Jess on a bench where they have explained the I love you debacle. Jess has to show him what finger guns is. This is something Prince isn’t familiar with. Prince dismisses Nick so he and Jess can talk. Prince turns to Jess and asks if she likes pancakes.

Down in the kitchen Prince had his cook make pancakes for Jess so they can eat while they discuss why she can’t tell “that nice dude” she loves him. She wants to tell him but she is scared. Prince gives her some wisdom and then cue a montage of Jess trying on different clothes, repeating the word “love” and then playing ping pong with him. Literally playing ping pong. There is also a scene with a butterfly and a dark closet. It’s all to make Jess less afraid in some odd Prince logic.

In the main room of the party Schmidt is attempting to find cooler friends but he is drawn to where his current friends are. They appear to be having a lot of fun so Schmidt joins them. I guess he will be sticking with them for now.

Jess makes her entrance into the main room to find Nick dancing – he is not a good dancer. Jess walks over to him and tells him she loves him. They hug and kiss and it’s all very sweet.

Moments later Prince shows up and calls Jess up onto the stage. She and Prince sing a duet while the rest of the gang joins them in what would be the most surreal moment ever.

Later that night they are all sitting around on the couch in disbelief of their evening. All but Cece. Cece is still with Prince kicking his butt at ping pong.

New Girl is all new this Tuesday 9/8c on Fox