Love triangles are nothing new on The Mindy Project. First came Cliff and Danny (although she was OBVS going to pick Danny), and then last season we saw Mindy debating over whether to get back together with baby daddy Danny or stay with new beau Jody. When she chose to be alone instead, I thought it was the end of love triangles with Mindy Lahiri at the center and rejoiced. Love triangles may be exciting, but they’re also an overused trope in the rom-com world. However, it appears that the show is hoping the third time’s the charm with a new love triangle. This time it’s Mindy versus the ex-wife. This could get ugly, real fast.
After Ben and Mindy’s reconciliation last week, we find Mindy finally meeting Ben’s ex-wife, Patricia. Ben claims he didn’t want them to meet because his ex is “crazy,” but Mindy insists that no woman could be crazier than her. When Mindy finds out that Patricia wants to get back together with Ben and plans on moving back to New Jersey to make that a reality, she freaks out. Yet again, she finds herself entangled in a love triangle…only this time she’s the one competing for someone’s affection.
We all know Mindy can be a bit overly enthusiastic and dramatic, but the idea of pitting two women against each other in a battle for who can be the craziest in order to win a man seems beyond this show. This love triangle only enforces harmful stereotypes about female relationships and emotional stability, especially considering Mindy seems to have very few female friends on the show. The idea that a woman has to be “crazy” and competitive to find and keep love is an outdated and overused concept. Although Mindy has concerns when she finds out Ben had an affair during his marriage, she should be confident enough in her relationship to trust that Ben isn’t interested in reconciling with his ex-wife, even if Patricia is sure she can win him back.
Considering the Mindy/Danny/Jody love triangle was only reconciled at the beginning of this season, isn’t it a little soon to be jumping into a new one? One of The Mindy Project‘s greatest strengths has always been Mindy’s ability to mix amazing chemistry with humorous romantic situations, but with Mindy meeting Ben so quickly after vowing to stay single and now a budding new love triangle, the show seems to be jumping around a little too much. It’s time to ditch the overhyped love triangle and let Mindy find love without having to compete for it.