*Warning! This article contains spoilers.*
I may be a tiiiiiny bit behind on the New Girl obsession by just finally bingeing the series in 2020, but hey— better late than never, right? Perfectly encapsulated by its original promotional tagline, this “Simply Adorkable” 2011 sitcom follows the quirky protagonist Jess and her three male roommates as they navigate through a confusing transitional period of their adulthood. Shown through the lens of millennials in a post-recession Los Angeles, New Girl embodies the desire of emerging grown-ups to avoid real world responsibilities. What truly kept me bingeing, though, was my obsession with Jess and Nick’s (incredibly frustrating, mind you) on-again, off-again romance. By clinging onto elements of childhood, most notably Nick’s emotional immaturity and Jess’s carefree girlishness, the pair always foiled their relationship just when the viewers got comfortable seeing them as a couple again. That is, until “Five Stars for Beezus.” After six full seasons of things never quite working out for them, Jess and Nick begin to embrace the adult responsibilities they once feared and get together after all. So, what can we learn from their complex, yet extremely rewarding, relationship? Ultimately, New Girl teaches us that communication and proper timing are crucial for a couple to successfully develop into true adulthood.
1. Camera Angles Push the Episode’s Time-Sensitive Narrative by Adding Tension & Urgency.
The action of “Five Stars for Beezus” begins with Jess entering Nick’s book reading event, prepared to admit that she’s in love with him. The setting— a library filled to maximum capacity with Nick’s devoted and supportive fans, some even dressed in his character’s costumes— establishes that Nick is no longer the ambitionless, unsuccessful man he once was. The scene cuts to Nick, who is proudly displayed center screen. A fan in the audience asks whether or not the characters in his novel (that are based off of Nick and Jess) will ever end up together, in which Nick says they will not: the camera goes from a large panning of the audience, back and forth to Nick, until it closes in on Jess’s frowning face.
Finally, the camera pans right, in which we see Jess escaping the claustrophobic crowd and bolting out of the room in shame. Only after Jess leaves does Nick rephrase that he actually meant they won’t date because “he blew [his chance],” yet the quick cuts and jarring camera movements of this perfectly ill-timed scene show that Jess and Nick’s relationship is constantly just slightly out of sync.
Jess is an emotional, dynamic, energetic character, as seen through the constant panning and zooming on her face; Nick remained center screen, static, and composed, simply because he was unaware of her presence. Their history is complex, and there always seems to be a mishap or misunderstanding that just shys away from the perfect satisfying ending for Jess and Nick.
2. The Dialogue is Not Just Humorous & Witty, but Incredibly Insightful, Too.
In reference to Jess and Nick’s tumultuous love story, Schmidt says without missing a beat: “How could I not be watching these idiots do this dance for the last six years? He’s rough and tumble, she’s sweet and sassy, it’s the moon and the tide, it’s the push and the pull.” This not only emphasizes how highly anticipated Nick and Jess’s romance has been, but how their contrasting traits complement each other. By constantly speaking in this unnaturally poetic and quippy language, Schmidt establishes how any outside perspective can instantly detect that they are soulmates even though they appear opposites at first. The dialogue within this episode suggests that healthy adult relationships require a level of maturity to see beyond these differences to truly experience love.
3. The Directors Use Paralleling Scenes to Show Jess and Nick’s Innate Similarities.
Later on, Schmidt reveals to Nick that Jess is planning on moving out while they sit in the publisher’s lobby. The scene creates a comfortable back-and-forth rhythm using over-the-shoulder shots of Nick and Schmidt’s conversation, only for this rhythm to be jarringly broken by the publisher. The camera then cuts back to Nick’s puzzled face, unbothered by the publisher’s presence, implying that he is too caught up in thinking about Jess to care about his career development. The camerawork of this scene highlights his overwhelmedness and his newfound focus on Jess. When Schmidt says, “for once in your life, don’t be afraid,” just as the publisher asks, “Are you ready to come in and talk?,” it foreshadows a parallel to Jess.
As Jess stands in her completely empty room, she almost looks ready to give her final bow. The camera is at a high angle and is a longshot; her room, much like her, is little-girlish and a sweet, melancholy blue. She stands with her back to the door, and Winston enters the frame; after spending the entire episode being nervous over it, Winston calls his dad to inspire Jess to not be a coward, and says: “So. Now it’s your turn [to talk to Nick]. Be brave.”
Schmidt and Winston act as catalysts for Nick and Jess’s maturity: they are aware of the time-sensitive nature of this circumstance and understand that the two require a push in order to see it for themselves. New Girl’s use of parallelling scenes between Nick and Jess show that, even when they aren’t together, they are deeply similar people that need to face each other.
4. The Use of Lorde’s Green Light Heightens Their Miscommunication.
Most sitcoms are hindered by a laugh track and are thus unable to include external noise, however, New Girl takes full advantage of this feature. The most notable example of music on “Five Stars for Beezus” begins within the energizing last minutes of the episode. In what almost feels like the ideal accumulation of every element discussed thus far, the final scene is the perfect release of built-up tension. The camera follows a disappointed Nick as he enters Jess’s cleared-out room. Yet, off-screen, we hear Jess scream, “Can anyone help me get into the building?” as the optimistic instrumental of “Green Light” by Lorde begins to play.
This scene is clearly a direct callback reference to earlier in the episode when Nick realized he truly loved her: “The first time I saw Jess was when I was standing in her empty room and I was looking out the window. She was trying to get in the building.” These parallels show the ways in which Nick and Jess are perfect for eachother, yet always just slightly missing the mark of being there for eachother at the right time.
Here begins a series of even more miscommunication. Jess runs upstairs as Nick comes downstairs and the viewers are thrusted into a montage of constant parallels between them as they anxiously try to get to each other. The director made their narratives almost blend into one continuous story that transitions from Nick to Jess, back and forth, until the viewer gets whiplash. Eventually, they meet in the elevator— a place symbolic of transition— yet, it is no longer in motion. As Schmidt said earlier, they are “the push and the pull,” and the way the timing keeps working out for them to just miss each other’s presence appears as perfectly choreographed chaos… until now. Nick and Jess are done miscommunicating and it is finally the “right” time for them to be in love. Finally, Nick and Jess have begun to synchronize.
The music stops as the elevator closes; however, once the doors reopen and reveal them passionately kissing, the music triumphantly breaks the silence: “That green light, I want it!” Lorde’s pop ballad heightens the entire scene, as it follows the twists and turns of their awkward bumblings to get to each other and provides an enthusiastic, energizing melody. The upbeat lyrics perfectly fit the narrative – “Honey I’ll be seeing you down every road”– represent that this is a highly anticipated moment, since Nick and Jess have belonged together since day one.
“Green Light” is also an allusion to The Great Gatsby, representative of Gatsby’s unattainable desire for Daisy and his general lust for success. In a way, Nick and Jess are an accomplished Gatsby and Daisy: by breaking their six-season-long streak of narrowly avoiding each other, they are no longer each other’s childish green lights, but now represent a tangible, adult relationship.
After six agonizing seasons, it’s a privilege to say that Nick and Jess are actually and officially endgame. By establishing their love for eachother, New Girl proves to the world that communication and maturity are necessary elements to achieve this adulthood milestone. As developed through the director’s use of dialogue, camera angles, parallels, and music… Nick and Jess are able to shockingly actually meet at the right place, and right time. Who would have thought?