New Girl Episode 12: “Cabin”
Written by: J. J. Philbin
Directed by: Alec Berg
Original Airdate: 8 January 2012
After an eventful Christmas, New Girl kicked off the New Year with an episode that proves how much the show has evolved. Jess and Sam plan to go away for a romantic cabin weekend, so naturally Jess is freaking out about being alone with him. In order to solve the problem, she invites roommate Nick and his crazy stripper love interest Angie – what could possibly go wrong?
Fans of New Girl will agree that if they were told there was going to be an episode that consists of guns shot widely into the air, the possibility of swinging, attempted purchase of crack AND it would all work plot-wise, they wouldn’t have believed you. “Cabin” is a perfect example of how New Girl has evolved into a charming, and relatable little sitcom. The beauty of the show is that it allows itself to put its characters in some particularly weird positions whilst reinforcing the idea that this group of friends are so comfortable around each other to the point that they are willing to help each other no matter how weird the circumstances are. With funny results and likeable characters that are executed brilliantly makes New Girl one of the most refreshing, new, enjoyable sitcoms on television right now.
Back in the city, Schmidt is concerned that Winston hasn’t been allowed to fully be his black self. Admittedly this storyline is very cringe-worthy but what makes it work is Winston and his acknowledgement at what is happening. Starting with eating ribs, Winston decides to have a little fun at Schmidt’s expense, convincing him he misses taking crack. In a hilarious chain of events, Schmidt learns a valuable lesson in race relations. It’s also heartwarming to see how good friends these two really are, despite most of the character’s annoyance with Schmidt.
The cabin belongs to Sam’s boss, and Angie immediately finds a couple of rifles and doesn’t think twice about going outside to fire them. With Nick hopelessly starting to fall for her, he follows suit. When Jess accidentally shoots the transformer, they are left without power and decide to drink the weekend away with the extremely strong, ‘green fairy’ that goes by the name of Absinthe.
To everyone’s surprise, including the audience, Nick is the most sober person (briefly) as the rest of the gang trip out in a hilarious fashion. When Nick goes upstairs to check on a puking Jess, Angie misunderstands him and makes a move on Sam. Thinking the whole reason the four of them came to the cabin was to participate in an alcohol fueled swinging party, and with that Nick makes an awesome return into “that guy” and chugs down the rest of the absinthe. In the next scene (one many people can relate to), an intoxicated Nick confesses his feelings for Angie which follows an awkward sober chat. With the premise of the show relying on main characters going through short-term relationships, it’s no surprise that we bid farewell to guest star Olivia Munn as Angie this week.
Jess once again is there for Nick at his lowest point, it’s another agonising moment for the audience in this ‘when-are-they-going-to-get-together’ factor of the show. A key factor to the sitcom genre, New Girl is doing everything right to continue to engage its audience.
Jess and Sam are still together; however their relationship didn’t get any stronger with this episode (of course Sam earns brownie points for rejecting a stripper whilst intoxicated), it will be interesting to see how they grow (or crumble) now that they’re a real couple.
– Tara Costello