Who's That Girl? A 'New Girl' Podcast

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 16, Control, which originally aired on March 13, 2012 and was written by Brett Baer and directed by Jesse Peretz. 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

In this episode, Schmidt is dealing with his need for control. When Jess tries to bring in new furniture to the loft, Schmidt can’t handle it. Jess tries to get him to loosen up but it backfires and he starts becoming the opposite of himself. Meanwhile, Winston and Nick are trying to settle debts after a pricey poker game. 

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• The White Whale (Moby Dick) - Nick told Schmidt that he could clean his room if he returned home and Schmidt called his room the “white whale”.
• Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps - As Jess was encouraging Schmidt to come back home she asked him if he remembers dressing up like Shia LaBeouf in Wall Street 2 for Halloween.

NOTE: In this podcast we briefly discuss Shia LaBeouf and wanted to note that this was recorded prior to being aware of the recent allegations against him.

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• Calvin [Klein] - To welcome Schmidt back home, Jess gifts Schmidt pants designed by a man named “Calvin” and Schmidt later talks to the pants and refers again to ‘Calvin’. Calvin Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc.
• An Inconvenient Truth - Jess was encouraging Schmidt to come back home and was reminding him of the time he “got himself off to An Inconvenient Truth”. This documentary raises awareness of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.

The “Schmidtism” we cover in this episode is when Schmidt tells Cece about how he’d rather have tetanus than damage his suede shoes. We also discuss the impact of Jess using the word “crazy” to describe Schmidt as a “Not in 2020”. We didn’t have any notable guest stars in this episode to cover.

This episode got an 8/10 Rating from Kritika whose favorite character was Schmidt and Kelly rated this episode a 7.5/10 and her favorite character was Winston!

This week we also answered a great question from the instagram user @titus_dominguez48. Check out our podcast to hear both our spoiler-free and our all-time answer to: “If you could hang out with one character from the loft for a night, who is it and what are you doing?”

We also reference The Big Short as another movie about the 2008 financial crisis on this episode and the website nickmillertime.com.

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 17!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 15, Injured, which originally aired on March 6, 2012 and was written by J.J. Philbin and directed by Lynn Shelton. 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

During a game of touch football, Jess accidentally tackles Nick, leaving him injured. She takes him to see her gynecologist friend, Sadie, who gives him meds for his back but notices an abnormal growth on his neck which leads to him taking an ultrasound that he couldn’t afford. The gang all deal with his potential diagnosis in different ways, but Nick and Jess bond. In the end, Nick is okay and the gang is closer than ever.

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• Fredo Kiss - Schmidt continues to “Fredo Kiss” Nick through this episode out of love.
• Lucky Magazine - Jess hands Nick a Lucky magazine to tag things that he wants while he waits in Sadie’s office.

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• Walking like a Disney Witch - After Jess tackles Nick, Jess asks Nick if he’s ok and mentions he looks like he’s walking like a Disney Witch; they tend to hobble as they walk as shown in this YouTube video here.
• Desert Storm - Winston explains “things happened” in his car and Schmidt exclaims “Desert Storm?” Desert Storm was the first major foreign crisis for the United States after the end of the Cold War and was part of the Gulf War
• Daffy Duck - Jess does a Daffy Duck impression to cheer up Nick that her mom used to do when she was scared. Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon duck created by Warner Bros. Daffy was number 14 on TV Guide's list of top 50 greatest cartoon characters and has been a character since 1937.
• Daniel Boone - Jess makes a joke about how many ears Daniel Boone has and says he has 3 because “he has a right ear, a left ear, and a front-ier”. Daniel Boone was an American frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the US.

We also cover “Schmidtisms” when Schmidt is comparing the death of Cece’s dad to a cat and later commenting on the soot coming in from the floors of Winston’s car. On this episode, we also discussed how Schmidt told Jess to run to the car while playing football and how that was a “Not in 2020”. Additionally, we explore the careers of June Diane Raphael and Ben Hoffman, the guest stars we highlighted in this episode.

This episode got a 7/10 Rating from Kritika whose favorite character is Nick and Kelly also rated this episode a 7/10 but her favorite character was Jess!

Additionally in this podcast, Kelly thought the way Winston sang his “Sad Song” sounded like an impression of Aaron Neville, so we’ve include the link to a song she thought it was similar to: https://youtu.be/VD6TfEWtIYI

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 16!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 14, Bully, which originally aired on February 21, 2012 and was written by David Walpert and directed by Daniel Attias. 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

Jess intervenes with a classroom bully, but then becomes the subject of the bullying herself. Schmidt and Cece continue to sleep together, but are NOT in a relationship. Nick meanwhile gets a cactus from Julia and their breakup makes him spiral.

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• Neil Young + The Needle and the Damage Done - While Schmidt and Cece were hooking up, Schmidt mentioned that Cece needed him like heroin, loosely referring to a Neil Young song and exclaiming “Neil Young, yo!”
• Mahjong - Schmidt saw a group of people playing Mahjong when going to breakfast with Cece and didn’t know this very popular game.

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• The Piano - Nick mentioned wanting to watch the movie The Piano after his breakup with Julia. The Piano is a movie from 1993 about a woman who doesn’t speak and travels to New Zealand for an arranged marriage with her piano.
• “Lovitz body?” - When the gang was teasing Schmidt about how he hooked up with the same mystery person more than once, they asked Schmidt if she had a “Lovitz body”. This referred to the actor Jon Lovitz.

In this episode, we also cover a “Schmidtism” when Schmidt compares his love-making to cheese. For “Not in 2020”, we talk about how the group discusses Schmidt’s sexual conquests. We also explore the careers of Rachael Harris and Joey King, the guest stars of this episode.

This episode got a 6/10 Rating from Kritika whose favorite character is Winston and Kelly rated this episode a 7/10 and her favorite character was Nick!

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 15!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 13, Valentine’s Day, which originally aired on February 14, 2012 and was written by Lesley Wake and directed by Tucker Gates. 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

It’s Valentine’s Day and Nick is planning a classic Valentine’s date with Julia, Winston’s starting what he thinks is a budding romance with Shelby, Jess is looking for a one-night stand with the help of Schmidt and Cece. At the end of the night, no one gets what they were looking for.

On this episode’s Pop Culture section we focused on Schmidt’s Desert Island Book List, which are:

• Outliers by Macolm Gladwell
• The Prince by Machiavelli
• Freak by John Leguizamo
• Vampire Diaries - Any scripts from the first season of Vampire Diaries
• Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• It’s Complicated - Schmidt references this to Winston as a not complicated movie. It’s Complicated is a Nancy Meyers movie about a couple reconnecting, but they're divorced and he's remarried.
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Jess, Oliver, and Schmidt are watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes when they get back to Oliver’s house for Jess’ one night stand. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a movie produced by the same production company as New Girl, Chernin Entertainment, in 2011.
• “Youths? Are you Officer Krupke?” - Jess says this to Schmidt when she hears him refer to young people as “youths”. Officer Krupke is the officer who is made fun of in the musical West Side Story.

We also cover “Schmidtisms” when Schmidt is cheering Jess up at the end of the episode, and of course, we covered YOUTHS! For “Not in 2020” on this episode we discuss the way the writers addressed Schmidt’s repeated acknowledgement of Cece’s ethnicity and how that parallels with how Kyle interacts with her. Additionally, Julia uses the Chinese philosopher Confucius as a mean joke to her coworker. We also explore the careers of Clark Duke and Ryan Kwanten, the guest stars of this episode.

This episode got an 8/10 rating from Kritika whose favorite character is Schmidt and Kelly rated this episode an 8/10 and her favorite character was Jess!

Additionally in this podcast we discussed our Desert Island Books and while Kritika couldn’t choose one and defaulted to a Harry Potter book, Kelly’s choice was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Thanks for listening and stay tuned in two weeks for Episode 14!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 12, The Landlord, which originally aired on February 7th, 2012 and was directed by Peyton Reed and written by a whole team: Berkley Johnson & Josh Malmuth (teleplay) and Joe Port & Joe Wiseman (story). 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

Jess and Nick debate if people are generally good or bad to the point where they almost have a threesome with the building’s landlord. Meanwhile, Schmidt tries to decipher what he thinks are mixed signals from his boss Kim.

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• ‘The Wire’ - When Jess and Nick are trying to park and run into a disgruntled driver, Jess exclaims that the situation was like ‘The Wire’ because the other driver pulls out a gun. ‘The Wire’ was a HBO crime TV drama.
• Greg Kinnear and his Boat - Cece mentioned to Schmidt she was going to a party on Greg Kinnear’s boat, “Neptune’s Folly”. Greg Kinnear is an American TV and movie actor.

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• Bob Ross - In this episode, Schmidt calls Winston Bob Ross when asking him how his painting is going. Bob Ross was a famous American painter and was the creator and host of ‘The Joy of Painting’ a TV program from 1983-1994 on PBS.
• James Bond - Schmidt says that Cece looks like she should be distracting James Bond at a baccarat table which refers to how in James Bond films there is traditionally an attractive woman who is nicely dressed.

We also cover a “Schmidtism” when Schmidt talks to Cece about his boss’s mixed signals and our ‘Not in 2020’ this week was around sexual harassment in the workplace/the “standard 2am mistaken assault in the parking garage”. We also explore the careers of Jeff Kober and Gillian Vigman, the guest stars of this episode.

This episode got a 8.5/10 Rating from Kritika and Kelly and we both had the same favorite character: Nick!

Additionally in the podcast we mentioned the SNL Monologue from Zooey Deschannel which can be found here: https://youtu.be/ZFRyJ_rTVmo

Thanks for listening and stay tuned in two weeks for Episode 13! Be sure to check out @hey.new.girl.fan for some great ‘New Girl’ content!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 11, Jess & Julia, which originally aired on January 31, 2012 and was written by Luvh Rakhe and directed by Jake Kasdan. 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

Jess is excited to have another girl in the apartment and wants to bond with her, starting with asking her for help in a legal case. Unfortunately, Julia’s not interested in being friends with Jess and they get into a fight. Meanwhile, Winston’s trying to reconnect with an old flame and Schmidt spends the episode mad about having a damp towel.

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• Cocktail - Nick was trying to impress Julia by spinning the alcohol bottle around him and after Nick drops the bottle, the bar manager says “Hey Nick, No Cocktail” referring to how the bartenders in that movie twirl bottles around the bar.
  • Cocktail Bar Scene - https://youtu.be/gyAxE2vS318
• Teddy Ruxpin - When Jess and Julia are arguing after the courtroom scene, Jess says about herself that she’s “not a Teddy Ruxpin” referring to the 80s storytelling bear.
  • Teddy Ruxpin commercial - https://youtu.be/8EshrR-xk2E
  • Kids react to Teddy Ruxpin - https://youtu.be/x_X98A5XJ24

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• Murphy Brown - When Jess and Julia are fighting outside the courtroom, Jess says that she doesn’t talk like Murphy Brown which is a reference to a sitcom whose main character was a journalist and news anchor. She’s known to be sharp tongued and having a hard-hitting personality but is not known for  being warm or sympathetic.

We also cover an honorary “Schmidtism” discussing the final bathroom scene and also talk about Schmidt trying to give Winston dating advice which is also kind of a “Not in 2020” moment. This week’s “Not in 2020” also discusses the way Julia and Jess talk about stepping into each other's careers and workplace culture in general. The Guest Stars we highlighted on this episode were Lizzy Caplan and Kali Hawk.

This episode got a 8.5/10 Rating from Kritika and 9/10 from Kelly and we both had the same favorite character: Jess!

Additional notes mentioned in podcast:

• Kali Hawk’s high fashion accessories company: http://www.hcrowne.com/
• You can find the photo of the citation on our website!

Thanks for listening and stay tuned in 2 weeks for Episode 12!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 10, The Story of the 50, which originally aired on January 17, 2012 and was written by Luvh Rakhe and directed by Troy Miller.

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

It’s Schmidt’s 29th Birthday and his birthday party isn’t going exactly to plan. Jess doesn’t want Schmidt to feel down so she plans a surprise Birthday Party on a party bus for Schmidt and his friends and the party has its share of interesting moments. We also meet Nick’s new girlfriend, Julia, who is a lawyer with some hidden anger management issues.  

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• Sister, Sister - This was a television show that aired on ABC and WB in the 90s that Nick says Winston loves when talking to Julia.
• Frankie Muniz - Frankie Muniz is an actor that is referenced in this episode as having stolen the party bus away from Schmidt.

Additional Pop Culture References that we didn’t cover on the podcast include:

• Huey Lewis - Nick mentions that he listens to Huey Lewis [& the News] because “it pumps [him] up”.
• Jazz Cigarettes/Grass - Jess’ Vice Principal, Tanya, was alluding to marijuana in the “confiscation station” at the school by referring to it as a few of its nicknames.
• Paperless Post - Julia was asking about what type of birthday party Schmidt was having and in the process of finding out she asked if there was a “Paperless Post”, indicating an online invite.
• N.W.A. - During the douchebag montage, Schmidt says “Winston, did you know that N.W.A. didn’t stand for ‘Never Walk Alone’?” This is actually an American hip hop group and considered one of the most influential groups in the genre.
• Coachella - This was not actually stated in the episode, but the group had a Coachella poster on the wall in their loft. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly known as Coachella) is a very popular annual music and arts festival in Indio, CA.

This episode had a bunch of “Schmidtisms” but we explored Schmidt “turning TWENTY-NINE” and our favorites around Schmidt making an omelette and walking in wearing a muscle tank top and his hat sideways. We discuss how Nick and Julia do Bill Cosby impressions, Benjamin calling Nick N-Word, Benjamin’s forceful approach to trying to sleep with Jess, and Benjamin’s fat-shaming of Schmidt as part of this week’s “Not in 2020”. We also give a quick look into Matt Besser and David Neher, the Guest Stars we feature in this episode.

This episode got a 8.5/10 Rating from Kritika whose favorite character is Schmidt and Kelly rated this episode a 8/10 and her favorite character was Jess!

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 11!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 9, The 23rd, which originally aired on December 13, 2011 and was written by Donick Cary and directed by Jason Winer. 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

It’s almost Christmas and the whole gang is ready to go home to spend it with their families but their last hurrah before they go is always Schmidt’s office holiday party. Paul tells Jess he loves her and she struggles to deal with what that means for their relationship and opens up to Nick about it. Meanwhile Schmidt is subjected to being the “Sexy Santa” at his Christmas party because he’s the only man.

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• She & Him - The song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by She & Him plays near the end of the episode while the gang is visiting Candy Cane Lane. She & Him is a band composed of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.
• Cecelia No. 5, play on Chanel No. 5 - Schmidt called the perfume he made for Cece “Cecelia No. 5”, which is a riff on the famous perfume “Chanel No. 5”.

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• Salzburg Festival - Paul gets Jess tickets to the Salzburg Festival for Christmas in Vienna. This is a festival of music and drama that especially highlights works by Mozart.
• Lebron [James] - Winston befriends Schmidt’s boss’ son, Elvin, who calls Winston “Lebron”. Lebron James is an American professional basketball player and is considered one of the greatest of all time.
• The Temptations - Nick asks Winston if he’s in the Temptations because he’s dressed nicely going to the office party. The Temptations were a well-dressed group from the 1960s and 1970s who released Motown style music.

We also cover “Schmidtisms” when Schmidt is talking to Winston about getting a job and when he explains the makeup of his perfume for Cece, Cecilia #5. For “Not in 2020” we discuss Schmidt’s mother pulling him out of figure skating after she “realized he was a boy” and Schmidt being forced into playing Sexy Santa at work. We also take a look into Stephen Amell, the Guest Star we feature in this episode.

This episode got a 8.5/10 Rating from Kritika whose favorite character is Nick (and Cece) and Kelly rated this episode a 9.5/10 and her favorite character was Nick!

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 10!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 8, Bad in Bed, which originally aired on December 6, 2011 and was written by Josh Malmuth and directed by Jesse Peretz.

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

Jess is exploring the next level of her relationship with Paul and they’re planning to have sex. She is a little intimidated because she hasn’t had sex with anyone but Spencer for six years and goes on an interesting journey, including watching porn, getting the guys help, and shopping for lingerie with Cece. Meanwhile, Schmidt attends his boss's baby shower and Nick explores getting a haircut.

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• Jimmy Stewart - When Jess and Paul are about to have sex they start using voices and Paul does a Jimmy Stewart impression.
• Clinton’s Impeachment + NPR - Jess claims one of the places that she learned about sex was listening to information about Clinton's Impeachment trial on NPR.

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• Bond Villain - Schmidt’s co-worker, Beth, is describing her plans to get the corner cubicle and Schmidt says she’s like a Bond Villain disclosing her whole plan. Bond Villain refers to the James Bond series where the villains often share all of their goals and plans.
• Entourage - When Jess and Paul are at dinner talking about sex, Paul noted his response sounded like a guy from Entourage, which was a show on HBO that focused on male friendship, navigating the film industry in Hollywood, and included lots of sex and nudity.
• Mr. Darcy - While at the lingerie shop, Jess puts underwear on her head like a bonnet saying “Mr. Darcy” is going to love it. Mr. Darcy is a character from the novel Pride & Prejudice.

We also cover “Schmidtisms” when talking about Schmidt’s coworkers, the Chatty Cathys, and how Schmidt and Winston are “sushi” while Nick is just “meat and potatoes. For “Not in 2020” on this episode we discuss the word “exotic” and touch on the importance of consent. We also explore the careers of Eva Amurri Martino and Michaela Watkins, the guest stars of this episode.

Additionally, we talk about Hugh Dane earlier in the podcast who is playing the man in Winston’s barbershop that is joking around with Nick, pretending to be Danny Glover’s grandfather.

This episode got a 7/10 Rating from Kritika whose favorite character is Paul and Kelly rated this episode a 6.5/10 and her favorite character was Nick!

Also as we mentioned on the podcast, if you’re watching on Netflix, you can see Max Greenfield break out of character at 8 minutes and 16 seconds.

A few other things we referenced this episode were the:

• Video of girl burning her hair off when curling it - https://youtu.be/LdVuSvZOqXM
• Article of the prince bar review - https://la.curbed.com/2017/7/21/15931732/the-prince-restaurant-history-mad-men-chinatown

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 9!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

This podcast covers New Girl Season 1, Episode 7, Bells, which originally aired on November 29, 2011 and was written by Luvh Rakhe and directed by Peyton Reed. 

Here’s a quick recap of the episode:

Jess takes over the apartment with a group of kids she’s conducting in a handbell performance. Winston joins in because he finds out that he’s good at it and isn’t being mentally stimulated in other areas of his life. Nick and Schmidt fight over money and their differences in hiring someone to do a job versus doing it yourself, highlighting differences in their perspectives.

We discuss Pop Culture References such as:

• Handbells - The entire episode centered around Jess teaching a group of students handbells as an alternative to detention.
• Eye of the Tiger - Winston suggested the handbell “ensem-bell” play the song Eye of the Tiger by the band Survivor and this is the song they performed at the final performance.

Additional Pop Culture References we didn't discuss include:

• Midori Sours - Schmidt spilled his Midori Sours on Nick’s blanket from his Nonny. Here’s a recipe to make your own: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/midori-sour/
• Chinese kid from Goonies - Nick is referred to as the “Chinese Kid from Goonies” and while we hadn’t watched the movie, we found this compilation that shows some of Data’s inventions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLzupaRrzAY
• Jingle Bells - Jess refers to the holiday tune Jingle Bells as a “trash song played on a trash instrument. Here’s some history behind the song: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle_Bells

We also cover “Schmidtisms” such as how Schmidt refers to the sushi he’s eating and the fight he and Nick have about his “Lotusberry Relax” conditioner. For “Not in 2020” on this episode, we discussed how it was wrong of Nick to say that Winston would never have sex again if he played the handbells. We also explore the careers of Raven Goodwin, Esther Povitsky, Ki Hong Lee, and Tiffany Ariany, the kids who were guest actors on this episode.

This episode got a 8/10 Rating from Kritika whose favorite character is Winston and Kelly rated this episode a 6.5/10 and her favorite character was Jess!

We also discussed the Asian Bachelorette when speaking about Ki Hong Lee, and you can watch this short here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag1IisyP1ak

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 8!

Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]!

Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/