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I’m glad that this series was able to get a short final season to wrap up its story. After the lacklustre events of season six, a real, heartfelt and genuinely funny conclusion to Jessica Day and her story was necessary to let this series end on a high note. The showrunners decided the best way to do this was to move the narrative forward in time to catch up with these characters in a new setting with different problems and that was definitely the right decision.
The main story of season seven brings a three-year time jump from where these characters left off. Jess and Nick are together and returning from a European book tour for The Pepperwood Chronicles. Schmidt has become a stay-at-home dad to his daughter Ruth (Danielle/Rhiannon Rockoff) while Cece continues her career. Winston and Aly are married and expecting their first child. As these characters return to each other’s’ lives, so does the hijincks that has always followed them leading them to try to balance their crazy friendships with the struggles of marriage and parenthood.
New Girl has always felt like a bit of a roller coaster ride. At times it can be the funniest sitcom on television and at others it can be the most tedious chore to get through a single episode. The situations that these characters got into were not always grounded nor were their reactions predictable, but that’s the type of humor that this show stressed as uniquely theirs. As time went on, these characters went through little to no actual development as they continued to react the same way in situations and rarely learned from their mistakes. However, that changed a little bit with this final season.
With the time jump, these characters faced situations that they couldn’t just laugh off and head to the bar afterwards anymore. They are now in serious relationships and dealing with the struggles of parenthood. They can’t just end every argument with a slapping fight if they also have to be role models to their kids. This allows all of the characters to go through some much overdue emotional growth while not stunting the comedic style of this sitcom. Meanwhile, the show gets to highlight some of its best character dynamics. It touches on the odd friendship between Winston and Cece, the strong bond between Jess and Cece, but the relationship that gains the most development through this season is by far the best of the entire series in Nick and Schmidt’s layered bromance.
This final season of New Girl was a fun and entertaining end to the stories of these characters as the time jump allows for the dragging narrative of the previous season to be reinvented as the gang face new challenges. While these characters continue to bring the same quirky antics that made them so lovable in seasons past, this final story brings some stronger and thoughtful themes making it the perfect send off for Jess and the gang. From its more adult themes paired with its familiar comedy, this season was a great send off for this series so it’s definitely worth the watch.
Score: 7/10
Here’s our video review:
What did you think of New Girl? Was this a satisfying end to the story of these characters? Let me know in the comments!
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