Jody Takes A Great Leap Forward On The Mindy Project, In Just Three Pieces Of Dialogue

With the clock ticking on Season 4 of The Mindy Project, a case could certainly be made that "My Kid Stays In The Picture" is a lot of vamping to fill time until we get to this moment.

But that would be giving short shrift to Jody, who even before Mindy's big move is involved in all the episode's best lines. Let's honour him by celebrating the ones that made me laugh the most.

1. Also: Pfft, The Revenant

   Mindy is thrilled when Morgan brings her mail, including a trade magazine full of listings for New York casting calls. Mindy's favourite soap, Tides Of Tomorrow, is casting a biracial baby, and Mindy's got one! Jody's not sure it's a great idea for Mindy to put Leo on this career path, though.

   
2. Nothing Lowers A Mall's Worth Faster

   Colette's got plenty of problems as we join her this week: after the events of the last episode, she's loath to keep working under Jody, and has traded with Morgan. And Mindy the boss is a lot like Mindy the person: an inconsiderate, high-maintenance nightmare who, thanks to Morgan's servility, has gotten into the habit of treating her nurse like her personal assistant -- which is how, when books Tides Of Tomorrow, Colette ends up having to decorate his congratulatory cake. As she does so, Morgan is bragging on how much he enjoys working with Jody -- "He gave me this thing called 'a break'" -- when Colette distractedly asks where Jody is, guessing somewhere with "Fartney."

   

   Jody even kills lines that are merely about him!

   The ongoing battle between the Kimball-Kinneys has grown so dire that Jeremy arranges for their brother Forbes to visit the city and broker peace, which is how Mindy -- assuming Colette knows -- lets it slip that Jody had slept with Forbes's wife when Forbes was in Iraq. Though Colette has multiple opportunities to dime out Jody, she doesn't, but Jody is disgusted with himself and confesses to Forbes. Punches ensue. Not quite enough to punch out Jody's half-assed affection for Courtney, but when he takes his messed-up face to Colette's, she helps by telling him he deserves a girlfriend who's got more going for her than the superficial trappings of adulthood: "You deserve someone awesome! Like Jessica Rabbit, or Brandi Chastain!" "I do not deserve anyone like that," Jody immediately replies. Maybe not, but at least Jody and Colette are friends again.

3. To Say Nothing Of The Buffering!

   After a few skipped get-togethers, Mindy and Drew are having dinner when he tells her how great Leo was on Tides Of Tomorrow. Whoops, Leo was recast, so Drew's let it be known that he didn't actually make any effort to watch it. When Mindy asks whether he backed out of their previous dates because Leo was going to be around, Drew admits that he felt like he'd "put [his] time in with Leo over the weekend." Mindy realizes she needs to date a guy who's excited to spend time with Leo, and they break up amicably...

   ...which is actually pretty good timing, as Jody stops by her office the next day. He watched Tides Of Tomorrow and he's sorry Leo lost the gig. Mindy can't believe Jody watched it, and when he says he watched it "on [his] home computer" (heard of 'em), he adds some trenchant media criticism.

   

   First of all, Jody's right about how crappy the network video experience is -- don't even get me started on press sites. Second, Mindy is right to reward his praise for Leo. Third, Jody might not deserve a Brandi Chastain, but in Mindy he's probably found someone who'll whip her shirt off wherever.