New Girl S3 E15 – Exes

Last updated on October 16, 2022

This podcast covers New Girl Season 3, Episode 15, Exes, which originally aired on February 4, 2014 and was written by Nina Pedrad and directed by Alex Hardcastle.

Episode Recap

Nick runs into his ex Caroline and Jess tries to convince him that you can still have a friendship with your ex. Meanwhile Schmidt invites the guys over to his new loft and Schmidt quickly finds that they have both used his place for more than hanging out.

Episode Notes

On this episode’s Pop Culture section we reviewed:

• Don Corleone [The Godfather] – Jess wanted Nick to talk to Caroline because she didn’t want to give up the farmer’s market because it made her feel like Don Corleone.
• James Bond / Moneypenny – Coach shared that Schmidt was like James Bond due to his apartment and Winston said he’d be the Moneypenny.

Additional Pop Culture References such as:

• Leno and Eubanks – Nick is confirming that Jess and Berkley are friends after seeing each other naked and Jess shares it’s the purest of friendships, “straight Leno and Eubanks”. James “Jay” Leno is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992 to 2009. Kevin Eubanks is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. 
• “Two Step” / Dave Matthews Band – Berkley shared that Jess brushed his hand at a Dave Matthews concert during the band’s song “Two Step”.  Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. “Two Step”, a song about a couple celebrating their love, released in January 1997 as the fourth single from their album Crash and has also appeared on many DMB concert live albums. 
• Noises Off – Schmidt was setting the boundaries with everyone in the apartment and said, “Now, no exits, no entrances, no Noises Off baloney.” Noises Off is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Each of the three acts of Noises Off contains a performance of the first act of a play within a play, a sex farce called Nothing On. 
• [Game] of Thrones – When Schmidt is introducing his TV and all the games he could have on he said he could also watch Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons.
• When Schmidt was reviewing all the sex spots in his loft he shared the following names:
  • Jumanji – Jumanji is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film. Loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg’s picture book of the same name, the film is the first installment of the Jumanji franchise. The 1995 film stars Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, and Bonnie Hunt. The story centers on a supernatural board game that releases jungle-based hazards upon its players with every turn they take. 
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat – Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat’s art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. Since Basquiat’s death at the age of 27 from a heroin overdose in 1988, his work has steadily increased in value.
  • Nia Vardalos – Antonia “Nia” Eugenia Vardalos is a Canadian actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for starring in and writing the romantic comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), which garnered her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

We discuss which one of us is most likely to avoid difficult conversations, overstay your welcome at someone’s house, make a bunch of keys for their friends to their house, and prove your point by any means necessary. We also cover Schmidt inviting the guys over to the loft as our “Schmidtism”. For “Not in the 2020s” we discuss the way Sarah was portrayed at the bar and Caroline being set up as the “crazy ex”. In our “Yes in the 2020s” we talk about how Jess recognized her own privilege and the way Nick interacted with Berkley. We also give a quick look into Adam Brody (Berkley) the guest star we feature in this episode.

Also in this episode were the following guest stars who we do not discuss in the podcast: Mary Elizabeth Ellis (Caroline – Previously Discussed in S1E24), Jessica Chaffin (Bertie – Previously Discussed in S3E9), Malea Rose (Sarah), Jenni Melear (Lynn), Janna VanHeertum (Waitress), Forrest Wheeler (Kid), and Tiffany Haddish (Leslie).

We also chat about the goof where it looks like Jess is rubbing Berkley’s shoulder in one scene but not the next and neither of us found the bear this episode.

While not discussed in the podcast, we noted other references in this episode including:

• When Jess is explaining the timeline of when Nick and her got together to Caroline, she uses these milestones as indicators:
  • Syria – During 2012 and 2013, the Syrian Civil War gradually escalated in its third phase. It started in 2011 and is still ongoing 12 years later.
  • London Olympics – London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics which is an international multi sport event taking place every 4 years. London was the first city to host the modern Olympics 3 times. 
  • Hurricane Sandy – Hurricane Sandy was an extremely destructive hurricane in the Atlantic and the largest thus far. It was a category 3 storm when it made landfall in Cuba. In the United States, it affected 24 states from Florida to Maine. 
• Poseidon – When Nick is explaining that he’s not friends with his exes, he mentions that he burns them (metaphorically) and gives their ashes to Poseidon. In the Ancient Greek religion, Poseidon was the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. He is known as the brother of Zeus, the chief deity of Ancient Greece. .

This episode got an 8/10 rating from both Kritika and Kelly and both had the same favorite character: Nick!

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 16!

Music: “Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.com