Part of what made The Mindy Project such a beloved series was Dr. Mindy Lahiri and her magnetic connection to other 30-something-year-olds. Like so many of the show's viewers, Lahiri was also running blindly around New York looking for her soulmate while also trying to crush it at work and have a social life. Mindy had a doctor's salary but she was still incredibly relatable, as were her co-stars on the show.
But like so many other TV series out there, the show had its criticisms before wrapping up after six seasons. What started out as a brave and fresh series turned sour due to lazy writing, mismatched storylines, massive character flaws (looking at you, Danny Castellano), and a baby that seemed to ruin everything for fans. Even though the series wrapped up in 2017, fans can't stop talking about the surprise pregnancy that changed it all.
She Swapped Her Clothes For A Nursery
No one's doubting that Mindy is a strong, independent woman. She just needs reminding from time to time. When she and Danny got serious, she practically moved into Danny's apartment but still kept her own. The fact that Mindy still had her apartment bothered Danny because it seemed like Plan B for Mindy, and it was. When she and Danny had their issues, Mindy turned her walk-in closet into a nursery for baby boy, Leo. Knowing how much Mindy loved clothes and fashion, it was gutting to see Mindy toss away that colorful life for a baby's crib.
She No Longer Romanticized New York
Similar to Sex and the City, Mindy Lahiri fell in love with every inch of New York. From the Empire State Building to greasy alleyways, Mindy saw old New York in new New York. Most cold opens to the show were shots of New York with Mindy describing the seasons or the bustlings of the city.
Her stories of New York and her life in it showed a different side to the Big Apple that so many fans adored. Once Leo came into the picture, taking slow strolls around the city with a bear claw in hand slowed down.
She Gave Up On San Diego Because Of Her Pregnancy
Mindy didn't care too much about the fellowship in San Diego until she realized no one believed in her, then she was more focused than ever. It took some time for Mindy to get used to San Diego but she eventually fell in love with her new West Coast city. She had plans of staying in San Diego and starting her own fertility clinic out there but then the unexpected happened — Mindy got pregnant. Baby or not, she loved San Diego and wanted that to be her new home with baby Leo and Danny but eventually got sucked in to moving back to New York.
Was Leo The Only Reason Danny Took Her Seriously?
Mindy and Danny were best friends before becoming lovers. By the time they started dating, they already loved each other because they've always loved each other. But in a classic Danny and Mindy kind of way, they always had one foot in and one foot out just in case things ended horribly. Mindy has always wanted a big family with her soul mate, living in the cool parts of the city.
But at the baby shower, Mindy finds out he doesn't want to marry her. In fact, he didn't even see her as part of his family until his mom found out she was pregnant. Getting pregnant with Leo was an unnecessary strain on the main focus of The Mindy Project: relationships.
A Baby Changed The Dynamic Of Mindy & Danny's Relationship
It took the two some time but once Danny and Mindy were in love and dating, one of the biggest perks about their relationship was working together. They saw each other every day and got loads of personal time together. But once Leo was born, Danny hated the idea of seeing Mindy at work. He wanted her to be a stay-at-home mom, raising their son. Mindy quit her job to make Danny happy but when she missed working, Danny fliped. He even tried getting her pregnant again to keep her at home for longer. It's around this part in the series that his misogynistic ways began to show.
She Stopped Living Her ion To Do A Job She Hated
Mindy doesn't dress like the typical doctor but she is one, nonetheless. She's incredibly bright and great at her job. She just has a flair for her personal life.
Mindy worked hard for her degree but chose to take a break for a little while to take care of baby Leo. But after realizing stay-at-home life wasn't for her, she went a little crazy. Her white lies got bigger and her relationship with Danny shifted. He called her selfish for wanting to work and there was a short period of time where she believed him. Seeing Mindy lose her ion was a bad look for the show.
There Was No Character Progression After Leo Was Born
Sure, fans could say that Mindy progressed in the fact that she became a proud working mother, and that's true. She proved that you can still be a loving mother who works. The one problem the show had with this progression, however, is that they proved Mindy wasn't the best mom.
Leo's school principal (along with some of the other moms) wanted to see more of Mindy around. People were genuinely upset that Mindy was never there to pick Leo up from school or be at any of his school's activities. The show was basically saying "Yes, Mindy is a working mother but she can't do it all. She can't be a good working mother."
Leo Killed Her Single 'Fun Mindy' Life
Part of what made The Mindy Project so exciting was Mindy's dating life. She met men in the funniest of ways throughout the city and had the best romance stories. Even when she and Danny started dating, the two had such a fun and unique dating life. Once Leo came into the picture and she and Danny broke up, she became more focused on being a mom to Leo and work. This is a decision that millions of single parents make but from a show point of view, we missed childless, single Mindy.
Not Every Woman On TV Needs A Child
Mindy said early on that she wanted a couple of kids because she already had all their names picked out. More importantly, she wanted a husband that adored her as much as she adored him. She wanted the New York fairytale. As Mindy and Danny's relationship progressed, they seemed perfectly content with where they were. Mindy and Danny didn't need a baby to make the show better or to improve their relationship. Ending the series with these two talking about babies would have been better TV than her surprise pregnancy.
And It Shows That A Woman Can't Have It All
Some fans will say they see themselves in Mindy because she can't do it all. She can't be a good doctor, a mother, a friend, and a girlfriend. It's too much to handle and she does the best that she can. On the other side of things, it's frustrating that we see yet another woman on TV who can't do it all when there are millions of mothers out there who make it work. Mindy is brave and inspiring, why wouldn't she be able to get in a groove and be the woman we all knew she could be?