changes since its first episode. The show has always tried to include some tongue-in-cheek humor that comments on modern stereotypes and norms, and for the most part, it does a great job. However, in its earlier days, there are slightly more moments when the writing works to perpetuate old thinking rather than subvert it.
First episodes are always a tricky business, and viewers try to give shows a bit of a when looking back and considering how shaky some of the original material was. For the most part, the first episode of New Girl shines through as a testament to the quality of the show viewers can expect to see for seasons after, but there are definitely some moments that make fans cringe now.
Didn't Age Well: Coach's Inability To Talk To Women
Coach takes advantage of having a female roommate and asks Jess how he can better talk to women--cut to a scene of Coach shouting into a woman's face during a spin class he's teaching.
This is a great idea in theory, but when Coach tries to pick a topic that women might like to talk about and opts for shopping, Jess doesn't correct his stereotyping, which makes the moment something of a missed opportunity.
Did Age Well: Coach's Attempt To Learn
The fact that the show tried to take three men living with a woman as an opportunity for the men to ask questions and educate themselves beyond their male-centric view of the world was a great move and speaks to some of the positive aspects of the show and the gender norms that it aims to challenge.
Didn't Age Well: Jess's Sexist Comment
A running gag of the show is that Schmidt defies gender norms--even while being a hyper-misogynist person much of the time. He is much more in touch with many things that would be considered feminine than Jess is, and in this way, the show uses Schmidt to comment on the senseless boxes society puts people in.
It's weird, then, when Jess comments on how she thought the apartment was going to have girls in it judging by how Schmidt worded the ad, as the joke seems to put Schmidt at the butt of it rather than Jess, who is the one making sexist assumptions.
Did Age Well: Jess's Three-Dimensional Sex Character
The show begins with Jess sitting in the back of a taxi preparing to surprise her current boyfriend with a sexy surprise.
While on the phone with Cece, she reveals that she's going to fulfill a fantasy Spencer has shared with her--but she's added her own details which humanize her sex character, like giving her a complex background story; revealing Jess's classic moral drive.
Didn't Age Well: The Wild West Party
The most uncomfortable aspect of the episode is the recurring top of a charity party Schmidt is determined to attend because it will allow him to "motorboat" women from the Cherokee tribe without feeling guilty about fetishizing them because he's at a charity event.
This joke doesn't land very well today, if it ever did.
Did Age Well: Jess Texting First
Jess surprises Nick when she mentions that she's been texting the guy she's meant to meet for a date. Nick, in typical Nick Miller-style that fans love, is taken aback and asks her to clarify that she in fact has been sending numerous messages to a guy instead of waiting for him.
When she asks if she did something wrong, Nick reassures her that her behavior is actually refreshing, asserting how silly it is that women should wait for men.
Didn't Age Well: Schmidt Accepting Jess For Models
Schmidt is on the edge about accepting Jess to live in the apartment--that is until she mentions that she is friends with models.
Schmidt's obsession with objectifying women shows clear from the start and is a true representation of him as seen throughout the show, but it's still gross for viewers to see that this is what encourages him to accept Jess, making it harder to look past what makes him unlikable.
Did Age Well: Jess's Breakup Response
Jess responds to her breakup with Spencer in a way that many people can relate to--lying on the couch for days and watching the same sad rom-com on repeat.
This may seem a little over the top, but it's exactly this kind of humor that makes fans stick with the show because it plays on relatable themes that allow people to laugh at themselves.
Didn't Age Well: The Tampon Joke
Schmidt's relationship with the women in his job is never one that gets all that better, and it starts off badly from the moment it's introduced to the show.
It's meant to be funny that Schmidt is the only man in his office, and this could have been a great way to play with gender roles--but instead, the women take on sexist attitudes and play into the very stereotypes that put women down in the first place, insulting Schmidt by asking him if he "needs a tampon" as if things associated with women are inherently a sign of weakness.
Did Age Well: The Guys Saving Jess's Date
The guys coming to Jess's rescue at the end of the episode is done in just the right way that makes them out to be promising friends for Jess without putting Jess completely in the damsel in distress category.
The show had to walk a careful line in creating a friend balance between Jess and her three guy roommates, as it would be easy for them to become her macho care-takers--but by making it silly and doing things such as having the guys sing the song from Dirty Dancing, the characters meet each other on common ground where each makes an effort to understand the other's world.