There are a lot of runs and extended bits in this episode of New Girl, which, to be fair, is generally the case with the show. Characters are doing their silly things and acting out. Schmidt gets to freak out about a spider and Nick makes his bizarre, magical sauce that needs a lot of stirring. But how much you enjoy “Spiderhunt” probably depends on how long you are willing to let a joke about misunderstandings play out.
Cece has been talking to Nick about getting a popcorn machine for the bar. She also is trying to hide the fact that she is into Schmidt from Jess, and Winston isn’t helping. Winston, not being smooth and wanting to save Cece’s secret, says she is into Nick. This leads to an extended (emphasis on extended) comedy of errors in conversation between Nick and Jess. Nick thinks she is talking about the popcorn machine. Jess thinks he is talking about Cece. Misunderstandings ensue… and ensue… and ensue. A somewhat funny bit goes on for what seems like 10 minutes. It begins to drag. Jokes about smells are made over and over. It’s all a bit much. By the end, a dead horse has been thoroughly beaten, and it leaves one with the desire for something, anything else to happen.
This is not to say there isn’t humor in the rest of the episode. There’s also emotional stuff between Jess and Cece which, you know, whatever. It’d be nice if they would stop saying Cece “likes” Schmidt, like these are 12-year-olds, but the core of this story is fine, more or less. The real humor from this episode comes from Schmidt’s spider freak outs. The man detests spiders, and when you hear him talk about them, and how he manages to make them sound even more grotesque than they truly are, it makes sense. Plus, Max Greenfield can redline as Schmidt without it getting tired. Winston is particularly weird in “Spiderhunt” as well. They really help boost the quality of this episode.
In the end, everybody, including Fawn, enjoys some fondue with the sauce, an unholy concoction of bologna, and mayonnaise, and mustard and who knows what else. Also, Coach sends an e-mail to that lady from the bar crawl. Do you remember her? This episode sure hopes you do. Overall, it’s a good half-hour of television. Actors who know their characters well make the most out of what they are given. Schmidt freaks out about a spider on his face, and then trash talks it like crazy when Fawn kills it. Much like Fawn, one can both like this episode of New Girl, but still hate it for its faults.
Chris Morgan is an Internet gadabout who writes on a variety of topics and in a variety of mediums. If he had to select one thing to promote, however, it would be his ’90s blog/podcast, Existential Parachute Pants. (You can also follow him on Twitter.)