S05.E14: 300 Feet

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When Jess is served a restraining order by her former boyfriend, Sam, she sets out to clear her name with Winston's help. Nick and Schmidt plot against the owner of a trendy new bar that opened on their street.

[vibeology]

What did I just watch? Why are we doing Sam again? How crazy is he to decide to hook up with someone who was in fact stalking him? And why should the audience like Jess when she was stalking someone? Everything about that plot was awful and I cannot believe how frustrating that was to watch. Jess was stalking him. She went to his house, called him, texted him, left notes and went to his work. That's so not okay. I really hate when the show lets Jess be actually inappropriate and excuses her for it because she's cute and charming.

 

I did love the bar plot. I've really been enjoying the dynamic with Nick and Schmidt this year and this was a stellar showcase for both of them. Of course Schmidt would love Presh and of course Nick would be resistant to change. I think Valet is probably a waste of money for them at this point, but its nice that they're trying to improve the bar. Cece was priceless as the observer/drinker of all the alcohol in the plot and I do think Hannah Simone's been the breakout star all season. Her reactions were fantastic.

[theatremouse]

It's weird because I thought I'd read the show was renewed yesterday, and yet as I was watching this, I just kept thinking the show has a sort of "wrapping it up" vibe to it. Definitely this episode did, for me.

Schmidt was hilarious, as was Cece.

I preferred Jess when she was trying too hard yet still mostly logical. It didn't track for me that she'd be SO oblivious and SO trying to fix things from the awkward before that she'd really do enough to merit a restraining order and end up in the truck...and be too dumb to exit the car wash out the back. And she should have known which way was the back since she got out of the bed of the truck. And that Sam didn't notice something moving in the bed as he drove strains credulity too much for me. I'm down for physical comedy but I need more grounded in logic with this shit.

[BoogieBurns]

It's weird because I thought I'd read the show was renewed yesterday, and yet as I was watching this, I just kept thinking the show has a sort of "wrapping it up" vibe to it. Definitely this episode did, for me.

 

They filmed this episode when they were still on the bubble. Not sure if they'd be renewed. I wonder if they have any episodes left to film for this season. I was under the impression things were wrapping up too. But, Sam isn't endgame for Jess. So, I'll happily watch a 6th season. Good for them!

[joanne3482]

What did I just watch? Why are we doing Sam again? How crazy is he to decide to hook up with someone who was in fact stalking him? And why should the audience like Jess when she was stalking someone? Everything about that plot was awful and I cannot believe how frustrating that was to watch. Jess was stalking him. She went to his house, called him, texted him, left notes and went to his work. That's so not okay. I really hate when the show lets Jess be actually inappropriate and excuses her for it because she's cute and charming.

The whole time I was watching I kept thinking, if this were a man doing this to a woman it would be crazy inappropriate. Just because it is Jess doesn't make it okay! 

[iMonrey]

I kind of loved the whole thing with Jess in the back of the truck. That's the kind of wacky comedy I enjoy and Jess has been underutilized of late.

 

I also loved the part where the nutmeg wholesaler showed up and looked just like Nick, down to the same clothes. 

[Traveller519]

Yikes.

 

Has a show ever outgrown its Title Star like this before? 

 

I'm trying to think of the last Jess storyline that wasn't about her strife at work or her issues with whomever she was dating. Trying to plan the wedding/engagement party and seek Cece's mom's approval in the season opener, I guess. But even that was depserate Jess. Ugh, how has she become the most one-note least interesting person on her show.

 

And it sucks, I love Zooey. I really dug her movie career, even stuff like Yes Man. She was the reason I tuned into the show, but every other character has grown, and Jess just hasn't.

 

That said, I loved the Schmidt, Nick, Cece dynamic, and Busy Phillips played well off them. And I really like that Winston is displaying competence in his job, and not the aimless character he became in Season 3.

[ae2]

I'd love to talk about the bar plot, but holy crap did Jess irritate me so much in this episode that I couldn't even enjoy the rest of the cast.

 

I've long thought she was the weak spot of the show, but this just pushed it way way over the line. The plot was terrible to begin with, Zooey can't do the physical comedy as well as the others can, and did I say the plot line was awful?

 

The whole time I was yelling at Sam for giving Jess another chance. He can do SO much better. She's the worst.

 

Then they are in the apartment making up to one another and they keep saying "we made mistakes" and "we did things we regret." No no no no a million times no. Jess did things wrong. Sam has done nothing regrettable or wrong except not calling the police on Jess when he saw her in the car wash. 

 

I love Winston, Schmidt, Nick, and Cece. Jess needs to go back on jury duty forever.

 

Oh... and I'm convinced the only reason they're bringing Sam back is for some sort of (awful) symmetry when Jess dumps him AGAIN for Nick.

Edited April 13, 2016 by ae2

[tennisgurl]

The bar stuff was the best thing in this episode, by far. Busy Philips is a great fit for this show, and I really hope we see her again, and the Cece/Nick/Schmidt dynamic. I am glad they are going to try to improve their bar, especially because I spent all summer chasing down craft cocktails and writing terrible Instagram posts about them.

 

Jess has gotten weirder and weirder as the show goes on. I mean, we haven't gotten to Hannah from Girls levels of forced quirkiness/adorable felonies, but we might be creeping in that direction.

[msani19]

All the characters EXCEPT for Jess are great. I would never have thought that CeCe would have become a favorite but she's learned to play off the guys so well and her reactions are priceless. Winston is gold! Once they figured out what to do with him, he has not looked back. He is often the brightest spot in the episodes. His whole "friend face/cop face" slayed me.

Nick/Schmidt are perfect together. I loved the bar plot.

Then we get to Jess. Awful. I was never a huge fan but she was ok as long as she was playing off the group. The break we got from her really revealed how she's not integral to the story. She was stalking Sam, it was not amusing, cute or adorable. She is dangerous. He is an idiot. 

[lark37]

All the characters EXCEPT for Jess are great. I would never have thought that CeCe would have become a favorite but she's learned to play off the guys so well and her reactions are priceless. Winston is gold! Once they figured out what to do with him, he has not looked back. He is often the brightest spot in the episodes. His whole "friend face/cop face" slayed me.

Nick/Schmidt are perfect together. I loved the bar plot.

Then we get to Jess. Awful. I was never a huge fan but she was ok as long as she was playing off the group. The break we got from her really revealed how she's not integral to the story. She was stalking Sam, it was not amusing, cute or adorable. She is dangerous. He is an idiot. 

Jess is dangerous!  Not sure I would go so far as to say that.  Jess shouldn't have ignored the restraining order, but I think Sam overreacted a bit by getting a restraining order in the first place.  Jess showed up at his house twice with baked goods.  He told her the second time she did so, to go away and not come back.  Unless the show skipped showing/telling us that she had continued to harass him after that, then he should have given her a chance to comply with his request to leave him alone.

 

I am glad to have Jess back!  The only thing good about Zooey's pregnancy leave was that it gave Winston, in particular, more opportunity to shine. He is my favorite character on this show.  It may take awhile to integrate Jess back into the story line.  It's probably a mistake to go to Sam as a way to do that, and I thought the whole "Jess in the back of his truck" thing strained credibility.  He walked right past the back of his truck to get in it and leave the hospital--how could he not notice Jess in her brightly colored clothes lying right there!  If I want slapstick unrealistic comedy, I can watch old reruns of "I Love Lucy".  Today we expect more realistic comedic situations.  

 

Loved Busy Phillips character and the whole bar plot.  I never liked how they started making Nick into a total idiot.  He's always been unfocused and somewhat immature, but he always seemed intelligent.  It's good idea to try to push his character to grow, mature and achieve success especially as I get the feeling that Nick/Jess are endgame for the show.

[mccartygirl]

I cannot stand Jess! The character is so annoying and I tend to fast forward through her parts. I do not get the Jess/Sam thing either. 

 

I could seriously watch Schmidt and Nick all day long. Is it wrong that I could see Nick and Busy Philips hooking up?

[Tony]

Jess just can't do physical slapstick comedy. Period. Her stuck in the carwash trying to get out is so unwatchable that I had to fast forward it. A normal adult would just stand up straight, shimmy past the spinning brushes, and head to the exit. Her baby deer learning to walk shtick was not amusing in the slightest.

 

OTOH loved Busy Philip's character. Hope she becomes a recurring one. Or better yet, slide her into the gang and send Jess on another jury duty hiatus.

[Ambrosefolly]

Jess is dangerous!  Not sure I would go so far as to say that.  Jess shouldn't have ignored the restraining order, but I think Sam overreacted a bit by getting a restraining order in the first place.  Jess showed up at his house twice with baked goods.  He told her the second time she did so, to go away and not come back.  Unless the show skipped showing/telling us that she had continued to harass him after that, then he should have given her a chance to comply with his request to leave him alone.

It did. Apparently, Jess texted him 3 times and left a creepy voicemail about a class rabbit that was killed by a lawnmower . While I think Sam knew she was harmless, Jess can't stand it when someone* doesn't like her**, because despite being an annoying spazz, she is charming and, perhaps too her credit, genuinely likes people. He probably figured Jess wouldn't let up until he forgave her, especially how their first relationship ended, because she didn't despite what all of her roommates told her. 

 

*if she likes the person

**which was established in season 1 with Nick's girlfriend Julia

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't know what was worse: Sam's alleged excuse for getting a restraining order (my ex brought me brownies and called me three times) or his "real" reason (some garbage about how he still liked her but he was still mad at her and he couldn't trust himself to be around her?).

 

There were so many things wrong about the entire Sam/Jess storyline this week. How could he not notice that she was in the back of his truck when he got into the driver's side? Why didn't she just hop out when he stopped at a light? Or before the truck was all the way inside the car wash? And I've been inside many different car washes before. Even the cheapest ones have an area on the side where you can stand out of the way of the twirling car wash stuff so having Jess stumble around inside the car wash was unnecessarily stupid.

 

Everything else was funnier and more interesting. Of course Schmidt loved Presh and its artisan hipster garbage. Loved when Schmidt told drunk Cece to start drinking some water and she refused. It was so simple but perfectly drunk in her delivery.

 

I don't think I need Busy Phillips to join the cast permanently but I'm fine with her being an occasional guest star. I loved how she totally didn't give a crap about their crappy bar. Ha and I loved that Nick served spaghetti at the meeting.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

This episode was beyond obnoxious. I hated the restraining order plot. As someone who's tried to get a restraining order on someone before, they're harder to get than one would assume, cause you know, they're a pretty serious thing. So it was just beyond unrealistic for me to accept, even for a sitcom, that Sam would be able to get one just because his ex is a clingy annoying completely dense chick and he wanted to use it as a way to avoid thinking about her (wtf?) 

 

At this point, I'd rather have a whole episode dedicated to Winston's cat or the nutmeg guy.

[Wendy Peffercorn]

Wow. I was so relieved when Jess and Sam decided to stay apart, because being together is so clearly unhealthy for both of them, and then the episode ended with a "romantic" reconciliation. What? It was just last week that Sam was reminding us what an awful time he always has when he visits the loft. I think it would've been more interesting to see Jess come to grips with unrequited love than to see her get the guy, once again. It really seemed like she was ignoring Sam's feelings, but then they got together anyways.