S07.E03: Lillypads

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Nervous about Ruth's interview at a prestigious pre-school, Schmidt recruits Jess to help her prepare. Meanwhile, Nick procrastinates writing, and Winston prepares to confront his fear of testifying in court

[WhosThatGirl]

Ruth is my favorite character on this show right now.  Sure she started a pre school child riot but all the same.. she’s hilarious.

Also.. are we ever going to venture back to the Nick-Jess proposal or are we just saving it for the final two episodes in which she finds herself caught between Russell and Nick? 

[SnoGirl]

Omg. Ruth is a ridiculous mix of Cece and Schmidt, amd if we’re being honest a touch of Jess. Sadly, I kinda wish we had more loft babies at the same age to see what offsprings of the core roomies would be like. 

Speaking of babies, isnt Winston’s baby due any minute now??

[WhosThatGirl]

1 hour ago, SnoGirl said:

Omg. Ruth is a ridiculous mix of Cece and Schmidt, amd if we’re being honest a touch of Jess. Sadly, I kinda wish we had more loft babies at the same age to see what offsprings of the core roomies would be like. 

Speaking of babies, isnt Winston’s baby due any minute now??

Yeah and there hasn’t been a mention of it since the first episode. Last week he was running around everywhere to watch his three men a little baby dvd set and yet no mentioned his forthcoming child. And this week.. no mention either. I kind of expect us to just randomly get a scene of him walking around with a baby in his arms and that’s the only mention we get of his child.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ruth continues to be a delight. Ruth gonna do what Ruth gonna do!

This episode made me so glad I don't have kids because I just can't with the ultra competitive preschools (and parents). Schmidt's description of Benjamin as supervillain/wax figure/former best friend was perfect though. And apparently I underestimated Tate Donovan.

If you had told me that one of the main characters would be yelling about masturbating at the bar, WInston would have been behind Schmidt, Nick, and Allie in my guesses.

[luna1122]

I often am bored by kid actors, but those girls playing Ruth are fabulous. I LOVE Ruth.

8 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Yeah and there hasn’t been a mention of it since the first episode. Last week he was running around everywhere to watch his three men a little baby dvd set and yet no mentioned his forthcoming child. And this week.. no mention either. I kind of expect us to just randomly get a scene of him walking around with a baby in his arms and that’s the only mention we get of his child.

Nick mentioned last nite that Winston was married to the love of his life and about to become a father really soon.

Are hippie preschools with attendant chickens an actual thing? Lilypads looked almost exactly like Joe's preschool on Modern Family, complete with chickens and dirt.

[WhosThatGirl]

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

I often am bored by kid actors, but those girls playing Ruth are fabulous. I LOVE Ruth.

Nick mentioned last nite that Winston was married to the love of his life and about to become a father really soon.

Are hippie preschools with attendant chickens an actual thing? Lilypads looked almost exactly like Joe's preschool on Modern Family, complete with chickens and dirt.

Oh, okay. I missed it when nick mentioned about Winston.

Also pre schools with chickens seem to be a Thing on tv now. Then again I don’t have any pre school aged kids around me/in my life at the moment, so what the hell do I know?

[BoogieBurns]

If no sitcom in the history of television ever does a competitive preschool storyline from here on out, we still will have had far too many.

It's not relatable. It's not even a thing in Texas, as far as I can tell. This is the problem with all shows being written in LA and NY, they forget what the rest of the population deals with. I don't have a preschooler and if I did, I'd be going to the public school closest to my home or my route to work. 

But, as far as Ruth's concerned, "she'll figure it out"

[birkenstock]

2 hours ago, luna1122 said:

Are hippie preschools with attendant chickens an actual thing? Lilypads looked almost exactly like Joe's preschool on Modern Family, complete with chickens and dirt.

I have toured preschools that have chickens and small farm animals. The chickens were in a coop adjacent to the playground. I don't know if there are schools that would allow free roaming chickens,  I would think the chicken poop  would contaminate the sand.  

The preschool as a gateway for greatness is relevant to a wealthy subset in the LA-area. I'm surprised Schmidt and CeCe are in that income bracket with one income because those prestigious preschools can be thousands of dollars a month.

It's funny because one of the scenes from 3 Men and a Little Lady is the little lady and her family interviewing for a spot at a competitive private school. The scissors to the face during the interview revolution made me gasp.

[Traveller519]

I am all in on "New Girl" Ruth!

The pre-school scenes showed she's not quite as comfortable acting with people outside the main cast, but she's so good with the main cast, and she's primarily dealing with them, that it's hardly something to worry about. "I'll figure it out!" and "Denise!" were particular highlights. However, outside of her performance that plot didn't really do much for our characters. As @BoogieBurns says, it's completely over-wrought and doesn't feel relate-able.

I did appreciate some classic Winston and Nick hijinks. Winston on the stand is exactly how I would imagine. That being said......WHERE IS ALY????

[BoogieBurns]

19 minutes ago, Traveller519 said:

"Denise!"

Was this explained? Like, does she know anyone named Denise? I'm just curious how she chose that name.

[iMonrey]

Quote

If no sitcom in the history of television ever does a competitive preschool storyline from here on out, we still will have had far too many.

It's not relatable. It's not even a thing in Texas, as far as I can tell. This is the problem with all shows being written in LA and NY, they forget what the rest of the population deals with. I don't have a preschooler and if I did, I'd be going to the public school closest to my home or my route to work. 

Amen. Frankly I'm not overly enthused about Ruth either. Precocious children are an easy laugh but I'm not a big fan of kids. 

And I was a little shocked they went so dark in the end with that guy getting his cheek impaled with the scissors. That could cause some serious nerve damage. Schmidt even said at the end the doctor said he would have a permanent smile, like the Joker. That's . . . not real funny.

On the other hand I always get a kick out of the flashbacks when they try to make Jake Johnson and Lamorne Morris look like they're in college. 

[tennisgurl]

Why is it every sitcom does the super competitive preschool plot lately? This is what happens when every single writer on TV is from the same neighborhood in LA! I have heard of schools that have animals, but not to that extreme. 

Ruth is pretty adorable, especially with her little revolution flag when she organized the preschool riot. 

"I would punch you myself if I hadn't gotten kicked off of Craig's List!" 

[meep.meep]

2 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

If no sitcom in the history of television ever does a competitive preschool storyline from here on out, we still will have had far too many.

It's not relatable. It's not even a thing in Texas, as far as I can tell. This is the problem with all shows being written in LA and NY, they forget what the rest of the population deals with. I don't have a preschooler and if I did, I'd be going to the public school closest to my home or my route to work. 

But, as far as Ruth's concerned, "she'll figure it out"

There are no public preschools in my state.  What parents are really concerned about is day care and finding one that will be a good environment for their child.  And isn't too expensive, and on the way to work, or has good hours, etc.  The good ones have waiting lists for years.

I've never heard of anyone being coached to get into one though.  

[BoogieBurns]

2 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

There are no public preschools in my state.  What parents are really concerned about is day care and finding one that will be a good environment for their child.  And isn't too expensive, and on the way to work, or has good hours, etc.  The good ones have waiting lists for years.

I've never heard of anyone being coached to get into one though.  

I guess we don't have that problem either. My sister had 4 great options for daycare, and when she found out she'd have 2 kids under 2, they had room for the new baby too. It's also a great school. Preschool here seems to be either low-income, or opt-in. I went to an opt-in preschool because I was a handful for my stay at home mother. But it was at a normal elementary and free.

Back on topic, I want more Aly and need some Furguson. Also, I'm halfway through writing my second book and I'm feeling exactly like Nick. Just stuck, not even writer's block, just a slump and a crapload of self-doubt. Nick and Jane (on Jane the Virgin) are both in their sophomore slump of books and I am here for it. I'm in good company!

[possibilities]

BoogieBurns, that's amazing (about preschool/daycare options). What state do you live in? I find the fancy/expensive tv stories about this annoying, but it's true that there's a big shortage of options for normal people. It's not funny, though, so I get why TV doesn't do stories about the desperation of parents who aren't just looking for a preschool that will guarantee their child a leg up on becoming POTUS.

I'm crazy about Ruth. It's very unexpected.

I think College Nick looks so disgusting, it actually makes me queazy to look at him. I knew guys that looked exactly like that back in the day, and they all were just gross human beings. They've really nailed the look, but I don't know if they actually wanted to make me recoil every time he appears on screen.

[theatremouse]

8 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

Was this explained? Like, does she know anyone named Denise? I'm just curious how she chose that name.

I don't think it was explained but the first thing that came to mind when she said it was that she'd at some point heard of "chartreuse" and misheard/misunderstood it as "Denise" and then ran with it.

[BoogieBurns]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

BoogieBurns, that's amazing (about preschool/daycare options). What state do you live in? I find the fancy/expensive tv stories about this annoying, but it's true that there's a big shortage of options for normal people. It's not funny, though, so I get why TV doesn't do stories about the desperation of parents who aren't just looking for a preschool that will guarantee their child a leg up on becoming POTUS.

I'm crazy about Ruth. It's very unexpected.

I think College Nick looks so disgusting, it actually makes me queazy to look at him. I knew guys that looked exactly like that back in the day, and they all were just gross human beings. They've really nailed the look, but I don't know if they actually wanted to make me recoil every time he appears on screen.

I'm in Texas. We suck in a lot of areas, but we seem to have space for kids. I do think the optional pre-k was only available if the low income kids didn't fill up the classroom. According to my preschool picture, only 12 kids were in my class. But that WAS the 90s. My friends with kids do seem to have similar options these days.

[Wouldofshouldof]

22 hours ago, birkenstock said:

The chickens were in a coop adjacent to the playground. I don't know if there are schools that would allow free roaming chickens,  I would think the chicken poop  would contaminate the sand.

IKR?  It's all I could focus on.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Shout out to "A Bug's Life", one of my favorite Pixar movies!

[Pamela]

On 2018-04-25 at 7:09 AM, luna1122 said:

I often am bored by kid actors, but those girls playing Ruth are fabulous. I LOVE Ruth.

 

On 2018-04-25 at 5:37 PM, possibilities said:

I'm crazy about Ruth. It's very unexpected.

Agreed. That girl is a peach.

[possibilities]

I think it's the exuberance and naturalness. They let her fidget and run around and act like a kid, instead of cued robot.

[Gothish520]

On 4/25/2018 at 6:37 PM, possibilities said:

I think College Nick looks so disgusting, it actually makes me queazy to look at him. I knew guys that looked exactly like that back in the day, and they all were just gross human beings. They've really nailed the look, but I don't know if they actually wanted to make me recoil every time he appears on screen.

College Nick is not appealing, it's true, lol.

On 4/25/2018 at 11:48 AM, birkenstock said:

The scissors to the face during the interview revolution made me gasp.

That was crazy but I cracked up - it was very much like a scene from The Mick, which i had to stop watching because it just got too gross. 

[sonyab]

On 4/25/2018 at 11:58 AM, Traveller519 said:

I am all in on "New Girl" Ruth!

"I'll figure it out!" and "Denise"

 

Cece: Why does she keep saying Denise?

ROFL! That made me laugh so hard! :) And yeah I am all in for New girl Ruth too!!! :)

On 4/25/2018 at 12:42 PM, iMonrey said:

And I was a little shocked they went so dark in the end with that guy getting his cheek impaled with the scissors. That could cause some serious nerve damage.

Yeah I didn't think it was very funny either! That was horrifying!!

[Gothish520]

On 4/25/2018 at 11:48 AM, birkenstock said:

I have toured preschools that have chickens and small farm animals. The chickens were in a coop adjacent to the playground. I don't know if there are schools that would allow free roaming chickens,  I would think the chicken poop  would contaminate the sand.  

With my germaphobia I could never have kids. When I see things like ball pits, bounce houses, animals roaming, all I see are germs aplenty *shudder*!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 4/25/2018 at 7:44 AM, BoogieBurns said:

I don't have a preschooler and if I did, I'd be going to the public school closest to my home or my route to work. 

Unfortunately, that's not always the best option. Mr. EB grew up in a very nice neighborhood. The elementary school that was right up the street from his house reflected that. The parents were all very involved and the kids had great test scores. Every year, the elementary school has a photoshoot/reunion of all the high school seniors with a list of where they will be going to college. Unfortunately, the elementary school then funnels into middle school a few miles away that is very different. Mr. EB has told me all kinds of stories about his middle school years, including being asked by the crack dealer who sat next to him in art class to watch his stuff aka his stash of drugs while he used the hall pass to go to the bathroom. These schools are in the same district and the same county and are only two miles apart. Mr. EB's parents ended up sending his younger brother and sister to a different middle school which was farther away for multiple reasons.

It really depends on where you live and how good the public schools are in your neighborhood. I moved to another state when I was in elementary school so my parents made sure to buy a house in a good school district (another two miles south and we would have been in a school district with an okay middle school but a kind of shitty high school). Several people I know are struggling with this right now. Their kids are pretty young so they're still living in the same place they've been since before they got married, but they know they're going to have to move within a few years because they want their kids in a good school district. Of course, if you're rich enough to afford private school, that adds a lot more options, but I question how Cece and Schmidt can afford that. Is her modeling agency doing THAT well?

[BoogieBurns]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Their kids are pretty young so they're still living in the same place they've been since before they got married, but they know they're going to have to move within a few years because they want their kids in a good school district. Of course, if you're rich enough to afford private school, that adds a lot more options, but I question how Cece and Schmidt can afford that. Is her modeling agency doing THAT well?

Yeah, I mean I plan to live somewhere with good schools once I have school-aged kids. Good public schools. There are so many around where I live now, some even have my good friends as teachers. 

I think we are meant to believe Cece is making a lot of money. Enough for it to be worth it for Schmidt (who was likely making close to 6 figures based on context clues and LA cost of living) to be the stay at home parent. The money problems of seasons past are all gone. The loftmates "aged out" of money problem storylines, apparently. I understand Winston and Aly doing fine financially, they have steady incomes and good benefits during her pregnancy. Nick apparently makes enough money for him and Jess to just tour the book. Which, as an author myself, is just so unrealistic. He has to be one step below the 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight authors to being touring internationally on the publisher's dime. 

Weird to think that Jess and Schmidt were the ones not working in the season premiere when they were the only ones reliably employed in season one.