Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the writing room of The Mindy Project.
We’d like to imagine that Mindy Kaling and company just sit around, trying to think of hilariously embarrassing things for Chris Messina to do… and then putting those things in the script.
Enter The Mindy Project Season 3 Episode 1.
Titled “We’re a Couple Now, Haters!,” the premiere opens with dual voiceovers from Mindy and Danny, both noting how unlikely their pairing is, with Mindy saying she’s found the man of her dreams:
"A devout Catholic divorcee, with some pretty serious dad issues which, for a single thirtysomething woman, is not too shabby."
Danny makes Mindy eat cantelope. She forces him wear sherbet-colored Polo shirts. It’s all very sweet, until Danny takes issue with Mindy’s gossip-filled mouth. He wants her to keep details of their love life private.
She vows to do so, only to then find pink thong with the word “Diamond” bedazzled on its rear end. But… wait… it’s a male thing!
Oh, yes, Danny used to be a male stripper.
Later, Mindy admits that she talks openly about her relationship with Danny because it reminds her that it’s "real," to which Danny sweetly assures her: yes, it’s very much real. AWWWW!
He then proceeds to reveal more secrets about his past, including that his family was so poor when he was a child that he carried a purse to school instead of a backpack. Mindy kisses him in response because, come on… how could she not?
To close the premiere, Danny cranks up Lenny Kravitz’s cover of “American Woman” and shakes it like Channing Tatum.
The striptease is everything we could ever ask for, punctuated by Mindy grabbing her glasses so she can get a clearer view. It’s all so great: Danny struts. He tears his top off. He body-rolls and he grabs his package and the episode ends with Mindy summing up the feelings of many viewers:
Whoa, Nelly.
Indeed! Go watch The Mindy Project online via TV Fanatic and sound off on the premiere now.