New Girl: 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Episodes In Season 2 (According To IMDb)

After a stellar first season, New Girl just continues to improve in the second season. By this point in the series, the fans know exactly who all the major players are, the chemistry between Jess and Nick is building, CeCe and Schmidt already have a history, and it’s time to take things to the next level.

This is the season that really starts to build New Girl into everything fans knew it could be – but that doesn’t mean that every episode was going to be a smash hit. Some are phenomenal, some are mediocre, and some were just plain bad – and according to IMDb, these are the best and the worst of them.

10 Worst: Bachelorette Party (7.6)

New Girl thrives on awkward humor, but sometimes the show can just take it a little too far – and Bachelorette Party is definitely one of those times. As the title suggests, it’s CeCe’s bachelorette party for her arranged marriage, and she starts to freak out because she has never seen her intended naked – and suddenly starts to think that she might not like what’s in his pants. She and Jess are trying to get Nick to get a photo of Shivrang’s penis, which is just creepy, and to top it all off, her new mother in law is at the party too.

9 Best: Santa/Parking Spot (8.2)

Both Santa and Parking Spot get a joint entry because they both hit an 8.2 on IMDb. Santa is, unsurprisingly, a Christmas episode, and one where the gang is heading from party to party for the festive season. Probably the better of the two episodes is ‘Parking Spot’, about the madness that ensues when the gang realizes that the loft has a designated parking spot, and they have to fight to see who gets it.

8 Worst: Eggs (7.6)

In the ninth episode of the season, Jess and CeCe go to Jess’s OBGYN friend and learn how many viable eggs they have left – something that throws them both into a panic as they think about the time they have left to meet someone, settle down, and get pregnant.

While it’s a reasonable episode, there’s something a bit dull about the ‘all women just want babies’ feel of the episode, and it doesn’t really do much for either Jess or CeCe in the long run.

7 Best: Quick Hardening Caulk (8.5)

Jess and Nick are the core couple of New Girl, and their attempts to get together (and then live apart) are one of the best bits of the show, so it’s no surprise that this is a favorite episode. Post kiss, the two are getting back to normal when Jess ends up on some serious painkillers, and tells Nick that she wants to sleep with him. For a moment, it seems that they might get together, until Jess learns he has also been sleeping with a bartender at work… it’s a lot of missed connection, and it’s good stuff from start to finish.

6 Worst: Re-Launch (7.4)

The first episode of a season is supposed to start things with a bang, but ‘Re-Launch’ definitely falls short. After Schmidt’s broken penis (cue obvious laughter) has healed, he throws a party to re-launch himself in the dating scene. It’s a bizarre premise to begin with, but add to that a laid-off Jess attempting to be a sexy shot girl, and the whole episode is just a bit of a mess.

5 Best: Virgins (8.5)

There’s something wonderful about a flashback episode that is all about the characters’ history – as long as it is done right, and ‘Virgins’ definitely is. The 23rd episode features everyone telling their lost virginity stories, including Winston realizing that his first time was one his father paid for!

Jess has a hilariously embarrassing story about a mini golf course, and Schmidt’s over use of lube leads to a brilliant college dorm moment.

4 Worst: Neighbors (7.2)

The fourth episode of the show also fails to land, as the main cast come off as old and uncool, and the ‘make fun of hipsters’ approach is a little stale. ‘Neighbors’ starts with Jess still working minimum wage jobs after being laid off, and a new group of uber-cool young people moving in to the loft across the hall. While Jess connects with them, Schmidt struggles, and hates feeling old. It’s just a little too obvious to really be funny.

3 Best: Elaine’s Big Day (8.7)

‘Elaine’s Big Day’ starts as CeCe’s big day, as it’s her wedding to Shivrang. However, fans know that this isn’t going to be her endgame, so the wedding becomes a madhouse as Winston attempts a ridiculous prank, CeCe freaks out, and Shivrang reveals that he is actually in love with someone else. Wedding episodes are always a favorite, and this one is all the more satisfying because few people were rooting for CeCe and Shivrang in the first place.

2 Worst: A Father’s Love (7.1)

The worst episode of the season may be the lowest rated because it is just… sad. Nick’s deadbeat con-man dad shows up for this one, and gets Nick and Jess involved in a scam. Jess, of course, wants to see the best in everyone and get them to reconcile, and it looks for a moment as though it might even work.

However, by the end of things, Nick is alone and simply accepts it, leaving Jess (and the audience) incredibly sad.

1 Best: Cooler (9.1)

The fifteenth episode of the second season may well be the best because it sees the return of the New Girl drinking game True American. This madcap (and impossible to follow) game is always a recipe for a great episode, and this one includes some phenomenal interactions between various pairs, as well as (finally!) Jess and Nick kissing at the very end. Perfect.

NEXT: 10 Shows to Watch If You Miss New Girl

About The Author

Rose Graceling-Moore
(1516 Articles Published)

Rose Graceling-Moore has been writing about film, TV and comics since 2013, when she began writing for a local print magazine in Vancouver, BC. Since then, Rose has written for Horror Honeys, Moviepilot and Quirkbooks as well as Screenrant, increasingly focusing on comic books and live-action comic adaptations, as well as diversity and representation on screen. Rose also co-hosted the DC Movies Podcast, and has guested on other nerd and entertainment podcasts over the past five years.

Rose’s love of comics began all the way back in the early ‘90s, when she discovered the X-Men while living in Africa (where there wasn’t a whole lot to do but read!), and since then has had an on-again, off-again love affair with not just Marvel, but DC and indie comics as well. You can follow her on Twitter: RoseMooreWrites for tweets about comics, movies, and more.

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