Jessica Day aka Jess (Zooey Deschanel) from New Girl made for one of the most vibrant and likable protagonists on TV. She was smart, hard-working, opinionated, and also kind of a non-conformist. Over the course of seven seasons, her character also went through a significant transformation and her arc saw some major ups and downs.
But Jess has had some poor moments too, and there were times when she made flawed decisions or shamed someone unwittingly, much to the disappointment of her fans. Here are five times when fans felt sorry for her and five times when they hated her.
Felt Sorry: When She Was Fired
At the beginning of Season 2, Jess gets fired from her teaching job at the school quite abruptly. Though she tries her best to get on with her life, she was obviously very affected by the news as she wasn’t expecting it, and she enjoyed her job immensely.
In fact, right after she is fired, Nick, Schmidt, and Winston predict that Jess may react badly to this development. Over the next few days, Jess tries to cope with being unemployed as she attempts to take it easy, which proves to be a major ordeal due to her Type A personality.
Hated Her: When She Was Harsh To Nick’s Girlfriend Julia
Jess has always empowered the women around her, so fans were baffled when she criticized Nick’s new girlfriend Julia without any reason, even though she helped Jess get out of a ticket. Jess and Cece in a way gang up to convince Nick that Julia is not right for him, especially since they haven’t labeled the relationship yet.
This was inappropriate for Jess and also kind of petty considering Nick was happy with Julia. At one point, it did seem like Jess was on some level threatened by Julia or maybe jealous of her relationship with Nick.
Felt Sorry: When She Felt Distanced From Cece
Jess has often felt anxious about her friendship with her childhood friend Cece, especially since they have grown up to be so different and have also opted for vastly different career options. Jess was a teacher whereas Cece was a model, and Jess realized that she had to work hard just to keep their relationship alive.
Even though Jess and Cece were really close and always looking out for each other, Jess has often felt out-of-place in Cece’s life, especially when hanging out with her new social circle.
Hated Her: When She Looked Down On Cece’s Career
Jess had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t approve of Cece’s modeling career because she thought her friend was too smart for it. This was something that fans of the show didn’t agree with especially since Cece had worked exceptionally hard for her career.
Moreover, Jess had no substantial reason to look down upon an entire profession and to demean her friend. Jess also ranted to Cece’s friends that modeling made her dumber, which was a really harsh thing to say.
Felt Sorry: When Schmidt Broke Her Hutch
Jess and Schmidt would occasionally get into arguments over their creative differences. It was hard for Schmidt to let someone else change the decor and the set-up in the apartment because, for the longest time, he was the one calling all the shots.
Once Jess decided to add some furniture of her own, Schmidt flipped out because he didn't approve of any of the pieces. They have a heated argument and when they couldn’t reach a resolution, Schmidt broke the wooden hutch which Jess loved a lot.
Hated Her: When She Tried To Change Schmidt
Schmidt is not exactly the ideal roommate but he also does most of the chores. He's also someone who's obsessive about leading a certain lifestyle which makes him somewhat overbearing. Winston and Nick try to explain to Jess that she should never mess with the delicate dynamic of the loft, but she goes on to upset the whole set-up by encouraging Schmidt to change.
This throws Schmidt out of whack. He loses his sense of self and also turns into a sloppy roommate as he desperately tries to change everything about himself. This is an unhealthy pattern in Jess, as she would often try to 'fix' someone to get better or would try to solve their hang-ups without really understanding their issues.
Felt Sorry: When Nick Confronted Jess About The ‘Fluffer’ Situation
Jess and Nick had always been good friends and Jess wasn’t aware that Nick may have had some underlying feelings for her. Nick on the other hand felt used when Jess would ask him for help with the furniture or shopping and felt like the "boyfriend without the rewards," which he told Jess.
This was harsh for Jess to hear as she tells him that these are the things that friends do with each other. Moreover, Jess was completely blind-sided with the implication. She didn’t see it coming, and Nick was also being maneuvered by Schmidt and Winston, who led him to believe he was an emotional fluffer for Jess.
Hated Her: When She Tried To Fix Nick’s Finances
Jess and Nick did not have a whirlwind romance. In fact, the two had a lot of time to think about whether or not they really wanted to be with each other. So, it was really confusing for fans when Jess would try to ‘fix’ Nick because it meant that she wasn’t entirely okay with who he was.
Nick had always been open about how he wanted to live his life, especially vis-a-vis his finances. And though he was really bad with money, it wasn’t fair for Jess to go through his personal stuff and try to change his financial situation.
Felt Sorry: When She Tried To Reunite Her Parents
It was revealed that Jess had some personal hang-ups about her parents’ divorce. Though her mum and dad split a long time ago, she never really made peace with it. So when she meets her mum and dad at Thanksgiving, she actually tries very hard to make them reconcile.
In fact, she even prompts Nick to flirt with her mum so her dad would get jealous. This was very sad because not only it became clear that her parents had no intention of reuniting but also resented each other thoroughly.
Hated Her: When She Lied About Her Identity
Jess lost some sense of self when she lost her job, consequently, she tried to explore another side to her personality. This led her to lie to Sam about her identity, which was really wrong and unethical.
Jess told Sam that she was a dancer named Katy and that her roommates were also dancers. And it wasn’t just a one-off thing, she even considered sticking to her lie and actually living a dual life just so she could keep dating Sam. This was a really sketchy move, especially for someone like Jess.