In FOX’s hit comedy, New Girl, Zooey Deschanel plays, Jess, a newly single lady in Los Angeles looking for a new place to live because she just caught her live-in boyfriend cheating on her and had to move out. She finds an ad on Craigslist for a loft downtown and goes to interview with her potential new roommates.
One of those roommates is Nick, played by Jake Johnson, a former law student turned bartender turned curmudgeon. Nick seems to have a negative opinion about everything and Jess is the exact opposite, so it seem there’s no way they could ever get together, until they do and it makes perfect sense.
Meant To Be: Nick Saves The Day
In the pilot, once Jess is settled into her new home, she decides to go on a date, her first date after her bad breakup. Her best friend Cece comes over to help get her ready and as Jess describes her interactions via text message with her potential suitor, her new roommates start to get suspicious, especially Nick. Their suspicions are proven correct when Jess gets stood up at the restaurant. Just when things look like they can’t get any worse, Nick, Schmidt, and Coach come barging in to save the day, being led by Nick, who tells Jess, “We like you.”
Not Meant To Be: The Theme Song
The opening theme song for this show is pretty much the foundation for Jess’ relationship with her roommates.
Jess, of course, being the center of attention and singing and simple and quirky song, walks around while her roommates float props around her to add to the aesthetic. Once Jess finishes the song, she winks and stands there looking very cute and pleased with herself, as Nick, and the rest of the roommates, grunt and walk off stage.
Meant To Be: Nick Is Jess’ Fluffer
From the very first episode, it’s clear there’s something between Nick and Jess. They get on each other’s nerves, but they are also really supportive of one another and always there when the other one needs something. So much so, that Nick has to set some boundaries early on in season two, in an episode called “The Fluffer”. Jess has been sleeping with a guy named Sam, but they aren’t in a relationship, so Jess turns to Nick for all of her boyfriend needs, like building her an Ikea dresser, which he does, happily.
Not Meant To Be: They Date A Lot Of Other People
Throughout the seven seasons of the show, Nick and Jess sleep with and fall for a lot of different people and it always seems like those are the ones that will work out.
Jess falls for Sam, the doctor, who at first doesn’t want a relationship, and then he does, and then Jess breaks his heart. Then, there’s Robbie, who Jess dates for a while, and Paul who seems perfect for her. Meanwhile, Nick dates his ex Caroline and almost moves in with her and he falls hard for Reagan in season five.
Meant To Be: Their First Kiss
In season two, episode fifteen, called, “The Cooler”, Jess and Nick get locked in Jess’ room during a game of True American. Their friends won’t let them out until they’ve kissed, but Jess is with Sam and Nick doesn’t want to kiss her. Jess begs Nick to do it, but he refuses saying, “Not like this!” Jess is taken aback by the comment and Nick panics. Later in the episode, after the debauchery is over, Nick and Jess are saying goodnight and Nick pulls Jess in, giving her, and the audience, the perfect first kiss.
Not Meant To Be: The Break Up
Once these two do finally get together, it seems like the perfect relationship, until it’s not. Jess starts to realize that Nick’s lack of motivation and his ability to procrastinate, is not something she wants or deserves in a relationship.
Over time, resentment builds until it all comes to a head in season three. Jess confronts Nick about all of the questions and insecurities she has with their relationship and they realize they’re very different. The only thing they seem to have in common is that they love each other, but that isn’t enough to keep them together.
Meant To Be: They Get Back Together
It takes a really long time, almost three seasons, and a lot of fans have given up on the idea of Nick and Jess ever getting back together, especially once Nick is with Reagan and seems so happy. All it takes is a pep talk from Schmidt to make Nick realize he’s still in love with his best friend, Jess. At the same time, Jess realizes she can’t give up on Nick, so she runs to the loft to tell him. Nick meets her there in the elevator and the two seal the deal with a romantic kiss.
Not Meant To Be: They Fight A Lot
Nick and Jess have some of the most epic screaming matches in television history. They drive each other absolutely crazy and neither is afraid to let the other one know.
When they do fight, it isn’t pretty. The two love pointing out each other’s flaws and never hold back. During one fight, Jess points out how much she hates Nick’s sighing, and Nick tells Jess that her singing and dancing about nothing drives him nuts, he proceeds to mock her. It’s childish and not the most healthy way to communicate with your partner.
Meant To Be: They Get Married
When season seven fast forwards three years later, we get to see the roommates in completely new lives. Cece and Schmidt have a child, Winston and his wife are expecting, so everyone is wondering what happened with Nick and Jess. The last time we saw them, they were kissing in an elevator, and when we see them again, they aren’t married, or engaged, but they do end up getting married, and that’s how the series ends, with the two people who were meant to be finally saying, “I do”.
Not Meant To Be: They Enable One Another
Nick and Jess both have a lot of childlike tendencies. Nick has very little motivation to do anything substantial with his life and settles for mediocrity and Jess has a tendency to play the victim in every situation and her immature nature is something she never seems to grow out of, at least not for a while.. As much as they are able to point out each other’s flaws, this couple also has a knack for feeding those flaws and enabling the other one’s bad behavior.