With more than 100 episodes and a final season that features a time jump to give the audience closure, New Girl had an impressive run. Sitcom fans so love Jess, Nick, Winston, Schmidt, and Cece that they've continued to stream and binge the series long after it ended. Even some of the most loyal fans, however, still have questions about events in the show.
As is true with any sitcom, New Girl has its fair share of continuity errors and things that don't make sense simply because the new direction served the story (or the joke) better. There are, however, plenty of conversations between characters, and even whole storylines, from the very first season that still leave us with more questions than answers.
Why Did Nick Have A Guinea Pig?
At the end of the first season, Nick decides to move in with Caroline. Jess, Schmidt, and Winston do not approve, but, eventually, decide that Nick has to make this mistake for himself.
As he's getting ready to leave, however, he tells them there's a dead guinea pig in a box that he promised to bury and hasn't gotten around to it, wanting the roommates to take care of it for him. No one at that point in the loft has any pets. Who did he get the guinea pig from? Why did Nick promise someone he would bury it? How long has he had it? The audience will never know.
What Is Caroline's Job?
The very first episode of the series introduces the audience to Caroline, the ex who did a number on Nick. Despite the history there, Schmidt requests that Nick get Caroline to make sure they're on the list for the party of the year.
That would seem to indicate that she's in some sort of promoter position - or works for the venue where the party takes place. It's not clear, and every time she appears in the show after that, her job isn't part of her storyline. The original plan for the series did indicate her job was in public relations for a real-world lingerie brand, which the show might not have been allowed to use, so perhaps that's why her job is never given a title.
Does Jess Teach More Than One Subject?
When the series begins, Jess is a teacher who loves her job. The first season indicates she teaches middle school science. One of her students builds a robotic arm, she teaches a unit about astronomy, and she even does a sex education lecture. That's why some of the other things Jess says about her job don't really make sense.
She gives her class time to craft, and she also repeatedly refers to herself as an English teacher. Russell even makes a comment to her about wanting his daughter to learn fractions instead of play with dolls, but fractions are taught in elementary school, not middle school. It's not clear if she actually teaches one subject in middle school or multiple subjects.
Did Amanda Quit Her Job At The Bar?
In the season one episode "Naked," Nick gets back into the dating world for the first time since his breakup with Caroline by going out with his coworker Amanda. Their first date is awkward because Nick is self-conscious after Jess sees him naked. He and Amanda try again, but Jess interrupts their night in an attempt to make things "even" with Nick.
Amanda is never seen again after that episode despite the group hanging out at the bar on a regular basis. In fact, she's never mentioned again even though some of Nick's other coworkers interact with the group. Did she leave her job at the bar? Do she and Nick work different shifts to avoid one another?
How Many People Live In Cece's Apartment?
When Jess moves in with the guys, she says she can't stay with her best friend Cece anymore because there are too many models there. When the show does visit Cece's apartment (rarely), the only consistent model present is Nadia.
Otherwise, it seems like Cece's coworkers stay with her whenever they need a place to crash. When Cece eventually moves out of the apartment a few seasons later, she's the only one living there. Just how many models actually lived there with her in the first season, if any?
How Much Time Passes In The First Season?
Time is a funny thing in New Girl. In the average sitcom, each season takes place over the course of a year. It seems like the first season of New Girl might take place over a slightly longer period.
The only birthday celebrated during the season is Schmidt's, and Halloween doesn't occur on screen, but Jess does indicate significant amounts of time pass between episodes. She reveals in season three that she and Coach only lived together for two weeks, and Winston moves in not long after he leaves, which means there are a few weeks between the pilot and second episode. In the third episode, however, it's been a couple of months, again, according to Jess. Likewise, when she finds out Cece and Schmidt are together, it's only been a few episodes, but it's been two months in the show. If months pass between some of the episodes, just how much time passes in the first season?
Why Does Nick Give His Mother Jess' Number?
When Jess contemplates just getting rid of her cell phone like Nick, he tells her not to. Why? He gave his mother Jess's number in case of an emergency. This is long before Nick and Jess date, and, on the surface, seems like a normal thing for roommates to do. Nick shouldn't need to give his mother Jess's number though.
For one thing, his mother knows Winston's family. Winston and Nick grew up in the same neighborhood and went all through school together. She likely already has Winston's number. Additionally, Nick has been living with Schmidt since they met in college. He has also met Nick's family. Wouldn't she have Schmidt's number for emergencies as well?
Did Nick And Caroline Actually Live Together?
Another confusing bit in the first season courtesy of Nick is his relationship with Caroline. When Jess moves into the loft, it's a big deal to the guys to live with a woman. Nick claims to have lived with a woman before and starts to list the pros and cons, specifically citing Caroline.
This conflicts with Nick and Schmidt celebrating living together for ten years during the second season. It's clear that Schmidt doesn't like Caroline and didn't live with her, though she did spend a lot of time in the apartment. Nick moving in with Caroline is also treated as a huge (and horrible) step for him, so it seems like he never lived with her. Continuity error or simply Nick exaggerating?
Did Coach Completely Ghost Them?
It's no secret that Damon Wayans Jr. had another commitment after New Girl's pilot was picked up to series. He couldn't stay on the show because he had to film the second season of Happy Endings. When he leaves, however, there's barely any mention of him.
Nick mentions that Winston lived with the guys before Coach, and Schmidt calls for Coach's help in the recording of Nick right after breaking up with Caroline, but beyond that, no mention of him. Does he completely vanish from the lives of his supposedly best friends with no contact at all until season three? That seems harsh since he keeps in contact with them via text when he moves to New York with May.
Would Schmidt Have Hooked Up With Jess?
In the first season, Schmidt attempts to kiss Jess at his birthday party, and she heads to his room when she's lonely on Valentine's Day. The two never actually hook up because she laughs at Schmidt the first time, and Nick sees her and stops her the second.
If Nick hadn't literally dragged her away from Schmidt's door (and Cece wasn't already in the picture), would Schmidt have been willing to spend the night with Jess? Given what the audience finds out later, that Nick's had feelings for Jess since he met her and Schmidt suspected it, and that Schmidt made the entire loft sign a "no nail oath" before Jess moved in, it seems unlikely, but fans still wonder.