‘New Girl’ Recap: Jess & Nick Head To Mexico; Schmidt Can’t Decide Between Cece & Elizabeth

New Girl picked up right where it left off in the second season finale on Tuesday night’s premiere – right in the backseat of Jess’s Volvo with Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) trying to figure out what to do now that they’ve finally done it.

Schmidt (Max Greenfield), concerned with his own drama as usual, texts his two missing best friends repeatedly in hopes that one of them can help him with his love triangle with CeCe (Hannah Simone) and Elizabeth (Merritt Wever). Instead of rushing to save him from himself, the new lovebirds decide they need to get away from their roommates for awhile if they want there to be any chance at making their relationship work. The obvious solution – for them at least – is to drive on down to Mexico.

Stereotypes abound in the New Girl’s version of the country. There’s mariachi music, churros, piñatas and Jarritos aplenty. For four days, Nick and Jess soak up the Mexican sun, have some more sex and try to get to know each other away from the group. Their relationship honeymoon love shack is the back of Jess’s Volvo, from where they’ve grown accustomed to ignoring Schmidt’s pleas for help and attention.

Though enjoying the break from reality, Jess starts to think it might be time to return to their real lives; Nick of course is hesitant. Trying to latch onto the vacation, Nick lures Jess into sneaking into a nearby all-inclusive resort. As could be expected, the resort-crashing doesn’t end well, leaving the passport-less Nick in the custody of the local authorities. Jess decides to drive back to the apartment to retrieve the passport and come back down to rescue her bestie-turned-beau.

Back at the loft in LA, Schmidt, without the advise of his wiser buds, has decided that he won’t be breaking up with either Cece or Elizabeth for the time being. Winston (Lamorne Morris), who Schmidt repeatedly appeals to for help can’t be bothered – he has a very literal puzzle of his own to figure out. After four days spent on the puzzle, Winston finds CeCe at the door. Thinking that Schmidt had dumped her, he moves to console her with smarmy hugs.

When Schmidt sees what’s going on, he makes up a story about how Winston had slept with Elizabeth after he cut her loose. Winston gamely picks up the lie and runs with it, going on to elaborate about how he’d seduced Elizabeth “two and a half” times.” Cece buys it, but is disgusted with Winston and destroys all of the hard work he’d put into his beloved puzzle thus far. Later on, Schmidt and Winston get into a “fight,” in which the two circle one another until Schmidt gets dizzy, Winston stubs a toe and Jess appears in desperate search of Nick’s passport.

Both Winston and Schmidt decide to accompany Jess back down south of the border to help her get Nick back. After his 12-hours of non-stop Ugly Betty viewing, Nick is still reluctant to go back to L.A. and threatens to shred his passport. As luck would have it, after Jess talks sense into him, he accidentally does shred it. Somehow, with the destroyed passport and the beat up and decorated Volvo, the foursome is able to pass back into the United States without incident.

Once back in the apartment, Nick and Jess try to establish their real-world coupledom, and Nick adorably gives his new girl the bracelet he stole for her at the resort. While they might be getting accustomed to their new relationship status, on-looking roommates Schmidt and Winston will need some time to get used to the new dynamic between their friends and roommates.

New Girl airs Tuesday on Fox at 9/8c.

– Chelsea Regan

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