‘The Mindy Project’ Season 4 Review & Recap: Quirky Comedy Restored To Its Glory On Hulu

Last Spring, The Mindy Project had about a 50/50 chance of coming back for a fourth season. Unfortunately, with only 2.1 million viewers in the third season, those odds were not in Mindy’s favor. Hulu, however, decided to play the hero and save Mindy Kaling from cancellation and premiered a new season on Tuesday. If the new season is able to tap into what gave it initial success, it may be a big hit once again.

‘The Mindy Project’ Season 4 Review & Recap

The season premiere, titled “While I Was Sleeping,” interchanges between an alternate universe where her and Danny are not together, and reality, where Danny has to struggle with meeting the sometimes terrifying expectations of Mindy’s parents.

Season three left off with an engagement. This didn’t happen. Instead, Danny (Chris Messina) never worked up the nerve to propose. This is actually a dream where Mindy goes to sleep angry hooks-up with Real Housewives producer, Matt Sherman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who thinks that she is an “old Native American man.” She briskly corrects him which changes his mind about her level of attractiveness, and they sleep together. Mindy and Matt get married and have an open relationship.

Danny’s struggles are all too real and somewhat subcontinental as he flies to India to speak with Mindy’s mother and father about her pregnancy. He doesn’t have the opportunity to reveal to her Dr. Lahiri that he is the father of her child when a machete is pulled and he threatens to break every bone in the body of the man who impregnated his daughter. Fear gets the best of Danny and he ends up helping them arrange a marriage for Mindy. His adventure through the world of arranged marriage convinces Danny that life-long partnership is not such a scary thing and that it is time to propose.

Morgan is back in the premiere and is apparently in India because he got chased out of Pakistan when the Taliban tried to recruit him.

Mindy’s Marriage to Matt Sherman ends when she is horrified to learn that her husband is arranging a threesome.

In the alternate universe, Danny is miserable and dating Freida Pinto. Mindy, despite insisting that Danny is a miserable grouch, decides to third-wheel it with the couple on a date to sabotage their relationship. Mindy declares her love for Danny, they kiss, then Mindy gets hit by a bus and dies.

Back to reality.

Mindy wakes up and tells Danny about her dream. She confesses that she is no longer interested in marriage. Danny pulls out a wedding ring and there is the proposal she has been waiting for.

In the fourth season of The Mindy Project, producers seem to have done a good job with taking it to the next level after they almost didn’t come back at all. Mindy is edgier and funnier than in previous seasons and the show seems to have restored itself to its former glory. Online streaming sites may just be the perfect home for well-loved shows such as The Mindy Project.

Pictured: Chris Messina and Mindy Kaling