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The Mindy Project Recap: Boys’ Club

After a rather disappointing contrast last episode between the show’s A and B plots, this week focused on a single story involving all of the show’s characters — and it was all the better for it. The episode took on a situation that I think many women will relate to: i’s possible to work closely with men and to become very close with them, only to find oneself…shunted to the side when it comes to making big decisions. This can be overt or so subtle that the dudes perpetrating the behavior might not even realize they’re doing it, and so it’s difficult to correct it or even bring it up.

The Mindy Project took on this particular phenomenon when Dr. Schulman left his position as head of the practice, leaving Mindy, Jeremy and Danny in charge. Well, nominally the three of them were in charge — Danny ended up making all of the decisions, with Jeremy siding with him automatically to keep from having to make any decisions, and the two of them claiming “2 against 1″ every time Mindy tried to object. All three doctors get spooked when they learn they could be on the hook if the practice goes under (a possibility if they can’t retain Dr. Schulman’s patients — also, I did not know that medical practices can’t have some kind of limited liability protection. Or maybe they can, and this is just for the plot’s sake. Any medical professionals should feel free to weigh in!), and they all have different ideas of how to solve it.

Mindy, who is working so hard that she’s growing a single dreadlock and sleeping in the office, suggests calling the patients who are hesitant about staying personally, while Danny wants to email them 20% off coupons and Jeremy is content to appear on taxicab ads for the practice. The latter two plans are not super successful, and Dr. Schulman’s patients start abandoning the practice in droves in favor of the holistic birthing center in the same building, setting up an enjoyable rivalry between the two receptions desks as well as between Danny, Jeremy, and the two male midwives (Danny says they’re not real doctors; they say that Jesus Christ and Sting were delivered through midwifery).

Meanwhile, Mindy has been shooed out of the office for “Best Friend Day,” which would normally be cause for celebration except that Danny makes it clear when he tells her to go that he doesn’t think having her around will make a difference in terms of retaining patients. She goes to lunch with Gwen and her friend Alex (who is played by Kelen Coleman, who is Lisa from The Newsroom! Hi Lisa! How’ve you been? These friends seem better than everyone you know on The Newsroom, hang out with them more!) and shops with them at a sample sale, ignoring Betsy’s panicked texts about the office hemorrhaging patients. When she finds out that her patients are leaving, however, she decides to go back with the full support of her pals.

She marches up to the holistic clinic and gives a speech that concludes with forcing the midwives to admit that they send patients with complications to OB/GYNs anyhow, and rounds up all the rogue patients to go back downstairs (despite one of the midwives’ closing gambit of gently sweeping an eyelash from her cheek). Downstairs, Jeremy and Danny admit they were wrong and that she should be a full partner on all the decisions they make going forward. And Mindy gets to curl up on the break room couch with “Law & Order,” her cute boyfriend, and the cleaning lady vacuuming placidly in the background. She wins!

TAGS: Female Showrunners | mindy kaling | the mindy project

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