For a freshman show, surviving past the second week of the season is a huge accomplishment. "The Mindy Project" has not only achieved that goal, but Fox TV just ordered more episodes of the smartly written sitcom.
"In the Club," the latest installment, gets the core cast members out of the office and into the heart of Manhattan. When Shauna (Amanda Setton) talks about going to a hot club, Mindy (Mindy Kaling) swings an invite to come along. In short order, Shauna's invitation turns into an impromptu office party for the almost the entire practice.
Though Mindy says she will ditch her friends if she meets a guy, her good nature wins out throughout the episode. Shauna is obviously smitten with Dr. Danny (Chris Messina), but he's too busy on the dance floor to notice. Mindy teased Danny earlier by saying his appearance at a club would be like Dracula showing up on a beach, but the doctor demonstrates serious skills on the dance floor. And Mindy compares Shauna hooking up with Danny to Hermione saying she likes Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" books.
Mindy does receive an invite from some NBA players sitting in the exclusive VIP section, but the invitation actually came from sports attorney Josh Daniels (Tommy Dewey). Josh is cute, but he has a habit of saying oddly inappropriate things.
Josh invites the pretty doctor to an after-party, but Mindy opts to stay and care for a very drunk Betsy (Zoe Jarman). The sports attorney leaves, but he sends back a limo and Mindy's apparently stolen pashmina wrap, which he bought back from Amar'e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks. The office staff gets a ride home, and Mindy may have a new boyfriend.
"In the Club" is a fairly smart episode with the occasional misstep. New nurse Morgan Tookers (Ike Barinholtz) is mistaken for a bathroom attendant and spends the bulk of the episode selling soap and taking tips. Dr. Reed (Ed Weeks) crashes a bachelorette party and has to be rescued by a crude, fast-thinking Morgan. Both subplots could have been cut without affecting the quality of the episode.
Shauna isn't the only one with a crush on Dr. Danny. As Mindy slides into the limo, she sees Danny getting into a cab with a girl he met at the club. Mindy doesn't say a word, but the expression on her face speaks volumes.
"The Mindy Project" returns with a new episode on Tuesday, 10/23 at 9:30 PM EST.
