By Riley Nowlan (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: September 17, 2014
The Mindy Project was recently added to Netflix so, naturally, I binge-watched the entire show in about three days.
I was pleasantly surprised with how addictive I found it. The show revolves around main character, Mindy Lahiri, an OB/GYN who has unrealistic expectations of love. Mindy aspires to be in a perfect relationship, like the ones in romantic comedies, while running a successful practice with a band of hilarious co-workers.
When I first began to watch the show, I did not have very high expectations. I expected it to be similar to other sitcoms in the way that you don’t have to watch the episodes in order because no real storyline carries through. However, this is not the case. I found myself connecting with Mindy’s awkward trials and became invested in her quest for a meaningful relationship. I wanted her tangles with many boyfriends to work out and felt angry for her when anyone betrayed her trust. The show has real twists and does not follow the predictable formula of an “I’ll watch it because it’s on” sitcom.
I believe the comedic genius behind the show stems from the show’s creator and star, Mindy Kaling. Kaling is best known for her comedic memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), and for her work as a writer and an actress on The Office. Kaling contributes as a writer on The Mindy Project and it is her comedic style that makes the show’s dialogue something to literally laugh to.
The ridiculous conversations and mishaps Mindy and her coworkers get themselves into make for hilarious episodes that will take your mind off your worries.
The characters all have outrageous one-liners that can make you laugh out loud no matter how many times you’ve seen the episode. There are many of Mindy’s complaints (“Stupid wine bra is out of wine. I knew I should have brought the Long Island iced panties!”), Peter’s selfishness (“Is this anybody’s sandwich? Because I’ve eaten half of it and I don’t like it”), and Danny’s logic about turning on the heat (“Why, to heat up a drawer full of sweaters? You wanna get warm, get on the floor and do some pushups”).
Besides the comedic value of this show, another thing I love about it is the unique and refreshing character of Mindy Lahiri. A confident, successful woman who is a competent doctor and business owner is not something we see enough of on television today. A woman of a realistic size, who sometimes struggles with her weight, is more often than not defending of her size and lifestyle and exudes the kind of sassy confidence that is rarely seen on anyone above a size two.
Although this show is a romantic comedy series, everyone can take a page out of Mindy Lahiri’s book. The show inspired me to not only see the humour in things that may seem embarrassing at the time, but to embrace more of who I am, go after what I want, and to never take myself too seriously.
