So The Mindy Project aired its final episode this week. Season 6 was particularly short (only 10 episodes!) which is heartbreaking (because why can’t it go on forever!), but also I think realistic considering Mindy Kaling’s real life pregnancy and how well this season did on bringing in old characters and tying up storylines.
Also, it should be noted that if you haven’t watched the final episode or aren’t caught up on this season, this post will contain SPOILERS! So I highly recommend you skip this post until you’ve indulged in the final moments of Mindy’s story!
So now, let’s talk about that ending!
When Mindy and Danny broke up in season 4, I wrote this blog post detailing how I felt like the show did an amazing job at bringing to light some of Danny’s not-so-Prince-Charming qualities slowly over the course of the first half of the season which ultimately ended in one of my favorite drama-worthy scenes from the series in which Mindy and Danny fight over the disconnect between her professional ambitions and her duties as a mother/wife. It’s in this scene that it becomes clear that Mindy will never be able to be herself if she stays with Danny.
It was heartbreaking, but a great moment to propel Mindy towards more personal growth. And since that point, Mindy has been moving forward as she adjusted to being a single mom, starting her own business, making friends with (and I think inspiring change in) the most sexist and racist character on the show, finding the Prince Charming and fairytale ending she’d always wanted but realizing life isn’t as simple as it seems in romance movies and ultimately getting a divorce.
The Mindy Project has always been a show that puts a spin on the classic idea of a “Rom-Com” so I don’t know exactly how I feel that the show ended with the very typical rom-com resolution of “guy shows he’s changed with a romantic gesture and guy and girl decide to get back together because they never stopped loving one another.” It’s hard to assess because on the one hand, I’m a fan of the show, and I’ve known from the beginning that the only person capable of matching Mindy’s crazy is Danny (who we learn over the course of the show has his own closet full of crazy) and so the thought of them being end-game especially after such a long (and needed) break-up is both exciting, but also disappointing.
While it’s great that Danny seems to have changed his mind on “Mothers in the Workplace,” it’s still by no means a perfect relationship. I think they do pay respect to that fact a bit because after their make-up kiss, Danny immediately launches into the “I can’t live in your apartment” shtick that caused stress two and half seasons ago. Mindy quickly shuts this down as a topic for later and points out that Danny does in fact like cupcake shops despite the discomfort it causes to his machismo.
Really the problem may be how rushed the ending felt since I was left with so many questions. While your average rom-com tends to gloss over the questions of the feasibility of a relationship, The Mindy Project has always handled them head on which is why in this moment of resolution, it seems strange to throw our seemingly star-crossed lovers together but still with so many doubts of whether their relationship can work hanging over our heads.
But then it also might be an attempt to show that relationships are messy and far from perfect. And that sometimes you just find a person that you fit the best with even if the edges aren’t quite all trimmed and try to work it out the best you can. Sometimes it takes being apart and growing as separate people but ultimately coming back together. Maybe, hopefully it will work for Mindy and Danny, but perhaps the best we can do is try.
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