Recently, I started watching New Girl, Zooey Deschanel’s series on FOX. I had read several articles before the release, and I was worried about the presence of the “manic pixie dream girl” situation.
For those of you who may not know, this phenomenon occurs in books and television so that a male protagonist meets a quirky girl who helps him to understand the world for what it really is. The manic pixie dream girl can result in unrealistic perception of the world, a complete disregard of the fact that this girl is a person too, and doing quirky things that are borderline socially ridiculed.
With all this in mind, I was very hesitant to start the series. However incompetent Jess seemed at times, the show features characters with different quirks that are still relatively relatable. Also, New Girl confronts the manic pixie dream girl persona with Jess explaining that she can like arts and crafts while still being a strong person. True, sometimes Jess’s naivety is overwhelming, but the roommates are also naive in their own ways. And I think that’s the most important part–the show does not exclude anyone from weaknesses or issues in life. Despite some predictable storylines, Zooey’s show delivers with heart, craziness, and just the right amount of optimism to lure you in.
Source:
http://youngperception.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/film-tv-challenge-2013-new-girl/