The Mindy Project, “We Need to Talk About Annette” (3.7) - TV Review

I love Rhea Perlman. She is perfect in this role. Her and Chris Messina together sell the Italian, single mother/son duo so well. I fear they may end up overusing her character, but when you’re dating a man like this, I believe his mother would make this many appearances in your life. This week Mindy takes Annette shopping, only to discover she likes to create that catholic guilt for herself by shoplifting, as she gives her son a bomber jacket, straight out of Top Gun - which leads to some of Messina’s best work as Danny on the show, walking around the office with aviators on, talking into an imaginary comm, telling people they’ve entered the danger zone. It’s brilliant. Problems arise when Tamra can’t find her bracelet and Mindy immediately thinks Annette has stolen it. When she confronts Annette, disrupting her and Dot’s viewing of “Passion of the Christ”, lamenting how terrible people have been to Mel Gibson (of course), Annette becomes angry with Mindy for accusing her of such a thing, forcing her to attend a “Catholic guilt dinner” with her, Danny and Dot. This is the one thing I disliked of this episode. If she knew Mindy probably saw her steal that jacket, why did she play innocent the whole time, and why didn’t Mindy confront her earlier. This is just a minor squabble in an episode that plays to the casts strengths so perfectly. Morgan’s griping with how poor he is “it took me three months salary to pay for this,” Mindy: “Wow, that’s how little we pay you” “uh yea, I’m on a bus ad for poverty!” or, Jeremy’s utter delight at Mindy asking him about etiquette. “I hate his jacket too, aren’t we dreadful!”

In Peter’s side story, he’s really digging Abby, she’s chill, doesn’t care if he wears pants, and will drink all day with him. The perfect match. However he has an epiphany when he’s supposed to attend an all night rave with her, and has to be on call, realizing he would rather go home, do the dishes and go to bed then party all night. That’s nice and all, but a little out of the blue. Either way, Adam Pally sells it, just as Messina sells his glee when Mindy plays him the Top Gun theme song she illegally downloaded at the end of the episode.

• Mindy’s scream when Perlamn comes out in that stripper bathing suit killed me.
• “When I go dancing, I make sure the club has a valid cabaret license”
• “I’m like the Matthew McConaughey of the romance novel world.”
• “Blow dry bar? How basic do you think I am? This from the tousle bar down the street. Cost 100$ dollars. More than this guys rent.”
• “Every April Fools Day I pretend I died.”