I had the day Zooey Deschanel left New Girl marked on my calendar as Doomsday. While I trusted the writers and show runners to not jump the shark without the "girl" of New Girl present, I was worried fans would lose interest. I've been proved wrong, because while Jess' absence has been noticeable, the loft is doing just fine without her. They're even making alterations, meaning when Jess returns to New Girl, things are going to be different. Let's hope she's not weird about change, because things might become unrecognizable, starting with the shower.
The loft has gone through few modifications in the past four seasons of the show, so now Schmidt, Winston, Jess, Nick, and Cece are in need of a little change. With the exception of Coach coming in and out every so often — please come back, Damon Wayans, Jr. — the only thing new about the apartment is Ferguson, one of the finest additions to the cast. But with Jess gone (for now) and Reagan in, things aren't going to be the same when Jess returns from jury duty, and that might not be a bad thing.
So, what's going to look different when she comes back?
1. The Rain Shower
No more slow baths needed in a community pool courtesy of Tran now that Nick semi-installed that rain shower for Reagan's liking.
2. Cece Has A New Best Friend
No one will ever replace Jess, but Cece is getting very close with Winston. The Mindy Project's Mindy Lahiri once said, "best friend is not a person, it's a tier," so Jess might need to make room for Officer Bishop.
3. Ferguson Is Probably Going To Have A 'Tude
With Jess gone for as long as she'll be gone, Ferguson is probably going to have some type of a diva-response upon her return.
4. Nick Will Be Dating
Nick and Jess have a very complicated past relationship that might only get messier when Jess returns and learns that Nick is going to start taking his personal life seriously. Maybe this could open up an opportunity for Jess and Nick to give it another go, but if not, Jess could have mixed feelings about the situation.
5. The Guys Won't Need Her As Much
The loft will always need Jess in some regard, but her absence might force them to become a bit more independent. Whether Jess likes that they don't need her as much remains TBD.
6. Reagan Will Have Changed The Dynamic
Will Jess take to Reagan as quickly as everyone else has? Something tells me that she's going to want things to get back to normal ASAP and this whole "new friends" thing might not go over smoothly.
7. She Might Feel Left Out
All of this equals one thing, and that's that Jess might feel a little left out after returning to the loft. She's been used to being needed for years, and if she doesn't have that upon her return, something might feel off for everyone's favorite vice principal.
Images: Ray Mickshaw/FOX; Giphy (7)
