The Mindy Project is ostensibly a romantic comedy, but while that genre is largely a fantasy, sometimes the show is relatable in unexpected ways. In Tuesday's episode, Mindy enlisted help with her finances on The Mindy Project from Jeremy (and Jody)'s ex, Whitney. As someone who just recently put her bills on auto-pay herself, I totally get it.
In the episode, we learned that Mindy's Dad, and then Danny, have been doing her finances and that her retirement plan is to sing on a cruise ship. It's one of the many repercussions from their breakup, except that this one has nothing to do with romance or parenting.
I'm sure we all have our little "quirks" when it comes to finances. My father may not pay my bills for me, but I've filed tax extensions twice in my life, mostly because I just couldn't deal. I also might be the only generation y/millennial out there who prefers to have a bank teller deposit a check for her in person — I'm not giving my phone that kind of power! Don't even get me started on how stressed out I get when my parents talk about me owning a house one day. What's a house? So I liked that Mindy made me feel a little more normal.
Granted, I don't run a business and Mindy Lahiri has a few years of experience on me. Perhaps her financial illiteracy and lack of organization has been milked for comedy beyond what is to be expected in the real world. That said, I think it's great that Mindy Kaling isn't scared, or more likely doesn't care, to give her character flaws that go beyond "awkward love life" and "clumsy," you know? You can be a kickass surgeon and still not understand the stock market. That seems reasonable to me. Nobody enjoys it when characters, especially strong female characters, are superstars at everything in life. It isn't compelling or realistic. Plus, as Mindy learned by quizzing her coworkers, everyone's financial situation is different. Don't judge.
It also turns out that the reason Mindy was so hesitant to tackle her finances before is that, while she makes plenty of money, didn't want to be confronted with her spending choices. Who can't relate to being scared to look at their bank account, for whatever reason? I definitely miss Danny Castellano on The Mindy Project, but I like that they are exploring these storylines.
Images: Evans Vestal Ward/Universal Television
