After two years of fighting and flirting, and bickering and birthing, The Mindy Project left us with quite the cliffhanger (Cliff-hanger?) last week as we closed this winter saga with a simmering smooch.
Will these crazy kids finally get their happy ending? Only time will tell, but because The Mindy Project’s return is so far away, it feels like a bad April Fool’s joke. Here’s 10 of our favorite Danny/Mindy moments from the televised rom-com to hold you over during the hiatus.
1) That time they caused a scene on the subway.
Danny just wants to read Catching Fire in peace (and who can blame him, when it’s obviously the best book in the trilogy?) during his morning commute, but Mindy’s making it kind of hard when she insists on narrating her love life out loud. But it would be weird if she didn’t talk to people she knows when she spots them on the subway, right? Well, no. According to Danny, “Weird would be if the train stopped and it was suddenly the 1940s.” Whoa. We need a minute. That was mindblowing.
2) That time they made the best of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Christmas party.
Mindy was pretty stoked to introduce her hunky boyfriend Josh to all her work buddies, but things took a turn for the depressing when Mindy accidentally found out she was Josh’s OTHER WOMAN. Danny got the scoop for Mindy by pretending to be a gay philandering florist, and then convinced her to keep it together long enough to give her supportive co-workers the Christmas party they deserved. Even after scary-angry Ellie Kemper comes bustin’ through the walls enacting revenge on innocent gingerbread houses, Danny (and his heavy breathing) still inspire Mindy to pick herself back up and sing us out in Spanish.
3) That time there was turbulence part 1.
On a work trip to Santa Fe, Mindy finds out Josh is a coke addict, and not the kind that gets cranky when he has to drink Pepsi instead. And after Danny and Mindy bond over the rehab clinic’s fine amenities, they’re both feeling vulnerable enough to get shaken up by the airplane turbulence on their way back to New York. When Mindy grabs Danny’s hand in her moment of panic, it’s temporarily awkward for a nano-second before Danny tenderly holds it in return. After that it’s still awkward, but also super sweet.
4) That time they saved the day by wearing the same shoe size.
Okay, so it was technically Morgan who saved the day when he carried Danny across the finish line… BUT it’s still simultaneously precious/really weird that they wear the same shoe size, right?
5) That time they were too square to skip out on the check.
Danny says Mindy’s too picky, so to prove each other wrong, they go on a double date with the most boring woman in Manhattan and the most pregnant merman over 40. And though Mindy’s body might be severely attracted to sk8erman’s body, she’s simply too sensible to follow through on his thrilling Dine and Dash adventure. And since Danny can’t bear the thought of violating a social contract, he too ends up at the sushi shop after falling asleep on his boring date’s lips.
6) That time they had a Discovery Channel sleepover and defeated the creepy neighbor and then ate pancakes.
After accidentally snuggling on Danny’s bed during a scary nature sequence, Danny decides he’s had enough of their will-they-won’t-they and demands they have “The Talk.” Their heart-to-heart gets cut short when they find Danny’s crazy neighbor terrifyingly sitting in the shadows of Danny’s apartment. So, Chloe Silverado comes to the rescue once again as Danny and Mindy team up to convince the neighbor that they are, in fact, engaged and expecting a child. Mindy is converted to the creepy neighbor’s side when she finds out Danny inappropriately made her pancakes the morning after each “one-night stand,” because, duh, that sense of thoughtfulness kind of made the neighbor his sort-of-ex-girlfriend (but to be fair, Italian men do love to cook).
7) That time they brought back the year 2000 and showed us all how to properly Secret Santa.
What could upstage Mindy’s Dukes of Hazzard car for Peter? Only the perfection that is Danny Castellano dancing to Aaliyah.
And we can’t forget the wine bra, which, for future reference, would also be an acceptable Secret Santa alternative.
8) That time they helped motivate us to work out, and then the time after that when they saw a little bit too much of each other.
Thank you Mindy Lahiri for making us all feel sane for needing an epically dramatic workout fantasy to motivate us at the gym (in my workout fantasies, I’m usually a ninja warrior princess bent on revenge against the six-fingered man, and only by fulfilling another set of squats can I save the state of the universe). Being healthy is important, but having a healthy sense of humor and self-esteem are important too. After Mindy and Danny accidentally (literally) run into each other naked in the steam room, we get treated to some of Danny’s sweetest compliments and (totally stolen) jokes of the season.
9) That time they were melodramatic in the desert and reenacted ‘The Hunger Games.’
Danny’s working through some heavy issues because his dad pretty much used to suck, but now kind of rocks, so of course it makes sense he would need to go out into the desert and get lost and drunk and start kicking Joshua trees. Mindy’s decided to put on her Gryffindor-goggles though, and in the spirit of loyalty she bravely (and stupidly) wanders around the desert at night in search of her intoxicated friend. By the light of the moon, they get into a bit of a tiff over Mindy’s romantic desperation and Danny’s selfish mean-streak, so the only thing left to do is Mockingjay it out in this arena of life.
10) That time there was turbulence part deux.
Little Dani told Mindy to write Cliff an apology letter, and then on the plane back home Big Danny helped Mindy write the apology letter, and then Danny told Mindy to tell Cliff “that’s why we’re right for each other,” and then there was a moment of clarity, and we realized Danny finally realized he’s really, really into Mindy, and then Mindy went to go get him some fizzy water because she’s so cool and nice, AND THEN DANNY KISSED HER.
That’s all, folks.
The Mindy Project will return to break our hearts/make us swoon on April 1.