The ‘New Girl’ and ‘Mindy Project’ Do’s and Don’ts Guide to Breaking Up

By Nadia Chaudhury | Lists | May 7, 2014 |

By Nadia Chaudhury | Lists | May 7, 2014 |

Dating is tough, especially when you’re part of a will-they-won’t-they couple in television. Here are lessons gleaned from the they-did-it-and-immediately-broke-up main couples from this past season of New Girl and The Mindy Project, which aired their finales of the season last night.

Don’t live with your ex, whether you’re roommates with him/her and forced to share a room, or thinking about buying an apartment down the hall from him. It’s dumb.

Do work with your ex, because he/she can’t avoid you.

Don’t act like everything is OK. Pretending never fooled anyone.

Do let yourself wallow, like Mindy dating other guys, or Jess undergoing her breakup ritual of sob-singing to Dirty Dancing or Nick lighting firecrackers with elementary school boys.

Don’t get jealous, it’s not your best side, like with Danny over Detective Charlie, or Jess over the ship captain.

Do talk it out with your friends.

Don’t try to kiss your ex, because it’s just confusing, like Jess and Nick’s cruise wine-drunk almost kiss, and Danny’s attempted kiss in his loaner apartment to Mindy.

Don’t try to be friends, when you haven’t had the time to hate his/her guts yet. It’s part of the healing process.

Do catfish the love of your life in an elaborate scheme, because it proves how ridiculously romantic you are.

Nadia Chaudhury’s break-up rituals involve rewatching all of Gilmore Girls and watching really really really really really bad romantic comedies.