There's no denying that Nick Miller is a bit of a mess. For the first few seasons of New Girl, he appears to have no real path in life and obstacle after obstacle blocks him from being truly happy. That doesn't stop him from having a good time with his friends and, somehow, managing to grow up over the course of the show's seven seasons.
Nick's struggles, though their depiction can be over the top at times, are part of what makes him so relatable to the audience. He has a hard time dealing with his feelings, wants people to respect his privacy, and just doesn't get his best friends' choices sometimes.
10 Nick Can't Decide If Jess Should Move In
In the very first episode of the series, Schmidt and Coach make Nick their tie-breaker. While Coach is against having a female roommate, Schmidt wants Jess to move in immediately. Nick tries to weigh the pros and cons of the situation, but he just can't make a decision. It's obvious he likes Jess, but he's also very antagonistic toward her in the pilot, showing the two conflicting sides of his decision-making process.
Hasn't everyone frozen at one point or another when trying to make an important decision? Or when being put on the spot by their friends? It's easy to become overwhelmed in the face of too many options or too much information. Nick hides in his sweatshirt to avoid the responsibility, though plenty of members of the audience have likely found other ways to avoid similar responsibilities.
9 He Back Slides To Caroline (Twice)
There's always that one person that people just can't let go of. It might be a relative, a friend, or an ex-partner. That person isn't good for you, but it's too hard to let them go. For Nick, that person is Caroline.
He spends years in a relationship with her in which they were clearly both unhappy. Whenever she gives him hope of reconciliation, however, he's right back at her side. Nick spends time with her at a friend's wedding, thinking they're getting back together, despite initially asking Jess to keep him away from her. He also decides to move in with her simply because both of them don't want to start over in the dating scene. While, ultimately, Nick is able to move on, his tendency to want that familiar relationship in his life in spite of the pain is understandable.
8 Nick Struggles With Body Image Issues
In the first season of the series, it's made very clear that Nick isn't entirely comfortable with his body. He gets very self-conscious when Schmidt or Jess make comments about his weight or joke about his appearance.
When Jess laughs at him (not intentionally) when walking in on him naked, it gets in Nick's head, and he no longer feels comfortable even taking his shirt off. Even people who are the happiest with their body can admit to being insecure at one point or another, so this might actually be one of Nick's most relatable traits early in the series.
7 He Gets Writer's Block
Not everyone is a writer, but everyone can relate to struggling to get a big task completed. Nick decides that he wants to really write a novel after giving Winston his "finished" story Z Is For Zombie.
He spends a lot of time staring at the computer and trying to get himself to focus. This isn't unlike students who wait until the last minute to do an essay or adults that wait until just before a project is due at their place of employment to finish it. Focusing on the task at hand, especially today when there's a world of information at everyone's fingertips thanks to the internet, is a little bit harder.
6 Nick Can't Write His Dad's Eulogy
Though Nick has no problem letting people know when he's angry, he does struggle with some of his other emotions. Grief is one of them. When his father dies unexpectedly in the second season, Nick is the one tasked with planning the funeral. He tries to take care of everything, but he can't bring himself to write his father's eulogy. Instead, Nick asks Jess to do it.
Though she tells him she can't, when the pressure becomes too much for Nick, Jess does perform as Elvis Presley at the service. It's a moment that solidifies their friendship, but it also demonstrates that sometimes, people need time to process how they're feeling.
5 He Gets Frustrated With Schmidt
Schmidt walking into Nick's dorm room might be one of the best things that ever happened to him. He and Schmidt are like brothers by the time New Girl's story begins. They love one another, but that doesn't mean they always get along.
It's perfectly normal for the two of them to disagree. Considering how fundamentally different they are (Schmidt is a planner, Nick is not, for example), it's amazing that they don't fight even more. Nick getting frustrated because he doesn't understand his buddy (and vice versa) is easy for the audience to understand.
4 Nick Thinks Julia And Reagan Are Too Good For Him
When Nick gets in his head about relationships, he tends to self sabotage. He can't understand why a regular guy like him could end up with a strong and successful woman like Julia or Reagan. He's not the only one as a tweet went viral in January that wondered the very same thing.
Winston tries to convince him that Julia really likes him during their season one relationship. With his pursuit of a real relationship with Reagan, it actually takes Jess explaining to him just how great he is to make it happen. Nick needs a little encouragement to get him past his cold feet.
3 He Gets Mad At Jess For Going Through His Box
Living in a loft with three other people means that there are going to be a lot of times when boundaries are crossed. The show demonstrates that well with people forgetting to knock on doors, or hanging out in the bathroom, or prying into one another's lives.
Nick knows that his roommates are curious people. For the most part, he seems to accept slip-ups with a reminder about boundaries. When he and Jess date in the third season, however, she crosses a big line. He has a box of bills, old documents, and mementos in his closet that he keeps to himself. Jess takes it upon herself to go through it. Her actions nearly break the two up because she can't respect his privacy or allow him to make his own mistakes. While Nick not paying bills for months is definitely not a good thing, the audience can't help but side with him here.
2 Nick Eats Ruth's Sandwich
The shortened season seven features a time jump and the daughter of Schmidt and Cece. Ruth is a creature of habit. She loves her peanut butter sandwiches, and Nick is tasked with bringing her one at daycare. Unfortunately, with all the obstacles in his way, he gets a little hungry on the job.
No one is saying it's right that Nick eats half of Ruth's peanut butter sandwich, but can anyone blame him when he's tasked with something that ends up taking him all afternoon? Nick thinks he's just going to be able to go in and see her, but that doesn't happen. There's fence climbing and being detained, not to mention a very angry Cece to deal with. He saves Ruth some of her sandwich, though it's a little squashed from being in his pocket.
1 Nick Skips His Proposal Plan Multiple Times
It's not entirely Nick's fault that every time he plans to propose to Jess, something gets in the way. Life is unpredictable - even in the world of a sitcom.
Nick spends months with a ring in his possession, trying to put a plan into action. Eventually, he throws out the plan altogether. He proposes to Jess after chasing a dog that they want to adopt halfway across town. Sometimes, even the big moments in life can't be planned, and Nick knows that better than anyone.
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March 31, 2021 at 05:30AM
