About Three Years Later is the first episode of New Girl's seventh and final season.
Three years after the Season 6 finale, the gang reunites for the birthday party of Cece and Schmidt's daughter.
Tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: Three occur as the audience is shown where the characters are in their lives:
- After the Previously on… segment closes with the elevator doors closing on Jess and Nick's kiss, the words "about three years later" flash onscreen, and Jess is shown exiting an elevator on the arm of another man, who casually says he loves her. The two are then joined by Nick and Merle, and the man is revealed to be Merle's boyfriend, while Nick and Jess kiss.
- While Jess and Nick prepare to leave for the birthday party, Jess excitedly holds her left hand up (although conveniently off camera), saying she can't wait to show everyone what she has on her finger. She ends up pulling one on their friends, waiting to reveal...a splint after she and Nick got into a Vespa accident.
- Cece slips away from party preparation, claiming she has to help one of her models. She's then shown collapsing onto a bed with Winston, and the two are confronted by an angry Aly...who is upset that they rotated the mattress without her.
- After the Previously on… segment closes with the elevator doors closing on Jess and Nick's kiss, the words "about three years later" flash onscreen, and Jess is shown exiting an elevator on the arm of another man, who casually says he loves her. The two are then joined by Nick and Merle, and the man is revealed to be Merle's boyfriend, while Nick and Jess kiss.
- The Bus Came Back: Russell is the latest love interest to make his return, as he now has a son who is friends with Ruth. He also offers Jess a job after something caused her to leave Banyon Canyon.
- Noodle Incident: A few references are made to things that happened over the Time Skip:
- Schmidt uses Winston and Aly's wedding as a barometer for how drunk people are at Ruth's party.
- Jess no longer works at Banyon Canyon, for reasons she apparently legally can't talk about.
- Porn Stache: Schmidt grew a moustache over the three-year skip. Nick hates it.
- Time Skip: The episode, and the rest of the season, take place three years after the finale of Season 6, and several things have changed during that time.
- Winston and Aly are married, and Aly is several months pregnant.
- Schmidt and Cece have a three-year-old daughter.
- The Pepperwood Chronicles have become a huge hit, with the most recent installment having just been published across Europe.
- Bob has given his blessing for Nick to propose to Jess, although he has to do it in a specific window of time.
- Jess and Nick are now the only occupants of the loft.
