There were plenty of times that Nick from New Girl was a bad friend. He usually had a grumpy disposition and could be mean, selfish, immature, and petty.
However, there were also plenty of times that Nick was a great friend, putting the people he cared about first and supporting them when they really needed it. He almost always came through in the end and owned up to his flaws.
Great Friend: Being There For Jess When She Gets Stood Up
In the pilot episode, we learn that Jess and Nick are suffering from two failed relationships. The guys convince Jess that she needs to get back out there and forget about her ex, Spencer. She plucks up her courage and finally gets a date. When Nick and the guys meet Jess’s date outside a party they are going to, they learn that he stood her up for their date. He didn’t call her to cancel, he just isn’t going to show up.
Caroline, Nick’s ex and the woman he is still in love with, asks him if he wants to get a drink with her. He turns it down because he knows that Jess needs him. The guys leave the party, and Caroline, in order to meet Jess at the restaurant where she is still waiting for her no-show date. Nick tells her that, “We care about you. We like you,” and starts singing “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” to make her feel better. It is definitely one of the cutest things Nick ever does for Jess.
Bad Friend: Pranking Schmidt
Nick loves pranks and he seems to take particular pleasure in messing with Schmidt. While this is hilarious for the show, it is pretty bad friendship behavior.
During one episode, Nick wants to make Schmidt feel that he is getting old. To do this he swaps Schmidt’s contact lenses with lenses of the wrong prescription so that his eyesight is blurry, pours urine on his sheets to make him think he is incontinent, and convinces Schmidt that his hearing is failing him.
Great Friend: Telling Schmidt He Is Needed
In season one, Jess tries to help Schmidt loosen up a little and let go. He ends up letting go too much, spending his days at the beach playing the drums instead of going to work. The group misses Schmidt because he cleans and cooks, but they also miss him because he holds them all together.
In an uncharacteristic moment of emotional honesty, Nick tells him, “I need you, Schmidt. Without you, man, we’re just three idiots that live together. You make us a family.” All Schmidt really wants is a family and to be accepted, so it means a lot to hear those words from Nick.
Bad Friend: Not Paying Winston Back
Nick and Winston have been friends since they were kids. They care about each other, but that doesn’t stop them from being bad friends once in a while. In season one, Winston asks Nick to pay back all the money he owes him. Winston only asks for payment now because he doesn’t have a job and he needs the money. Since Nick does have a job, this seems fairly reasonable.
Nick gets petty about it though and tries to convince Winston that he doesn’t really owe him that much. Nick starts putting a monetary value on favors he has done for Winston to lower the amount he owes. But all he really lowers is his dignity and his friendship status.
Great Friend: Going Into The Haunted House To Warn Jess About Sam
Jess and Sam have been seeing each other for a while and having casual sex with no relationship strings attached. At first, they are both happy with this, but Jess begins to feel more for Sam and thinks that maybe he feels more too. She decides to tell him how she feels.
When Nick realizes that Sam is seeing other girls at the same time as Jess, he is worried that Jess will open herself up to pain and rejection when she professes her more monogamous feelings for Sam. She is working in a haunted house during Halloween, so he makes the decision to face his fears and find her in the haunted house. In doing so, he shows viewers how strong his friendship and care for her is.
Bad Friend: Ashamed Of His Friends
When the loft gang throws Schmidt a birthday party and Nick’s new love interest is invited, he tries to distance himself from his friends.
He tells her that he isn’t like them, and to prove it, he says mean things about them. While he doesn’t really mean it, and he doesn’t keep up this behavior, it was still a pretty “bad friend” thing to do.
Great Friend: Trying To Give Jess And Winston A Water Massage
When Jess gets laid off from her dream job as an elementary school teacher, she loses direction and confidence in herself. She eventually tries to get back into teaching but messes up the interview. Nick helps Jess by taking her to a pool to give her a water massage like his friend Tran gave him to help with Nick’s anger issues. It doesn’t go so well, but he does tell her that she’s doubting herself. He helps her see the problem and tells her that he believes in her. Nick is great at giving a mix of tough love and supportive friendship. Because of him, Jess finds the courage to re-interview and ends up getting the job.
In the same episode, Nick tries to give Winston a water massage to help him feel better about breaking up with Shelby. Again, the massage part isn’t very successful, but the thought behind it definitely helps Winston know he has a great friend who cares about him.
Bad Friend: Telling Secrets
Nick can’t really help this one. He is just terrible at keeping secrets. He gets nervous and awkward, and he begins to sweat profusely. When CeCe and Schmidt are having a secret relationship and Winston swears Nick to secrecy, he probably manages to keep it a secret for all of 20 seconds.
While this doesn’t exactly make him a bad friend, it seems like he should be able to keep at least some secrets for the sake of his friends.
Bad Friend & Great Friend: Being Mean To Schmidt But Then Making Up For It
There are plenty of times that Nick isn’t the nicest person in the loft. In particular, he can be kind of mean to Schmidt. In season two, Nick’s emotional unavailability causes him to lash out at Schmidt for giving him a cookie and “thinking about him” often. Nick tells Schmidt that he never thinks about him, hurting his feelings and generally being a bad friend. Nick finds it very hard to be appreciative of Schmidt, and he gets angry when Schmidt does nice things for him. This is likely because he doesn’t feel like he can reciprocate and it makes him feel uncomfortable.
Nick does care about Schmidt though, and after considering his actions, he makes up for being mean by buying him a special cookie. Nick doesn’t think he deserves Schmidt’s love. He tells him that, “You love me too much, Schmidt. You picked the wrong guy. I’m just gonna let you down.” In the end, Nick is mature enough to be able to open up to Schmidt and express that he really does care about him, and his meanness is a way to keep his emotions distant.
