Fox's The Mindy Project started off it's season with an episode fraught with exposition, convoluted stoy lines and included James Franco. The sitcom, written by and starring Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Lahiri, began where it left off- Mindy and her boyfriend, Pastor Casey (Anders Holm), are in Haiti, where she works as an OB-GYN and he as a missionary.

Because of the difficulty of producing comedy in a struggling, poverty-stricken third world country, I was wondering how the writing team would make this unusual plot line work-perhaps in the vein of dark comedy, a risky choice for a cable sitcom. However, the writers seemed to realize they have bitten off more than they can chew, which is why they immediately send Mindy back to New York to get her gallstones removed. This convoluted twist, after so much buildup to see how the ditzy, hilarious character would function in Haiti, was disappointing and forced. 

The first episode seemed overly stuffed with major life events. It begins in Haiti, where Mindy had romantically joined Casey at the end of last season. Casey proposes to Mindy in a tree, and the two go to consummate the relationship back in their tent. However, their tryst is cut short when Mindy feels stomach pain. Cut to her having to be airlifted back to New York for gallstone removal. 

Later in the episode, her and Casey decide to get married in her apartment. Minutes later, they decide not to get married, and Mindy decides not to return to Haiti in lieu of staying in New York to work at her practice. If that sounds confusing, it is because it was. Due to the first episode's copious amounts of exposition, a lot of comedy was lost, as the writers tried to dig themselves out of a hole they had put themselves in at the end of the first season. 

Upon returning to she office, Mindy finds the usual gang of humorous characters. The object of her sexual tension, the dark and handsome Dr. Danny Castellano (Chris Messina) breaks up with his ex-wife Christina, who had returned to his life in the previous season. The silly overgrown child, nurse Morgan Tookers (Ike Barinholtz), continues to exist merely for one-liners. Finally, there is a new character, Dr. Paul Leotard, played by James Franco. Like many fans of The Mindy Project, I was simultaneously surprised and not at all surprised when I heard that James Franco was going to be guest-starring, considering his diverse array of projects, which include incongruous works such as Your Highness, General Hospital, and, most recently, his own roast on Comedy Central. Dr. Paul Leotard, a handsome, lovable OB-GYN, sex therapist and nutritionist, has taken Mindy's place in the office as Dr. L, her moniker arround the office, and as the "most adorable" person in the office, a status which Mindy had previously designated to herself. Franco is one of many celebrity guest stars which appear for one episode to interact with Mindy briefly-without moving the plot forward-to give the ratings a boost. 

The Mindy Project seems caught between wanting to establish an overarching plotline and wanting to produce stand alone episodes. While the beginning of the show set up many character dynamics, such as the sexual tension between Danny and Mindy, these were never developed. As a result, the overarching plotline is weak and sort of silly, and the show functions as a vehicle for Dr. Mindy to live out her romantic comedy fantasies in short, sketch-like segments. While I do enjoy these forays into Ms. Kaling's very perceptive, hilarious mind, I often find myself wishing she were better able to ingratiate her comedic, situational ideas within the context of the show, and not just arbitrarily drop ideas in wherever she pleases. The first episode, overall, contained too much exposition and not enough comedy. As a Mindy fan, I remain hopeful that this show can sustain itself past its first season.