New Girl's Max Greenfield on Schmidt's Road to Redemption

Schmidt (Max Greenfield) may think himself New Girl's perennial ladies' man, but he took it too far when he decided to date both Elizabeth (Merritt Wever) and Cece (Hannah Simone). It wasn't long before he was discovered, and, of course, lost both girls in one fell swoop.

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On Tuesday's episode (9/8c, Fox), Schmidt won't immediately own up to his actions but will instead blame Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson), whom he swore vengeance on at the close of last week's episode. "He goes after Nick and Jess' relationship and tries to play some mental warfare with them," Greenfield tells TVGuide.com. "He attacks their sexual relationship and tells them about some maneuver called 'The Captain,' which gets in both of their heads, hence the title of the episode."
 
Ultimately, Schmidt might turn a new leaf when he seeks clarity about his life. "He comes to terms with the fact that potentially it's not Nick and Jess' fault," Greenfield says. "He finds himself in a place of questioning whether he's a good person or not and what makes a good person. He seeks answers through his rabbi, played by Jon Lovitz. As a lot of people know, I'm a huge Saturday Night Livefan, so to work with Jon was a dream come true."
With this self-reflection, will Schmidt eventually attempt to mend fences and win at least one of his girls back? "He comes to terms with the gravity of what he's done," Greenfield says. "Schmidt backs off for a while and he tries to really come to grips with what it all means and really his guilt. I don't think he's looking for a woman so much right now or trying to get either one back as much as he's looking for answers as to why he is the way he is."

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Naturally, don't expect Schmidt to turn his life around that quickly. When he rescues a bike messenger, played by Drunk History's Derek Waters, Schmidt will go too far in seeking a reward for his good deed. "He really wants to be given credit for it and wants more of a reward than he's receiving," he says. "The feeling of having helped someone is not enough for him. He needs more validation."

The return of Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) could be a step in the right direction, however, since Schmidt may see firsthand the error of his ways. "Coach has always been the closest thing to a compatriot to Schmidt," Greenfield says. "He likes to go out, he likes to party, he has a big personality. In the episode he comes back, that's exactly what he's looking to do. Schmidt and Nick find themselves in a position where they're like, 'Oh God, he's exhausting. He's kind of an animal.'"

Do you think Schmidt should eventually try to win Cece back? Or is it really time to move on? Hit the comments with your thoughts!

New Girl airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Fox.