Apparently, Schmidt has shaped his life based on the advice gleaned through his letter/e-mail correspondence with Michael Keaton. Unfortunately for Schmidt, the person who he’s been writing to hasn’t ever actually been Michael Keaton…obviously. The montage of Schmidt’s relationship with “Michael Keaton” is particularly hilarious. At learning this, Jess thinks that she can bring Schmidt out of his downward spiral, and starts to write to Schmidt. In true Jess fashion, she fails; apparently “Keaton” hasn’t talked to Schmidt in over three years. His unexpected e-mail and subsequent silence sends Schmidt to his bed, block of cheese in hand, forcing the true Keaton “catfish” out of retirement and to take the reins. With the true ghostwriter at the helm, Schmidt is advised to not attend the party, and Jess can finally breathe easy. All in all, “Keaton” is a solid outing from the gang. Schmidt takes a slightly loony but important step at the end of the episode and I like where the show is headed. New Girl has held back on the funny the past two weeks, dialing up the drama, but the progression of the characters allows for really interesting possibilities moving forward. Den of Geek Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars