The Best Relationship on ‘The Mindy Project’ is Not The One You Think It Is

Danny sucks. There, I said it! Danny Castellano (Chris Messina) is both Mindy Lahiri’s (Mindy Kaling) main love interest and also her baby daddy on The Mindy Project, but his character can be so damn frustrating. So let’s take a moment to appreciate the actual best relationship on this show.
The friendship between Mindy and Peter Prentice (Adam Pally) is like no other on TV. Mindy and Peter confirm, once and for all, that men and women CAN just be friends, and they can do it while being hilarious AND supportive of each other.
Pally joined The Mindy Project at the beginning of season 2, fresh off his underrated stint as Max on Happy Endings (the entirety of which is currently streaming on Hulu and you should watch it now). While Peter was struggling to fit in amongst his co-workers, Pally was effortlessly integrated into the cast of the rom com sitcom.
The friendship between Mindy and Peter started to come together, most notably in season 2, episode 10 “Wedding Crushers.” Peter convinces Mindy to go to her ex’s (Tommy Dewey) wedding and volunteers to be her date. When he shows up, looking super spiffy, Mindy says what we were all thinking: “Whoa.” And then The Mindy Project writers made one of the best decisions they’ve ever made: never have Mindy and Peter hook up.

At the wedding, he makes her get up to dance and have a good time, and is all for helping to make her ex jealous, but more importantly, helping Mindy to feel good about herself. Time after time, Peter encourages Mindy to let loose and be confident in herself. He’s her full time wingman, which was expertly displayed in episode 19 of season 2, “Think Like a Peter.” He feeds Mindy pickup lines to go get the hot guy at the bar (Max Greenfield). And it works! She goes home with him! In typical Peter fashion, it all turns into a disaster, but he’s right by her side the whole time, even when it means causing a scene at an elementary school.
One of the truest examples of this friendship arrives in season 2, episode 16 “Indian BBW.” Peter happens to stumble upon a homemade porn video Mindy made with an ex (Bill Hader) and lets her know it’s on the internet. Except, instead of being embarrassed, both for and/or with her, he is impressed. He compliments her and reassures her. He sees it as an accomplishment. Whatever the opposite of slut shaming is, he does that to Mindy with each and every sexual encounter she has.
From one night stands to getting adventurous in bed with Danny, Peter encourages Mindy to let her sexual side out. He wants her to be bold and wild and a little bit crazy, but most of all, honest and true to herself. He’s basically like the human version of those Instagram accounts that just post motivational quotes, that you know Mindy would be a huge fan of.
In season 3, episode 10, “What About Peter,” Peter moves next door to Mindy and Danny and it becomes even more evident what a match these two are. Mindy likes having Peter around, and not just because it means someone to watch her favorite trashy reality shows with, while Danny stays grumpy and just wants to go to bed.

The Mindy Project really got it right with “No More Mr. Noishe Guy,” (episode 14, season 3). Peter gives Mindy her gynecological exam with the ease of pals catching up over coffee. When Peter calls Mindy from a cab on his way out of town and reveals, “You’re kind of my best friend.” Mindy replies, “Oh my God. I think you’re my best friend too,” finally understanding what viewers had been witnessing all along. It is only fitting that he then got to deliver the big news, along with his signature terrible Borat impression, that she is pregnant.
This in no way a plea for Mindy and Peter to be together romantically. They are strictly platonic friends and that’s what makes this relationship so special. But Peter is the anti-Danny. We’ve recently seen Danny pressure Mindy into making huge career choices she’s not on board with, essentially asking her to change herself. With Peter, Mindy has someone she can confide in and vice versa. He knows where Mindy’s insecurities are and never tries to poke at them. Their friendship is a judgement-free zone, where there’s no pressure, but always positive encouragement from the other to be their best self. Peter is the person Mindy is closest to at the practice, they hardly ever fight, and they know the right things to say when consoling each other.
Danny, on the other hand, goes MIA for stretches at a time. While his grumpy conservatism works at certain moments for the opposites attract couple, it’s always nice to see Mindy has a wacky match in Peter when it comes to both sense of humor and sexuality. Mindy and Peter are never afraid to give each other some real talk, while Mindy spends long chunks of time being unable to tell Danny how she really feels about big life decisions such as where she lives or when she works. Sure, Danny might pop up with a sexy dance from time to time, but Peter consistently understands Mindy’s needs as a friend. Peter + Mindy = #friendshipgoals
[Watch The Mindy Project on Hulu]