When we last left the drama magnets of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, our protagonist had just gotten ENGAGED! Oh my god! Seriously, though — oh my god. This is not good. Just when Rebecca Bunch was on the verge of a breakthrough in her therapy, her fantasy romance with Josh knocked her completely off-course. And there’s no attempt at course correction in this week’s episode, which is called…
Josh Is the Man of My Dreams, Right?
We saw three significant developments on this week’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The first and most significant is that Rebecca is beginning to realize that the reality of her relationship with Josh is nowhere near as exciting as the fantasy. Rebecca thrived on the drama of the chase, when she could put Josh on a pedestal. Now, he’s real. And she is refusing to accept the normal, healthy mundanity of that. How, you ask, is she coming to this eventual realization that will likely destroy her engagement to Josh? Well, it all starts with the Santa Ana Winds.
“Devil Winds”
The winds of change are blowing through West Covina, and everyone is having strange dreams. And what does Rebecca dream about? Doin’ it with her new boss, Nathaniel Plimpton. And as luck would have it, Nathaniel has a similar dream about her, too. It makes their interaction at the office pretty awkward, but things get even stranger when they get trapped in the office elevator together. Nathaniel, acknowledging the newly flirtatious dynamic between them, flat-out tells Rebecca what he thinks. “We should have sex,” he blurts out like a jerk. That brings us into…
“Let’s Have Intercourse”
After this John Mayer-esque ballad, the desire for fantasy takes over in Rebecca’s head. And because she’s her own worst enemy, she starts to entertain the fantasy of pursuing Nathaniel. And before they get out of that elevator, Rebecca plants a big kiss on Nathaniel’s mean mouth. Now she’s living out another romcom fantasy. Josh was her stereotypical pure-hearted savior. Now Nathaniel is her broken bad boy. Oh, jeez.
The second big development of the week is fallout from Rebecca’s attraction to Nathaniel. In an attempt to deal with her crushing guilt, Rebecca rushes into marriage with Josh and schedules the wedding in two weeks’ time, which should sync up nicely (read: catastrophically) with the season two finale.
It’s not always easy to watch Rebecca do this to herself and those around her. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend knows that and embraces it, making Rebecca Bunch a more realistic protagonist. We care for her, we get mad at her, and we can’t stand to see her being so irresponsible. But this show’s small and fiercely loyal fanbase keeps coming back for her.
The third major development this week is with Paula. A few weeks back, she booted her husband Scott out of the house after he confessed to an infidelity. After some time apart to heal, Paula admits to Rebecca that she misses Scott. When Darryl overhears, he schemes a plan to get them back together. Paula’s livid with Darryl, but to her surprise, Scott has become a more dependable father. He and Paula reunite, and Paula apologizes to Darryl. A cute musical number ensues.
Observations
- Mrs. Hernandez talks again!
- Nathaniel, as it turns out, is a Harry Potter fan. Rebecca thinks she’s a Ravenclaw, but Nathaniel says she’s a Gryffindor. He’s a proud Slytherin, of course.
- This week’s episode was fairly music-heavy, but nothing topped the little reprise of “You Stupid B****.”
- “If people think I’m an idiot for taking you back, screw ’em.” Hell yeah, Paula.