I'm not going to pretend that it's easy for me to sit here and write about some of the most boring episodes in this show's history. I really struggled to even motivate myself to write about them and if it wasn't for a good friend telling me to just focus on the positive, I don't even know of this would be happening. So let's start with the biggest positive, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is coming back for season 3! That's excellent! I really love the CW for putting such faith behind one of the most diverse and divisive shows on it's network. I was a bit worried when they decided to double pump these episodes that they were trying to get rid of it as quickly as possible, but knowing its coming back next year really does give me a bit of comfort. Now I just need to worry about my other baby on this network. #iZombie. Since the network decided to air both episodes in one night and I really want to try and stay positive, I've decided to just share my thoughts on the two episodes as a whole versus breaking them down per usual.
Let's start with one really good note. Josh and Anna broke up in the first hour! As much as I don't care for our resident man-child, he did deserve better than Anna and her stuck up attitude. (Plus, we knew the show wasn't going to be able to keep Brittany Snow around for long) I will say I though that the Brittany was really under utilized in this role. Once she decided not to kiss Josh because he had sniffles, I knew this relationship was done so I wasn't surprised when after sleeping with him the bathroom but then seeing him being participate in the tacky fashion show that she broke up with him. Josh being sick also opened the door for my recurring nightmare of Josh and Rebecca to return.(My soul feels about them how Bex looks in the photo above) Bex, who should have been focusing on babysitting Paula's son and not Josh, instantly falls back into the black hole that is Josh when she finds out he's sick and sends him soup but that then he tags Anna in his instagram post about it. Once Anna breaks up with him for taking part in the tacky fashion show and reveals she didn't send Josh the soup, Josh realizes it must've been Rebecca and decides that she's the one because she wasn't afraid to hug him while he was sick, sent him soup and has just been there the whole time, DUH!. (Cue my eyes rolling into my head)
Scott cheating on Paula really wasn't much of a surprise. Scott reeks of fragile masculinity and Paula forging her own path and ignoring him for her studies really was a blow to his ego, so when she showed up late to his performance he got upset he slept with that work wench.(At least he came clean about it) Paula kicks him out, and Bex agrees to watch Tommy while Paula goes on her school trip because she is so maternal(This goes about as well as expected). Later, Bex is feeling guilty over the fact that in her attempt to reveal to Josh she is his soup fairy that she took Tommy to a club and lost him then lied to Paula about it that when he comes to announce his love at Paula's house he turns him away. Bex comes clean to Paula and Paula is moved and their relationship is repaired because Bex is a little less selfish. The one good thing about this Tommy nonsense plot is that it gave us some good Heather and Rebecca moments and the reconciliation of my two favorite West Covinaians, Paula and Rebecca. While it was good that got to address the problems between them, I like it best when these two are on the same side.
I adored that the show went meta and semi-theatrical with its tunes in the second hour, but I really don't know if I'm ready for the character of Nathaniel, I know that he is really supposed to be the male version of Rebecca before she came to West Covina, but he really just feels a bit like Greg-lite with his ability to get under Bex's skin while remaining somewhat charming. What I can say is interesting is how now Rebecca is going to have to externally face the two halves of herself and chose which one she really wants to be (with). One half is the fun loving and dream chasing Rebecca that wants to be more like and with Josh and the other is the scarily efficient lawyer with parental issues like Nathaniel. Right now she's compensating by role playing with Josh to feel the emotions she felt when she attacked Nathaniel, but I doubt that will do her any good in the long run and she's going to want the real thing with Nathaniel, at least for a little while. (Who couldn't see the attraction between them coming from a mile away?) I just think that if every time their relationship starts the show has to immediately throw an obstacle at it to keep it entertaining then they really need to squash that relationship. Do you remember when we thought this show was going to focus on other relationships aside from Bex and Josh? #GOODTIMES
On the other hand, I will say that Nathaniel's arrival did start to immediately drill holes in the Rebecca and Josh ship, which makes me happy. It's a little painful to watch Josh be a little upset that Bex wants to do adult things like work and help her friends keep their jobs. Rebecca is maturing and Josh is stagnant and the quicker she realizes she deserves more than Josh, the better. I just wish this episode didn't really follow the whole 'lead character saves the day after screwing up cliche'. It honestly felt like the whole Darryl selling the firm came out of nowhere. I had to force myself to keep watching as it was kind of predictable of what was going to happen. Not for a second did I think that Rebecca wasn't going to be able to get the 250,000 she needed to save their jobs. It just felt like the show was trying to force a villain on us via this plot now that Valencia has gone soft, Paula and Bex are friends again and Anna is out of the picture. Of course, I have to admire the fact that instead of choosing be selfish and stay in her love bubble with Josh, Rebecca actually chose to help save her friend's jobs. If you take out the weird and uninteresting plot devices it took to get there, at the heart of these two episodes we really just saw Rebecca learning to put aside her own selfish desires for the sake of others. That fact actually makes sitting through these episodes less of a chore and more enjoyable. Because I'm grading this as one episode though I have to give them a collective
C-.
Stray Thoughts-
Darryl and White Josh scene alert! How soon until these two decide to move in with each other? Can you imagine the storyline of them trying to decide whose stuff stays and who goes. Also, I had no idea Darryl had so many feathers!
How great was Heather doing her Miss Douche promo? Are you following
Miss Douche on twitter?
Okay, the
Gary George musical number getting cut by commercial was hilarious.
Is it just me, or was Josh's fashion show outfit actually not that bad? I'd wear it.
I love that the Chan parents had on matching outfits. It takes balls to do that and commit.
Um. Bex is Paula's husband now and I don't know how I feel about it.
Um, can we please get more of Patton Oswalt's security guard just trying to force Paula to touch aquatic life? That touch tank scene was everything!
Grading the Songs- (I like to grade the songs based on the probability that they will be bought and listened to outside of the context of the show in addition to how they are presented in the show itself.)
'So Maternal'- Okay, without the visual, it's not as good. But that doesn't stop it from being good. I thought it was really funny and clever. RAISE EM UP!
B.
'DUH!=- I actually like this one. It's funny and so Josh. It's like uh...hello..this song is perfect for him and them as a couple.
A
'Who's the New Guy?' - META-REALNESS! How can you not love this song? Such great lyrics! "Why should we root for someone male, straight and white?" or "Who's this new character, I mean he's such a character. Do we really need a new guy so far into the season and by too far into the season I mean it's almost fall. Is this some sort of desperate move to help our ratings, you mean our terrible ratings on legalscore.com. Will he be here forever or just two or three episodes, I mean Karen's manic episodes, I'm a ticking time bomb" I've gotta give this one an
A+
'George's Turn'-
Glen George won't be interrupted anymore! As a song...it doesn't offer much, but it's solid as a joke.
C
So what did you think of these episodes? What did you think of the new guy? Are you excited about season 3? Share your thoughts below!
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 2 Episode 10 "Will Scarsdale Like Josh's Shayna Punim?" will air 1/13/17 on the CW!
About the Author - Winston Mize
I always have the most trouble coming up with a blurb to describe me. Which is really weird for someone who wants to make a career out of writing. If you think I'm awkward online, it's just because you haven't met me in person. I'd like to think I have other interests outside of TV, and maybe I do, but TV is the one that gets me most excited. I live a pretty boring life so TV's the way I get my fix, and I'd love to chat about it with you. I'm also always looking to guest or start my own podcast, so if you've got the opportunity, I'm in there like swimwear. You can check me out with different previews of various shows or read my reviews of iZombie, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Legends Of Tomorrow here on the site. If you're a fan on One Tree Hill you can check out my podcast about as well by checking out our twitter page @OnlyOthPod.
