S3E11 "Nathaniel and I are Just Friends!"
The episode gets off to a great start, with Dr. Akopian listening to a voicemail from Rebecca (with a reference to the text to Josh from the pilot), and getting excited about the idea that Rebecca is going to be different this time, and actually put in the work to get better. In their first session this time around, it seems pretty similar to Rebecca's past sessions with Dr. Akopian. Also, there was a hilarious joke where Rebecca imagines out loud about her and Dr. Akopian being a CBS show (which is later brought up by others a couple of other times), and Dr. Akopian says "I do not wish to be called Akops."
After a few other things are introduced, the show does an eight-month time-jump. The scene in which this happens is shot brilliantly, beautifully, and elegantly. Great job, episode director Erin Ehrlich! In these eight months, a lot of things have changed. Home Base has been redesigned, Heather is very pregnant, White Josh has returned from working for Habitat for Humanity in Mexico, and he and Josh now have a dog (Dog Josh, a name that WhiJo objects to), it turns out Darryl isn't the only one on this show that's bi, and Paula now hates Sunil, who has sided with everyone else in the office. But, one thing hasn't changed, Rebecca and Nathaniel are still sleeping together, despite the fact that Nathaniel is dating someone.
Rebecca is completely fine with the situation with her and Nathaniel. But, things change when she sees Mona, the girl that Nathaniel is seeing. I find it hard to believe that Rebecca would be able to hide her sex with Nathaniel from Paula for eight months, There's a great, both funny and emotional, scene where Rebecca explains to Nathaniel why they can't have sex anymore, but has to say what she's trying to say using a metaphor about office supplies, since they are in front of Tim, Jim, Maya, and Sunil.
After this, Rebecca fills Dr. Akopian in. Then, Rebecca allows Dr. Akopian to do some digging, and the reason that Rebecca doesn't want to embark on a relationship is revealed. It's deep, and powerful. She is afraid what she will do if in a relationship. Even if that suicide attempt was probably ten months ago now, the fact that she got to that point has her worried about future relationships. With Dr. Akopian's encouragement, Rebecca goes to Nathaniel's, but the episode ends with Nathaniel opening his door and no one being there.
Heather and Hector are struggling with Heather's pregnancy. Hector is struggling because of the way that Heather is behaving, and Heather is struggling because of the way that her life has been impacted. Heather even cries (which she didn't do when she was younger because she was a super chill baby). In the end, Heather and Hector reflect on how they are grown-ups with responsibilities now, which is a great thing for the person who didn't know who she was if not a student and the one who, until eight months ago, lived with his mom to reflect on. Also, it was hilarious when Heather distracted Hector by saying "look, a podcast!"
This week, Paula struggles with the fact that she discovered she's the office bitch (at least to everyone that isn't Rebecca). I can see why Paula would be mean to Tim and Jim, since they were mean to her in the past, and maybe even Maya for finding her annoying, but I have a hard time believing that she would treat Sunil in this way. In the end, Paula reflects on why she behaves this way, and Sunil reminds her that he was number two in their class. It's not the most compelling story, but it is what it is.
And now for my thoughts on the songs from this episode...
"This Session is Going to be Different": This was a great song, really showcasing Dr. Akopian's hope for Rebecca's session. There were some really funny lines in the song, and the vocal performance was wonderful.
"Face Your Fears (reprise)": Rachel Bloom's performance made this really compelling. I was really drawn into the episode in these final minutes as this song was sung, and Rebecca tried to find the courage to face her fears.
Overall, this was a strong episode. Paula's subplot was much less entertaining than Heather's or the main story, and I found it odd that we just got a glimpse of some of the show's characters (Josh, White Josh, Darryl, and Valencia), but it made sense with the time jump to see how that changed their lives (though Darryl's didn't really change at all, except that he is closer to having a baby, and he wasn't really needed in the episode honestly). I was very worried when the eight-month jump was introduced, but it ended up working out just fine.
Score: 9/10
What did you think of "Nathaniel and I are Just Friends!"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!