S4E2 "I Am Ashamed"
Rebecca's mission to do good this season is quickly derailed when she discovers an article written about her, with comments filled with the bad things that she has done. Rebecca is the type of person that is very concerned with what others think about her, so this keeps her from leaving her house for days. It's fairly sad actually, and it is a total Rebecca move.
"Time to Seize the Day" is a very funny song that is also very, very Rebecca. She really wants to push herself to go out of the house, but she can't do it. The part about masturbating was especially hilarious, both how bluntly she talked about it, and the audio we hear from the gay porn she watched.
After Rebecca's failed attempt to leave the house, the episode really digs into its Halloween theme, when Rebecca believes that the spirit of the girl who was murdered in her house is there. It is very funny when she climbs into bed with Heather and Hector because of this, and it honestly made me really happy to see Heather try to use this to help Rebecca and get her to go out of the house. The show has done a great job of showing the support system that Rebecca has in her friends.
Rebecca and her group of female friends come together to try to communicate with this spirit she believes is in the house. Heather and Paula participate despite being certain that there is no spirit. However, their attitudes change when the table floats and the power goes out. The group joins Rebecca on a trip to the murdered girl's grave, where Rebecca does some reflecting and Patton Oswalt makes a very enjoyable return to the show.
The episode's Monster Mash parody, "The Cringe," is very entertaining and fitting for the Halloween theme of the episode, as well as the theme of dealing with your past. It provided a lot of laughs (Patton Oswalt's character may be a murderer?) and Patton Oswalt was absolutely wonderful in it.
The next day, Rebecca is able to bring herself to go out in public, realizing how some people may see her isn't a huge deal. At the end of the episode, the split between the believers in the paranormal (Rebecca and Valencia) and the rational (Heather and Paula) is very funny, as Heather gives a rational explanation as to what caused everything that happened in the episode, while Rebecca and Valencia maintain that they may never know what the real cause is.
In this episode's subplots, Darryl is concerned about raising his new baby, and Nathaniel returns to work. Darryl's realization that he can be a solo parent feels very typical, though he has some entertaining moments. What I enjoyed even more in these parts of the episode though were the jokes about Josh, particularly how he mostly took selfies rather than pictures of the cute baby in a costume. Nathaniel's subplot wasn't bad, it was just fairly forgettable.
Also, this episode introduced this season's theme song. "Meet Rebecca" highlights the fact that Rebecca is a very complex character and full of contradictions. It is very entertaining, and the final part of it (with the woman not named Rebecca) was hilarious.
The episode's main story was great, with its focus on Rebecca's journey while also incorporating something seasonal. And, the Patton Oswalt appearance was wonderful. The episode also had really great songs. The subplots kind of dragged compared to the main plot, though neither one was actually bad, and they both served some purpose.
Score: 8.5/10
What did you think of "I Am Ashamed"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!