Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S4E3 Review

This episode continues Rebecca's rebuilding her life and really taking a good look at herself. This week, the episode examines Rebecca's job. She's good at practicing law, but is it what she wants to do?


S4E3 "I'm On My Own Path"

This week, Rebecca is wondering if she really wants to be a lawyer while she waits on confirmation from the Bar that she can continue practicing law. The issue is, it's evident very early on what her choice will be. Still, the callbacks to the pretzels and butter commercial were entertaining, and it was important to see Rebecca figure out that she needs to make her own path in life instead of taking the path that her mother wanted her to take.

Both of this episode's songs revolved around this decision for Rebecca, and they each had their moments. Jim's "Don't Be a Lawyer" wasn't especially entertaining, but the disclaimer at the end was hilarious. Pretzels singing the "Twisted Fate" song felt like something that was trying to be unusual, while it's the type of thing the show has done before (such as the cats' part in season 3's "Buttload of Cats"). This song was amusing, but neither of this episode's songs really stood out in any way.

Rebecca and Josh reconnect in this episode, as she discovers he's in therapy. Josh actually makes decent decisions in this episode, it seems therapy is really helping, though of course he is dumb as always (believing the lie that the girls tell him about Uber calling them). This was an entertaining story, and it showed how Josh has grown, but there wasn't very much of it.

Heather and Hector decide to get married this week so that he can be on her insurance. This story got off to an awkward start, but after they got married, it got better. After Heather shuts him down on the idea of having a wedding that people attend, Valencia and Beth come in to talk her into having a wedding. The joke in this scene where Valencia says some people shouldn't be able to get married is very funny. The episode ends with the wedding, and it is a really sweet one, because Heather and Hector's relationship is something really sweet.


This certainly wasn't Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's best episode, but this is an above-average show, so a below-average episode isn't bad. None of the stories in this episode were all that strong, but they weren't bad either. This episode wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't a stand-out either.

Score: 7.5/10

What did you think of "I'm On My Own Path"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S4E2 Review

After last week's premiere, this episode settles into the way this season is going. It's also a Halloween episode (the kind of thing the show hasn't really done recently), with some potentially spooky things going on.


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!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Final Season Premiere Review

She moved across the country for a guy, she told the guy she moved there for him, she got engaged to him and then was jilted, and now, Rebecca Bunch is...going to jail? With the second half of season three had Rebecca focusing on her mental health, in the finale she decides to needs to be responsible for her actions, and she decides to do that by pleading guilty for the attempted second-degree murder of her stalker Trent. Now the fourth and final season sets out to have Rebecca become a more responsible person.


S4E1 "I Want to Be Here"

The episode begins with everyone but Rebecca realizing that her desire to go to jail is ridiculous. Co-creator and showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna guest stars in this scene as a prosecutor, who gets a funny moment. The judge sentences Rebecca to six weeks in county jail, thinking that will convince her that she doesn't want to go to jail, and that she then won't plead guilty. This not only makes sense, but sets up the jail plot to be short-term, which it really does need to be.

The episode's first song ("What's Your Story?") is a parody of "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago. Rebecca's enthusiasm to have the other women's stories be like the stories from "Cell Block Tango" is hilarious, in how it points out why most crimes actually are committed. The song also has a great moment where it points out racial bias in the judicial system. It was very fitting to have the first song of the season really demonstrate the style of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Despite not being liked by the other people she is in jail with, especially when they discover she chose to be there, Rebecca still believes that she needs to be there. When Paula tells her that the charges are getting dropped because Trent woke up from his coma and confessed to everything he did, Rebecca is disappointed, much to the frustration of Paula, Heather, and Valencia. She finally, at the end of the episode's fifth act, gets the message that if she wants to pay some sort of penance, she should do something that actually benefits people.

Josh once again makes things in Rebecca's life about him, as he concludes that he must, like her, have a disorder. Hector pointing out how wrong he is was great. Josh, as a result, takes a very Josh route, deciding to take online quizzes to figure out what disorder he has. Heather is very entertaining in how she tears apart his delusion. She is always an entertaining voice of reason. She convinces him to go to a therapist (which ends up being the male Dr. Akopian), who tells Josh he doesn't have a disorder. There is also a great running joke about Sex and the City character quizzes.

Nathaniel feels betrayed by Rebecca, and like Rebecca and Josh, his solution is obviously a poor decision to everyone around him. The unexpectedly delightful dynamic that the show found between Nathaniel and George is utilized in this story, as George follows Nathaniel on his extreme camping trip. Nathaniel's obsession with this Man vs. Wild sort of thing is odd, but luckily it doesn't last for all that long.

In the second song of the episode ("No One Else is Singing My Song"), Rebecca, Josh, and Nathaniel all sing about how alone they are, and how no one understands them, the irony being how similar everything they say are to one another, and how they harmonize. It's a well-done and enjoyable song, with funny moments and great purpose.

The episode's conclusion highlights a difference in viewpoints between Rebecca and Nathaniel, with Nathaniel offering to take Rebecca to Hawaii, and Rebecca wanting to focus on helping people. She ends the episode by making a good decision, something that doesn't happen all too often in this show, so it's rewarding when it does happen. Offering free legal advice to the ladies in jail is a great way for Rebecca to help, and it really shows that she has learned something.

The episode also has a great tag scene at the end, where Paula discovers that Trent isn't actually in a coma. All of her different tactics to try to get him to wake are entertaining, but the best is the one that proves successful, getting his alma mater wrong. The show's Harvard jokes really are quite funny (and this is the second of two in the episode, both of which are hilarious).


Overall, this was a strong season premiere. It wasn't perfect, it did feel a little formulaic and typical at times. Still, it was a really enjoyable hour that did a great job of dealing with where Rebecca, Josh, and Nathaniel are at right now, and it sent Rebecca on a path to follow in the show's final season.

Score: 9/10

What do you think of "I Want to Be Here"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 3 Finale Review

This season has gone a lot of places, but it hasn't really given us any indication of where it is going in its season finale. The title of the finale, however, is similar to the last title with Josh's name, except this title has Nathaniel's name. In "Josh is Irrelevant" Rebecca accepted her diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, and decided to work toward being better. Now, "Nathaniel is Irrelevant."


S3E13 "Nathaniel is Irrelevant."

Earlier this season, Rebecca admitted to Josh a lot of things that she had done since moving to West Covina. However, her motive then was revenge. Now, Rebecca also plans to admit things she did since moving to West Covina that people don't know about, but the reason this time is the guilt she feels. She makes lists, and gives them to Paula, Josh, and Nathaniel. While Josh and Nathaniel get angry about some of the things on their list, what Rebecca truly cares about is Paula, who is very hurt when she reads that Rebecca lied about Trent having dirt on her. Paula lashes out at Rebecca, and it's absolutely heartbreaking. While we understand completely why Rebecca did the things she did, she also keeps lying to Paula.

Without Paula by her side, when danger lands in Rebecca's lap, she doesn't know how to fight it. Trent has returned to West Covina, and he is now early season 3 Rebecca, specifically where she was at in the horror movie episode, which he makes obvious when he calls himself "a scary, scary sexy man." Not knowing what Trent has in store, Rebecca turns to Paula, but Paula is done helping her. Paula listening to the voicemail from Rebecca on repeat is an intense scene, as her feelings of hurt and betrayal are what prevail, but she struggles internally with the fact that this is where she would normally come to save Rebecca.

Nathaniel doesn't seem to be having quite as good of a time as he should at his party for him and Mona moving in together, where there is a hilarious quote from George about Rebecca: "After everything she did for you that you didn't ask for, that stupid bitch." However, things are about to get a whole lot worse at the party. Rebecca discovers Trent's plan, that he is going to kill Nathaniel. Rebecca races to the party, where she sees Trent holding a knife over Nathaniel, and pushes him over the edge of the balcony. The bad things that Rebecca has done have now lead her to do something worse.

Rebecca gets arrested, and Nathaniel is going to represent her in court. The penultimate act of the episode ends with his plan: pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. It's the perfect thing for the show to come back to, will Rebecca represent herself as "crazy," and it causes the conflict of is what Rebecca did her fault or not. Nathaniel tries to convince her it isn't, but when Rebecca sees Paula in the courtroom, she recognizes that she chose to deceive Paula, it was her choice. So, Rebecca decides to take responsibility for her actions, the complete opposite of the last time she was on trial. Rebecca's speech at the end of the episode is incredibly impactful, and Rachel Bloom's performance is absolutely outstanding.

In the sub-plot of the episode, Heather is a week away from giving birth at the start, and it's really funny when there is a crowd in the room at the doctor's appointment, and how Heather obviously only wanted Hector there. When it comes time for Heather to actually give birth, there are a lot of funny jokes rooted in the limited and often ignorant male perspectives of childbirth, as Darryl doesn't think that Heather would want to start of the drugs, and he is surprised at how the experience differs from what he has scene on television. Also, Heather thanking the doctor after demanding the drugs was hilarious, and shows why Heather is great.

When Darryl and Heather talk about who they want to have around when she gives birth, and it's really funny when they debate whether having the whole group there would be a "group hang" or "having a few people over." Heather decides to get to the bottom of this, and Darryl admits how much he misses White Josh. After the birth, White Josh arrives at the hospital, to share a sweet scene with Darryl. I'm very glad that these two are at least friends again. Also, the fact that Darryl wanted to name the baby a horrible name combining Heather and Rebecca was funny.

And now for my thoughts on the songs of the episode...

"The Miracle of Birth": Like in the first season, the season finale has a song early in the episode sung by Paula in a hospital. I thought that was a funny coincidence. Paula's joyfulness contrasted with the pain and misery she describes is enjoyable, and I really liked the reactions from everyone.

"Nothing Is Ever Anyone's Fault": The style choice for this song was excellent, and I really liked how this was the way that the episode brought to the front the conflict of whether or not people are responsible for their actions. Nathaniel and Rebecca tracing the history of the reasons for everyone's bad choices back to the big bang was the funniest part of the song, it got a huge laugh out of me.


While I was uncertain coming into the episode, this ended up being an outstanding one. It was engaging throughout, and the subplot provided some great comedy, while the main story focused on Rebecca taking responsibility for her actions. I am both afraid and excited for the fourth season, which is certain to happen, and very likely to be the final season, as creators Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom have indicated, but not yet confirmed.

Score: 10/10

What did you think of "Nathaniel is Irrelevant"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S3E12 Review

There's something that we haven't gotten any of at all this season, but we got for multiple episodes in previous seasons: Trent! The crazy man who is obsessed with Rebecca, just like she was with Josh, returns this week to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a week before the season finale.


S3E12 "Trent?!"

Trent is back in West Covina and causing problems with Rebecca. She had decided that her future was being alone, but Trent has another plan. Trent tells Rebecca how the last few months of his life has gone, explaining why he hasn't shown up yet since Rebecca and Josh's wedding fell apart. The story is absolutely ridiculous, which makes it very enjoyable. Trent blackmails Rebecca into being his girlfriend, as he has information on the hit Rebecca ordered on Mona.

Rebecca goes to Paula for help, but Rebecca doesn't want to tell Paula what Trent has on her, and Paula doesn't want to break the law. So, Rebecca lies to Paula, telling her that Trent has dirt on her too. Paula reluctantly participates, and the two find Trent's storage unit, which is really creepy. There are some funny moments in this storage unit, such as when Rebecca finds a bunch of her socks. In the end though, they find nothing they can use.

When Rebecca comes home, Trent finds out what she did. He tells her about the "love kernels" that she has supposedly left him, which leads to a really honest moment where Rebecca says that love kernels aren't real. Also, throughout this scene there are great jokes about Trent's cooking skills, and I especially love Heather here. In the end, Rebecca tries apologizing to Paula and Nathaniel for things, but they don't believe she has anything to apologize for, as they don't know the whole truth about everything. Somehow, despite being accepted by her friends, Rebecca feels lonely.

Nathaniel deals with the fact that he and Rebecca are over this week. There is a really enjoyable scene between him and White Josh (and his dog), and we get some White Josh judginess. After seeing her with Rebecca, he sees Mona, which he hasn't done in a while. She figures out that he has been sleeping with Rebecca, but after the two talk, she decides to stay for dinner.

Valencia and Beth, her girlfriend, are struggling with their party planning business. We get our first truly enjoyable moments from Beth here, as her deadpan plays well off Josh, who comes to them with a DJ-ing offer. Unfortunately, the rest of this story isn't as enjoyable, as Valencia insists on planning a classy party for a sweet sixteen, instead of what the girl wants, and Beth calls Valencia out for being ashamed of West Covina, which is something we haven't seen Valencia be so much of before this week. There is a fun ending though, as Josh and Valencia lead the teenagers in their dance, the royal.

And now for my thoughts on the songs of the episode...

"Butload of Cats": This was a pretty fun song, as Rebecca decides that she doesn't want to be with a man, and comes to the very Rebecca conclusion that that doesn't mean she needs a cat, she needs a buttload of cats (which appears to be eight). The friendship that ends up developing between the women at the cat store is also really entertaining.

"I'm Just a Boy in Love": This is a hilarious callback to the season two theme song. It made the comparison between Rebecca's obsession and Trent's obsession clear, and it was just really, really funny. Blam!

"Back In Action": This was a fun but not at all stand-out song. I did like the contrast of Rebecca's enthusiasm and Paula's reluctance.


This was one of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's weaker episodes, but it was still a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend episode, so it was funny, and we got some good Rebecca moments near the end of the episode. It didn't feel like a penultimate episode of the season though, as it didn't really set up anything for the finale. I don't know what exactly is going to happen next (maybe Trent will be involved next week as well, revealing what Rebecca did on the dark web), but at this point it's looking like this may have been somewhat of a standalone episode.

Score: 8/10

What did you think of "Trent?!"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!