Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: That Text Was Not Meant for Josh!
February 9, 2016 12:13 AM - Season 1, Episode 11 - Subscribe
Rebecca has a text emergency which she almost solves until it unravels into a different kind of emergency which she also almost solves. Paula tries to reconnect with her husband.
In the middle of a legal argument Rebecca sends an incredibly embarrassing text to Josh Chan on accident. Fortunately, she's able to get out of work because everybody in the room is very empathetic to textmergencies/textastrophes. After going through multiple crazy plans Rebecca chooses the only somewhat crazy plan of breaking into Josh's apartment.
After meeting with Father Brah, who's having an off day with his basketball shooting, Paula and Scott try to rebuild their marriage. A dinner alone doesn't do the trick but unexplained cooperative vandalism turns out to be just what they needed.
Rebecca gets caught in Josh's apartment after the text is gone, however that just leads to additional lies, which brings Josh to comfort Rebecca at her apartment. For awhile there it looked like Rebecca was going to get away with everything, until Josh figures everything out and it all comes tumbling down. And not in that cringe-inducing, vaguely-funny way, but in a very sad way.
Enter Greg stage left to comfort Rebecca. However, Greg quickly realizes he's falling into old patterns though and also leaves, after some righteous indignation. What a double punch.
Other Thoughts:
* Josh is such a genuinely nice guy. For the first couple of episodes he seemed like kind of bro, but he's always so upbeat and supportive. I can see what Rebecca sees in him. Did Josh finally admit to himself that Rebecca's in love with him with that final slip up?
* Rebecca is a realistically flawed character, and I've seen that rub people the wrong way (especially after the episode where she ditches Greg on their date). I'm still totally on her side though, even with all the manipulation and lying she does.
* I was wavering between laugh and cry through the "You Stupid Bitch" song.
* I love that Paula needs no explanation from Rebecca to commit a crime.
* This show nails the ending stingers every time.
* Paula and Scott went through the entire theme song. It just kept going.
In the middle of a legal argument Rebecca sends an incredibly embarrassing text to Josh Chan on accident. Fortunately, she's able to get out of work because everybody in the room is very empathetic to textmergencies/textastrophes. After going through multiple crazy plans Rebecca chooses the only somewhat crazy plan of breaking into Josh's apartment.
After meeting with Father Brah, who's having an off day with his basketball shooting, Paula and Scott try to rebuild their marriage. A dinner alone doesn't do the trick but unexplained cooperative vandalism turns out to be just what they needed.
Rebecca gets caught in Josh's apartment after the text is gone, however that just leads to additional lies, which brings Josh to comfort Rebecca at her apartment. For awhile there it looked like Rebecca was going to get away with everything, until Josh figures everything out and it all comes tumbling down. And not in that cringe-inducing, vaguely-funny way, but in a very sad way.
Enter Greg stage left to comfort Rebecca. However, Greg quickly realizes he's falling into old patterns though and also leaves, after some righteous indignation. What a double punch.
Other Thoughts:
* Josh is such a genuinely nice guy. For the first couple of episodes he seemed like kind of bro, but he's always so upbeat and supportive. I can see what Rebecca sees in him. Did Josh finally admit to himself that Rebecca's in love with him with that final slip up?
* Rebecca is a realistically flawed character, and I've seen that rub people the wrong way (especially after the episode where she ditches Greg on their date). I'm still totally on her side though, even with all the manipulation and lying she does.
* I was wavering between laugh and cry through the "You Stupid Bitch" song.
* I love that Paula needs no explanation from Rebecca to commit a crime.
* This show nails the ending stingers every time.
* Paula and Scott went through the entire theme song. It just kept going.
I was SO impressed with the actress that plays Paula doing the theme song. I don't think many people could make it seem so natural.
posted by betsybetsy at 9:34 AM on February 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by betsybetsy at 9:34 AM on February 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
I want to like Paula. As a character she has a lot of depth and she is hilarious! But I feel so angry every time she enables Rebecca! Like just when Rebecca seems to be confronting the reality of her situation, and easing back on the Josh-obsessing, Paula (who is clearly a romantic seeing a warped fairy tale playing out) eggs her on again.
I know there would be no show without Rebecca's antics, but I still want to shake Paula and get her to focus on improving her own marriage instead of chasing the impossible. And now she has dragged Scott down with her! Argh!
Please tell me I'm not alone.
posted by tracicle at 3:21 AM on February 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
I know there would be no show without Rebecca's antics, but I still want to shake Paula and get her to focus on improving her own marriage instead of chasing the impossible. And now she has dragged Scott down with her! Argh!
Please tell me I'm not alone.
posted by tracicle at 3:21 AM on February 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
What a gut-punch of an episode, and it's weird to feel that way as someone who only started watching the show regularly last week. There's a fine line between not making excuses for a character's shitty behavior and villifying them; this one walked it expertly.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:47 AM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:47 AM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, I too loved the spoken-word theme song, and Scott's experience of getting into the seri....er, the drama of Rebecca's love life, late in the game rang especially true for me.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:51 AM on February 10, 2016
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:51 AM on February 10, 2016
I want to like Paula. As a character she has a lot of depth and she is hilarious! But I feel so angry every time she enables Rebecca! Like just when Rebecca seems to be confronting the reality of her situation, and easing back on the Josh-obsessing, Paula (who is clearly a romantic seeing a warped fairy tale playing out) eggs her on again.
I think a lot of people like Paula just because she's the only one Rebecca is really honest with. Rebecca can't even be honest with her mother or seemingly anyone else. And because of that Paula is also always there for support, like at the end of this episode.
But on the other hand, Paula also contributes to causing those problems by encouraging Rebecca. It's a pretty twisted relationship in some ways when you think about it.
posted by john-a-dreams at 12:47 PM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think a lot of people like Paula just because she's the only one Rebecca is really honest with. Rebecca can't even be honest with her mother or seemingly anyone else. And because of that Paula is also always there for support, like at the end of this episode.
But on the other hand, Paula also contributes to causing those problems by encouraging Rebecca. It's a pretty twisted relationship in some ways when you think about it.
posted by john-a-dreams at 12:47 PM on February 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
I also think Paula is supposed to be read as "pretty fucked up," just like Rebecca, and I think their friendship is both genuinely caring and genuinely problematic in how they reinforce each other's bad behavior. Which is actually not that unusual in real-life friendships, and it's sort-of refreshing to see a show make the dysfunctional central relationship a female-female friendship rather than a romantic relationship of some sort.
That's my analysis trusting the show's best self. I freely admit it could leap off the rails at any moment and I could be like, "Never mind, Paula was just a terrible character." But so far it's walking that knife edge pretty well.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:05 PM on February 10, 2016 [8 favorites]
That's my analysis trusting the show's best self. I freely admit it could leap off the rails at any moment and I could be like, "Never mind, Paula was just a terrible character." But so far it's walking that knife edge pretty well.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:05 PM on February 10, 2016 [8 favorites]
Loved Rebecca's quick turn to NCIS character when she realized she needed to talk the cop out of investigating.
posted by drezdn at 7:47 PM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by drezdn at 7:47 PM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
This was one of my favorite episodes. That it could go so funny and then so dark, I mean, I'm all in. But yes to all the above about how complicated the Rachel/Paula relationship is (and I think the show knows that, too).
Also Paula and Scott speaking the theme song is amazing.
posted by Zephyrial at 10:45 AM on February 14, 2016
Also Paula and Scott speaking the theme song is amazing.
posted by Zephyrial at 10:45 AM on February 14, 2016
I rushed to watch this episode after ep 10 for more Daryl/White Josh and there was NOTHING. Booooooooooooooooooooooooo.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:52 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:52 AM on July 18, 2016
Patience will be rewarded.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:54 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:54 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh man "you stupid bitch". That was fucking devastating.
posted by gaspode at 8:28 PM on July 22, 2016
posted by gaspode at 8:28 PM on July 22, 2016
Yeah, "Settle For Me" was my favorite number until "You Stupid Bitch." That's a piece of Art right there.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:39 PM on September 4, 2016
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:39 PM on September 4, 2016
"You Stupid Bitch" was the phenomenal moment this episode needed to take it from madcap cringe comedy to clutch-your-knees crying pathos and it totally nailed it.
posted by Navelgazer at 3:02 PM on November 9, 2017
posted by Navelgazer at 3:02 PM on November 9, 2017
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posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:48 AM on February 9, 2016 [3 favorites]