Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Josh's Girlfriend is Really Cool!
Christine Laskodi
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Just a reminder that Rebecca did NOT move to West Covina from New York City for Josh Chan.
We're still doing that, apparently.
On Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 Episode 2, Rebecca is still in the midst of her nervous breakdown and showing no signs of slowing down or accepting that maybe she's a little insane.
Rebecca: Hey! I didn't move here for him, remember? I moved here because I needed a change and Josh just happens to be here, okay? Get it straight.
Paula: Oh, are we still doing that?
"Josh's Girlfriend is Really Cool!" gave us a brand new and hilarious opening credit sequence that came complete with cartoon versions of her friends and co-workers reminding her that she's crazy. Rebecca insists that it's much more nuanced than that.
The sequence is bold, showing audiences that they know exactly what kind of message they're sending and that they're taking the reigns on the storytelling.
In order to get closer to Josh, Rebecca is on a mission. Her quest to become best friends with Josh's girlfriend, Valencia, is a familiar story for any girl who has ever had a frenemy. It's practically girl code; keep your friends close, and your enemies closer...but totally be their best friend.
Let me tell you how this works - women of equal sexual viability hate each other, even if they pretend to like each other. And that is how it has worked since the day vaginas were invented.
Paula
Rebecca has no idea what she's getting herself into. Valencia is the anti-Rebecca. She's gorgeous, tall, dark, thin, and really good at yoga. Like, so much better at yoga. How is Rebecca supposed to compete with that?
A positive message to send to females at this point in the episode would have been that Rebecca is also beautiful, smart, successful, and passionate. A man, like Greg for instance, will love her for who she is. She doesn't need to compete with the Valencias of the world.
The story that the writers decide to tell, however, is far more realistic and loaded with sharp writing and jokes that never stop coming for nearly the entire hour.
I wanna lock you in a basement with soundproof walls and take over your identity. I wanna cut the silky hair right off your head and slurp it up like spaghetti.
Rebecca
Rebecca continually makes a fool out of herself as she tries to keep Valencia close in an attempt to get better access to Josh Chan, much like many girls do. It's a silly logic, one that we all know won't work. Our hearts convince us that it's the way to go. Brains be damned, we know what we're doing.
Until we realize we don't.
Rebecca learns the hard way. After becoming obsessed with Valencia to the point that she actually sticks her tongue down her throat, completely embarrassing herself, she finally gets what Paula has spent the entire episode warning her about. She doesn't want to be friends with Valencia. She's jealous of Valencia.
Rebecca: Valencia? That's such a beautiful name! What's the origin of that?
Valencia: Well, it used to be Maria, but I never felt like a Maria. So I changed it to my mother's maiden name, Valencia. It's the Spanish word for brave.
It's a hard pill to swallow. A pill that Rebecca probably flushed down the drain in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 Episode 1. She should have swallowed it then. Some of that embarrassing behavior probably could have probably been avoided.
Paula's story in "Josh's Girlfriend is Really Cool!" is very sad. She sees Rebecca as a daughter, one that she can connect with in a way that she doesn't with her sons. This explains why she's so quick to jump on board with helping Rebecca with Josh.
Most moms can relate to wanting to be cool and help your daughter, even when it means putting serious parenting aside for a second. The hard, important parenting.
Paula does take the opportunity to parent Rebecca and become the voice of reason she needs. Unfortunately for Paula, she's already blurred the lines between sidekick and mentor, and now Rebecca sees heartfelt advice as a personal attack. But still, it was the right parenting call.
For her son who may or may nor have stabbed his sibling, she made the wrong one. Eh, 1 and 1. Still an okay parenting score.
This is the heart of what Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does so incredibly well. The writers manage to lace humor into these very serious scenarios, ones that people relate to. When you strip the funny away, I'm sure we've all felt like a Rebecca, a Paula, a Valenicia...maybe even a Greg.
Oh Greg, I'm so on your side. Josh Chan has nothing on the cute, self-deprecating bartender. Rebecca is too blinded by Chan to see it right now, but I'm pulling for him. Rebecca owes Greg a huge apology and a real dose of honesty. He's such a great guy that I'm sure he'd actually forgive and forget.
Josh Chan is such a jerk, and I can't understand why women are fawning over him. He asked Rebecca to lie for him, ignored Valencia's request that he stay away from his ex, and then forced her to drive way outside of town to have dinner with him. He's a player, and not the kind that Taylor Swift would take a liking to.
But then again, Paula DID say that Rebecca was more of a Taylor Swift than a Katy Perry.
Spiders? I drove by there the other night and it was hoppin'. I always wonder though, is it possessive, Spider's, or plural Spiders', because every time I get a flyer for it, the apostrophe is always in a different place?
Rebecca
The musical number, 'Feelin' Kinda Naughty Tonight' was a perfect picture of the crazy happening inside of Rebecca's head, as she danced with Valencia at the club, Spider's. I'm really glad that the music is being used as hilarious inner monologue that means something, as opposed to the characters turning to the camera and belting out a classic Celine Dion number.
For two straight weeks, these songs have been the perfect balance of funny and narrative. My biggest fear is that the writers will lose steam writing songs and that they'll start to deteriorate in quality. For now, they're still a high point.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was just as great in its sophomore outing, as it was in its premiere. If this pace continues, we may be witnessing a new cult classic being born.
High Notes:
- Paula giving Rebecca the Statue of Liberty keychain, and insisting on watching her put it on her keys.
- Rebecca's entire monologue about whether or not Spider's is a possessive club. "Oh, hi Mr. Spider!"
- Greg's zinger about Rebecca finding a bra in aisle one.
- Hats are totally the new tattoos.
Low Notes:
- Still not seeing it. What's so great about Josh Chan? How does this guy get Valencia and Rebecca? It doesn't make sense! Is he funny or sensitive or something?
- Rebecca and Paula's fight. It got just a little too real.
What did you think of Valencia? Was she really cool? Do you think that Rebecca will stay away from Josh? Do you get why women love Josh Chan? Are you wishing that Rebecca would set her sights on Greg instead? Hit up the comments below!
Did you miss tonight's episode because of a pesky football game? Problem solved! You can watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend online right here! Don't forget to come back next week for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 Episode 3!
