Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Nathaniel Gets the Message! (3x09)

There were so many laugh-out-loud funny moments in this episode, so many lines of dialogue that just slayed me. And yet there were also quite a few emotional gut-punch moments. Let's dive in!

Cons:

The poker scene wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be. It wasn't bad, but I was expecting something better. Darryl comes in with a red cowboy hat, but then nothing comes of it. He wins at first, but then loses the next game, and... I don't know. Maybe I'm just spoiled with how funny and smart the rest of the episode was. These scenes was just shrug-worthy.

Pros:

I loved the 100th song - "Without Love You Can Save the World." It wasn't my favorite song the show has ever done, but it makes it pretty high on the list. Basically Rebecca has been focusing so much of her energy on men that her therapist encourages her to take that time and focus it on something else. Rebecca, as is typical, immediately blows things out of proportion and decides that she can "save the world" if she cuts love out of her life. This number was just so fun. The whole ensemble was there, and apparently it made for an "asexual utopia." Sign me up!

It's so interesting to watch Rebecca improve in some ways, while still falling into the same patterns in other instances. She breaks up with Nathaniel, because she recognizes that it's not healthy for her to be in a relationship at this moment. But then she dives deep in to the first interesting problem she finds, and ends up sabotaging Valencia's business, and as this episode ends she's agreed to donate an egg to Darryl so he can have a baby. Like... woah. This is a lot, and Rebecca is moving way too fast on this decision. But at the same time, there is some growth here. Donating an egg is an incredibly generous thing to do for a friend, and she doesn't have any grand scheme about how donating the egg will lead to true love or revenge or anything like that. She has just decided to do something nice! We'll have to see how that turns out, of course.

It was cool that Valencia got a bit of screen-time here. I always want more with her. I like that she wants to support Rebecca, and allows her to volunteer, but there's a point at which Rebecca is interfering with her chances to grow her business. Valencia doesn't have a lot of experience with being a good friend, but she's trying her hardest. The entire plot with the engagement party, the random couple from the grocery store, the German themed bar setup... it all offered so many laughs. My favorite was Heather, dressed in the whole gettup, saying her patented "later," but then adding "...hosen" to it. Excellent line read as always.

Rebecca gets involved in other people's drama, and it blows up in her face - surprise, surprise. My favorite recurring element here is that she keeps insisting that she needs to warn this guy that his fiance doesn't really love him. She says she wishes that someone would have warned her about Josh... and then of course Valencia and Heather tell everyone that everybody did warn her. Repeatedly.

The subplot was significantly more silly, but still really punched me in the feels a couple of times. Nathaniel and WhiJo hang out and decide to go on a cleanse and get into good shape, all while insisting that both of them were involved in mutual break-ups. All of this material was so fun and kind of depressing at the same time - I feel like this is the bromance that I should have seen coming all along. I have had "Fit Hot Guys Have Problems Too" stuck in my head all day, but I'm not complaining. It was such a hilarious song. I like how it broke the fourth wall when Josh showed up to be a go-go dancer alongside Nathaniel and WhiJo, and they realized that he was actually there. They invite him to join in their imaginary dance, and all three of them devolve into ugly crying as they contemplate their problems.

SO many quotes and moments that I loved. "Give us bak our shirts, you MONSTERS!" was truly one of the best. But I also liked how Josh realized that even though he's not a stripper, a pole actually would make things better, since he's dressed up as a fireman. Then there's the moment when Nathaniel and WhiJo realize that Josh doesn't know it's a gay bar, and they decide not to say anything. Just hilarious.

There was a surprising amount of insightful commentary about the ways in which straight girls have co-opted gay bars, and taken away a space that used to be specifically for LGBT+ people. I loved all of White Josh's commentary about that. It ends up being a good place for him and Nathaniel to go, because there are people for both of them to hit on. But in general, WhiJo is fed up with all of the straights. Yes!

Despite the ridiculousness and the great comedy, this plot thread ends with a very sad, quiet moment. Nathaniel finds a girl he used to know back in college, and he decides to go home with her. Josh, although still uncertain about his future and embarrassed by his job, ends the episode in a fairly good mood. But White Josh? He decides to go home alone. Just as we learn that Darryl is making real strides in his dream of being a father, we see that White Josh is heartbroken and going through a really rough time after being dumped.

I was so hesitant about the breakup between White Josh and Darryl, because I worried it would mean seeing less of WhiJo, a character I really adore, and who does not have enough screen-time as it is. But instead, we got this episode that really focused on his journey, as well as Nathaniel's, as they both get through a tough time. And if the ending of this episode is anything to go by, I hope we'll see more with White Josh in the future, as he learns to grapple with his changed circumstances. I really do hope he finds happiness, even if it's not with Darryl.

Well, there you have it. Another successful outing from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I'm very pleased with how this season has gone so far.

8.5/10