Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Nathaniel and I Are Just Friends! (3x11)

I... just... this... show... is incredible.

Cons:

None? I mean, the only thing I can think of is that I do wish there were more time for certain elements. We spend a lot of time with Hector and Heather in this episode, but we don't get to see how Rebecca, who lives in the same house as them, is involved in this dynamic. And Valencia has a new relationship, but we don't really see anybody else interact with her significant other. White Josh spends some time away and then adopts a dog, but we don't see him interacting with the other characters. This is yet another example of my ONLY COMPLAINT being that I want more. I enjoy what I have, and I wish I could see even more of it. That's not a bad problem to have.

Pros:

Where to even START?! This episode features an eight month time jump. I wasn't expecting it, but it worked perfectly to accelerate certain characters along their paths.

Paula got a nice meaty subplot, and it made me realize how much I've truly missed her character recently. She hires her law school friend to the office, but he ends up bonding with the other employees, and she discovers that she's been the office bitch all along. This might seem like just your typical sitcom-ish plot thread with silly office shenanigans, but it ends up being so much more than that. The moment when she overhears her coworkers saying such mean things about her is really hard to watch. You really feel for her in that moment. I also loved all of the musical theatre references, especially Rebecca making a Rent reference and then telling Paula not to watch the movie. I hear ya, girl.

It's so nice to see Rebecca and Paula spend some time together. These scenes were so brilliant because they reinforce the fact that Rebecca has actually grown and changed. Paula actually has to ask Rebecca what's going on with her, because Rebecca doesn't just burst in and dominate the conversation and make it all about herself. She's there to talk to Paula about her problems for a change. The show doesn't make an issue out of this, but it was a nice touch. I also liked the reasoning behind Paula's behavior. She's not just being cruel for no reason. She's insecure about her own intelligence, and she's worked so hard to get to a point where she can feel proud in her own career. I feel like that's something a lot of women can identify with.

Heather and Hector are actually a very cute pair, and I'm glad that Hector is getting to develop in his own right. This is another plot thread that, if you were to just describe the basics, you might think it were a basic sitcom plot. Heather is pregnant and grumpy, Hector tries to keep her in line. Okay, that's fun, and there are some great comedic moments that come from that. But this show has a way of always elevating basic ideas and doing so much more with them. We see Heather struggling not only with the hormones of pregnancy, but with the reality of her own adulthood. I mentioned in last week's episode that she made a lot of really big changes really quickly, and here we see that while she's coping okay with the added responsibility, she's still scared. She and Hector decide that they'll figure stuff out together, and it's so refreshing to see.

Before I get to the main plot with Rebecca and Nathaniel, I also want to point out that we check in with some other characters. White Josh gets out of town for a while because everything in West Covina reminds him of Darryl. He comes back with a dog, so I'm glad he at least has that going for him! And... drum roll please... guess who has a girlfriend? Valencia! I could not be more in love with the way they did this. It's just a tiny little footnote in the episode. She meets this woman when helping her to plan an event, and then eight months later they're in a relationship and have gone into business together. I'm... this is amazing. Obviously I hope we learn more at a later date, but I love how casual and not a big deal this was. I'd love to see Rebecca, Heather, and Valencia's other friends get to know her girlfriend and see how that all fits in. Great setup for future content down the road!

And now for Rebecca and Nathaniel. Ohhhh boy. Rebecca is back in therapy with Dr. Akopian, who, by the way, gets a totally kick-ass musical number to open up this episode. It was a really amazing way to start things off. Rebecca is present and dedicated to working on her mental health, but there's just one thing: she and Nathaniel are sleeping together, even though he is in a serious relationship with Mona. Rebecca thinks this is the ideal solution, until she sees Nathaniel with Mona and realizes that it's wrong, and that she's still not in a place where she can be in a relationship. Dr. Akopian encourages her to accept love, and Nathaniel basically tells Rebecca that he wants to be with her, and if she wants that too, he'll leave Mona and they can do this thing for real. Rebecca shows up at Nathaniel's place, sings a beautiful reprise of "Face Your Fears," and tries to muster up the courage to enter into a real relationship. But... she chickens out and leaves.

This is just... I cannot express how much I love everything that's going on here. Rebecca is getting better, but she's really scared that if she's in a real relationship, she'll revert back to old and very, very bad habits. In the most heartbreaking scene, she tells Dr. Akopian that she doesn't want to die, and she's afraid she'll go back to that dark place if things don't go well with Nathaniel. And then on the other side you've got Nathaniel, who is clearly desperately in love with Rebecca and would drop everything and be with her in an instant if she just asked. The scene at the end where he tells her that he respects her decision to end their affair, but that it meant a lot to him, was just so well-acted. Of course, their coded break-up, where they talk about office supplies, was also the perfect blend of comedy and sadness.

The final moments of this episode were oddly intense. This is yet another example where if you say what happens, it wouldn't seem like that big of a thing. A woman goes to a man's door, contemplates entering, then leaves. But I was actually on the edge of my seat. As she approaches Nathaniel's door, I was so nervous. Was Mona going to be inside? Was Nathaniel going to be home? Was Rebecca going to go in? Was she going to decide to be with him, or to tell him once more that it was over? I really didn't know what was going to happen, and I didn't even know what I wanted to happen, you know? I want Rebecca to be happy, and she does deserve love. But I also want her to focus on her own mental health, and if she doesn't feel ready for a relationship, I have to respect that. And I want Nathaniel to be happy, too. I hope these two kids can work it out in the long-term, but I'm not sure if it needs to happen right now.

Before signing off, I just want to take a moment to sincerely praise Rachel Bloom's performance. She gave such an understated, complex read of Rebecca as a character. Her "Face Your Fears" reprise was gorgeous, and the scene where she tells Dr. Akopian about her worries was honestly heartbreaking. Rachel Bloom is a great comedic actor, but I think she deserves just as much praise for her dramatic moments.

I can't believe the season is already almost over!

9.5/10