Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Am Ashamed (4x02)

Another great episode. I am a broken record!

Cons:

Okay, so this isn't really like a big complaint or problem or anything, but I found it a bit odd that Rebecca had this cathartic moment in the graveyard at the end, and then after that moment, Patton Oswalt pops out of nowhere and a large group number about "shame" happens. It was a great song, but usually the musical numbers help us to understand a bit about why the characters are feeling the way they're feeling, and in this case, we had all of the emotional work, and then the song felt almost like an afterthought. I may be nitpicking just a little bit.

Pros:

Let's start with Darryl and White Josh's story. Last week I got really freaked out when I didn't see White Josh, so I was glad he made an appearance here. Darryl is scared that he won't be able to give his new daughter, Hebecca, all of the advantages she would have if she had a mother, too. He's especially worried about breast milk, and ends up going online to buy some. This leads him to driving all over town and leaving a reluctant WhiJo in charge of the baby. Josh comes over and the two Joshes dress the baby up in a cute Halloween costume and actually have an okay time. As the episode ends, Darryl's ex-wife, and his older daughter, both reassure Darryl that he's a great father and that the baby will be just fine in his care.

This was, in a lot of ways, your standard comedy fare. Darryl's antics go way overboard, and in the end he learns a good lesson about his own value and abilities. I actually really appreciated that simplicity, if I'm being honest. Since this is the last season, I'm starting to wonder about the "endgames" for the various characters on the show. Rebecca is such a fascinating lead, and thinking about where her story is going is a whole complex thought process by itself, but there's everybody else too. Will White Josh and Darryl reunite? Or will either of them end up with another romantic partner by the end of the show? One thing I will say: I'm grateful that they can still be in each other's lives, and it was cute to see White Josh's reactions to the adorable baby. He may not want kids, but he's pretty good with them!

We actually have a story focused around the law firm, which doesn't happen as often as it probably should. Basically, Nathaniel comes back and is ready to go back to work, only to find that his father has brought in the "silent partner" that Rebecca found through BPD therapy, and that this guy has been put in charge instead. Nathaniel decides to fight back, and learns in the end that his father actually only brought this guy in to try to shock Nathaniel out of his weird mental breakdown. I've got to say, I really love Nathaniel, and I feel so genuinely bad for him. I want him to find happiness. I loved the moment early on when Paula mentioned Rebecca, and Nathaniel tried to brush it off, but he slips up and makes it pretty obvious that he cares about her and what she's going through. The poor guy cannot catch a break.

I also like him taking ownership of the firm and trying to bring things back to the status quo. He didn't quite "stand up" to his father in the big way that I'd love to see some day, but he did stick to his guns and he tried his hardest to get what he wanted. We'll have to see how things go moving forward, now that there's this random, untrained man in the mix of the firm, who can pretty much do whatever he wants! Also, it was nice to see characters like Tim and Maya. They added some nice light comedy.

The main plot thread is spooooky, and also contains both songs of the hour. Basically, Rebecca has developed some agoraphobia, a consequence of the whole community now knowing all of her darkest secrets. She's worried everyone will hate her, and she's feeling a great deal of shame about her past. Things take an odd turn when she becomes convinced that her house is haunted, and convinces her friends to do a seance that at first appears to actually... work? Of course, in the end there's a perfectly rational explanation that Heather and Paula believe, while Rebecca and Valencia prefer to keep their minds open. So to speak.

This is the kind of plot thread that just screams over-the-top silliness, and it is silly. But it's also grounded by real emotion. The first song, "Time to Seize the Day" captures Rebecca's fear of confronting the outside world. It uniquely fits her situation, but is also just so, so identifiable, as she remains inside all day, distracting herself with facts about stingrays, with porn, with cleaning out her fridge, all to avoid venturing outside of the house. The song itself is sort of a basic musical theatre number, completely its own thing and not a parody of a particular song or genre. It's funny and very Rebecca-ish in its silliness, but it shows that now that Rebecca is fully taking ownership for her crap, she also has to deal with the shame of that.

And speaking of, I really did love the final song of the episode, called "The Cringe." The costumes, the choreography, each individual joke, all landed perfectly and made me smile the whole way through, even if I did question slightly the placement of the song within the context of the episode as a whole.

Because the moment right before it... let me tell ya. Rachel Bloom is a talented actress. When she gives flowers to the girl she believes was haunting her house, she is so expressive, so genuinely empathetic, that you start to find yourself emotional about this dead woman who, frankly, has nothing to do with anything. And it was an acknowledgement that the ghost, real or not, was connected to Rebecca's emotional and internal journey. She needed to come to terms with her shame and decide to go out and face the world anyway.

Also, shout out to the comedy in general this episode, especially my girls Heather and Valencia. They were both so great! Valencia talking about ghosts being obsessed with her... and Heather and Hector in bed together talking about Hocus Pocus, and Heather being disappointed that Hector's favorite part is a cliche... all of that was hilarious and perfect.

As always, I adore this show and I can't wait for more!

8.5/10