Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm Not The Person I Used To Be (4x08)

I'll admit it, I was skeptical that they could pull this off. And... wow. They pulled it off.

Cons:

I don't know. Honestly, this episode was pretty perfect. Maybe I would have liked to see the four core bros spend time together. We got lots of Hector, WhiJo, and Josh, but when Greg shows up he and Josh don't so much as share a hello. I get that this was an episode about Greg and Rebecca, so maybe Josh and Greg stuff will come later.

Pros:

Josh's subplot is comedic, but it's also part of his character growth and his transformation into a proper adult. He spends the episode reliving the glory days from high school, only to realize that he's missed out on so much. George breaks it down for Josh in a great song, showing him that there was other stuff going on in high school outside of the popular kids' understanding. What I love about Josh as a character is that he's honestly such a big dork. The fact that he was a jock wasn't because he didn't think magic was cool, but because he just fit the dumb jock stereotype so well. He doesn't have any judgment for the "nerds," he just didn't think about them at all. Now, he's got a chance to broaden his horizons!

I liked the through-line about poor Hector not getting the attention he wants for being the class president, while Josh is playing up being the Prom King. Apparently Hector gave the honor to Josh even though White Josh beat him slightly, because WhiJo didn't want it, and Josh really did. This adds an interesting element to WhiJo's characterization too. He's inherently likable, but he's not about the attention.

Heather discovers that Valencia is trying to avoid an ex of hers at the reunion. This person was someone who Valencia cheated on Josh with in high school, and fell deeply in love with. She wrote a letter asking this person to meet on the last day of school to confirm their love and plan their futures, but they never showed up, and their lives went in different directions. I loved the part where Heather guessed accurately the entire story, just based on on Valencia making a face upon seeing the guest list. The only part that Heather gets wrong is that she thinks Valencia's secret lover is a girl. Turns out, it's... Father Brah! And he never got the letter, because his jacket was in the lost-and-found all these years! Twelve years later, he reads Valencia's note, and the two of them share a powerful moment where they are thankful that they now know they both felt the same way about each other. They missed their chance, though. Both of them are in serious relationships, of one sort or another.

This subplot could have been played strictly for laughs, and Heather was cracking me up throughout the whole episode for sure. But it was also undeniably very sincere, and I loved the moment where Valencia and Father Brah are able to celebrate their past love, and honor it for what it is, even as they know that their lives have gone in different directions. This subplot also feeds perfectly into the main story, which is also about missed opportunities and old lovers.

Skylar Astin is Greg. He gives this incredibly honest portrayal that genuinely feels like the same guy. Sure, I think I would have liked it if Santino Fontana had come back, but this recasting does not feel like an awkwardly necessary programming change, and it doesn't feel like a silly gimmick. It feels honest. So much of this show is about perception, and about growth, and Greg really does feel like Greg, from his mannerisms to his tone of voice to his attitude towards Rebecca. They had instant chemistry and I loved every second of it.

Their song was cute, too, because it played off of the idea of this guy being literally a different person, but was also more generally about the idea of Greg and Rebecca getting a new start, and saying "nice to meet you." Of course, they quickly fall in to a joking, flirtatious and comfortable rapport, and Rebecca learns that Greg is single. She also learns that Greg's dad is sober and wants to have a serious conversation with him later that night. This means that Greg is about to find out that Rebecca slept with Greg's father. She waffles back and forth, sending texts to Paula all night debating what she should do, but ultimately decides to tell Greg the truth.

His reaction was heartbreaking, and it was the final piece that clicked for me and made this guy the real Greg. He doesn't blow up and get angry. He doesn't get defensive and mean. He's sad. He's crushed. He's close to tears. I think Rebecca knew that telling Greg the truth meant closing the door on their newfound connection, and in this moment, Greg seems to realize that as well. He's heartbroken because he knows that this isn't the sort of thing a person looks past. Greg remarks that although Rebecca thinks Greg has changed, maybe Rebecca is the one who's really changed. She's more grounded, she's made a good career move, and she decided to be honest because it was the right thing to do. But still. Poor guy.

I'm keeping this review pretty short, because honestly there's not much else to say. It was a great episode, start to finish. Good music, good comedy, good drama, surprising moments, heartwarming moments, the strangest dark-horse relationship reveal ever in the form of Valencia and Father Brah, and a fun through-line of Paula failing to receive Rebecca's many texts taking her through the A-plot of the episode. What more could I ask for?

9.5/10