Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Have a Date Tonight (4x16)

Weird Al! White Josh! Dr. Akopian! I had so much fun with this episode and also I'm so nervous about next week and I don't know what to think!

Cons:

Okay, obviously, obviously, the narrative is promoting Greg over the other two. For my money, Josh was never in the running in a serious way, although I appreciate the connection that he and Rebecca have. I have some problems with the idea of Greg and Rebecca ending up together, even though I really do like them and think they're sweet. It's kind of difficult to be articulate about it, though. First is the undeniable fact that Skylar Astin is doing a great job, but he doesn't seem like Greg to me. The dynamic that him and Rebecca have now is perfectly sweet, but it does not in any way feel like a continuation of the same character and the same relationship that we saw before. I know that in some ways this is intentional, but in other ways it's kind of weak because we didn't get to see this new thing develop for long enough for me to want it as end-game? If that makes sense?

I also think this story does a bit of a disservice to all three of Rebecca's suitors. With Nathaniel, we have seen how far he's come, but I feel like at some point the show decided that we'd had enough development with him, so now his only personality trait is that he loves Rebecca. Same with Josh - we know he's been going to therapy and working on himself, which is great, but here at the end it's like all of his character focus is about Rebecca, instead of about being a fully realized character in his own right. That's kind of disappointing, and I don't know if the finale could possibly be good enough on its own to assuage some of my unfulfilled feelings.

I will probably be delighted with whatever happens with Rebecca. At this point, she's either a) picking Greg, or b) picking nobody, or c) picking some fourth option we don't know about yet, or d) picking nobody with the hint of a future suitor tagged on at the end. I think I'll be satisfied with the end of Rebecca's narrative, but I'm less sure that I'll be satisfied with the narratives for all the rest of the characters. And hell, maybe something will come out of left field and Rebecca will end up with Josh or Nathaniel. That's pretty much the only thing that could surprise me at this point!

Pros:

Despite everything I just said above, I did get intense warm fuzzies when Greg said that Rebecca was the love of his life. That was just so cute, and so pure, and it felt very real. Sure, I have my complaints, but if the show ends with the two of them together, I'll be pretty happy about it. Backing up to look at Greg's date in its entirety... honestly I loved everything about Greg in this episode. He starts off being confident, knowing that he and Rebecca have something special and don't need anything flashy. People start to get into his head and he gets nervous, so he goes too far and wants to book a hot air balloon... but the date ends up being Rebecca and Greg ordering take-out while sitting in the mechanic's shop waiting for Greg's car to get fixed. It's domestic, it's sweet, and it gives both of them a chance to reflect on how much they didn't want to do the whole big, elaborate date thing. Rebecca had so much fun with Josh and Nathaniel, but those dates didn't help her to make a decision of any sort. This one? Just being with Greg and cutting away all the pretense? It's pretty perfect.

It also occurs to me that this situation is a direct parallel to Greg and Rebecca's disastrous date to Josh's sister's wedding back in Season One. Back then, Greg decided not to put any effort in, and Rebecca was crushed. Here, Greg decided to put in all sorts of effort, then it went wrong, and Rebecca and Greg were both happy with the result of a casual, uncomplicated evening together. I think that's a pretty clear sign.

One of my favorite moments of this episode was the scene between Nathaniel and Josh. They are allied and paralleled in so many ways in this episode. They both have an unfair "advantage" with Rebecca that needs to be neutralized - Nathaniel's money, and Josh's hot body. They both take Rebecca on a simple date involving a picnic. And they both love her and want to be with her, but they both will probably be okay if Rebecca doesn't choose them. They even have a "good game" moment, and I can see them being friends when this is all over, no matter the results.

And those dates... Josh was just so cute, tying back in his past with Rebecca, but making sure she knows that it's not about looking backwards, but about coming full circle. They spend the date mostly talking about the past, though, remembering their experience at camp. I think Rebecca and Josh will always have a special connection because of the things they've been through together, and I think they can survive this situation as good friends.

Nathaniel and Rebecca's date made me so happy, and despite the obvious narrative pull towards Greg, I'm always going to be a bit enamored with Nathaniel/Rebecca. I mentioned earlier that I think the narrative is doing a disservice to Nathaniel as a character, and the best way I can articulate that is that I think Nathaniel is currently at a "mid-season-three-Rebecca" kind of stage. He's not ready yet to be the one that Rebecca ends up with. We've seen a lot of development and introspection from him, but he's still focusing a lot of his energy on being with Rebecca, despite the many times he's realized that he should back off. This mirrors so much of what Rebecca had to go through to get to a healthy place. If the show were centered on Nathaniel, and there was a Season Five coming up, we'd probably see him develop further into a person who could comfortably be able to commit to another person in a healthy way. I hope that he finds that love, and that while Rebecca was the first love of his life that made him realize he needed to change and grow, he's able to find happiness elsewhere. Plus, Nathaniel and Rebecca have hella good chemistry and they look super cute dancing together. The end.

The rest of the gang spends the episode betting on Rebecca's love life, and it is so much that I never knew I needed. First off, just having the whole gang together warmed my heart in unexpected ways. There was so much fun energy, and interesting character dynamics, and jokes from characters we don't get to see enough of... I liked seeing who was rooting for which guy, and I think there's something very interesting about how that ends up panning out.

For the main three gals: we've got Paula rooting for Josh. Paula is supposed to be Rebecca's best friend, the one who knows her the best, and yet here we see her picking the guy that seems the least likely. Heather, someone who's been a friend to Rebecca for most of her time in West Covina, goes with Nathaniel, someone who she has grown to appreciate more over time. And Valencia, the one who started as Rebecca's adversary, picks the guy that narrative-wise makes the most sense for Rebecca at this point. I think all three women have interesting points in why they chose their men, but Paula is focused on the story-book aspect, Heather is focused on how Nathaniel has grown, while Valencia seems to see to the heart of Greg and Rebecca as a good couple.

White Josh. Love of my life. I was just complaining that we haven't seen enough of him lately, and then we get this. Guys and Dolls is one of my favorite musicals of all time, so that "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" number was just excellent for me on every level. I like that we start with White Josh being his normal judgmental self, but then he literally says "JK LOL" and is all about it. There's something so fun and carefree and mean-spirited but in a way that's still kind of allowable. We get a fun group dance number, lots of hilarious jokes, and a general feeling of celebration and lightness. In some ways, it's this subplot that gives us permission to be okay with the bizarre Bachelorette-like scenario that Rebecca has going on here. The tone of the show is telling us that this isn't Rebecca having another back-slide. This is silly and weird, but it's okay to have fun with it.

We also get that message more explicitly with Dr. Akopian. As much as Rebecca is doing great with managing her mental health, she can still get a little bit intense at times, and stalking Dr. Akopian definitely qualifies as problematic behavior. I love that poor Dr. Akopian is just trying to live her life, but she tries to be patient with Rebecca as well. Still, she knows her boundaries, and asks Rebecca if she can have her morning back. She's a therapist, and we know her in this show in that context almost exclusively. But just like every other character on this show, no matter how minor, she has a life outside of Rebecca, and it's fun to see little hints of that.

I could keep going, but I think that's all I've got for now. This was an excellent episode. I'm conflicted about so many things. Some of those things I think it's good to be conflicted about... others, I'm not so sure. Still, every time I've had doubts about this show, I've been proven wrong. I cannot wait to see what the finale holds next week, and that musical concert thing afterwards is sure to be a lot of fun!

8.5/10