Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Need to Find My Frenemy (4x15)

What even is this show. It's so unbelievably brilliant.

Cons:

I thought the Rap Battle reprise was a little underwhelming, when compared to the brilliant original. It wasn't bad enough to be like a real problem or anything, it just wasn't a new favorite either. Just thought I'd mention that.

Also, and this isn't a real complaint, but... I miss White Josh. It sucks that he hasn't been around more this season. It was so fun to see him here and I wish we could have so much more.

Pros:

I want to start with the comedy corner and just mention a few of my favorite jokes: Heather makes fun of the CW's "Dare to Defy" slogan, and it gives me life. I liked Darryl and White Josh being delighted in all the drama with the three guys. Every time Josh said "stand down," I cackled. Paula's references to a not-so-secret past gambling addiction, all of the call-backs to previous seasons (the butter, the reprises, the lyrics), it was all comedy gold. Specifically talking about the slow-motion song for a second: I honestly thought that gimmick was going to get old or stupid very quickly, but it didn't. Every time they went back to the slow-motion, there was a new element involved to make it even funnier.

There's so much to talk about in this episode that I think it might be best to take it one character at a time, starting with Rebecca's three suitors.

So... Greg is the clear winner for me in this episode, because he doesn't participate in the "stand down" nonsense, and when he sees that Rebecca has made a chart comparing her three love interests, he's horrified and he doesn't want any part of it. He's also got the line item on his column that says that he seems to understand Rebecca in a deep way, which is a lot more specific and important than anything on the other charts. The fact that he gets roped in to the "three dates for Rebecca" scheme is sort of a backsliding moment, but it also shows that Greg is willing to fight for Rebecca right along with the other two.

Nathaniel and Josh both come across looking like idiots in comparison to Greg, in a way, since they're both willing to pretend to back off only to go back on their promises immediately. I honestly like Nathaniel a lot, and I think he and Rebecca make sense together, but this season has taken the show in a direction such that the two of them getting together would feel unsatisfying. That goes double for Josh, though. I don't think there's a chance in hell that Rebecca and Josh could make each other happy, and I trust this show to know its characters well enough to avoid any ridiculous pitfalls. I just hope we get to see a satisfying ending for all of the characters.

"The Math of Love Triangles" reprise was more successful for me than the song with Audra. I wish it could have been longer, but I thought it was a great way to emphasize the degree to which Rebecca is stuck in a rut. At the end of this episode, we learn that Greg, Nathaniel, and Josh all want to take Rebecca out on a date, and then she can make her choice between the three of them. It's clear that this is part of a pattern that isn't sustainable. We know that Rebecca's life is about more than a man, and the very fact that she isn't sure which of them to pick might be an indication that the answer is... none of the above.

Before we get to Rebecca and Audra, let's talk about the other trio of characters in this episode: Paula, Valencia, and Heather. Each of them has a small subplot about a problem in their lives, and their trip to Vegas acts as a means of avoidance for them.

Heather feels like she's having to be a mother for Hector, always picking up after him and taking care of the little things. What I liked about this journey for Heather is that it wasn't the typical thing where a sitcom wife indulges a lazy husband, and it also wasn't a dramatic moment where Heather realized that she and Hector weren't right for each other. It was just... a pretty normal thing that I bet happens in a lot of relationships, maybe especially with a woman taking care of a man. Heather recognizes an unhealthy pattern, talks to her husband about it, and Hector promises to do better. I like that we're seeing the aftermath of a "happily ever after" for Heather. She's got a job she loves and a husband she loves, but there will always be challenges.

Paula, meanwhile, is excited to start her new job, but she's a bit apprehensive when she sees the expensive power suits that all of the lawyers are wearing. She ends up buying one after winning a bunch of money in Vegas, but she tells her new boss that she's not going to buy another - it's just not her. This was another plot thread that could have been overly dramatic. Paula could have started her new job and realized that the high-powered world of corporate law wasn't what she wanted, after all. She could have realized that she was more comfortable back with Darryl and the others, and reverted to a safer part of her life. But no - she's a little bit worried that she won't fit in, but her new co-worker assures her right away that they don't care about Paula's wardrobe - they value her for her legal mind and they're excited to have her working with them. I'm so happy for Paula!

Finally, you've got Valencia. Beth tells her that she's not ready to propose, and Valencia is crushed, and refuses to back down from her ultimatum. Her time in Vegas shows her that it's stupid to be withholding from her girlfriend, and that ultimatums are manipulative. She calls and asks for Beth's forgiveness, and Beth forgives her, and then says that she wasn't saying no to marriage forever - some day, Valencia could get a ring for Beth. Valencia is adorably delighted at the notion that she could be the one to propose. I found this to be incredibly charming. I was worried last week about Valencia's ultimatum, but this week's resolution felt so appropriate. Valencia has grown so much as a person, but some of her ingrained prejudices and ideas about relationships are still within her, and I'm happy she's overcome another hurdle.

Okay. Audra Levine. I'm so happy that this character got to have one final appearance. The thing about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is that nothing is as simple as it appears. There are no caricatures - not really. Valencia was the bitchy girlfriend, Heather was the aloof cool girl neighbor, Rebecca was the "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," and now we know them in the full complexity of their person-hood. Audra was trapped in the same restrictive life trajectory that Rebecca had been in back in the pilot episode. We see how she has outwardly succeeded - great career, lots of money, husband and three kids... and yet we know by now that things are a lot more nuanced than that. I loved that Audra initially justifies her behavior by comparing her decision to Rebecca's. Yes, Rebecca did uproot her life and move to a new place and then jump in to a series of ill-advised relationships. But she wasn't leaving behind a husband and three babies to do so. I like that Audra's behavior is framed as being incredibly terrible, but she is not condemned out of hand for it either. Rebecca knows what it is to be in a place of indecision and fear, and she helps Audra out to the best of her ability.

That's where I'll stop for now. There's always so much more I could say about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but that's the gist - this is an excellent show, and I'm on the edge of my seat, wondering how it's all going to end!

9/10