-The Paula and Rebecca rift is something that's been developing since the moment Paula changed the terms of their friendship at the beginning of the season and it feels organic and earned for it to finally blow up now. The nice thing about this fight is neither of them are totally in the right. Paula is completely right about the one-sidedness of their relationship, Rebecca being a taker and about her whole scheme to integrate Paula into the #gurlgroup4ever being done not to include Paula but because Rebecca wanted to feel better about herself outgrowing her friendship with Paula. At the same time, even if her reasons were selfish, Rebecca was trying to make Paula feel included and Paula put zero effort into even trying to enjoy the evening, nor did she give Rebecca a chance to be there for her about the stuff in her life (mainly the abortion). Paula has judged Rebecca to be selfish, which is accurate but she never even tried to talk to Rebecca about it and give her the chance to examine her behavior. It's a complex situation and episode writer Jack Dolgen doesn't try to simplify it or vilify one of the two.
-This is the second episode in a row to end with Rebecca and Paula sadly looking at each other and tonight's ending was even more devastating than the last time.
-As hard as it was to watch the explosive dissolution of Paula and Rebecca's friendship, I'm all onboard with the Girltopia of Rebecca, Heather, and Valencia. The scenes of the three of them just hanging out and being friends were super fun and Heather's continual detachment from everything combined with Valencia's cluelessness of how girl friendships work made it all super endearing.
-The theme tonight in case you missed it was "You can't force a friendship". Crazy Ex-Girlfriend doesn't typically harp on it's theme over and over and over but it worked here with Rebecca, Trent, and Daryl all insisting that wasn't what they were doing before proceeding to do exactly that. There was also an unexpected "You can force construction" pay-off to the constant utterings of the mantra that was delightful.
-The way Rebecca and Paula's fight while Paula was stuck in the bathroom kept being interrupted by comedic distractions like bad actor Sunil (who continues to be a fantastic addition to the show, even if he won't shut up about his theatre major), forthright Trent, and Daryl and Mia was masterful.
-I was so excited to see Paul Welsh return as Trent tonight (and judging by the ending of his plot tonight, he's going to be sticking around indefinitely which is terrific). In season 1, he was a terrific funhouse mirror version of Season 1 Rebecca, someone she barely knew years ago who was obsessed with her, would resort to great lengths to be with her and was even more desperate and creepy than she was (At least she had a bit of a relationship with Josh Chan. He was just a random person she knew at Harvard that fit the criteria for "fake boyfriend"). The parallels between him and season 1 Rebecca get turned up even more tonight as he tries to ingratiate himself in her "guy friend group", finds his own Paula in the surf shop girl who finds his efforts for love romantic and even gets his own version of The Sexy Getting Ready Song (Though his gets cut short when he cuts his back). He serves as a reminder that as bad as Rebecca can be, she's come along quite a bit since season 1 and even then could have been a lot worse.
-It is interesting that the Surf Shop Girl goes from being creeped out by Trent's plan to being totally on board when she finds out he's doing it for love. A nice way to demonstrate how society can overlook bad behavior if it's for a reason we deem noble and sweet.
-Trent trying to hard to be bros with Josh and friends never stopped being funny. From his constant awkward use of California Surfer Slang to his super awkward and creepy covers for why he knew Hector's name (He's a racist) and why his clients never showed up (They're all dead... to him). Trent's terrible at friendship, but he's apparently great at other things like getting people out of the bathroom and sex (He was a virgin apparently until tonight).
-The glaring plot hole in Trent's plan? If he knew that Rebecca was broken up with Josh, how would he think getting in with Josh and his friends could get him closer to Rebecca? It feels like a weird oversight but the story is funny enough that it's not that big a deal.
-Oh Rebecca. Sleeping with Trent to cheer yourself up a bit was a horrible decision. It'll be fun for the story because there's no way he's going to leave you alone now but it was a horrible decision.
-This was a good night for recurring minor characters on this show as Karen, ahem, I mean Angelique got her most exposure yet to horrifying effect as she hosted the most uncomfortable "Naughty Toys" party ever and Mia became the driving force in Daryl's subplot as the two tried to scheme their way into Rebecca's girl group.
-The co-worker who gets mocked for no good reason is a tried-and-true sitcom trope and Daryl's constant anger at Mia has been played for laughs since her introduction but it gets deconstructed hard tonight when Mia calls him on it, revealing the harmful effect his constant put-downs have had on her work output and health and rightfully pointing out that he's a bad boss creating a hostile work environment. It's an eye-opening moment that does a lot to flesh out someone who's been very one-note up to this point.
-Confession: Almost every person I've ever disliked, I've disliked because I see something I don't like about myself magnified in them. So I related hard to Daryl admitting that he sees himself in overeager trying-to-be-included Mia and that's why he dislikes her. Daryl's neediness has also been played as a joke for the duration of the show so it's nice to see him come to terms with it and build a new friendship (and a hot new dance craze that's apparently catching on) with Mia.
-Seriously though, after the incredible ugliness of that Rebecca/Paula fight, Daryl and Mia bursting in to debut their new dance (later called "The Mia") and then attempt to teach it to everyone was probably the best possible way to relieve the tension.
-OK, let's talk about the songs. "Girltopia" felt like a semi-sequel to Season 1's "Feeling Kinda Naughty" in how it took a typical pop song conceit (Here, a perfect Spice Girls-esque ode to girl friendship ruling the world) and brought it to incredibly creepy and psychotic extremes (Their talk of ruling the world is very literal and anyone who doesn't appreciate Hocus Pocus will be killed). It's delightful and it gives Gabrielle Ruiz and Vella Lowell a rare chance to show off their pipes.
-Of course Vella Lowell gets an even bigger musical spotlight tonight in "Stuck In The Bathroom", which takes Heather's habit of plainly laying out the situation as it unfolds and turns it into a spoof of "Trapped In The Closet". It isn't necessary to the story in any way but it does enhance what could have been a boring scene and moves the story along to the juicy part of Rebecca discovering Paula's "help me" text to Sunil.
-The weird thing about Stuck In The Bathroom is that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is only the second television show to do a song about being stuck in the bathroom this year. "Bad Stuff Happens In The Bathroom" is completely different of course but it is interesting. Also I really should start writing about Bob's Burgers again. That show is delightful.
-"You talk about pooping a lot". Valencia is finally getting to know Rebecca. Aww.
-Sunil's wife put her suicide note on Facebook before they added the new like options making it hard for people to know what to do. It's an incredibly dark joke and it made me laugh very hard.
-Rebecca and Heather's new house is poorly renovated and was a drug dealer murder house. Sounds about right. I'm hoping for new sordid details to be accidentally blurted out by people visiting it each week.
-Terrific little detail: After Trent cuts his back shaving in the "Trent Is Getting Ready Song", you can see a small blood stain on his sweatshirt in the same spot.
-Did Rebecca even says Josh's name once tonight? I don't think she did. That's a first. I appreciate the show actually taking the time to explore Rebecca building a life and friendships outside of her obsession with Josh Chan. Judging by next week's promo it won't last but it's nice.
-Next week: The mid-season finale and return of Brittany Snow!
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