Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – Paula Needs To Get Over Josh

By: Stacy Miller

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” ended its brilliant and entertaining first season with an episode that rewarded viewers with a happily ever after for Rebecca (Rachel Bloom).

When the episode opens, we get a flashback to Scarsdale 1995 with another younger version of Rebecca Bunch. I have to applaud the casting of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” as the show finds the cutest, most talented young actresses to play Rebecca Bunch as a child. Viewers can easily picture them as a young Rachel Bloom. Anyway, Young Rebecca is playing with a friend and is singing about fairy tale romance and love. I guess even at a young age that Rebecca Bunch was a hopeless romantic.

Fast forward to the present, Greg (Santino Fontana) is thrown out of Rebecca’s hospital room by Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin), as Rebecca was admitted to the hospital due to complications form her UTI. Paula intends to give Rebecca a piece of her mind for lying to her about her relationship with Greg. Paula thought they were friends, especially after all Paula has done for her. Apparently, Paula was more than just Rebecca’s sounding board, she was instrumental in a few behind the scenes schemes to get Rebecca and Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) together. Remember how Paula and Rebecca “accidentally” bumped into Josh’s mother which lead to Rebecca getting invited to the Chan family Thanksgiving dinner? It wasn’t an accident. Paula had put a tracking device on Mrs. Chan’s car. I think “Quantico” and Alex Parrish could use someone like Paula! What follows is an amazing song and dance routine with Paula’s name in lights. I compared Donna Lynne Champlin’s one woman Paula show to performances by Ethel Merman and Liza Minnelli on Twitter. Champlin totally delivered. Anyway, after Paula’s “Broadway debut,” she angrily storms out. Is this the end of the dynamic duo of Paula and Rebecca? Say it isn’t so!

Meanwhile, Greg runs into Josh in the hall outside Rebecca’s hospital room. Josh has flowers for Rebecca while Greg has a balloon with a picture of the Messiah riding a unicorn over a rainbow. It’s the unofficial battle of Rebecca’s suitors, although Josh hasn’t admitted to himself he has feelings for Rebecca or that he wants to be Rebecca’s suitor. Josh gives Greg his flowers to give to Rebecca. Later, Greg has a conversation with his father, but decides not to take dad’s advice. He is going to be more of a laid-back, cool dude since Rebecca likes that type.

Since it appears that Paula and Rebecca are no longer besties, Rebecca uses Heather (Vella Lovell) as her gal pal. The two discuss the Greg vs Josh situation and I love how Heather is totally over Greg. Anyway, Rebecca believes Greg can give her the fairytale romance she’s craved her entire life. At Greg’s, Rebecca sees the fairytale like invitation to Jayma’s wedding and takes it as a sign.

Rebecca goes to a jewelry store to buy some earrings for the wedding. She wants to look perfect for her fairytale moment with Greg. But first, Rebecca shares an awkward moment with Josh when he enters the jewelry store to look for Valencia’s engagement ring. When the jeweler asks him whether he has made a choice on the engagement ring selection, he gives an uncomfortable look.

At the wedding, the fairytale theme is taken to the limit right down to the bird (shades of Snow White) that comments on Rebecca’s dress. Greg thinks Rebecca looks beautiful, but is playing it cool and nonchalant. He better be careful as Rebecca may start thinking he’s disinterested. Rebecca’s entrance to the wedding causes Josh to take notice. Darryl (Pete Gardner) is also at wedding and he came with White Josh (David Hull), but seeing Rebecca, he knows something is missing.

Paula is at home and sadly looking at photos of Paula and Rebecca’s greatest hits when Darryl arrives and encourages Paula to make up with Rebecca. He knows how much Rebecca misses her because he and Paula are best friends. The words reach Paula, who comes to the wedding and makes up with Rebecca. Even though Paula is still pro-Josh, she encourages Rebecca to tell Greg how she feels. But because Greg has been seeing looks between Josh and Rebecca so he decides to drink in an effort to cover his fear of being hurt.

The fairytale Aladdin theme wedding is beautiful and includes a hoverboard dance inspired by the carpet ride. Josh’s Aunt Myrna, (Lea Salonga a/k/a Princess Jasmine herself) gives Josh his grandmother’s engagement ring to give to Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz). Josh realizes that Valencia told Myrna to give him the ring to give to her. Josh has it out with Valencia by accusing her of never listening to anything he has to say. Valencia is tired of Josh’s indecisiveness. She has waited patiently for the last fifteen years, but now she’s done. “For the last few months I thought Rebecca Bunch was our problem, but it’s not. It’s you,” Valencia says before officially breaking up with Josh.

Meanwhile, Rebecca tries to tell Greg how she feels about him, but he is drunk and passes out.

As Aunt Myrna sings (a highlight of the episode for me), Rebecca receives a text from Josh asking her to meet him outside. There, Josh tells Rebecca that he and Valencia broke up. Finally, Rebecca gets her fairytale moment with Josh.

In “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” style, Jayma’s wedding car becomes a simulation of Aladdin’s magic carpet, which is fitting because of the fairytale theme. However, when Rebecca admits to Josh that she did in fact move to West Covina because of him, Josh has a strange look on his face. To me, it almost looks like he’s thinking “Omg, Valencia was right. Rebecca has been an obsessed stalker!” But I hope not. I want Josh and Rebecca to have their happily ever after. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until Season Two begins and the craziness of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend starts anew.