Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – Will Scarsdale Like Josh’s Shayna Punim?

By: Stacy Miller

As the episode opens, Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) and Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) are taking a selfie of themselves updating their social media accounts with their new relationship status. Heather (Vella Lovell) tells them that studies have shown that couples who post on social media about their relationship are insecure. But Josh and Rebecca disagree; Heather doesn’t know what she’s talking about. This leads to Josh and Rebecca singing and dancing to a Soul Train like version of the song “We’ll Never Have Problems Again.”

At the firm, Darryl (Pete Gardner) asks Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) whether his new suit screams success as he intends for Nathaniel (Scott Michael Foster) to take him seriously. Darryl goes into Nathaniel’s office, but Plimpton doesn’t pay attention to him because Nathaniel’s working out on the treadmill. Darryl leaves the office dejected. In the kitchen with Paula, she tells him about the new client from Los Angeles that Nathaniel is wooing. Rebecca enters Nathaniel’s office to tell him that she’s taking some of her unused vacation days to go to a family Bar Mitzvah with Josh, the man of her dreams. Nathaniel comments on how often Rebecca uses the phrase “man of my dreams” the sign of an insecure person. Too bad Rebecca won’t be there, she’ll miss the big client the firm is about to land.

After Paula asks her whether she’s told everyone in her life about her new status with Josh, Rebecca has a talk with Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz). Valencia is okay with it, but cautions Rebecca that Josh can’t be Rebecca’s security blanket. Josh is sitting on a park bench with Father Bray (Rene Gube). Josh tells Father Bray about the Bar Mitzvah he’s going to with Rebecca and his worry that a seventy-year-old will call him an “Oriental” and his fear that something will go wrong with their relationship. Father Bray comments on how Josh defines himself by his relationships. The priest isn’t totally focusing on what Josh’s is saying as Father Bray is using binoculars to search the trees for his weed that he hid there.

Later that night, Josh and Rebecca arrive at her mother’s house. Mrs. Bunch (Tovah Feldshuh) answers the door and says “I forgot you were bringing the Oriental.” Rebecca is embarrassed. Yep, this family event will be loads of fun! Josh gives Mrs. Bunch the magnet he brought her from the airport gift shop and is confused by the Bunch mom/daughter dynamic. “I’ve been confused ever since this one popped out of my vagina,” Naomi Bunch adds and talks about Skyler’s Bar Mitzvah. How fun is this Bar Mitzvah going to be? Stay tuned.

Nathaniel tells everyone at the law firm, now called Plimpton, Plimpton & Plimpton in huge letters with Whitefeather & Associates in smaller letters, they have to work on Saturday to meet an important deadline. Meanwhile, Naomi Bunch walks in on Josh and Rebecca as they are kissing on the bed. Josh is embarrassed, but not Rebecca’s mom as she once walked in on Rebecca and an old boyfriend having “Period Sex,” she briefly sings. Mrs. Bunch and Josh leave the room to thaw the fish she bought. The next day, the two are getting along like old friends.

At the Bar Mitzvah, Mrs. Bunch is telling Josh the family gossip. Rebecca is greeted by Rabbi Shari (Patti Lupone) who asks whether Rebecca has found a temple in California yet. “I don’t believe in God so that didn’t exactly make my To Do List,” Rebecca answers. Rabbi Shari comments about Rebecca’s always questioning, a hallmark of the Jewish people then walks away. The Bar Mitzvah gets worst for Rebecca when her nemesis Audra Esther Levine (Rachel Grate) greets Rebecca Nora Bunch. Yes, parents aren’t the only ones to use your full name when you do something wrong, arch enemies do it too when they don’t like you! Josh introduces himself to Audra and her husband David (Doug Mand) and then the men go off together, leaving the women to continue to snip at each other. “At least I’m married and not living in California having a nervous breakdown,” Audra says after Rebecca makes a comment about the convenience of a photographer being there when David proposed to Audra while she was on an antique ferris wheel. But Josh and David are bonding. They are both Dave Matthews fans, who knew? Rebecca wants to leave the Bar Mitzvah. She never expected Josh to be having this much fun. Rabbi Shari announces a dance in honor of Bar Mitzvah Boy Skyler. “Listen Josh, sounds like one thing but means another,” Rebecca says after explaining that people like her and her family don’t know how to have fun. Then comes the great song and dance “Remember That We Suffered” to illustrate Rebecca’s point that the Jewish people are about hiding pain through song. The lyrics include “Now’s the time to celebrate, grab a drink and fix a plate, but before you feel too great, remember that we suffered.” After the song and dance concludes, Josh observes that Rebecca is the only one who seems to be miserable.

Meanwhile back in West Covina, Darryl has hidden all the candy that Nathaniel had banned having at the office as he feels it doesn’t help productivity. But of course, Darryl doesn’t hide it well as an avalanche of candy rains down on Nathaniel’s head when he opens the cabinet. The other employees support Darryl by saying they were the ones who hid the candy. “You can take our candy, but you can never take our candy,” Darryl tells Nathaniel in a clever take on the speech from Braveheart.

Rabbi Shari finds Rebecca sitting alone and tells her that if she is unhappy, it’s not because of her family or being home it’s because she hates herself. And Josh or memories of their happy childhood time together can’t be responsible for making her happy. “That’s not love, that’s fantasy,” Rabbi Shari tells Rebecca.

Nathaniel takes a phone call from his father. From the conversation on Nathaniel’s end, it’s obvious he is agreeing to everything his father is saying and it’s underlined with criticisms. Nathaniel decides to burn his frustration (calories) on the treadmill. Darryl comes to Nathaniel’s office to confront him and is just in time to see Plimpton take a bad fall off the treadmill. At the hospital, Darryl tells Nathaniel that Darryl’s father is a jerk too. He assures Nathaniel is doing well even if Nathaniel’s father doesn’t think that and tells Plimpton he doesn’t need his father to believe he knows what he’s doing as long as he believes it. So, it looks like Darryl and Nathaniel have something in common: bonding over their daddy issues.

At Mrs. Bunch’s house, Naomi tells Josh that he is good for Rebecca as he helps sharpen some of her rough edges. Rebecca has been unhappy and Josh doesn’t know what to do about it. “I am your Jewish mother now and there are two things that I will always have: indigestion and all the answers. So, just listen to me and do exactly what I say,” Naomi tells Josh.

Nathaniel offers Darryl a huge account to take over. Rebecca is in a therapy session with Dr. Akopian (Michael Hyatt). Rebecca tells Dr. Akopian about her conversation with Rabbi Shari. Rebecca now feels that maybe she’s unhappy because she needs to be happy with herself and can only do that alone without the cumbersome situation of being in a relationship. Eureka! Dr. Akopian is ecstatic – Rebecca is finally ready to confront her issues! But of course, Josh’s arrival at Dr. Akopian’s office is the end of Rebecca’s epiphany. Josh has the Garfunkel ring that he remembered Rebecca pawned. “This is so romantic, it’s like a fairy tale,” Rebecca says as Josh gets down on bended knee. “Get up Josh,” Dr. Akopian demands, seeing her patient’s progress melting away like chocolate on a hot summer day. Josh asks Rebecca to marry him. She says yes while Dr. Akopian shouts “No!” And they lived happily ever after…all but the psychiatrist!