Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Round-Up S2, E11-13 Round-Up Review: A Fitting Close To The Season


"Josh Is The Man Of My Dreams, Right?"

"Josh Is The Man Of My Dreams, Right?" has more of a Shakespearean feel to me, not necessarily due to murder or soliloquies, but because of the main conflict. You would think that Rebecca would be slightly happier after getting engaged to Josh, but you would be wrong. Her quality of life is still erratic, thanks to the Santa Ana winds. The devil winds, as Weird Karen  calls them, are personified by a puckish narrator, seemingly content to cause chaos around town just because it amuses him. Hmm, maybe Mr. Mxyzpltk decided to take a trip to West Covina before arriving in National City.


In any case, whether due to her ongoing issues or the impish forces of nature, Rebecca is starting to feel insecure about being engaged to Josh. She isn't feeling goosebumps when they kiss. On the other hand, when she accidentally bumps into Nathaniel, goosebumps are most definitely felt. I have to say, I could do without another love triangle.

The show then proceeds to lovingly mock romantic comedies by referencing the plot point of characters with romantic chemistry getting stuck inside an enclosed area. Sure enough, Rebecca and Nathaniel get stuck in an elevator. Darn it, Santa Ana Winds!


He also recognizes the mutual attraction between them and decides to get the deed done as soon as possible. Nathaniel may have undergone some character development, but the song shows that he's still a massive jerk. He casually insults Rebecca in between businesslike requests for them to have intercourse just so they can get it over with. They don't end up having intercourse, but they do have a conversation laden with Harry Potter references.

As for Darryl's plot, I know that he did something wrong by meddling with Paula's relationship, but I can't help but feel sorry for him. He really does think that Paula is his best friend. Ultimately, it does lead to a slightly better situation with Paula's romantic life and Darryl sings a sweet song. It's still funny, but it does have genuinely nice undertones.


"Is Josh Free In Two Weeks?"

In a mere two weeks, Rebecca and Josh will be married. I can't see anything going wrong with that. Nope, nothing at all. The stress of putting together an entire wedding in only two weeks definitely won't cause any problems. They'll never have problems again.

Of course, they're obviously going to have problems. Rebecca wants to do the entire wedding by herself, despite the enormous toll that the task would take on her. Josh wants to help with the preparations, but she keeps rebuffing him. It eventually leads to a heartbreaking meltdown where she plaintively begs the package deliverer, Patrick, for emotional support.


It really is genuinely upsetting hearing Rebecca pour her heart out about all of her new frustrations and anxiety over undertaking a huge new project, made even worse by the news that her father won't be at the wedding. Something about the background music in "(Tell Me I'm Okay) Patrick" reminds me, strangely enough, of Peanuts. I used to love watching a VHS of the You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown tv special before it eventually stopped working. Something about the neurosis expressed and Rebecca's frustration just brings back memories of poor Charlie Brown.

Thankfully, she does get some help, and might I add, it was immensely satisfying seeing Paula call out Naomi for being generally rude and awful in the earlier part of this episode. It's so nice seeing the solid female friendships in this episode in general, with Paula helping out Rebecca and Valencia agreeing to be her wedding planner. This, combined with Nathaniel helping to get Rebecca's dad to West Covina, really cements the happiness of the episode.

Nathaniel gets some more characterization in the episode, showing that some of his more unpleasant personality traits might have been instilled by his hostile father. It seems to be a critique on toxic masculinity. In this case, he's disgustingly sick, but refuses to leave work. He even refuses to rest, citing his father's claim that naps are for the weak. Darryl takes offense to this, saying that there's nothing wrong with a good nap. Naturally, this is delivered in the form of a rock song, entitled "Man Nap."


"Can Josh Take A Leap Of Faith?"

This episode takes everything that the show has been building up to over the two seasons and creates a huge explosion of continuity. Backstories are given, mysteries are questioned, major revelations come for the cast! I'm impressed by the sheer amount of nods to past episodes that they managed to work in, while simultaneously furthering the characters' arcs and setting up for the future. Looking back, they have been subtly leading up to this for some time. Even one of the songs, "Rebecca's Reprise," shows her characterization slowly morph as time goes by. It features reprises of some of the songs that best showed the change.



I am so happy that The CW renewed Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for a third season. This episode ends on such a huge cliffhanger that to leave the audience dangling like that would be a crime to entertainment-lovers everywhere. (Just like The Grinder and The Muppets getting cancelled. Still not over that, Fox and ABC!) This is a beautifully-constructed episode and a master class in how to write a season finale.

If I absolutely had to find a flaw in the episode, it would be "What A Rush To Be A Bride." Don't get me wrong, the lyrics were perfectly fine. In fact, I wouldn't even be listing it as a negative if it just didn't have the strobe lights. I've never done well with them, they don't sit well with me. If you watch the link, just a warning: It has strobe lights throughout the video.


It's honestly hard to put this episode into a box, genre-wise. The inclusion of Trent and Rebecca's backstory almost makes it a horror story, but the wedding seems to indicate a romantic comedy. Whatever happens, the next season will be a twisted romantic comedy, full of revenge, drama, and lost loves. And that's just with Rebecca and Josh, because Darryl and White Josh might have their own drama. Maybe my Shakespearean reference from the last review wasn't that far off the mark. 

I do know that Rachel Bloom and Allison Shoemaker have previously stated that the series would last for approximately four seasons, so I guess we're rocketing towards the climax. I'll see you when the next season premieres!

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.