S01.E03: I Hope Josh Comes To My Party!

[Tara Ariano]

Rebecca throws a housewarming party, despite her lack of social connections in West Covina and a childhood fear of hosting parties, to get closer to Josh.

[HunterHunted]

Josh was like legitimately cool and nice this episode. Like you could see how Rebecca could be into him and not just this idealized version of him who will magically make Rebecca's life better. He was supportive of her, but also challenged her anxiety and crazy.

I liked Rebecca better too. The other episodes she came across crazy crazy to me, but this episode I thought she was relatable crazy. Even when she blew off Greg at the bar it felt like it was more because he was being dismissive of her party plans and less because Josh was there.

Paula's life is quite a mess and she really is quite crazy too. I can see how indulging Rebecca's delusions could be very escapist for her.

White Josh, never listen to Rebecca. Keep your shirt off.

Edited October 27, 2015 by HunterHunted

[Rinaldo]

I loved how Weekend Tuesday sounded like one of Rebecca's preposterous improvised stories, and it turned out to be a real thing at work.

 

I agree, Josh's character (as opposed to his status as imaginary love object) filled out nicely this week. He may not be the most brilliant guy ever, but he has plenty of common sense and good intentions.

 

Santino (Greg) got a new hairstyle (haircut?) this week, and mysteriously it gave him a lot more credibility as this limited but nice local guy. Having him drink a bit too much at parties helped too; he was a bit too ideal before (or maybe that's just my longstanding love for the actor). Best news of all: next week we get to hear him sing!

[OptimisticCynic]

I thought the balance of this episode was much better than the last. I loved Paula's song, DLC not only sang the hell out of it, but the little performance touches of her mouth quivering during some of the notes were hysterical. And as dysfunctional as they both are, I love the mutual respect and friendship between those two. It's rare to see.

The preview for next week also looked great. I really hope this show is able to at least end in a satisfying way though I would love it to get renewed I know it's unlikely.

Edited October 27, 2015 by OptimisticCynic

[HunterHunted]

Weekend Tuesday was hilarious and such a subtle joke about how there a whole host characters in West Covina who are stranger than we could imagine.

[calliope1975]

Well, I have friends, I definitely have friends will be running through my head for the immediate future. 

[vibeology]

I get why she likes Josh. After the party, I like Josh. He wasn't a jerk or a dudebro. He was sweet to his new friend and made her wish of a good party come true. He clearly is kind of into Rebecca but mostly because he's unhappy with Valencia and Rebecca's worship makes him feel good about himself. At the same time, he wants to be a good boyfriend and a good friend. Its immature but for the first episode, I get him. 

 

The music was great. I could relate to "I Have Friends" song way too much. I've been that tween before. And The Josh Boy Band was a nice surprise. 

[taragel]

I thought I'd come in here and everyone would be saying "God, Rebecca was awful, she's crazier than ever before!" Lol, go figure. I thought they were way more upfront about her actual issues for the first time here. I like that this show is really trying to walk the balance between light humor and delving into actual darker issues like abandonment, etc. 

 

White Josh was quite the revelation with his shirt off. For a minute, I was expecting Rebecca to switch allegiances. I'm not sure I could've blamed her. 

 

But... then Josh quite redeemed himself this episode. I agree with everyone who gets why she's crushing on him now. I really thought they were going to make him a jerky dudebro so Greg could look better by comparison, but I appreciate that they're not--and that Greg continues to have some douchey moments as well. I also liked that there definitely is something between Josh and Rebecca, thus making her not quite so crazy to continue to be into him. He's definitely going to be sending mixed signals it seems.

 

The boyband song was excellent. All the songs are great, actually. I love them all. And I also loved that Weekend Tuesday ended up being a real thing. I was slightly annoyed at first because it seemed like Rebecca was flaking on her actual job responsibilities but then...she really wasn't! (I guess.)

[possibilities]

I loved how Weekend Tuesday sounded like one of Rebecca's preposterous improvised stories, and it turned out to be a real thing at work.

That was my favorite thing about this episode. I was so annoyed with her for making that shit up and blowing off her job for her garbage disposal stunt, and then it turned out to be real! Ha!!

 

Her immunity to White Josh, shirtless, was an interesting twist. She's not just into Josh because she perceives him as a hunk, or she's not just pursuing hunk for hunk's sake, it's something more er...nuanced... than that.

 

I loved seeing Paula's character developed a bit more, too. That song, with the background vocals especially-- "Drop out of school! School is stupid!"-- so funny. It's like the show gives a mix of very earnest messages (female "beauty routines" are brutal, face your fears) leavened with a few shocking asides (school is stupid, that dingbat went to Harvard)-- I love it. I admit I'm particularly fond of messages taking the stuffing out of stuffy school. Exposing the idiocy of academe is a personal agenda of mine that I rarely see served, even as a joke.

 

I actually do not share Paula's or Greg's perception that there is something touching about Rebecca's feelings for Josh. I think it's totally batshit dysfunctional. But I am still enjoying the show.

 

I have mixed feelings about Josh deciding to blow off Valancia. I agree strongly with the idea that you should not fear your significant other and that partners who control you by being scary with their anger are a problem. On the other hand, her asking where he was wasn't that unreasonable, and I liked her before. Him not being honest with her and just saying "I'll get home when I want to get home" is not great, either. I don't want them to build up the Josh-Rebecca potential by tearing down Valencia. I hope they keep it... nuanced.

[Minneapple]

Still liking this show. I was glad to see Paula get a background this week. It'd be nice if she was more than just Bex's sidekick. And I like her son.

Also glad to see Josh be more human this week. It was really nice of him to make Rebecca feel better about her party.

And let me say...it's great that the two main women on this show are more...curvy. I love that.

The music continues to be fun. Also Room Temperature. Lol.

[arc]

The songs were hilarious. I've enjoyed basically every song so far.  Hell, if this show was just a way to get a whole lot more of Rachel Bloom musical videos created, that would be sufficient.  I think the lyrics in "Face Your Fears" were a bit funnier, but the boy band stylings of the "A Boy Band Made Up Of Four Joshs" was fantastic, from the auto-tune to the nasal twang in the singing to the dancing ... killer.

 

Agreed with everyone about enjoying what they've done with Paula, Josh, and Greg this episode.

 

The neighbor girl will probably recur?  The four animated people in the title sequence are Paula, Daryl, Greg, and neighbor girl.

[Rinaldo]

I thought I'd come in here and everyone would be saying "God, Rebecca was awful, she's crazier than ever before!" Lol, go figure. I thought they were way more upfront about her actual issues for the first time here. I like that this show is really trying to walk the balance between light humor and delving into actual darker issues like abandonment, etc. 

 

White Josh was quite the revelation with his shirt off. For a minute, I was expecting Rebecca to switch allegiances. I'm not sure I could've blamed her. 

 

I really thought they were going to make [Josh] a jerky dudebro so Greg could look better by comparison, but I appreciate that they're not--and that Greg continues to have some douchey moments as well.

 

I was slightly annoyed at first because it seemed like Rebecca was flaking on her actual job responsibilities but then...she really wasn't! (I guess.)

I like the way they've made it that nobody is the voice of reason with a message for us; they're all messed up in their own ways (as indeed we all are).

 

Rebecca did try to flake out on her job for a while; despite it being Weekend Tuesday, she was in fact supposed to go to work (though that's a legitimately puzzling aspect of it, as the guy at work pointed out -- the one who was given a sombrero). She got permission to stay home by uttering a few female-anatomy words, but then went in to work after all.

the boy band stylings of the "A Boy Band Made Up Of Four Joshs" was fantastic, from the auto-tune to the nasal twang in the singing to the dancing ... killer.

 

The neighbor girl will probably recur?  The four animated people in the title sequence are Paula, Daryl, Greg, and neighbor girl.

I loved that autotune kicked in for this one song. It gave it that authentic boyband sound. And we finally got to see that Vincent Rodriguez III wasn't hired just to look pretty, he's quite the musical talent himself. It's not uncommon for people to overdub their voices in multiple parts, but to do it visually with synchronized, then staggered moves was impressive to me.

 

Vella Lovell as Heather Patel is more than recurring -- she's a regular. She's been billed as such since last week, so it's high time we met her. "Automatic A. Done."

[alexa]

This was pretty good.  I really like her work friend and glad they turned her into a friend right away versus an enemy.  I thought Josh was very cool, and I still like the bartender guy--he seems like a good guy to have around.  Overall, I like Rebecca's current brand of crazy-- a little weird but also has a good heart.

[Primetimer]

Run with scissors! Swim after eating! Jump out a window! You can do anything if you face your fears in a musical number.

Read the story

[whyjoshua]

"Face Your Fears" is a total delight, definitely my favorite number so far, but I don't think it actually happened in-universe. It seemed like just another hallucination from Rebecca, who hears terrible advice but wants to be motivated to throw the party, so she reimagines it as something much grander and musically persuasive. I think that's why it ends with a smash-cut (no pun?) to Rebecca and Paula in the same poses they were in before the number started—they never moved.

I mean, I guess we'll know for sure if there's ever a musical number that doesn't involve Rebecca in the room with the singer.

[Rinaldo]

The question of what is "really" happening during a song in a musical is generally a fraught aesthetic dilemma, even for people who analyze musicals for a living (as I do). The idea that "Face Your Fears" at least begins as Paula singing to Rebecca is supported by Rebecca asking whom she's singing to, and why she's facing in that direction. It's all somewhat unexpected to Rebecca, and she keeps questioning it, so for me that places it as something more than just her own projection.

[whyjoshua]

That makes sense. I guess I chalked up the blocking stuff to being a joke, similar to in "Sexy Getting Ready Song," the rapper stopped his part almost immediately because he was horrified by Rebecca's bathroom arsenal. Rachel Bloom did another awkward/unexpected reaction to that, but I don't think the rapper was a real character (I assume the last scene of him calling up his bitches was also a joke).

Edited October 27, 2015 by whyjoshua

[dubbel zout]

I actually do not share Paula's or Greg's perception that there is something touching about Rebecca's feelings for Josh. I think it's totally batshit dysfunctional. But I am still enjoying the show.

Same here. Rebecca doesn't know adult Josh at all; she's still got this idealized view of him from her camp-crush days. And him being a decent person to Rebecca isn't something I can get all excited about. Add me to the list of people who doesn't want him to tear down Valencia in order to be with Rebecca.

 

Josh's boy band number was hilarious. The show does a really good job of integrating the songs, and the songs do a really good job of furthering character development and/or plot.

[DearEvette]

I loved this episode based almost solely on the 'Face Your Fears' musical number. Not just the song, because it was funny and fantastic and so very subversive. But also Rebecca's skeptical commentary accompanying the song. It was like Paula and Rebecca were standing side by side but in two separate genres: Paula was in a musical, but Rebecca was in a made-for-tv-movie.

And yeah, her complete obliviousness to White Josh was great.

Also, are those new opening credits or have I just never watched them before? Now I am wondering if I just never watched the opening credits before.

[Rinaldo]

Also, are those new opening credits or have I just never watched them before? Now I am wondering if I just never watched the opening credits before.

They're the post-pilots credits, first seen in Episode 2 (last week). The little bit of story-till-now recapping wouldn't have worked before the events happened in the course of the pilot. I was wondering about the neighbor (Heather) being in them as she hadn't actually appeared -- but as of this week she has, so that's taken care of.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Rinaldo

[Ohwell]

I wouldn't kick White Josh out of bed for eating crackers.  Plus, he's a handyman, too.

[Rinaldo]

And he'll run up your step total free of charge!

[JasmineFlower]

I liked almost all parts of the episode that didn't involve Josh. I didn't dislike all things Josh, he was actually a lot more likable here, but I'm definitely tiring of the Josh obsession by Becca. Is it too much to hope that given this episode and the previews for the next that they are slowly phasing out her stalker crazy over Josh? Because I could love that show, one where she's not nearly as aware of him, but it's a bit awkward and she's dating his friend. But this one? I didn't think there was as much balance as others did, still kind of felt like the last one a bit too much. The way she's still trying to angle to get him is a bit offputting, it definitely makes her seem crazy. I get that that's the title, I just can't say I'll be on board to watch that weekly (that may be a moot point though given the ratings). But still, hope this show is slowly making the transition to being about a Becca that is less Josh-centric.

 

I'm glad Josh wasn't such an ass this episode. Still enjoying Greg a ton. And her neighbor talking about her being a great study for abnormal psych was priceless.

[BooBear]

I wouldn't kick White Josh out of bed for eating crackers.  Plus, he's a handyman, too.

I wondered if Josh won't turn out to be gay and run off with White Josh. Just seems like that would be a way to get Rebecca off Josh and with Greg without anyone being a bad guy.

 

I really enjoyed last night's episode. I thought the face your fears song was just flat out good and Josh was legtimiately a good guy friend.  I think we needed that balance see Rebecca's point of view. I also really enjoyed the friends song not that it was a good song but the lyrics and her "friends" cracked me up.

 

I like Rebecca and Greg but I hope they cut out the unfriendly banter. Hopefully next week will end that.

[Ms Blue Jay]

This episode was really good.  I wasn't so sure with the first two episodes but wanted to support it so badly because of what it stands for.  But now I am a legitimate fan and hope it keeps going strong.

 

The episode was heartwarming because Rebecca got a big win and now everyone can see how Josh is appealing.  Not that it really should logically matter though. I don't know if Rebecca likes Josh because he's so appealing - that is too logical and that's not what this show is about.  The show is about a damaged woman who almost arbitrarily and extremely put her hopes and dreams on a guy she once knew.   But seeing Josh being appealing is just nice for the audience.

 

I'm finding the show inspirational because I would love to write something original like this someday.  It's really cool that they created something so original.

 

The Face Your Fears song, I wasn't paying enough attention but every time I tuned in the lyrics were hysterical.  I have to watch that again and maybe transcribe it.

 

I like the neighbour girl, though she is trying a bit hard to be the cool one. She's doing it not as convincingly as Aubrey Plaza.

 

Sorry, but this Millennial stereotype is here to stay :)  You're going to see it in many shows for years to come.  It's like the Generation X slacker who wears plaid.  This will continue.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[DearEvette]

Has anyone mentioned Mrs. Hernandez yet. "I wonder what she's doing on a Friday night."

 

Ha!  Mrs. Hernandez doing what looked like Parkour freerunning made me snort out loud.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

Anyone else find the interactions (or lack thereof) in this episode between Greg and Josh odd? They are best buds right? Yet, when Becca approaches Josh about the party at the bar, and he says that, oh White Josh and ...the other surfer guy are not available to go to the party, he doesn't mention, oh Greg (who was just talking with Becca and standing a few feet away) might be able to go we should talk to him.

And then at the party, Greg comes in, but doesn't go say "Hi" to Josh or anything, and when Josh leaves and Greg is on the stairs, there is no interaction, or Josh noticing Greg is there and maybe offering him a ride since Greg is obviously trashed. I found it really odd.

[rho]

Anyone else find the interactions (or lack thereof) in this episode between Greg and Josh odd? They are best buds right? Yet, when Becca approaches Josh about the party at the bar, and he says that, oh White Josh and ...the other surfer guy are not available to go to the party, he doesn't mention, oh Greg (who was just talking with Becca and standing a few feet away) might be able to go we should talk to him.

And then at the party, Greg comes in, but doesn't go say "Hi" to Josh or anything, and when Josh leaves and Greg is on the stairs, there is no interaction, or Josh noticing Greg is there and maybe offering him a ride since Greg is obviously trashed. I found it really odd.

 

Agreed!

 

And he was just chilling there on the stairs in plain sight at the end of the party. It looked like it was staged for theatre, not the screen. I can just picture him on the stairs in the dark and the a spotlight finds him just as Josh leaves.

[arc]

Aw yeah, "Character X is actually imaginary" is one of my favorite insane fan theories tropes ever. It almost never actually pays off that way, but I kind of want to write that now anyways.

 

(I mean, this is spoiled by ep 2 where Josh and Greg talk to each other, completely away from Rebecca, BUT STILL.)

[taragel]

I'm really curious what the Showtime version of CEG would've looked like. Shorter obviously, but darker more quickly, too, I'd assume? To me I think it fits really well on CW so I'm glad it landed here. Too bad about the ratings though--I hope they give it some time due to its originality. I'd like to see this get more than one season, even if they had to move it to a summer show (now that they've cancelled Beauty and the Beast) that could work.

[Rinaldo]

I wonder about that too. It would've been raunchier surely (especially as Rachel Bloom's sense of humor and the absurd seems to go there anyway). As it is, some of the bits seem to be pushing at the edge of what Standards & Practices can allow (granted that this is the only CW show I watch so I don't know its usual standard), with uncensored versions of some videos being offered elsewhere.

[dubbel zout]

I think it would be a language difference. I'm always surprised what shows gets away with (not in a pearl-clutching way, just because I grew up when it was a big deal that Mr. and Mrs. Brady were shown sharing a bed). Maybe the ratings system allows more latitude because you've warned viewers? I don't know.

[Snarklepuss]

I also like it that Josh is being shown as a real person now, and a nice one too.  I think it's admirable that he is concerned about his girlfriend but I suspect that she's not worth being concerned about, and that's what the show is leading up to us finding out.  It would be the perfect way to legitimize his continued interest in Rebecca so it doesn't look offensive.  The way they're going with this Rebecca may calm down somewhat with the nutso and actually have a real relationship with the guy (as opposed to a crazy stalker relationship). 

 

My favorite part of this episode was all the background filling on Paula plus the scene at the end where Rebecca is holding up cue cards for her to remember what to say to the principal - OMG, that's right out of my own life with my husband (who's a lawyer) when on the phone with a company that's doing me wrong or whatever.  I split my sides with that one - It was actually very realistic as my husband has done stuff like that with family and friends - It's so hard to remember that convincing "legalese" that really gets results!

 

It seems like whenever I start to like a new show the ratings suck and there's a threat of cancellation or actual cancellation and then the show is somehow saved, so I'm hoping they give this one a chance to develop an audience.  I remember "The Middle" was almost cancelled after its first season and look how that turned out.

[swimmyfish]

I really hope that the OTP of this series turns out to be Rebecca and Paula. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but they have easily the most compelling relationship on the show,they're powerhouse singers, and I love that they always support each other. We definitely got some much needed character development for Josh this episode, but I think it's a little too late for me to be interested in him. Rebecca and Paula forever!

[SmithW6079]

White Josh, never listen to Rebecca. Keep your shirt off.

That's exactly what I said. White Josh is fine.

Loved the "Face Your Fears" song, not only for the lyrics and the singer, but for Rebecca's running comments.

In the scene at Paula's house, I thought the man who came in singing was her other son, not her husband.

I'm enjoying the show after discovering it on demand, although I had heard of it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved that young Rebecca was not at all interested in Future Rebecca going to Harvard and Yale because she just wanted to knwo when she would get boobs. As a young girl, that is totally realistic.

 

I am glad that we finally got to see Josh be a nice guy who is a supportive friend so that we can understand what Rebecca saw in him in the first place. I loved that when she initially told him about her housewarming party his immediate reaction was to be excited and tell her how cool it was. I really liked that he didn't expect her to have a huge party with tons of people since she just moved there but that when she told him that's what she wanted, he helped her make it happen. I also really liked that he pointed out that she's doing really well at her job (even though he has no idea what she does) and has a great place and reassured her that she isn't a loser for having a small party. Then after all those people showed up, he took her around and introduced her to them.

 

Of course, Josh still had a douchey moment when he introduced Rebecca to "that guy," whose name he doesn't know despite the fact that they have known each other since kindergarten.

 

I am glad that Josh has made a conscious decision not to be so afraid of Valencia and her controlling/jealous nature, but now he needs to go home and talk to her about it. While there is no need for him to run home as soon as he gets a text from her, their relationship is not going to change just because he decides to stay at a party. That is going to require a lot of work because Valencia is not going to say, "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize that I was being such a scary control freak but now that you've pointed it out, I will stop immediately and not feel resentful about it at all!" But at least he is aware of the unbalanced nature of his relationship with his girlfriend and wants to do something about it.

 

Ha, I, too, thought that Rebecca was making up Weekend Tuesday so I laughed when it turned out to be real. I still think it was desperate and sad for her to stay home from work just so she could break her garbage disposal in order to have a reason to call Josh.

 

Loved all three songs this week. The Four Joshes doing all those classic 90s boy band moves was hilarious. I have had "I Definitely Have Friends" stuck in my head for the past few days. And the song about facing your fears was so funny.

 

I love that Paula is so supportive of Rebecca and that she encouraged her to face her fears and then helped her with the party. The hodgepodge of decorations from different holidays was funny.

[SmithW6079]

Of course, Josh still had a douchey moment when he introduced Rebecca to "that guy," whose name he doesn't know despite the fact that they have known each other since kindergarten.

Then we're all douches, because we all have "that guy" in our lives.

Otherwise, spot on with the rest of your post.

Edited November 1, 2015 by SmithW6079

[dubbel zout]

In the scene at Paula's house, I thought the man who came in singing was her other son, not her husband.

 

She has the son with the katana sword (!) and the younger one, so the guy was her husband, because he was older than both boys.

Edited November 1, 2015 by dubbel zout

[SmithW6079]

She has the son with the katana sword (!) and the younger one, so the guy was her husband, because he was older than both boys.

Yes, but her husband came into the room first, before the younger kid. The older boy, with the sword, was scary. There's a serial killer in the making.

[OptimisticCynic]

I will always remember Paula's husband from Can't Hardly Wait.

[ToxicUnicorn]

Loved the "Face Your Fears" song, not only for the lyrics and the singer, but for Rebecca's running comments.

I loved Face Your Fears for the lyrics and the truly ridiculous contrast between the terrible advice and the earnest gospel staging.  The kids with their oversized scissor props made me laugh out loud.  

 

I also have to admire how deftly Paula delivered it.  She got all the laughs while still managing not to cheapen her character at all.  Man.  Not only can Donna Lynne Champlin sing and act, but she can really deliver the comedy.  She's new to me and I'm already a big fan.  I also thought Rebecca's timing was fantastic.  That number was seamlessly interwoven.

 

Sexy Getting Ready Song is the one that's still stuck in my head, though.

 

I am thoroughly enjoying Paula and Rebecca's relationship and the chemistry between the actresses; it's the best part of the show.  I get the vibe that they (as actors) sincerely have a lot of respect for each other and enjoy working with each other.  (If that's not true, I would never suspect it.)  In fact, it seems like the entire cast is unusually ... functional, for lack of a better word, which makes it fun for me to imagine, because it seems like there's some underlying sanity peaking through these crazy, crazy characters, and that makes them intriguing.  (This paragraph probably makes no sense, so thanks for reading.)

[LisaM]

Loved Face Your Fears and the Four Joshes. This was my favorite episode so far. Love how supportive Paula is of Rebecca.