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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S01.E07: I'm So Happy That Josh Is So Happy!

ElectricBoogaloo

By ElectricBoogaloo
in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend [V]

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Rhetorica

Rhetorica

Great episode. Highlights:

Paula: "Our marriage is like the Walking Dead. We're just trying to get out of it alive." So glad to see her sing again and get some romance. But I thought the guy was too good to be true. I was afraid he killed his wife for insurance money or something.

I loved the White Rabbit reference with Rebecca in the doctor's rest room (complete with white rabbits wall paper) and shrinking to fit the doggy door.

White Josh's description of his parking spot was hilarious!

I've never watched Dr. Phil but he was funny.

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

White Josh's description of his parking spot was hilarious!

 

That was Hector, no? (BTW, I still want White Josh to get a song someday.)

 

It was great to see Donna Lynne Champlin get another solo, and one that shows off her wide-ranging skills.

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Rhetorica

Rhetorica

That was Hector, no? (BTW, I still want White Josh to get a song someday.)

It was great to see Donna Lynne Champlin get another solo, and one that shows off her wide-ranging skills.

Oh OK. I couldn't tell since he had his shirt on.

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Chrissytd

Chrissytd

This was probably my favorite episode thus far. To me, it was the right amount comedy/musical and seriousness.

I thought I would dislike Dr. Phil's cameo, but his interactions with Rebecca were enjoyable.

Rebecca, it's never wise to take a pill that you've found on the bathroom floor.

The double entendre about parking/pulling out provided by Hector was hilarious. Also the bit with table being a metaphor for Valencia.

I liked the remixed Sexy Getting Ready song with Calvin and Paula at the end of the episode.

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Zoe

Zoe

(edited)

Think I'm gonna have to rewatch this one. Somehow I completely missed the bathroom pill scene.

Edit: oh my god, my DVR messed up and I missed everything between Dr Phil's first appearance and her and Heather smoking >_<

Edited by Zoe
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arc

arc

(edited)

I've lived way too many of the specifics of Rebecca's love-crazy breakdown, from the unwise plastic flask-like bottle of cheap vodka to a temporarily emotionally satisfying burrito to wanting to get back to numbness to the flat-out denial of being rejected ... this was terrifying.

 

Also funny.  Loved the tag a lot, loved Hector's ridiculous double-entendre anecdotes about parking

Edited by arc
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turnitwayup

turnitwayup

I was dying at Hector's parking situation and the guys' reactions. Surprising Dr. Phil was more likable than he's ever been. Paula's love life is so sad that she's idolizing Twilight. I'm hoping that we see Michael Hyatt's character recurring and that we see Rebecca getting better.

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sacrebleu

sacrebleu

 

always keep the Oxford comma.  Always!

Agreed. I think that must have been part of her mental health episode.

 

I am continuously impressed that this show can acknowledge how truly damaged and miserable everyone is, and yet still be funny. 

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

I wish they'd found another way to handle things that doesn't make Valencia terrible. 

My reaction was that they're finding ways to indicate that Valencia has a point, at least in some situations, and whatever her faults she isn't always being treated well. As the PTV article said, a dining table is a pretty big item in a house, that should go with your other stuff and shouldn't be decided without consultation. And though Josh isn't exactly being unfaithful to her, he's thinking up fun stuff he and Rebecca can do together behind her back. Admittedly, this doesn't make me like Valencia any more than before (and she probably would have chosen a table without consulting Josh)... but I think the show is doing a good job of gradually showing that everybody has their faults and their better points, and their reasons for doing what they do. It's turning out way more nuanced (to quote the theme song) than I would have supposed before it started, when I figured it was just going to be a wacky comedy of misunderstanding, with songs.

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author
(edited)

I can see both sides of the table issue. Josh's heart was in the right place. After all, Valencia is the one who complained about not having any furniture at their new place so he thought that he was doing this really nice thing for her. But a dining room table is a pretty big piece of furniture. I wouldn't surprise anyone with a sofa, a bed, or a dining room table because those are things you see and use every single day so they should be what you like. And when you move in together, part of the fun is creating a shared space by choosing things together. But when she said that the table he chose didn't go with their other things, I thought what other things? You just said you don't have any furniture!

 

Ha, the guys trying to use the table as a metaphor for Valencia was hilarious. I loved when Greg whispered, "You are going to ruin your life if you keep this table!" Hector's parking story was funny but the guys' reactions were even funnier.

 

Calvin seemed too good to be true (and he was throwing around a lot of cash) so I thought it was going to come out that he had different girlfriends in every city. I was surprised when it turned out that he just missed his wife and really liked Paula.

 

Loved the therapist's bathroom. Normally I'm not a fan of animal wallpaper but I loved all the black and white. Great overhead shot of Rebecca while she was in there.

Edited by ElectricBoogaloo
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taragel

taragel

I think Calvin's song was supposed to be like a "cut scene", from just before Rebecca would've gotten there.

I really love the blend of comedy/depression this show is, which is a weird thing to say, but true. I just really enjoy the way they're approaching it head on and making it textual, rather than just the completely surreal/wacky territory most sitcoms employ (as the recap pointed out).

The white rabbit wallpaper was so perfect. I liked the therapist and hope Rebecca does keep going.

I was a little disappointed that they finally showed Rebecca being totally and completely irresponsible about her job but rewarding her for it anyway because Calvin liked her. In previous episodes she's been a little irresponsible but then turned it around by putting in the work usually. I guess it's inevitable that her personal dysfunction and depression will spill into her job, but I really liked the fact that she's so capable and competent at work and hope we don't lose that side of her altogether.

Hector's parking spot analogy was hilarious, as was the Valencia-as-table metaphor. I'm torn on Valencia's treatment. It's a little cheap/easy/stereotypical/sexist to make "the other woman" really controlling...yet...some people are too controlling. Considering the nuance they've brought to other characters (and even in the episode where they introduced her to some degree) I'm giving them a pass on this for now as I think they will flesh her out more.

I think it's interesting too that she and Josh have been together since they were teens--they were together before Josh and Rebecca met at summer camp. That's a very long relationship through your formative years. It's easy to imagine that now that they're adults and might want people they're less in lust with and more personality compatible with that could be what really breaks them up, not Rebecca.

I also feel like they're using the stoned neighbor in just the right amounts. Her role as neutral observer is really perfect.

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

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I think that there are some very realistic aspects to Josh and Valencia's relationship, the biggest of which is being with someone out of habit. Their relationship is definitely not perfect but they've been together so long that it's really all they know. And in situations like that, it's easy to fall into the guilt trap of knowing that you love the person and not wanting to hurt them. I don't doubt that they love each other but that doesn't mean their relationship is healthy. Part of growing up means realizing that you can love someone but not be romantically involved with them. And sometimes you realize that you are better without each other, especially if you don't bring out the best in each other. I think they could stick it out and make it work but that they could be happier with other people.

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

I was confused by Calvin's sexy-going-to-do-it song...did that indicate that after Rebecca's cock-blocking Pam and Calvin did it any way? 

I think that in general these little half-minute tags at the end of each episode are fun extras -- not to be taken seriously or regarded as "really" happening. They're a stylized part of the format, just like the pointed question or sentence in the cold open that is answered by the theme song.

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chaifan

chaifan

While I normally would agree that a dining room table is a major piece of furniture and should be discussed before being purchased, this wasn't some giant formal dining room set. It was about as basic of a table as a table can be. I think that's why Valencia dissing it was funny - it's just a table, there's nothing for it to "not go with".

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FurryFury

FurryFury

Hector's speech about parking was a thing of beauty.

 

Overall, I didn't enjoy this episode as much I wanted to. Don't get me wrong, I love it that they're finally delving into Rebecca's mental issues, and God knows I want more exploration of this topic on TV in general (not because I have diagnosed anxiety myself, but because mental illness is fascinating to me), but it just didn't feel as compelling to me. Maybe because Rebecca was mostly interacting with Paula (who kinda feels way too overbearing at this point, but finally we've made some progress with that... hopefully) and the neighbor (whose name I forgot), whose character is paper-thin at this point. She just sparkles more with Josh and Greg, I think.

 

Still, this episode wasn't bad... A solid B or even B+ for me. I just felt it could have been better.

 

The tag was hilarious, though. A great callback.

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arc

arc

I think Calvin's song was supposed to be like a "cut scene", from just before Rebecca would've gotten there.

Yeah. Rebecca called Paula while Calvin was out getting ice, and in the tag, he enters with an ice bucket.

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Ms Blue Jay

Ms Blue Jay

(edited)

I didn't much care for this one.

 

Rebecca eating disgusting things (end of a shoelace?) and wanting to eat a pill off of a bathroom floor, just the thought makes me want to retch.

 

I think what I love about the show is Rebecca's interactions with Josh.  They always make me smile.  There was not nearly enough of that in this episode.  I guess I am Paula.

Edited by Ms Blue Jay
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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

(edited)
THAT WASN'T ON THE PRESS SCREENER! 

 

I bet it was. It wasn't "remixed" -- just Calvin singing his own a cappella rendition for 10 seconds while bringing ice to the hotel room. Their usual "out of continuity" tag. (You can check on the CW website, where episodes are put up the day after.)

Edited by Rinaldo
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Jael

Jael

Didn't love this episode, though I'm an unabashed Greg fangirl and there wasn't much of him this week at all. Still, a middling episode of this is more entertaining than most.

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

I'm a Greg fan too (have been following Santino Fontana's career for years), but I figure that each episode will need to focus on different characters and situations, and I look forward to that. In fact, seeing Greg with just his longtime buddies in this situation, away from the bar, was an unexpected novelty. I would have loved a quartet for the guys, but "let's assemble a table" isn't a song motivation on this show (no emotional stakes), so they were right not to have one.

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Ohwell

Ohwell

I don't like that Josh is now becoming a selfish douche.  He already knows that Rebecca is literally crazy about him, yet he feels it's alright to invite her over to his and Valencia's apartment to "hang out" without her being there.  You just know that Valencia will come home unexpectedly and he'll try to explain himself badly, thus creating more drama.  I can understand him being unsure and having mixed feelings about both women, so no way should he have agreed to live with Valencia until he'd made up his mind one way or the other.  Indecisiveness can be just as douchey and hurtful.  

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arc

arc

(edited)

I don't like that Josh is now becoming a selfish douche.  He already knows that Rebecca is literally crazy about him, yet he feels it's alright to invite her over to his and Valencia's apartment to "hang out" without her being there.  You just know that Valencia will come home unexpectedly and he'll try to explain himself badly, thus creating more drama.  I can understand him being unsure and having mixed feelings about both women, so no way should he have agreed to live with Valencia until he'd made up his mind one way or the other.  Indecisiveness can be just as douchey and hurtful.  

Yeah, all of this.  Hard to believe he's the same Josh who was so concerned about his attraction to Rebecca that he talked it over with Father Brah. Though on the other hand, Father Brah did basically say "it's okay, you haven't been burned yet, so keep on playing with fire!"

 

Although wait, how much does he know that Rebecca is crazy about him?  He's not the most observant guy and I doubt the people who do know -- Paula and Greg and Rebecca -- have told him.  At this point he knows that she moved across the country to a podunk LA suburb where he coincidentally lives (huge red flag that he might have ignored), the way things blew up between Valencia and her (which he honestly might not get is about him), and... that's about it, I think.  She's mostly done a good job of keeping the lid on the crazy in his presence.

Edited by arc
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Ohwell

Ohwell

I like Valencia much more when she is not in a scene with Rebecca, because she falls too easily into the antagonist/jealous girlfriend when Rebecca is around. I think they could show us a bit more about the relationship between Josh and Valencia, maybe not from Rebecca's point of view. It would be nice for Valencia to get a bit more dimension.

 

I'd like to see that, too.

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adam807

adam807

I bet it was. It wasn't "remixed" -- just Calvin singing his own a cappella rendition for 10 seconds while bringing ice to the hotel room. Their usual "out of continuity" tag. (You can check on the CW website, where episodes are put up the day after.)

 

Yes, I lied, it totally was, I just forgot it. :) (It was still on the DVR.)  And according to Donna Lynne Champlin's Twitter, it was improvised.

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BooBear

BooBear

Although wait, how much does he know that Rebecca is crazy about him?  He's not the most observant guy and I doubt the people who do know -- Paula and Greg and Rebecca -- have told him.  At this point he knows that she moved across the country to a podunk LA suburb where he coincidentally lives (huge red flag that he might have ignored), the way things blew up between Valencia and her (which he honestly might not get is about him), and... that's about it, I think.  She's mostly done a good job of keeping the lid on the crazy in his presence.

I agree. I could see it never entering Josh's mind that he even had a chance with her as she is a Harvard educated lawyer and he implicitly might believe she is out of his league.  I see that as one reason he was so open and honest with her earlier about his feelings.

 

I didn't love this episode.  it kept apart the main players and seemed to be a bit of a stall. I also hate Dr. Phil . The songs are becoming uninspired. I also hate the idea that Paula didn't pursue anything with that guy. Paula is trapped in a loveless marriage. She needs to find something for her. If I saw any evidence that she really loved her hubbie or hubbie gave two licks about her, well ok. But so far, it doesn't seem to be the case.

 

I agree that Josh and Valencia need to break up but I am not going to blame Valencia. They are just two different people.

 

I do find it interesting that Rebecca just can't seem to stay away from Greg despite her best efforts to sabotage the relationship. Clearly end game here.

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author

I think it's very plausible that Josh has no idea Rebecca has feelings for him. Josh reminds me of a big puppy. He is enthusiastic and sweet and wants to lick your face but he's also not thinking about the long term consequences of his actions or really aware of much besides what is right in front of him at the moment. He's not willfully ignorant, just happily oblivious.

 

Another possible reason for Josh not realizing Rebecca likes him is that he is so used to Valencia being the only girl in his life that he isn't out hitting on girls all the time so he has different expectations when he talks to other girls than single guys do. I'm going to generalize a lot here, but a lot of single guys seem to consider most females they encounter as a possible sex partner or potential girlfriend. The way they interact with women is to based on that premise. Think about the way that Greg talked to Rebecca in the first few episodes or watch any random guy at a bar talking to random girls. But because Josh has been monogamous with Valencia for so long, he isn't constantly scoping out every girl in the room as "hey, maybe I'll get laid tonight!" Because he doesn't have that agenda, his attitude toward women like Rebecca (as well as his perception of himself) is different. I don't know if I'm explaining this well, but I get why being with Valencia for so long could contribute to him not realizing that Rebecca likes him. I really think the major part is just his puppy dog nature though.

 

ETA: I just remembered that in the pilot, Greg said that Josh moved back to West Covina to get back together with Valencia which means they must have broken up for at least a little while. I wonder if they broke up because he went to New York or if they broke up before then for totally unrelated reasons.

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arc

arc

Because he doesn't have that agenda, his attitude toward women like Rebecca (as well as his perception of himself) is different. I don't know if I'm explaining this well, but I get why being with Valencia for so long could contribute to him not realizing that Rebecca likes him. I really think the major part is just his puppy dog nature though.

That makes sense, but now that he's admitted to himself that he is attracted to Rebecca, one would think he'd be thinking about it more, whether because he wants to follow up on that or head it off.

 

I forgot to say earlier, I liked the various little Alice in Wonderland allusions.

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theatremouse

theatremouse

I think it's possible that because he feels so conflicted about it, even if he did think maybe there was something there, he also may be convincing himself that it was wishful thinking on his part and not something real, so he could be dismissing it in his head. Or perhaps, since he already admitted outloud to her he was very attracted to her, he expected her to speak up then, and since she didn't, even if he did have an inkling before he's now sort of ignoring it. I don't think he's totally oblivious but he does seem to play the puppy vibe a lot. Like, I think dude doesn't (successfully) do subtext. The character, not the actor. Also since he can't seem to decide what he wants, it's probably easier for him to stay pseudo oblivious. So it's sort of like, he's not letting himself see it, even though he should. Not necessarily a conscious choice.

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alrightokay

alrightokay

Chiming in late on this one but wanted to say that I'm hopeful that Paula will stop pushing Rebecca and Josh together now.  It seems like both Rebecca and Paula had a breakthrough this week (as did, Calvin, adorably), and maybe Paula will stop trying to live vicariously through her friend and will try to face the problems in her marriage head-on.  It seems like it's too late for her marriage to be saved, but now she can at least be honest with her husband, get a divorce, and pursue Calvin without guilt (if he's still interested--it wasn't clear if he was just using Paula as a way to put off mourning for his wife).  Or, she can at least enjoy being friends with Calvin and see where that goes.  I'm happy Paula got her own song-fantasy--she sold it!

 

I cringed when Rebecca accidentally mixed her vodka with the blue pen ink--for some reason, I remember tasting blue ink from a leaky Bic pen as a kid, and it was horrible (though I'm sure Rachel Bloom just used food coloring for this scene--whew!).  

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Wings

Wings

I loved this episode and Rebecca's neighbor.  Dr Phil did a good job.  The last scene where it was really him in the bar was adorable.  

 

Also on my adorable list was Calvin and Paula.  Thank god she ended up getting laid.  When interrupted by Rebecca, I screamed NO inside my brain.  Let Paula have a little lovin'.  Phew. 

 

I wonder if Calvin will show up more now that Rebecca landed the contract with him.  I would like that.  Next week is the finale so it would be next season.  This better be renewed.  

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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

Also on my adorable list was Calvin and Paula.  Thank god she ended up getting laid.  

She didn't, though. As you say, Rebecca interrupted. (The tag took place before her arrival, if it happened at all.)

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arc

arc

That's what I was talking about. It happened earlier in the story, before Rebecca interrupted (if it happened at all -- some of the tags are whimsical fictions).

Yeah, like I also said upthread, the ice bucket shows that it's an out-of-chronology moment from the (so far?) one and only time Paula went to a hotel room with Calvin.

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Wings

Wings

(edited)

Well, damn.  Maybe they edited it to look like they finally got together using footage already taped as an after adjustment to the story?   Okay, okay.  I just really wanted her to have a fling.  

Edited by wings707
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theatremouse

theatremouse

(edited)

Well, damn. Maybe they edited it to look like they finally got together using footage already taped as an after adjustment to the story? Okay, okay. I just really wanted her to have a fling.

I mean, obviously, as with most things, interpretation is up to the viewer, but as others have mentioned, it was pretty clear to me the tag was intended to be sort of like a deleted-scene type moment that took place in between other events we'd already seen by that point. It never read to me like something they were presenting as having happened after the events of the rest of the episode. They've done tags like that before, I'm pretty sure. So they've established that convention as within bounds. Edited by theatremouse
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jecibels

jecibels

ETA: I just remembered that in the pilot, Greg said that Josh moved back to West Covina to get back together with Valencia which means they must have broken up for at least a little while. I wonder if they broke up because he went to New York or if they broke up before then for totally unrelated reasons.

 

I really want to learn more about this. I'm very curious about how it went down. It feels very much in-character for Josh to want to return to the comfort and safety of West Covina and his family there, but I also wonder what kind of role Valencia played in that decision. 

 

Also, it's interesting that there's a pretty good chance that Rebecca is the ONLY other girl that Josh has dated. Despite the fact that it was a summer fling a decade ago, if she's the only other woman he's ever been with, it probably gives the relationship a lot more significance in his mind as well. 

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