S02.E02: When Will Josh See How Cool I Am?

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Rebecca desperately wants Josh to think she's cool so she tries to impress him with her sporty skills. Meanwhile, Greg navigates his way through his new path and is sorely tested by someone close to him.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clip:

[Primetimer]

Will Greg's return mean everything gets back to normal, or get super-awkward? Wait, 'normal' is super-awkward.

View the full article

[SeanC]

Most law schools require more than one letter of reference.  Ahem.

Anyway, good episode.  Much as with last week, Greg's character development is proceeding a lot quicker than I would have expected.

Also, as somebody who by now watches very little network TV, this show and Jane the Virgin remind me how nice episodic storytelling is when done right.  Way too many cable/Netflix dramas are at the point where individual episodes have almost no identity.  Here, there's an ongoing story, but there are also full stories told within an episode.

There were a lot of minor musical bits this week.

[alrightokay]

It's gotten to the point where I'm watching this show for everyone EXCEPT Rebecca and Josh.  Every other character is a gem.  I love Paula and Scott; I love the trio of Greg, judgey White Josh, and Hector (especially Hector).  I love Heather and Father Brah.  I love sweet, goofy Darryl.  But Rebecca and Josh are just insufferable.  I realize that the whole premise of the show is that Rebecca has issues, but it's just not fun to watch her and Josh hurt others (Paula and Greg), even when those people forgive them.

[Irlandesa]

I was happy to get so much Greg in this episode after him being light.  I imagine things are going to go backwards for him but I'm liking the new attitude.  I loved the song he did and the song Paula did.  I also think the reprise of "I could if I wanted to" was done perfectly and so much like a well put together musical.  I liked Josh's song even less.

Hector's "Why are two of my friends in love with this girl" was terrific as was every single White Josh moment.

[niklj]

I love White Josh, "judgier than Judge Reinhold" lol He's like the Greek Chorus of this show.

Poor Darryl, but I guess he's never taken an HR management class where's supposed to keep his employee's at arm's length and not be besties with them.

LOTS of musical numbers this week--a little too many for my taste, but still.

And loved the Duck Pond moment between Rebecca and Josh. Kinda wish they hadn't moved so fast this episode, but hopefully that means there's just a lot more to come.

[AlliMo]

Every week I have a new favorite, and this week it's White Josh.

Josh's song expressing every "Cool Girl" trope was hilarious.

I love that these are essentially decent people who screw up and try to learn and grow from their mistakes.

I liked that Heather reminded Greg that she had a reason to have a vested interest in his feelings about Josh and Rebecca. Loved her, "I'm going to take that and apply it to other things" over his french fry apology.

Edited October 29, 2016 by AlliMo

[Nanrad]

Greg's development so far is phenomenal and his admission to Rebecca was heartbreaking. The really sold the duck pond scene. Like, despite Rebecca's behavior at times, there's a lot of little things that shows she's not over Greg.

White Josh was on fire this week as well as Hector. I enjoyed Darryl's shenanigans as well.

Honestly, all of the characters are great minus watching Josh and Rebecca interact.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[BooBear]

As someone who had the princess song herself when she went to law school and now it has turned into a nightmare... couldn't really watch Paula's song. But Greg's reprise was hysterical and the ping pong song was hysterical. So was Hectors "why are all my friends in love with this girl?" Agreed. I am not sure what to think of Greg. I am glad he lost a lot of his anger from last year but I don't see why he is in love with Rebecca. Another great episode though.

[kathe5133]

I like Greg.  Josh is a weenie!

[PodcastTown]

Ping Pong girl, whoa, yeah!!!

[PodcastTown]

That scene where Rebecca finds Greg at a bench was a really good scene. Love the kid at the end, asking for Rebecca a ride home,hahahhaha.

[Snarklepuss]

Although I liked this episode, I almost felt like there was too much growth going on in the characters and relationships too fast.  It does look like they're setting us up for more fun in the future, though.  Josh is shaping up to be quite immature and clueless about relationships.  I actually felt for Rebecca when she told him she needed someone who treated her better.  It's even more obvious to me that he is really not for her and Greg is.  Perhaps all Greg's growth is to shape him up into a serious contender.  Same for her, but the show still has to be funny and not all drama so I wonder how far back they're going to slide in the future.  I can't believe that any of them (even Paula) is going to stick to their new found resolve about things, otherwise where are they going to get the comedy from?  On a show like this some people have to be a little crazy and dysfunctional for the show to be funny, after all "crazy" is in the title of the show.

Add me to the list of people who misses the first season opener.

Edited October 29, 2016 by Snarklepuss
Clarity.

[PodcastTown]

I think Greg will come crashing down to earth pretty soon in the upcoming episodes. I expect to see more shenanigans and craziness throughout the season. 

[theatremouse]

10 hours ago, SeanC said:

Most law schools require more than one letter of reference. 

Most any-higher-education-schools require more than one letter of reference, but maybe there was some explicit limit on how many could be from current place of employ (or something like "one professional reference, one character reference")? That's all I've got.

I loved that there were more songs this week. I like it when this show remembers it's a musical.

I admit I don't have the best ear, so I may be proven wrong (and if so will hang my head in shame), but I thought the twinkly music at the end with Rebecca was a very slow take on the riff from "I have Friends"? Which (assuming I'm not totally wrong) was a really nice touch, and sad and awesome.

Edited October 29, 2016 by theatremouse

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I feel that both Rebecca and Paula were at fault about the letter of recommendation. Yes, Rebecca should have written that letter right away and that's on her for prioritizing impressing Josh with her ping pong skills before doing something for Paula. But I also have to add that I work in academia and many of my friends have gone to law school, med school, and other grad school programs so I know the etiquette for letters of rec. You do not ask someone for a letter of recommendation and expect to get it in a few days. Off course in reality, you also don't just decide to apply to law school a few days before the application deadline. I mean, what are the chances that Paula has recent LSAT scores? The test is only offered four times per year and I think at most schools, your score has to be from the last five years, so in order for Paula to apply on such short notice, we are supposed to believe that she took the test within the last five years just for funsies.

I totally agreed with Rebecca when she told Josh, "You can tell yourself whatever but you live here." I know several couples who, for all intents and purposes, lived together but pretended that they didn't by continuing to pay rent for two separate places. At least one, if not both people in these couples, would insist that they didn't REALLY live together because they still had two different places. I was like bitch, please, you guys live together six nights out of seven and the place where your name is actually on the lease is just a glorified storage unit where you stop to pick up clothes once a week and collect your mail. Trying to claim you don't live together on a technicality like that is like those girls who claim that they're still virgins because they only have anal sex. Don't try to hide your actions behind semantics. We all know what you're doing so the only person you are fooling is yourself!

Anyway, I'm glad that Rebecca stood up for herself and told Josh that she deserves to be treated better. I'm not saying that they need to get married immediately or anything, but I think that both she and Josh need to look at the situation and make some choices. Rebecca took a good first step by admitting that she doesn't like video games. I know that sounds like such a minor thing but she has made so much effort to mold herself into whatever she thinks Josh likes, so being honest about that is progress for her. People treat you the way you let them treat you, which is why it's important to establish boundaries. I appreciate that Paula did that with Rebecca last week and now Rebecca is trying to do the same with Josh. It's a lot harder to change boundaries once the dynamics in a relationship have already been established, so it's normal for people to struggle with it a little bit while they adjust.

Even though I hate people who enjoy spoiling shows for people, I had to laugh when Darryl told her that Ned Stark gets killed.

Loved father Brah and judgey White Josh.

[Rinaldo]

11 hours ago, niklj said:

LOTS of musical numbers this week--a little too many for my taste, but still.

I know the meaning of all the individual words in the bolded part, but I can't understand the sentiment they add up to.  ☺ How can there be too many songs in a musical, if they're good ones and appropriately used?

10 hours ago, AlliMo said:

Every week I have a new favorite, and this week it's White Josh.

I love that these are essentially decent people who screw up and try to learn and grow from their mistakes.

Total agreement about White Josh. And his positioning as the judgey one isn't out of nowhere; as compared to Josh and Hector, he's the grownup one -- he has had a regular job for some time, lives on his own, and came out at age 12. It makes sense that he'd have a little more considered view of things.

Also a big Yes to your second paragraph: they all mean well, but they've screwed up in the past and will do so some more as they keep trying. I'm not one to assign moral report cards every week, like this episode A and B were great but C and D weren't. I just want to see what happens next as they continue their struggle to do a little better (and sometimes backslide, which is part of the deal). At this point, I feel that the writers have earned my trust; each time I thought they were blind to some character's shortcomings, they were way ahead of me (one example among many, "I'm the Villain in My Own Story"). So I'll go with whatever they have cooking next. I get that others handle their TV differently, I'm just describing me.

6 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

Didn't care much for Paula's Disney princess number, the lyrics were funny, but I'm not such a fan of the soprano voice. 

As Rachel tweeted, that's what Donna Lynne's voice is trained and intended to do, but the sad realities of the business are such that she never gets to use her actual (soprano) voice. (Laura Benanti was even more direct on the subject in interviews when she was cast in She Loves Me earlier this year: "This is what my voice is supposed to be doing. All that belting and mixing I usually have to do? That's some bullshit.")

5 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

Add me to the list of people who misses the first season opener.

I didn't realize we were keeping a list, ☺ but I'm not on it. That theme song, delightful as it was, was already not making much sense in relation to the story toward the end of the season (RB made a meta-comment to that effect in one scene). We needed something new, something pertinent to this season's premise.

Edited October 29, 2016 by Rinaldo

[wonderwoman]

Not loving the new opening. But was thrilled to see Albert Tsai as Rebecca's ping pong coach. Loved him since the brillant-but-cancelled Trophy Wife. 

[kathe5133]

I get that this is entertainment, and I love it.  But, I feel the need to mention that the way they are treating Greg's "alcoholism" is what is wrong with substance abuse treatment.......  The drink, although the cause of his short term problems, is not his problem.  His problem is what makes him feel the need to blot out reality with drinking in the first place.  Putting down the booze is not going to magically wipe away all the issues that made him drink in the first place.  Until he deals with those issues, sober or not, he'll still be struggling.  

But, that being said, I'm still team Greg.  I think he has a lot of substance and calls Rebecca on her shit and I think she needs that.  Sadly, I don't really see why Greg needs her, but I'm hopeful that perhaps she has it in her and we'll see that.

Does anyone think Valencia was so out of Josh's league?  I liked her and can't for the life of me see what she saw in Josh.  I hope she comes back, but not for Josh.  I'd like to learn more about what made her settle for Josh in the first place.

[rho]

5 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

I wish they'd do a little bit more with Heather than just have her as the character the others are confiding in. I'd be interested to see her have her own life/storylines, but I guess she's only there for a little bit of comic relief and to give the main characters someone to bounce off.

I was thinking the same thing! If this was a 30 minute sitcom I'd love a bottle episode of just her. Or Hector. Or White Josh. The Christmas episode last season had a lot more of the other characters' lives. It might be fun to get an entire episode without Rebecca. I love her but everyone else is just as interesting and cheeky!

[dubbel zout]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Hector's "Why are two of my friends in love with this girl" was terrific as was every single White Josh moment.

Best parts of the episode by a mile. One thing I really like about this show is it's not afraid to be self-aware. Hector and White Josh are used perfectly.

5 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

I think Paula should have been a little harsher on Rebecca this week, but their last scene was sweet. I like what they're doing with Paula this season- making her a little less obsessed with Rebecca's love life and giving her her own aspirations give this character new life. It's also fun seeing her interact with her husband in a loving way.

I think she should have been harder on Rebecca, too, but on the other hand, Paula is still working on being less obsessed with Rebecca. It's a process.

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Even though I hate people who enjoy spoiling shows for people, I had to laugh when Darryl told her that Ned Stark gets killed.

That cracked me up, too. Rebecca kind of deserved it, tbh. (How she's avoided spoilers anyway is a mystery. I don't watch GoT, but I know all the biggies.)

40 minutes ago, kathe5133 said:

Until he deals with those issues, sober or not, he'll still be struggling.  

He's trying. It's a process. Guardrail (hee) told him he was due for a crash, and I think that will be when Greg realizes he hasn't dealt with those issues yet. 

42 minutes ago, kathe5133 said:

Does anyone think Valencia was so out of Josh's league?

I think it's they're wrong for each other. She knows what she wants; he doesn't.

[tennisgurl]

Hector and White Josh are the perfect Greek Chorus for this show. They just use them perfectly. 

I normally hate when people spoil people for shows/movies/books, but Rebecca kind of had it coming. "Dont get too attached to Rob either" followed by Rebecca's horrified face! 

I like seeing a more mature Paula, and I love seeing more of her much improved relationship with her husband. She is so much more likable when she isn't obsessed with Rebecca and her love life.

Loved all the songs this week! Last week I thought there weren't enough songs, so I guess this was making up for it. I swear, I heard that Ping Pong girl song at least 20 times a day in the early 2000s, at least variations of it.

The characters seem to be making some real progress, but I feel the bubble is going to burst soon.  

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

 

Quote

Does anyone think Valencia was so out of Josh's league?

 

I think it's they're wrong for each other. She knows what she wants; he doesn't.

I was not among those (a fair number here) thinking Valencia was out of Josh's league last season -- I could easily see them as the "star guy/girl" in their high school years, easily continuing into adulthood as they never really moved away.

But after this episode, I do find myself asking the question "How on earth did Valencia let him stay this un-housebroken all this time?" She was not one to be shy about letting people know what she expected of them; and even granting that they weren't actually living together till the last few months, they must have spent enough hours together over the years for her to inform him that treating her as a booty call and otherwise doing guy stuff with the guys, wasn't going to cut it for her. 

I don't know, the writers are usually two steps ahead of me, so maybe they already have his reply to Rebecca written: for instance, that after all that controlling, demanding behavior from Valencia, he valued the chance to just relax and be himself around Becks, who's so cool about all this stuff, right? We'll see. 

[possibilities]

3 hours ago, wonderwoman said:

was thrilled to see Albert Tsai as Rebecca's ping pong coach. Loved him since the brillant-but-cancelled Trophy Wife. 

He's currently got a major role in "Dr. Ken"-- I think the show is mediocre at best, but if you like the actor, he's there every episode (mentioning it in case you didn't know-- that show's publicity is 100% Ken Jeong).

Darryl was making me sad this week. I want him to not be crazy like Rebecca and Paula. I like him in dorksville, but lying on the floor with his ear to the crack under the door, and talking about being besties without any evidence, was making my heart hurt. Retrieving the letter using chewing gum was funny, but still made me sad.

I agree that just getting off the drink doesn't relieve someone from whatever issues they were avoiding before. But I think Greg's effort to appear reasonable, rational, calm, forgiving, etc. will crack and he won't be like this forever. His tone of voice and body language scream tension being held in check. That stuff is not sustainable. As Heather said, he's sober, not a robot. And he did punch a wall. He's not over his feelings, he's just trying to figure out what else to do with them. He disappeared instead of talking about it, he didn't show up and socialize like nothing happened, he's clearly still got stuff to work through.

I'm bummed that we still have a love triangle, because I hate love triangles. But at the same time, this show has built up so much trust and good will, and paid it off every single time, that I am going to hang in and not get too upset about it right away.

[DearEvette]

14 hours ago, niklj said:

I love White Josh, "judgier than Judge Reinhold" lol He's like the Greek Chorus of this show.

White Josh was perfect.  "This is not about you, dude." and later "Still not about you."

My favorite musical number was Greg's drinking song.

Albert Tsai FTW!  I loved Trophy Wife and hated that it got cancelled.  He was a large part of my enjoyment of that show.  I was tickled when he showed up.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Maybe This Dream:

 

Ping Pong Girl:

 

Greg's Drinking Song:

[Eeksquire]

The only thing I was disappointed in was that Heather didn't get a line (especially since her costuming was SO GREAT during the song) - it was a bummer she just lurked in the background.

[angora]

8 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

I don't know, the writers are usually two steps ahead of me, so maybe they already have his reply to Rebecca written: for instance, that after all that controlling, demanding behavior from Valencia, he valued the chance to just relax and be himself around Becks, who's so cool about all this stuff, right? We'll see. 

That's what I figured - he had the "I love that about you" line about how she was cool to just chill and let each of them do their own thing, which I'm sure wasn't the way it was with Valencia.  And Rebecca is so eager to be exactly what he wants that she's not gonna say that it bugs her.  I was glad to see her stand up for her feelings at the end.  I hope Josh is receptive to that.

I felt for Paula so hard with her insecurity wondering if Rebecca didn't think she could handle law school.  Even though Rebecca was awful not to come through for her, I was relieved that Paula was still able to use Darryl's letter (Rebecca was awful either way, but if her flakiness had jeopardized Paula's dream, she would've had to do a LOT of groveling before I'd be ready to even think about forgiving her.)

Hector and White Josh were so great, to echo what many have said.  Hector's confusion about "the rules" cracked me up, and White Josh was perfect.  I loved how he was so mature and Greg-first about the alcoholism reveal, trying to keep Josh focused on what was important, and I liked the whole thing about no one telling him about Rebecca/Josh because he was too judgey.  Also, it was random, but I adored the little bit where they were deciding where to look for Greg, then Hector and White Josh agreed to car pool and complimented themselves on what a good idea it was.  Too funny.

I enjoyed Greg's storyline.  His scenes with Guardrail were excellent (I loved Guardrail telling him to take the "butt" of the dinosaur donut at the end,) and I was relieved that he at least found something to do rather than drink when he was upset.  He's obviously going to have major ups and downs coming up, but I'm glad that, for now at least, he's able to have these moments of clarity about himself where he can have can hope that he'll one day get where he wants to be.

Loved every song - each one just seemed to get better and better.  "Greg's Drinking Song" really suited Santino's voice, and I loved everyone's costumes.  And "Ping Pong Girl" was perfect.  That style was practically every song I loved in high school, and the lyrics were incredible (my favorites were "her backhand's right out of a sex dream" and "she and I should give a 30-year mortgage a whirl.")  All the random dude-things shouted in between verses killed me too - "Beer!"  "Jock itch!"

[Snarklepuss]

I don't know, maybe it's me, but I'm not disappointed when Rebecca or any of the characters on this show act crazy/immature/pathetic or if she's involved in a love triangle because without that there's really no show.  If I preferred a show where all the characters are mature and normal I wouldn't watch one with the word "crazy" in the title.

[PodcastTown]

3 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I don't know, maybe it's me, but I'm not disappointed when Rebecca or any of the characters on this show act crazy/immature/pathetic or if she's involved in a love triangle because without that there's really no show.  If I preferred a show where all the characters are mature and normal I wouldn't watch one with the word "crazy" in the title.

Well said. I hope they go even crazier and every character sleeps with everybody. If that goes down, it will be this show, LOL

[dubbel zout]

I don't mind a triangle, but I don't want to watch Rebecca continually ping-pong (heh) between Josh and Greg. There are good reasons for her not to be with either of them (and vice versa). To its credit, the show seems aware of that and is diving into those reasons.

[KaleyFirefly]

I'm glad Rebecca finally realized that Josh doesn't treat her well. I don't really see what she sees in him -- he seems like an overgrown boy with commitment issues (he wouldn't commit to Valencia either until she pushed him into it).

I'm also glad that Rebecca and Greg had that much-needed conversation. I don't think Rebecca should date anyone yet though. She should be working on her own issues first.

[MerelyAFan]

I'm really not a fan of love triangles, but this show's really pulled the concept off well, largely because they've made the three involved be realistically flawed and given some valid build up to how they've ended up in the spot they're in. That scene with Rebecca and the sweater would have made me roll my eyes in any other show, but the writing in the fountain scene and Bloom's performance on hearing Greg's confessions really adds a heartbreaking element to her emotional state. For as wonderfully theatrical and TV quirky Rebecca is a times, the series really does do her quiet and painful moments justice. 

[txhorns79]

Quote

Does anyone think Valencia was so out of Josh's league?

I honestly think Rebecca is way out of Josh's league.  She seems leaps and bounds ahead of him in terms of her education and job.  I do wonder if they could honestly make it as a long term couple.  They don't really seem to have a huge amount in common.  

I also thought Paula was way too forgiving of Rebecca.  It would be pretty hurtful to me that my "best friend" blew off my simple request so she could focus on faking being good at ping pong.

[Jillybean]

This is shaping up to be another season of the same old stuff. Except the laughs have pretty much vanished. Rebecca is downright depressing.

[Rinaldo]

On 10/29/2016 at 10:40 PM, angora said:

All the random dude-things shouted in between verses killed me too - "Beer!"  "Jock itch!"

Yes, and even more specifically, Rebecca's idea of what dudes talk about among themselves, which was sometimes wildly off, not unlike the ping-pong jargon she tried to throw in ("that's a lot of points!").

13 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

...Josh doesn't treat her well. I don't really see what she sees in him

It was clear enough at times last season: he can give her that happy "I am loved" feeling, the glitter exploding inside her. It may be no more than his basic good-naturedness, but just unthinkingly saying "I let a good one get away" as they bumped into each other in NYC, telling her how amazing and fearless she was at her housewarming (which is when we saw him literally blow glitter at her, as a lead-in to his song), and (even if accidentally) saying the right thing at other times... it's not something that sustains a relationship, but it's still something people have responded to, and sometimes ill-advisedly used to choose a partner. Presumably this season will be about her coming to understand that that's not enough in the long term.

Another thing I dare say will be important for everyone this season is what Rebecca said in her last scene with Paula: "It's really hard for people to make a change in their lives." Ain't it the truth. Anybody who's made a breakthrough in self-understanding (in therapy or otherwise) knows that that doesn't mean we become suddenly able to make the needed changes. Rebecca is now seeing Josh from a different angle to some extent, but can she change the way he makes her feel? Paul has taken a big first step, but there are still plenty of obstacles ahead. Greg has made a start on changing himself, but he's been explicitly warned that it won't go smoothly, and there'll be setbacks and detours along the way. Josh... who knows at this point, because he hasn't had to think about being a grown-up much, and that can't go on forever, but that change is hard too. I'm excited that those creating the show are smart about all this, even if their characters aren't always.

[stillshimpy]

I loved seeing Paula sort of right her ship, decide what she is doing and going for it without rancor.  I thought when Rebecca didn't come through for her on time that, if anything, that simply reaffirmed the rightness of her choice and ended up setting Paula entirely free.  If Paula had any doubts that Rebecca's stuff was the less healthy avenue to use for Paula's own ennui, Rebecca kindly removed any doubt.  Rebecca is damaging her existing relationships or has the potential to do so, all in pursuit of a guy who...while sweet...isn't even close to being her intellectual equal.   Some day hopefully Rebecca will actually try to figure out why she loves Josh.  What it is about him, as an individual, as a person, that she loves.  

God Greg's stuff was incredibly painful at parts. I do know that's what alcoholism can really mean for some people: getting so drunk they pee themselves but wow, having it set to music was not what I was expecting.  Greg and Paula really stole the episode for me.  I liked seeing Paula happy and realistically I know Greg is in for some tough times but all due credit to the actor:  as well as he sold Greg's constant bitterness last season, that really helped make that scene on the bench with Rebecca heartwarming.  

But after this episode, I do find myself asking the question "How on earth did Valencia let him stay this un-housebroken all this time?" She was not one to be shy about letting people know what she expected of them; and even granting that they weren't actually living together till the last few months, they must have spent enough hours together over the years for her to inform him that treating her as a booty call and otherwise doing guy stuff with the guys, wasn't going to cut it for her.

I don't think that's it.  I think Josh knows full well how he is supposed to behave as someone's boyfriend, live in or otherwise.  I think Josh was just telling himself that if he behaved as the anti-boyfriend, that it would mean he could continue a sexual relationship with Rebecca, while telling himself it couldn't possibly hurt Greg in anyway.  So I think it was deliberate because Josh just doesn't want to deal with the fact that he actually likes Rebecca, is having a relationship with her and in doing so, is doing something at least a little freaking crummy to one of his oldest friends. 

To put it mildly, he has some signs of guilt.  (Father Brah's reactions are made of all things wonderful and awesome)

[theatremouse]

22 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I also thought Paula was way too forgiving of Rebecca.  It would be pretty hurtful to me that my "best friend" blew off my simple request so she could focus on faking being good at ping pong.

In my head, I'm not actually sure if Paula was super forgiving of Rebecca, or if it just came out that way because in the moment, what Paula was really trying to do was not get too wrapped up in Rebecca's shenanigans. So she also didn't really ask for more information about what said shenanigans entailed? (like for example, common enraged response is to demand WTF was so important that someone blew you off, but she wasn't going to do that because she didn't actually want to go there). And she probably had already decided that while she was upset with Rebecca, she wasn't about to end the friendship over it. So the combination of A: confirmation that no, it wasn't a passive-aggressive lack of faith in her and B: not wanting to get absorbed into whatever hijinx Bex is up to, meant a more subdued reaction and readiness to move forward. It's tricky when the reason why you'd be very mad at someone is something you're actively avoiding knowing about and thus harder to hang on to the upsetness. Unless you just simmer. Which she may. Who knows where this is going.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, stillshimpy said:

 I think Josh knows full well how he is supposed to behave as someone's boyfriend, live in or otherwise.

I think Josh wants all the benefits and none of the work a relationship entails.

[theatremouse]

I think he's a lot bit overcorrecting after his relationship with Valencia wherein he was a bit of a doormat, and telling himself Rebecca was cool with it, when he should've known otherwise from, if nothing else, body language. He can be obtuse but was also running with it when convenient for him.

[femmefan1946]

I honestly think Rebecca is way out of Josh's league.  She seems leaps and bounds ahead of him in terms of her education and job.  I do wonder if they could honestly make it as a long term couple.  They don't really seem to have a huge amount in common.  

So a smart wealthy lawyer never marries a cute sales clerk who is very good natured, can dance and thinks he is great?

Josh is a trophy wife.

Hmm- wrong trope since they are about the same age and there was no divorced first spouse.

But basically switch genders and see if it makes sense.

[txhorns79]

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So a smart wealthy lawyer never marries a cute sales clerk who is very good natured, can dance and thinks he is great?

I'm sure it can happen.   However, it has nothing to do with this particular pairing.   I always thought Rebecca liked Josh more because of what he represented to her, than because of Josh, the actual person.  I don't think that makes for a particularly stable relationship.  You can see it in the episode.  Rebecca tries to fake being interested in Josh's interests, and fails.  This does get them both to a more honest place, but I don't know if it improves their long term prospects.             

[aradia22]

Ah! This episode was also really good. I think it kind of ran into the problem of Rebecca being the least interesting character but everyone else was great and I want more Santino and Donna Lynne and White Josh. Aside from giving Rebecca more story beyond the romance (I swear she was a lawyer last season) I did think there was too much reliance on vulgar humor. It doesn't offend, I just think it's lazy and not very funny. It was mainly in Paula's Disney princess song and Greg's Irish drinking song. It's like... giggles... bodily functions... No. 

And damn it but now they have me rooting for Greg and Rebecca again.

[possibilities]

When Rebecca told Josh to face the fact that he lives there, and also that she deserves to be treated better, and she admitted without any drama that she had been trying to spend time with him, I have never liked her more. It was a rare moment of lucid simplicity, which really highlighted how bonkers she is most of the time, just by contrast.

I realize she only had the guts to say that stuff because of her conversation with Greg, but still-- it was interesting to see what it might look like to be a shenanigan-free Rebecca, and how that could be satisfying. Her moments of gratification when she's living in her fantasies are highs, but bursting the bubble doesn't have to be a low.

ETA: I love thinking of Josh as a trophy wife. I don't think that's really what Rebecca is looking for, or what Josh wants to be, but it's amusing anyway.

Edited November 1, 2016 by possibilities

[aradia22]

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As Rachel tweeted, that's what Donna Lynne's voice is trained and intended to do, but the sad realities of the business are such that she never gets to use her actual (soprano) voice. (Laura Benanti was even more direct on the subject in interviews when she was cast in She Loves Me earlier this year: "This is what my voice is supposed to be doing. All that belting and mixing I usually have to do? That's some bullshit.")

And I imagine that Donna Lynne is even more limited when it comes to using her "legit" voice because she doesn't fit the current soprano "type" which seems to almost exclusively be slim and/or petite ingenues. 

The new theme song is growing on me. I agree that I miss how well the old song fit but we're in a new place now and rehashing Rebecca's move doesn't really fit where the show is now.

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That stuff is not sustainable. As Heather said, he's sober, not a robot. And he did punch a wall. He's not over his feelings, he's just trying to figure out what else to do with them. He disappeared instead of talking about it, he didn't show up and socialize like nothing happened, he's clearly still got stuff to work through.

I agree that what Guardrail told him about the temporary euphoria shows CEG isn't just jumping way ahead in character development. (Though I do think things have shifted a little from last season but hopefully they'll be explained.) As far as channeling his feelings, I wonder if Guardrail will take Greg to hang out with his friends... maybe prompting some kind of harder rock song. But hopefully Greg doesn't end up in a fight club. ;)

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Some day hopefully Rebecca will actually try to figure out why she loves Josh.  What it is about him, as an individual, as a person, that she loves.  

I think Rinaldo broke it down pretty well but I would add that perhaps it's some version of Greg and Rebecca. Instead of going for someone ignoring her, she's going for a version of her dad. Someone who can be loving and wonderful but whose attention and approval is somewhat unattainable and something she has to keep fighting to regain.

[Sara2009]

2 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Ah! This episode was also really good. I think it kind of ran into the problem of Rebecca being the least interesting character but everyone else was great and I want more Santino and Donna Lynne and White Josh. Aside from giving Rebecca more story beyond the romance (I swear she was a lawyer last season) I did think there was too much reliance on vulgar humor. It doesn't offend, I just think it's lazy and not very funny. It was mainly in Paula's Disney princess song and Greg's Irish drinking song. It's like... giggles... bodily functions... No. 

And damn it but now they have me rooting for Greg and Rebecca again.

I find Rebecca really fascinating, but I agree about her and Greg. I don't want to root for them because they're too unhealthy to be in a relationship, but it's hard not to.

[Blakeston]

On 10/29/2016 at 0:07 PM, kathe5133 said:

I get that this is entertainment, and I Does anyone think Valencia was so out of Josh's league?  I liked her and can't for the life of me see what she saw in Josh.

Josh is super-hot (IMO, at least), he's fun, and - most importantly for Valencia - he was submissive and easily manipulated.