S02.E11: Josh Is the Man of My Dreams, Right?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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When the Santa Ana winds blow into town, they cause everyone in West Covina to act a little strangely and question their relationships and priorities. Rebecca and Nathaniel get to know each other better while Paula and Darryl confront an ongoing dilemma in their friendship.

Promo:

[Primetimer]

And other questions sparked as the show finds 'love' in an elevator and its quality goes dooooowwwwwwwn.

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[Irlandesa]

Paula and Paula and Darryl were the highlight of the episode for me.  I was filled with such pure joy during their "You're my best friend and I know I'm not yours" song.  Donna Lynn Chaplin was pure greatness throughout the episode. 

I didn't hate the episode as much as the recapper. I got quite a few chuckles.  (I'm a sucker for euphemisms like saturating the wood.)  But it is true, it was very paint-by-the-numbers predictable with the elevator getting stuck and then starting up again just as they're about to kiss. 

And every time the Devil Winds song started up, I kept feeling like I was watching Dirty Dancing because one of the songs in the movie starts just like the musical cues in this ep do.

Edited January 21, 2017 by Irlandesa

[allonsyalice]

51 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

 

And every time the Devil Winds song started up, I kept feeling like I was watching Dirty Dancing because one of the songs in the movie starts just like the musical cues in this ep do.

Funny you'd say that. I've only seen the first 34 minutes of Dirty Dancing, however I thought of Welcome to Baltimore from Hairspray. (I think they were right on the mark with what they wanted to to there. It was a good idea to have the winds be a sort of narrator ("i'm a prankster, tee hee hee" had me rolling)

I liked this episode, but even mediocre episodes of this show is good. 

I liked the songs this week, I loved the Ed parody, and the best friend song was very cute. I hope Paula and Darryl keep working on their relationship. 

I'm glad they're having a bit more fun with thier supporting cast, like that guy's name i can't remember? Who is he? His cut off song from a couple weeks ago, and Karen's little math of love triangles call back this week. 

But OH GOD they're getting married in two weeks OH GOD OH NO. Of course that is such a Rebecca thing. I'm so stressed. Of course that was her reaction to kissing Nathaniel. 

She makes me so tired!

[AnnaRose]

I really liked this episode, but that may be because I don't care very much about Rebecca's romantic relationships.  I loved all of the Paula/Darryl/Scott stuff, and Darryl's song was fantastic!  

George was well-used in this episode too.  He made enough of an impression that I remembered his name!  Too bad he got fired again.  (Really fired this time.)  We'll see if they end up bringing him back some how.

[Corgi-ears]

They must work on the 235th floor, cause that elevator, when it started up again, sure took its time getting places.

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

And every time the Devil Winds song started up, I kept feeling like I was watching Dirty Dancing because one of the songs in the movie starts just like the musical cues in this ep do.

 

20 minutes ago, allonsyalice said:

I thought of Welcome to Baltimore from Hairspray.

It's probably just that they all use pay tribute to the Phil Spector "Be My Baby" drumbeat

[quangtran]

I actually thought this episode was pretty dreadful, and given the show's consistency that technically make this the show's worst episode. That Frankie Valli number really grated on my nerves, and it just kept coming back.  That running joke about George was only ever moderately amusing, and here it got to the point of annoying.

[FezPawtley]

So George is kiindaaa the Ann Veal/Rory's Paul of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend?

I really like Scott Michael Foster. Also, I am a Gryffindor embarrassed I'm not Ravenclaw, and I'm married to a Slytherin (the Harry Potter stuff didn't bug).

Also also, my one year old really liked the Santa Ana crooner.

[Valny]

I didn't hate the ep either, thought it was fine. I just did NOT like the Santa Ana song or general idea. Hey, they can't all be winners.

Rebecca making fun of the lady who didn't used to talk but now talking lots, made me laugh.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clip:

[HunterHunted]

Ironically, the one time I was sexually harassed it was in an interview for an associate position at a law firm. Trust. Lawyers do not know better. Nathaniel being all blase about having sex isn't out of the realm of possibility.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Darryl's best friend song for Paula was so sweet but also so sad. He is a perfectly nice guy so I wish he would get some self esteem and find some people who appreciate him for who he is (besides White Josh).

[KateeBar]

I didn't hate this episode, but I was (perhaps overly) excited about Rebecca starting to have a breakthrough last week, and I'm bummed it was stalled with this dumb engagement.  I also miss White Josh a lot. 

And while I don't want another love triangle, and miss Greg immensely, I love Scott Michael Foster and won't mind him sticking around a bit. 

I do like the idea of Paula and Scott getting back together and I'm curious how the show will handle that storyline. The reality is, lots of people fight through infidelity, and a smart show like this should be able to show the work that goes into that kind of marriage rebuilding. I hope they can do the idea justice. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

Usually the reviewer is spot-on, but this time there are a lot of questions that I think are fairly easily answered or issues that are being made too big a deal of.

On Potter: hey, there are a lot of adult Potter fans out there. Sorry the reviewer isn't one. And sorry, some of us Ravenclaws are people who just think being wise is cooler than being brave.  Or more accurate in my case.

On sexual harassment: I don't think that it can be considered sexual harassment when it's not an unwanted advance. Rebecca wanted it as much as Nathaniel. Certainly, if such a thing happened in real life, a person who was in Nathaniel's position would probably be more circumspect than "let's screw in an elevator and get things over with" and someone in Rebecca's position would consider a sexual harassment lawsuit because of how blatant it was and how despicable Nathaniel is. (Who proudly admits that they would be a Slytherin?) But....it's CEG! People don't act in 100 percent normal ways. And that's the point: I'm guessing many of the rom-coms it is sending up include elements of sexual harassment.

On What's the big deal: Yeah, the Continuity Fairy failed at his job. One can rationalize that since Rebecca has been working for Plimpton, Plimpton and Plimpton and Whitefeather & Associates for half a season, things have been running more like the big firms she used to hate, she's pulling in clients and she's back to making dough. She landed at least one whale, and she may have gotten a sweet bonus from that that she used to bribe the other couple. As for it being an overreaction...have you met Rebecca? 

On Darryl and his friends: Who says he doesn't have friends? He and Maya seem to have formed a friendship. We don't focus on him outside of his relationship with the main characters and WhiJo because it's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and not "Needy Current Boss." Also, it could be that he drove friends away through his constant neediness. 

[adam807]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

(I'm a sucker for euphemisms like saturating the wood.) 

Oh, yeah, I definitely got some laughs. If I'd ended up writing a different kind of post that scene definitely would have made it in. The creamer at the end was perfect. Also "I bet he has a big yuck, like a massive yuck, I wonder if I can even take that yuck." I'm easy.

8 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Ironically, the one time I was sexually harassed it was in an interview for an associate position at a law firm. Trust. Lawyers do not know better. Nathaniel being all blase about having sex isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Oh yes, totally in-character for Nathaniel, I was talking about Rebecca's response. And I'm so sorry (but unfortunately not surprised) that that happened to you. 

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

On Potter: hey, there are a lot of adult Potter fans out there. Sorry the reviewer isn't one. And sorry, some of us Ravenclaws are people who just think being wise is cooler than being brave.  Or more accurate in my case.

I mean, let's get real: I'm obviously a Slytherin. :)

[dubbel zout]

I loved the Devil Wind singer. I thought he was fantastic, Autotuned or not. (And my first thought after hearing him was, I wonder if he did a stint in Jersey Boys. Hee.)

Of course something has to happen between Rebecca and Nathaniel; now the question is what happens next (if anything).

I wonder if George is really fired or if he'll be brought back for another round of jokes. A little of him goes a long way, as with Maya and Karen.

[tennisgurl]

I enjoyed this episode, although I continue to not be that into Rebecca/Nathaniel. I knew the second we saw him that we would be getting a love triangle, and I have called literally every plot point as it happens. Including the stuck in the elevator plot. I know they hung a lampshade on how cliché this plot is, but acknowledging that your plot is cliché doesn't make it NOT cliché! I know this show is basically a parody/deconstruction of romantic comedies, but some on show! I did enjoy the Potter conversation though.

Yea, Scott and Paula are back together! I didn't like them breaking up, so I am glad Paula is giving him another shot.

Oh dear, Rebecca. Two weeks?!?! This is going to end so not well.

[seacliffsal]

I loved this episode.  Really enjoyed the Santa Ana winds, song, and singer.  They were so cheesy that they just tickled me.

Although the plot was pretty predictable, I appreciate that it highlights the weaknesses of Rebecca and Josh's relationship and points back to Rebecca's obsession and ignoring of reality.  Am glad that Paula and Scott are back, and that Paula is actually warming up to a friendship with Daryl.

Am looking forward to seeing how the two week wedding date affects Rebecca and Josh.

[JustaPerson]

I'm pretty sure the video is based on Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud"

[possibilities]

I genuinely have no idea why anyone, including Rebecca, finds anything other than repulsive about Nathanial and the actor who plays him. Usually, even if someone isn't my cup of tea, I can sort of see what others are responding to, but with this one? I don't get it on any level.

When Paula told Darryl he was her best male friend, I thought: I wonder if she ditched Sunil completely? Rebecca has pretty much ditched Heather and Valencia since she and Paula reconciled.

This is the first time I thought an episode of this show leaned into a cliche without doing anything to make it palatable to watch. It seemed like they were enjoying the BS rather than mocking it. Everyone was totally annoying and I didn't like anyone. I guess Josh was relatively saner and less deep in the bullshit this week, but even Darryl-- are we supposed to love that he's desperate for Paula's attention, even though she's blatantly rude to him? Is this another version of "no doesn't mean no, a nice guy grovels til the cold bitchy woman gives in, and it shows how awesome he is and how wrongly and randomly cranky she is, instead of how little respect he has for himself or her-- and p.s. he knows what's better for her than she does, because obviously any angry woman is protesting too much"?

Bleck.

I also find the no one knows George's name joke totally unfunny.

It's like they subbed in a crop of the usual insipid romcom/sitcom writers for the C.Ex team, and gave us the show that thinks that BS is actually cute rather than sad.

[Eeksquire]

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even Darryl-- are we supposed to love that he's desperate for Paula's attention, even though she's blatantly rude to him? Is this another version of "no doesn't mean no, a nice guy grovels til the cold bitchy woman gives in, and it shows how awesome he is and how wrongly and randomly cranky she is, instead of how little respect he has for himself or her-- and p.s. he knows what's better for her than she does, because obviously any angry woman is protesting too much"?

Yikes.  I had not considered it in that light (because I am Team Darryl), but now that you point it out, I see your point.  It seems like maybe we're not supposed to think that, exactly, because it's not a romantic or sexual relationship, but the undertones are still there.  Yuck.

[msani19]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I genuinely have no idea why anyone, including Rebecca, finds anything other than repulsive about Nathanial and the actor who plays him. Usually, even if someone isn't my cup of tea, I can sort of see what others are responding to, but with this one? I don't get it on any level.

Yup. Pretty much. He grosses me out and I know I'm supposed to find some humor in there somewhere but it's escaping me. 

Rebecca is starting to wear me out. She's just exhausting.

[NUguy514]

Nathaniel's line about Ravenclaws thinking they're Gryffindors but not wanting to brag was the best.  Amazing.  I thought I'd be Ravenclaw and was surprised to be sorted into Gryffindor, and then I realized that I'm totally Hermione, so it actually made sense.  Yes, I'm obviously an adult HP fan who happily talks about it!

[waving feather]

10 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I loved the Devil Wind singer. I thought he was fantastic, Autotuned or not. (And my first thought after hearing him was, I wonder if he did a stint in Jersey Boys. Hee.)

I love him too. In fact, the whole episode wasn't all that but he made this episode enjoyable.

The more of a jerk Nathaniel is, the more I find him interesting. I hope they won't woobify him for Rebecca's sake. You know who would be a good match for him? Josh's ex-girlfriend Anna. They are both snobby enough for each other.

I knew George would be fired again. 

Everyone I know (including me) is a Harry Potter fan, so am I supposed to be impressed Nathaniel is?

Edited January 22, 2017 by waving feather
Because grammar.

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, waving feather said:

Everyone I knows (including me) is a Harry Potter fan, so am I supposed to be impressed Nathaniel is?

I think it's mostly that snobby above-it-all people seem to like to present themselves as "too good" to bother with Harry Potter. For example, online quizzes about literature (I've done many of them on Sporcle) can be counted on to have commentators sniffing "I'm happy to say the only item I missed was the one about Harry Potter. Never touched it, never will. What's that doing on a literature quiz, anyway?" So Nathaniel readily owning up was a bit of a surprise to me.

[MsNewsradio]

Loved the Santa Ana winds guy - and his songs plus the Intercourse song just got two of our friends on board to try out the show!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Songs from this week:

Devil Winds:

 

Best Friend:

 

Let's Have Intercourse:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know the reason that Rebecca moved up their wedding date is because she feels guilty about kissing Nathaniel, but she couldn't have bribed someone who's getting married in a month? Two weeks is not a lot of time to plan anything, let alone a wedding. And knowing Rebecca, she must have some pretty set ideas about having a fairy tale wedding that are not as doable on that kind of timeline. If you're okay with going to city hall and having lunch at a restaurant with ten of your closest friends afterward, two weeks is totally doable. One of my friends did that because she is totally lowkey and didn't want a big fancy wedding or months of stressful planning, but I can't imagine Rebecca being satisfied with that. And how are they going to pay for this wedding? Rebecca was in massive debt last year and Josh probably wiped out what little he had saved in order to buy Rebecca's ring back.

[nara]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I know the reason that Rebecca moved up their wedding date is because she feels guilty about kissing Nathaniel, but she couldn't have bribed someone who's getting married in a month? Two weeks is not a lot of time to plan anything, let alone a wedding. And knowing Rebecca, she must have some pretty set ideas about having a fairy tale wedding that are not as doable on that kind of timeline. If you're okay with going to city hall and having lunch at a restaurant with ten of your closest friends afterward, two weeks is totally doable. One of my friends did that because she is totally lowkey and didn't want a big fancy wedding or months of stressful planning, but I can't imagine Rebecca being satisfied with that. And how are they going to pay for this wedding? Rebecca was in massive debt last year and Josh probably wiped out what little he had saved in order to buy Rebecca's ring back.

My assumption is that wasn't the first person she called.  

Darryl's song was AWESOME.  There are many unequal friendships in real life and frankly, he's been more of a best friend to Paula than Rebecca, IMO.

[tennisgurl]

I actually had a dream last night where the singing wind guy was narrating my work day. But still singing mostly the songs from this episode. It was pretty awesome.

[dubbel zout]

42 minutes ago, nara said:

My assumption is that wasn't the first person she called.  

Same here. Though I'm really interested how much money it would take for a bride to give up her location two weeks before the event. Probably someone who's having second thoughts. Heh.

43 minutes ago, nara said:

Darryl's song was AWESOME.  There are many unequal friendships in real life

I wonder how long he'll be okay with their friendship being unequal. That would be an interesting B or C story, IMO, because it parallels Rebecca and Paula, especially as Rebecca is trying to be a better friend to Paula.

[7-Zark-7]

I loved the Santa Ana Winds Jersey Boy. I liked his impish expressions and precise movements. He cracked me up every time.

Favorite line: "I'm engazhhed, and now I'm outrazhhed."

[Empress1]

Didn't like this episode. I couldn't follow the Harry Potter stuff. I've never read the books or seen the movies. I read a lot of books and see a lot of movies but Harry Potter never caught my attention. I'm neither proud of nor ashamed of that fact; it just is what it is. I like J.K. Rowling's writing for adults and I love her on Twitter, but everything ain't for everybody. I also didn't like the music in this episode and I find Nathaniel totally unappealing, so the love triangle bores me. 

On 1/21/2017 at 8:51 AM, KateeBar said:

I do like the idea of Paula and Scott getting back together and I'm curious how the show will handle that storyline. The reality is, lots of people fight through infidelity, and a smart show like this should be able to show the work that goes into that kind of marriage rebuilding. I hope they can do the idea justice. 

Me too. I could see them working it out. It was once, I can see why he sought attention elsewhere (I'm not saying he should have; I'm saying I can understand why he did), he regrets it enormously, and he WANTS to do the work.

The only funny line in this episode was the one about code blue being for periods because blue is the liquid used in sanitary product commercials.

[dubbel zout]

It finally hit me what song "Santa Ana Winds" reminded me of, besides "Be My Baby": the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry."

18 hours ago, waving feather said:

The more of a jerk Nathaniel is, the more I find him interesting.

He's the Sue Sylvester of CEG. He's an awful person, but I find him extremely entertaining.

[Eolivet]

Boy, am I against the grain (against the wind?)

I loved most of this episode. I was was disappointed that Paula took Scott back, and I found "I don't care what people think" such an odd reason. Quite frankly, I'd think you get more judgment, not less, if a husband cheats once and the wife kicks him out immediately, no second chances. She's doing what every person on every relationship-oriented show has done since time immemorial: give the cheater another chance. It's not a deal-breaker. So, quite frankly an extraordinary storyline just turned ordinary very quickly.

I also liked how they used the Santa Ana winds -- and found the Jersey Boys-type crooner gag to be pretty funny. That style of singing does sound like "wiiiiiiinds" sometimes. And how they brought back "You Stupid Bitch." (I love reprises, if only for a moment!)

I'll go sit alone on my island of one and say I love Nathaniel in this show, and I love him as a foil (romantic or not) for Rebecca. It boggled my mind that I was always supposed to root for Rebecca to get together with sullen bartender Greg -- like the umpeenth iteration of the Ross/Rachel, Leonard/Penny sitcom trope. Sure, Nathaniel is a trope, too -- but he's one that I think this show desperately needed. This show sometimes feels like an echo chamber, and I think it needed an injection of reality.

Nathaniel is real life, come to burst Rebecca's West Covina bubble. To remind her that she is a highly intelligent and educated woman, and there is a reality that exists outside her fantasy world. He's a tool, sure -- but I think the show needed him. The firm (and Rebecca) needs Nathaniel to make them act like adults, and Nathaniel needs the firm (and Rebecca) to realize you catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.

That being said, I hated Nathaniel's song, but I think I was supposed to. But I loved that kiss. Yeah, it was trope-y, but Rebecca lives her life based on rom-com tropes. Nothing like a hard kiss from reality to make Rebecca cling to her fantasy world so hard that she (likely) completely destroys it. Reality is literally pursuing her now.

In some ways, I also see Nathaniel as a clever political statement for the firm (as another poster said, I think). Yeah, he's a boorish jerk, but you're stuck with him, so what do you do? Just complain about how much you hate him? Or do you take action to try and change him -- make him see you as a person (as George did), even if he fires you?

My only complaint is that it feels like they're flitting from subplot to subplot -- like once again, Heather and Valencia have no point. But I don't think Nathaniel was a bad addition at all, even if he's gone at the end of the season. A little dose of reality in this show is kind of refreshing -- for me, at least.

[shang yiet]

Island for two, please. Judging from the comments on the youtube clip of Let's Have Intercourse, I'm not the only one who loves Nathaniel on the show. I think he does have genuine feelings for Rebecca but hides it under a layer of douchbaggery.  I find Nathaniel a refreshing change from the lineup of nice but somewhat needy wishy washy men on the show from Josh to Greg to Daryl to Scott.

I loved the intercourse song and wow, Rachel can really dance. Also loved the fifties vibe of the Devil Winds song and I heard the singer was really on Jersey Boys. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

A little goes a long way when it comes to the office staff, however. George can go now. Paula should not have taken Scott back. Everyone's made mistakes? Sorry, adultery is not an ordinary mistake.

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

It finally hit me what song "Santa Ana Winds" reminded me of, besides "Be My Baby": the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry."

He's the Sue Sylvester of CEG. He's an awful person, but I find him extremely entertaining.

Song was totally Beach Boys for me, yes, and Don't Worry Baby specifically. 

(Although at first I thought it was going to be a riff on Meat Loaf's "Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth", if anyone remembers that. Started in a similar way.)

Lots of mixed opinions on this one, I see. I liked the Santa Ana winds song but struggled to understand some of the falsetto lyrics. I should have been utterly uninterested in the Nathaniel thing, but I'm an absolute sucker for the trope of "co-workers had a sexy dream about each other and it changes everything". Because it's happened to me. And it's such a weird feeling, so when a show successfully evokes it they usually manage to snare me. 

I never managed to get into Harry Potter because I actually grew up on LOTR and Discworld (RIP Terry Pratchett) so it was too many steps backwards for me, but I think it's actually having sort of a second cultural wave. Or else that first wave of kids is hitting adulthood, as other people have pointed out. I've been trying to drag myself through the early movies ahead of a trip to Universal next month (so I have context for the themed HP areas), and I didn't realize just how old those books and movies are. (And dear lord is the acting bad after one has gotten used to the child actors in shows like GoT.)

Anyway, slight digression, my only point is that I think HP is coming around again. A couple of years ago the references might have seemed dated and off-putting to me. 

The stuff with Daryl's insecurity and George's name got old to me a long time ago.

I miss Heather and Valencia. Isn't Heather supposed to live with Rebecca?

[alrightokay]

1 hour ago, Eolivet said:

I'll go sit alone on my island of one and say I love Nathaniel in this show, and I love him as a foil (romantic or not) for Rebecca. It boggled my mind that I was always supposed to root for Rebecca to get together with sullen bartender Greg -- like the umpeenth iteration of the Ross/Rachel, Leonard/Penny sitcom trope. Sure, Nathaniel is a trope, too -- but he's one that I think this show desperately needed. This show sometimes feels like an echo chamber, and I think it needed an injection of reality.

Nathaniel is real life, come to burst Rebecca's West Covina bubble. To remind her that she is a highly intelligent and educated woman, and there is a reality that exists outside her fantasy world. He's a tool, sure -- but I think the show needed him. The firm (and Rebecca) needs Nathaniel to make them act like adults, and Nathaniel needs the firm (and Rebecca) to realize you catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.

You are not alone on that island!  I love Nathaniel, too--and I actually think he'll be good for the firm.  As sweet as Darryl is, he is not a strong leader who motivates people to do their best work.  How often did Rebecca (and Paula) skip work these past two seasons because of Rebecca's Josh-shenanigans?  It's true that Nathaniel has been overly harsh so far, but he had good reason to fire George, and, like you said, it seems like he'll learn from Darryl and Rebecca how to be less arrogant and callous.  

[dubbel zout]

16 minutes ago, alrightokay said:

[Darryl] is not a strong leader who motivates people to do their best work

I disagree. Darryl cares more about being liked by his employees than Nathaniel does and is more indulgent with them, definitely. And I think Darryl doesn't particularly enjoy being the boss—that's one reason he sold the firm. But Rebecca has been doing good work since she got there, and that's what interested Nathaniel's fancy L.A. firm. It would be cheaper to lure her away than buy Whitefeather, so the work the firm does can't be that terrible. 

Edited January 22, 2017 by dubbel zout
clarity—I hope

[alrightokay]

14 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I disagree. Darryl cares more about being liked by his employees than Nathaniel does and is more indulgent with them, definitely. And I think Darryl doesn't particularly enjoy being the boss—that's one reason he sold the firm. But Rebecca has been doing good work since she got there, and that's what interested Nathaniel's fancy L.A. firm. It would be cheaper to lure her away than buy Whitefeather, so the work the firm does can't be that terrible. 

Good point--I hadn't thought of that.  It just seemed like people like Karen, Canada Guy, and George weren't really hard workers, and now that there's more work, and Nathaniel's forcing them to do it, they're finally being productive.  On the other hand, Mrs. Hernandez was probably hard-working all along--she seems to be a tough cookie!  :)

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Didn't like this episode. I couldn't follow the Harry Potter stuff. I've never read the books or seen the movies. I read a lot of books and see a lot of movies but Harry Potter never caught my attention. I'm neither proud of nor ashamed of that fact; it just is what it is.

I've read the first book because I felt I should so I really don't know much Potter stuff beyond recognizing the terms as from Potter.  Probably no more than I know about Narnia or LOTR.  That said, I didn't feel like I really needed to.  Sure, people who are fans of the book likely understood the layers of the joke more but having them be two people who speak the same geek language came through for me even if I don't specifically know what "Person who thinks they're X but they're actually Y" means.  I think I got enough of the drift for it to work for me.

1 hour ago, Eolivet said:

Quite frankly, I'd think you get more judgment, not less, if a husband cheats once and the wife kicks him out immediately, no second chances.

Women are damned if they do, damned if they don't in this situation. When infidelity is discovered, people wonder if she did anything to cause it.  Some people say they would never stay with someone who cheated and the woman is weak to do so.  Others might judge her for being harsh. So yes, people are going to judge Paula.  If they think she should have left Scott for good, they might think she's making a mistake.  If they think she was wrong to kick him out immediately after discovering the infidelity, then she'll face the silent 'I told you sos.' It's a pride thing.

1 hour ago, Eolivet said:

Nathaniel is real life, come to burst Rebecca's West Covina bubble. To remind her that she is a highly intelligent and educated woman, and there is a reality that exists outside her fantasy world.

I guess but he doesn't work as well for me as "reality" as Rebecca's care being possessed or Greg singing that they were a shit show or every single moment she spends with her psychiatrist. Maybe it's because the actual work portion of the show is my least favorite part of the show. I like the characters (Darryl, Paula even Maia) but not them doing law.

[Chicago Redshirt]

5 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I disagree. Darryl cares more about being liked by his employees than Nathaniel does and is more indulgent with them, definitely. And I think Darryl doesn't particularly enjoy being the boss—that's one reason he sold the firm. But Rebecca has been doing good work since she got there, and that's what interested Nathaniel's fancy L.A. firm. It would be cheaper to lure her away than buy Whitefeather, so the work the firm does can't be that terrible. 

High-power mid-level associates are...well, not a dime a dozen, but there are plenty of them out there. Also there's no guarantee that Rebecca would have been able to be lured back to Big Law. Indeed, it's probably more a guarantee that the only way to get Rebecca was to buy out the firm.

I'm acting under the assumption that the Plimptons saw the potential of going into this West Covina backwater given that Whitefeather managed to do as well as they did with no discipline or plan. It was also quite possibly an attempt by Plimpton Sr. to put Nathaniel to the test. Something that would not happen if they tried to lure Rebecca.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 hours ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

Favorite line: "I'm engazhhed, and now I'm outrazhhed."

Her pronunciation was totally Penny from Happy Endings!

11 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

It finally hit me what song "Santa Ana Winds" reminded me of, besides "Be My Baby": the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry."

Fun fact: Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys was obsessed with "Be My Baby" and was inspired to write "Don't Worry Baby" as a response. At one point, he had an engineer make a loop of just the chorus of "Be My Baby" so he could listen to it over and over for hours. Carnie Wilson said that she woke up every morning hearing the drums at the beginning of "Be My Baby." That's all I could hear every time the Santa Ana wind songs started.

[dubbel zout]

8 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

It was also quite possibly an attempt by Plimpton Sr. to put Nathaniel to the test.

This is probably the real reason Nathaniel came to West Covina. His daddy issues have been sprinkled throughout his time on the show.

[waving feather]

A few days later, I can still hear the Santa Ana wind song in my head. It's such an earworm. I hope he makes an appearance again on the show. 

[dubbel zout]

I bought the song on iTunes, which is a first for me. (Buying a song from the show, not using iTunes; heh.) It's the only way I can get it out of my head!

[lovinbob]

I really like Nathaniel's presence but so far he and Rebecca don't have a ton of chemistry, IMO. Unfortunately, she and Josh have even less. She's not the only one not getting goosebumps. It's a shame, because I thought their hookup after Jayma's wedding was really hot. Josh is a dope this season and Rebecca is an even bigger mess, and it's taken the heat out of their relationship. This is intentional, I'm sure, but it's not so fun to watch.

I really miss Greg.

[txhorns79]

I thought the episode was kind of meh, but I completely appreciate Mrs. Hernandez's open hostility towards Rebecca.   

Edited January 23, 2017 by txhorns79

[dubbel zout]

I hope that is how their relationship will be. Heh. Rebecca needs as many get-a-grip people in her life as possible. Heather can't be everywhere.

[Eeksquire]

Quote

I completely appreciate Mrs. Hernandez's open hostility towards Rebecca.

While I enjoy Mrs. Hernandez's hostility toward Rebecca, to me it seems unearned - we didn't see much of Mrs. Hernandez in the back half of season 1 and really haven't seen that much of her here in Season 2, except to be mean to Rebecca.  I just think the evolution hasn't been shown enough, and frankly, now that they've done away with the 'not speaking' thing, she's not as much fun to me either - if someone is going to be Rebecca's get a grip friend, I'd like it to be Valencia.