S04.E03: I'm On My Own Path

[dubbel zout]

As Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) contemplates her feelings about her career, Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) is forced to deal with a big client (guest star Nina Vardalos). Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) tries to get back in the dating game, while Heather (Vella Lovell) and Hector (guest star Erick Lopez) deal with insurance. Scott Michael Foster, Pete Gardner and Gabrielle Ruiz also star.

[Spartan Girl]

Singing claymation pretzels for the win!

Also loved "There are so many professions that won't turn you into Jeff Sessions". ???????

It's been obvious from the pilot that Rebecca was unhappy being a lawyer. Her quitting was a long time coming. And her pretzels looked pretty good.

I don't know how I feel about Rebecca and Josh becoming actual friends after everything, but I'm liking this new perspective Josh. And maybe it's because I've been so repulsed by guys like Nathaniel and Trent that I feel like Josh, while clearly not the ideal guy (physicality aside), isn't so bad.

Nathaniel, however, is an immature douche. I'm officially hoping he and Rebecca aren't endgame.

A surprise wedding for Hector and Heather! The gown was gorgeous.

[srpturtle80]

Loved Jim’s attorney song. I am an attorney who does not practice myself and it was pretty much spot on. And hilarious. 

The singing pretzels were a bit much lol. 

I also loved Heather and Hector. It was so cute how happy he was when he saw the tux. And her dress was beautiful. Also, his toe was NASTY. 

[DianeDobbler]

As the show has gone on, I completely appreciate Vincent Rodriguez III as I think he syncs up with Bloom really well and is an excellent foil. All of their musical numbers work, and they play off each other very well. They remind me of a (former) buzzfeed star and her bfriend - very similar dynamic. She's snarky, super reactive, comments on everything, he's mellow, supportive.

As I understand Nathaniel, he's super broken - trope-ish WASP emotional repression and chilly parents. And sure, he's made friends with George and he likes Rebecca, although that to me is very implausible this season. However, he hasn't learned anything from either Rebecca or George, and still defaults to "let's make this issue go away." 

I'm sorry they ruined Trent by making him (overly) explicit. Prior to this season, whenever they were explicit about Trent it was jokey, sort of meta. Now it's in canon and IMO it's a mistake.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awwww, I love that Hector wanted a real wedding! There's nothing wrong with getting married at city hall and there's nothing wrong with having a big party. You can do one or the other or both, as long as it makes you happy. But when you know that one of those will make the person you love really happy, sometimes you need to think about compromising. I get if Heather isn't into the idea of a huge wedding, but you can have a family celebration that isn't totally traditional. You can find a way to have a party that both of you will like enjoy. Hector's reaction to seeing the tuxedo is why you sometimes compromise  - if Heather had known that's how he would react, she probably would have agreed to a wedding a lot sooner.

I loved Jim's Bobby Brown "Don't Be a Lawyer" song! The hair, the costumes, and the dancing were all perfectly 90s and awesome!

I laughed when the Simon & Garfunkel pretzels said they'd been assaulted and they cut to the pretzels being salted.

I know that some people enjoy being lawyers, but Jim's initial dissatisfaction with being a lawyer is not uncommon. It seems like half the new businesses around here that opened in the last 10-15 years were started by disgruntled lawyers who decided to quit practicing law and pursue something that made them happy (which translates to half the cupcake shops and bakeries in the area). I'm glad that Rebecca finally realized that she doesn't want to be a lawyer and that she found something else she liked doing.

So cute to see Josh sitting next to Hector's mom at the wedding. I am also really enjoying Josh's growth and self-awareness. As much as I loved S1 Josh because he was just a big overgrown puppy, I like this Josh even better. He's making an effort to understand himself and to be better. I'm glad that he and Rebecca got to be honest about how they treated each other and apologize without any drama.

[DianeDobbler]

It was still an eh show for me. I liked that Josh is back to being regularly featured. Scott Michael Thomas seems to step up for the moments that have a punch line, like when he was conspicuously coughing to get Paula's attention, but otherwise the performance is kind of uninvested, or maybe it's just these conventional male leads. The "I've got to get her back." moment was just meh. I know they're trying to make the "conventional" trope-y kind of leads on this show trope leads with a twist, but the twist is never that convincing IMO.

Hated the pretzel shop solution. That just seems from hunger to me (the expression). The sort of thing that scans on paper but is just static when the idea gets on its feet. It reminded me of the end of 30 Rock when Liz adopted two small kids who were Tracy and Jenna mini-mes. It works as a joke and as "this tracks" but empty as story.

At least they gave Rebecca something to do. When she said she was quitting law, and so abruptly, I thought my God, she has probably not saved a penny, we have no idea what she's been doing for money this entire time while waiting for the Bar Association decision - she should be broke, and now she's quitting? I know we need to suspend disbelief but they have been pushing it on this show.

Hector and Heather are sweet.

[Caseysgirl]

I thought that I had seen every episode of CEG, but I was blindsided by Heather and Hector’s love affair/wedding. When did they go from being bar stool observers to only remaining couple on this show? Not that I object, I just didn’t see it coming.

Edited October 27, 2018 by Caseysgirl
Wrong name

[tennisgurl]

Simon & Garfunkel singing pretzels! Oh yeah, thats the stuff right there. Twisted fate. Heh. The puns were on point this week! 

I also liked the Jim song, and the pure 90s of the whole thing. The dancing and the beat and the jackets were so spot on, I love when this show really nails the genre its doing an homage to. And I always love when characters who have been gone for awhile come back, this show is always really good at not forgetting about minor and supporting characters. "They never say "first kill the tailors"!" And the lawyer jumping out the window after his "the views in this song..." spiel! I kind of want to send that song to my cousin and her husband (both lawyers) and my aunt and uncle (both semi-retired lawyers). 

Rebecca has never really wanted to be a lawyer, so her quitting was inevitable. And her opening a pretzel shop does actually seem fitting, considering one of the first things she did in West Covina was get a soft pretzel, and ride on top of a giant pretzel. 

Nathaniel refusing to speak is incredibly petty and immature, but I can appreciate the extra that it takes to install blinds just so you can close them on someone. 

I like new, more self aware Josh. I dont ever want Rebecca and Josh to get back together (as they both stated, they were super messed up) but I can get behind them being friends, and supporting each other. They have great timing, and its nice to see Josh really trying to understand himself, and not just jumping from one thing to the next. 

Awwww Hector and Heather! That was so sweet!

[alrightokay]

YESSSS--Heather and Hector got married.... TWICE!  They've been my faves on the show for a while (if you go back to the S1 threads, you'll see I started loving Hector after his parking monologue, LOL), and it's a joy to see them so happy together.  Adorable.

I was also glad to see Rebecca and Josh be so kind and supportive toward each other.  And Josh's realization--he doesn't want to be "a concept or an object"--was so well put.  I think it's something we all struggle with, to be seen and accepted as we are; I had just never heard it put that way before.  (Dr. ManAkopian is doing wonders with Josh!)

I really enjoyed AJ; all the "narc" jokes made me crack up.   Great to see Sunil and Father Brah again.  And Nia Vardolos was fantastic as Wendy.

About Nathaniel's final words--I really hope he doesn't mean Rebecca; I'm pulling for Mona (though he doesn't deserve her!).

ETA:  I would love for Naomi to return to the show before the finale.  Rebecca needs to see if her mother can love her unconditionally, not as "a concept or an object."

One more thing--I'm tickled by the running joke about Rebecca's college-snobbery.  It's clear from Rebecca and Nathaniel's examples that going to an elite college doesn't necessarily make you a more fulfilled, worthy, or "better" person.  I was glad that Josh questioned Rebecca's snootiness in eliminating certain prospects from his dating app.  And I loved Father Brah's gentle dig at Rebecca while introducing her at the wedding.  At the same time, the show isn't saying that everyone who goes to Harvard or Stanford turns out warped--Sunil seems to be doing well.  It's just interesting to see this subtle commentary in the show at the same time that elite schools are coming under scrutiny in the news (the accusations of racism in Harvard's admissions process, the whole Kavanaugh-Yale connection, etc.).

Edited October 27, 2018 by alrightokay

[driver18]

I ddn't think the first two episodes were the show's best, but I wasn't worried because the last couple of seasons hadn't quite gelled fully until 2-3 episodes had aired and going back and re-watching it really did coalesce all together. Sure enough, that held true because this third episode was FANTASTIC and it wouldn't have worked had we not had the set-up of the previous two.

Both songs (especially "Don't Be A Lawyer" -- which may be one of the show's best songs ever) were fabulous. Also the new theme is growing on me, and I wonder if we'll get a different comment from the "other Rebecca" at the end of each opener.

Every moment with Nathaniel was hilarious from the commentary on his antics by Bert and Sunil, to dismay that he broke his silent strike at the end. Everything Hector and Heather was great (even if slightly unrealistic in how quickly Hector would get her insurance, but... eh, this show doesn't always track in realism), and I LOVED how instrumental strains of Heather's song "The Moment is Me" played when she appeared in her wedding dress. Josh's arc is coming along beautifully and intersecting so well with Rebecca's journey on her path to (pretzel) happiness.

I love this show so much.

[AfterwardsTV]

Heather and Hector's chemistry is off the charts. The instrumental of "The Moment is Me" was just the right touch. My only complaint is I really didn't need the scene with Nathaniel's "realization" to happen. It literally felt like the biggest nothing statement from him yet, and it hijacked a real love moment I was invested in.

Rebecca apologizing to Josh this time, and pointing out how a man would not be able to fly doing what she did was a good moment. That other post-suicide interaction is not fully rectified, but having Josh/Rebecca regularly buds again should ground the final season now that their progress can parallel more often. Sidenote: Josh's two dates were both awful shallow pieces of work.

I remember several points in the show's history where it looked like Rebecca would finally be untethered to that law office, so to see it stick this time is great. Don't worry about Rebetzel's, I think we are going to see a multi-profession journey which means endless new opportunities for fresh fun Bunch situations over next 15 episodes.

Best 3 Songs of Season 4 Right Now: No One Else Is Singing My Song, Time to Seize the Day, Don't Be a Lawyer

[SomeTameGazelle]

The episode felt a bit disjointed to me, maybe because I had developed certain expectations around the relevance of Nia Vardalos, and certainly because I am actually invested in seeing Rebecca help the women she met in jail (especially her cell mate, whom I loved) and her not wanting to be a lawyer seems like it might undermine that. However I enjoyed Jim's song and A.J. as well as Hector and Heather's weddings (even though I didn't know whether you can actually get married on 15 minutes' notice in California and had to look it up). I might have tweaked Heather's line "but you do -- and that's what matters" to avoid any hint or impression that what Hector wanted was more important than what she wanted, but that's a nitpick because there was nothing else about the way the wedding came about that suggested that they weren't willing to consider each other's feelings.

I could have watched Josh go on more dates whose Uber spontaneously called them in the time that was used on Nathaniel. I couldn't stop staring at Zoe the art history major because she reminded me so strongly of Sutton Foster.

[possibilities]

What does Hector do for a living? I got hung up on him not having health insurance in CA under the ACA.

[taragel]

I'm torn on the pretzel thing. It's a nice callback to S1 symbolically but...is she really going to be happy selling pretzels? I find it hard to believe. Seems like another classic Rebecca move of jumping into something impulsively to run away from something else. I believe she didn't truly enjoy being a lawyer, but I wish some other skillset had been set up for them to have her switch to. When has Rebecca known anything about marketing or business plans, or making pretzels? Plus where is the startup cash for this coming from since I thought she was pretty broke and she's not really been working for awhile? I know her finances have never really made sense but....there's something a little glib and cliched about how quickly she found something else. I would've liked to see her struggle and figure out what else she's good at before jumping right into something as arguably simplistic as selling pretzels.

I haven't been digging this season (or last season) quite as much. I appreciate them having a vision and starting to tie up Rebecca's life story but the show hasn't been quite as entertaining to me, sadly.

[SomeTameGazelle]

13 minutes ago, taragel said:

I'm torn on the pretzel thing. It's a nice callback to S1 symbolically but...is she really going to be happy selling pretzels? I find it hard to believe.

When she first started working there and told Jim about how she had had a customer who had bought this pretzel and that pretzel, even though her tone was enthusiastic, the Catalogue of Pretzels seemed so tedious I assumed that Rebecca would rapidly conclude that selling pretzels was not for her and either be relived to go back to the law or find some third option. I suppose since she is not going to be a franchisee but an independent pretzel-maker and manager her responsibilities will be more complex and interesting than merely selling?

[quangtran]

1 hour ago, taragel said:

Plus where is the startup cash for this coming from since I thought she was pretty broke and she's not really been working for awhile? I know her finances have never really made sense but

She was broke before the time-jump, but for eight-months she was co-boss at Plimpton, Plimpton and Plimpton. She would have gotten a substantial pay-bump, her affair with Nathmeant meant she wasn't wasting money on crazy schemes chasing boys, and Heather being a manager of several Home Bases meants Bex finally didn't have to pay all the rent. She was only in prison and out of work for a brief time.

22 hours ago, DianeDobbler said:

As the show has gone on, I completely appreciate Vincent Rodriguez III as I think he syncs up with Bloom really well and is an excellent foil.

Their chemistry is a lot better now that they aren't selling them as a romantic couple. As for the reconciliation, I've been waiting a long for her to properly apologize for all the horrible things she's done to him, and even though Josh is too much of a puppy to hold onto negative emtions, he let her off a bit too easy.

As for the wedding, aren't there supposed to be witnesses?

[scrb]

On 10/26/2018 at 8:03 PM, srpturtle80 said:

Loved Jim’s attorney song. I am an attorney who does not practice myself and it was pretty much spot on. And hilarious. 

The singing pretzels were a bit much lol. 

I also loved Heather and Hector. It was so cute how happy he was when he saw the tux. And her dress was beautiful. Also, his toe was NASTY. 

The clothing, song and the dancing style are retro right, like 80s and 90s?

[MilkMachine]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

The clothing, song and the dancing style are retro right, like 80s and 90s?

Yes, it's Bobby Brown throwback for sure. The song reminded me a lot of this one 

 

I think Brown wore more colorful suits in some other videos.

[possibilities]

I've been craving pretzels ever since watching this episode.
And I liked the singing pretzels, even though I think it was ridiculous.

I don't know what I think about Rebecca quitting being a lawyer. Is it because she truly doesn't want to be a lawyer? Or is it like how she's always chasing happiness in the form of a person? Now that she's stopped doing that, is she replacing that restlessness with career hopping? She did seem to enjoy some of her legal work in the past, like the class action about the hot water for tenants. Maybe she just doesn't like working for the kind of clients the firm is now feeding her.

I think it's entirely possible to be happy as a baker or seller of pretzels, Rebecca is the sort who falls in and out of love with whatever, so I think it's highly unlikely that pretzels are really her true calling.

[Corgi-ears]

18 hours ago, DianeDobbler said:

Hated the pretzel shop solution.

 

10 hours ago, taragel said:

I'm torn on the pretzel thing. It's a nice callback to S1 symbolically but...is she really going to be happy selling pretzels? I find it hard to believe. Seems like another classic Rebecca move of jumping into something impulsively to run away from something else.

I think the callback -- more specifically, the way the show made sure to echo and replicate the way Rebecca backed out of her NY firm to go chasing after Josh with the way she, in this ep, backed out of Mountaintop -- means that the show is positioning this as another impulsive Rebecca move. Or at least I hope so.  

It was a little odd that Rebecca was essentially not involved in performing any of this week's musical numbers.

[theatremouse]

On 10/27/2018 at 10:04 AM, Caseysgirl said:

I thought that I had seen every episode of CEG, but I was blindsided by Heather and Hector’s love affair/wedding. When did they go from being bar stool observers to only remaining couple on this show? 

They've been dating since early S3, and I'm pretty sure he's also been living with Heather (and thus also Rebecca) for a while. Whenever Josh moved in with Hector's mom? Was right after Hector moved out to live with Heather, I'm pretty sure.

[scrb]

Yeah if she does the pretzel thing, she won't interact with the co workers as much.

So a couple of new minor regular characters for the pretzel shop while they drop some of the law firm characters?

[driver18]

I actually think the Pretzel shop does make sense for Rebecca.

1. She gets to be in charge/be the boss and we've seen throughout her time at Whitefeather Mountaintop that she (a) pretty much always takes charge and (b) in the last 8 months (minus her brief stint in jail to atone for her actions (oh, Rebecca) she literally was one of the bosses.
2. She pays extreme attention to details when it comes to work, knows contracts, bylaws, zoning laws, property laws, etc. That's literally her area of expertise.
3. She's super, duper smart and the stuff she would need to learn, she could pick up super quick.
4. She's super, duper creative. We know that about Rebecca period... AND we saw in this episode with all of her ideas for the new pretzel flavors.
5. She loves meeting people, interacting with people, customers, etc. She would actually be great (a) managing the shop, (b) micro-managing, (c) greeting/interacting with customers, and (d) soothing any issues with angry/upset/disgruntled customers.
6. Since it's in the Mountaintop lobby, she'd be able to interact with those employees ALL of the time.
7. Yes, she's bad with money management, but she could hire someone (and totally should) to be her CFO.

So Rebetzels caters to all of her strengths -- her lawyer expertise, her quick-thinking, people skills (she actually does have them), problem-solving skills, creativity, need for control and keeps her near most of her friends/colleagues.  Finally, it was her idea, something she found and discovered herself... it was her chosen path.

[scrb]

Yeah but do people eat pretzels every day?

If she has the only concession in that lobby, it probably works out great.  But if she's competing with stores selling croissants or pastries along with coffee, then it may be tough.

Of course a lot of employers will just order a lot of snacks and beverages from Costco for their employees, just to keep them in the office.

[driver18]

Most niche franchise didn't start as a franchise but as one store (like Auntie Annie's pretzels, I'm pretty sure), they started out as one shop that were really, really good at what they did and grew from there. She's got to run one dinky little space and knows all of the property laws, loopholes etc. in order to get the best deal possible (we saw that all the way back in season 01 when she was looking to help Valencia get space when she was looking to get her own yoga space). She doesn't have to make mad cash, just enough to keep afloat. She mentioned to Jim that people were already buying and loving her new pretzel ideas and she was happy and enjoying herself. This is a good thing.

[Eeksquire]

I don't mind Rebecca becoming an entrepreneur, but... we're talking about someone who literally knew NOTHING about baking when she and Paula entered the pie contest back in the day.  Like... didn't know what unsalted butter was.  And now we're to believe that she's inventing her own recipes for baked goods? Doesn't track, except for the continuity of loving the pretzels in West Covina.  I'd think, given Rebecca's knowledge of property law and ability/willingness to dive deep into other people's lives, she'd make a killer realtor, especially if she focused on commercial real estate - she'd be able to see the possibilities for all kinds of properties in a way that most people wouldn't.  (As a side note, that also makes it crazy ('crazy') unrealistic that she would have moved into the murder apartment, but I digress.)

[driver18]

2 hours ago, Eeksquire said:

I don't mind Rebecca becoming an entrepreneur, but... we're talking about someone who literally knew NOTHING about baking when she and Paula entered the pie contest back in the day.  Like... didn't know what unsalted butter was.  And now we're to believe that she's inventing her own recipes for baked goods? Doesn't track, except for the continuity of loving the pretzels in West Covina.  I'd think, given Rebecca's knowledge of property law and ability/willingness to dive deep into other people's lives, she'd make a killer realtor, especially if she focused on commercial real estate - she'd be able to see the possibilities for all kinds of properties in a way that most people wouldn't.  (As a side note, that also makes it crazy ('crazy') unrealistic that she would have moved into the murder apartment, but I digress.)

There's a difference between coming up with recipes for baked goods and coming up with new flavor toppings for pretzels. I mean, chip companies and the like put out contests all the time for people to send in flavor ideas. That's essentially what Rebecca did. She came up with nifty flavor profiles and put them on top of pretzels. As for the pretzel baked goods... they already had the dough there. So, obviously for her own pretzel place, she'll get a good recipe for the dough and follow the detailed instructions. And when it comes to baking, following instructions is key and Rebecca is fabulous at that.

What we saw when she was working at the pretzel place is that when putting her mind TO do the baking of the pretzel dough and following the instructions, she *is* good at it. It is something that falls into her skill set. She's just never applied that skill set before.

[taragel]

But Rebecca is also... quite the snob when it comes to education and valuing smarts over other qualities. They made a point/joke of that in this very episode. I’m having trouble believing that side of Rebecca would be comfortable telling people she runs a pretzel shop for a living. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that but I don’t believe Rebecca could see it that way, despite this new leaf she’s trying to turn over. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, scrb said:

Yeah if she does the pretzel thing, she won't interact with the co workers as much.

So a couple of new minor regular characters for the pretzel shop while they drop some of the law firm characters?

I don’t think they will drop many law firm characters. Paula, Darryl, and Nathaniel still work there so I’m sure we will still get scenes at the office which allows them to keep rotating the other law firm employees like Maya, Jim, Tim, George, etc. into scenes at the law firm (which is what they usually do anyway). And since the pretzel place is in the lobby, they can show Rebecca interacting with her former co-workers as they arrive/leave in the morning, on their way to/from court, etc. I can also imagine having Paula or Darryl run down to the lobby to ask for advice or assistance on cases or sending the other employees down there in the middle of client meetings (imagine Tim showing up with a paper napkin from Paula and Rebecca trying to decipher what she’s asking).. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, driver18 said:

There's a difference between coming up with recipes for baked goods and coming up with new flavor toppings for pretzels.

Normally, I'd agree but I think some of the descriptions she gave out were for more than just toppings.  In fact, one of them was a lavender flavor and lavender is notoriously difficult to get right.  Too little and it doesn't come through.  Too much and the floral taste/aroma overpowers everything. Now honey bacon?  That I can believe she did on her own.

That song was great, though.

[Trini]

I'm also a bit skeptical about Rebecca opening a pretzel shop. I hope that's not really her true calling; but at least she'll still be able to interact with the other lawyer characters.

It's been 2+ seasons, and I still haven't really warmed up to Nathaniel (although he's improved since his first season). He could really just disappear off the show and would not mind at all, plus I don't think anything overall would be lost.

Loved everything else, though!

[possibilities]

7 hours ago, theatremouse said:

When did they go from being bar stool observers to only remaining couple on this show? 

Valencia and Beth seem to still be together, so Heather and Hector are not the only couple, for whatever that's worth. I do find it a bit out of character that Heather has gotten all dewy over Hector. I don't mind her loving him, but she seems a little out of character to me, these days.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, taragel said:

But Rebecca is also... quite the snob when it comes to education and valuing smarts over other qualities. They made a point/joke of that in this very episode. I’m having trouble believing that side of Rebecca would be comfortable telling people she runs a pretzel shop for a living. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that but I don’t believe Rebecca could see it that way, despite this new leaf she’s trying to turn over. 

I agree with you.  I think she will do the pretzel thing for a while as a transition until one day she realizes her "true calling", which might just be as a legal aid attorney representing poor women like she met in jail.  Of course it would have to be after she is well enough for it not to be all about her.

[scrb]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I agree with you.  I think she will do the pretzel thing for a while as a transition until one day she realizes her "true calling", which might just be as a legal aid attorney representing poor women like she met in jail.  Of course it would have to be after she is well enough for it not to be all about her.

Or she might find her true calling by joining a community theater group and learning to write and perform songs and learning to dance and write scripts and putting on plays and musicals.

[nilyank]

7 hours ago, scrb said:

Or she might find her true calling by joining a community theater group and learning to write and perform songs and learning to dance and write scripts and putting on plays and musicals.

Well maybe not performing as we were shown during the prison episode that she cannot sing and moves awkwardly in any sort of simple choreography unlike in her fantasies where she can sing and dance.

[Empress1]

On 10/27/2018 at 2:07 PM, tennisgurl said:

I kind of want to send that song to my cousin and her husband (both lawyers) and my aunt and uncle (both semi-retired lawyers).

I sent it to my best friend and her husband, who met in law school and regularly discourage people from entering the profession, and they were both like "YEP." (And everything I've heard from them was in the song.) I know a lot of lawyers in different practice areas and levels of seniority, and I think they'd all say at least one thing from that song.

The thread that Rebecca doesn't love the work has always been present - in the first season, she was "making dough but it made [her] blue." I've never gotten the impression that she went to law school for a genuine love of the law. She's GOOD at the work but that's not the same as liking it. (I wonder about Nathaniel; he seems to be another person who went to law school because it was what he was supposed to do. Odds are good that enjoying it was far down the list of priorities.)

[dubbel zout]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

a legal aid attorney representing poor women like she met in jail.

Rebecca would need to retrain in criminal law, then, as I doubt too many of those women have zoning problems. But this isn't RL, heh.

[LaughingOne]

On 10/27/2018 at 10:37 PM, scrb said:

The clothing, song and the dancing style are retro right, like 80s and 90s?

It’s a new jack swing song, which was popular in the late 80s and early 90s. Bobby Brown is a good example of the genre, but it’s mere than just him - Boyz II Men and Bell Biv DeVoe were a couple other really popular new jack swing artists. The dance moves in Don’t Be A Lawyer were totally Bobby Brown, but the costumes were way more Boyz II Men.

Edited October 30, 2018 by LaughingOne

[DearEvette]

6 hours ago, LaughingOne said:

it’s a new jack swing song, which was popular in the late 80s and early 90s. Bobby Brown is a good example of the genre,

Yup.  Those outfits are a total call out to this Teddy Rile/Guy poster.  Teddy Riley is credited as the creator of New Jack Swing and he wrote/produced those Bobby Brown songs of that era.  Also others like Keith Sweat, Johnny Kemp.

I agree that I love it when the show nails the era/style of the songs they are referencing and they completely nailed it here.  I remember Daryl's 'Good to Be BI' song was just so Huey Lewis & the News.

 

[Iseut]

I really enjoyed this episode! It wasn't perfect, but I can see how they are moving the arc toward Rebecca's health and happiness, and it's so fun to watch. I especially loved seeing her and Josh interacting as friends again after so long. Obviously their romantic relationship (and the pre- and post- of it) wasn't healthy, but the actors/characters themselves can bring out positive qualities in each other and they have a great chemistry, so I've been wanting to see them together again in a healthy way.

The Moment is Me has taken on a more significant meaning in my personal life, so I teared up when it started playing as Heather walked up the aisle. The whole wedding(s) was unexpected, and really beautifully done.  The lighting that shone on Rebecca as she was giving her speech was also reminiscent of the first-season lighting when she first found the butter ad and Josh. Hopefully glitter is exploding inside of her for the right reasons now!

I missed Darryl and WhiJo in this ep, though...they're both so close with Hector and Heather; I was hoping for at least a clip of one or both of them with the baby.

[kieyra]

On 10/29/2018 at 1:20 AM, possibilities said:

Valencia and Beth seem to still be together, so Heather and Hector are not the only couple, for whatever that's worth. I do find it a bit out of character that Heather has gotten all dewy over Hector. I don't mind her loving him, but she seems a little out of character to me, these days.

I thought the first few HH scenes this season were going to turn out to be dream sequences or something, it was a little odd. I guess they were foreshadowing the wedding with all the affection.

 When I was a little kid I wanted to be a lawyer. Then I met one. (Zing! But it’s a true story.)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Don't Be a Lawyer

Our Twisted Fate:

[LisaM]

A bit late to the party. Loved the "Don't be a Lawyer" song. As a former lawyer, I totally concur. 

Loved Hector and Heather - the best. Even Josh is growing on me again. Did not recognize Nia Vardalos.

[aradia22]

Quote

As I understand Nathaniel, he's super broken - trope-ish WASP emotional repression and chilly parents. And sure, he's made friends with George and he likes Rebecca, although that to me is very implausible this season. However, he hasn't learned anything from either Rebecca or George, and still defaults to "let's make this issue go away." 

I think part of the problem, and what I've really noticed this season, is that the actor playing Nathaniel is really good at being that other person in the scene. When they gave him more compelling stuff to do, it wasn't as apparent but I've realized now that he's good at being bland in a way that's great for however they want to slot him in but doesn't give you a real sense of the character's thoughts and feelings. That and they keep resetting him to the basic backstory you mentioned and forgetting when he does make progress emotionally. I think he has learned from Rebecca and George BUT the writers hit the reset button whenever they feel like it (which is a lot) so he's feeling less and less like a fully realized character even though he gets more screen time than the secondary/tertiary characters who are written with more consistency.