After the last episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend I mentioned how I wanted more Greg. Well I got my wish…sort of. Not really sure if it’s quite “Greg” anymore, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
This episode, “When Will Josh See How Cool I am?” starts out with Greg speaking at one of his AA meetings about how alcohol made him feel invincible. His sponsor, Guardrail (love it), tries to warn him that his euphoric feeling is just a phase, but Greg of course rejects this notion and offers to bring doughnuts the next meeting. The emphasis on how important doughnuts are in meetings foreshadows, not very subtly, that Greg is going to disappoint.
At Rebecca’s house Josh greets her with a steamy kiss. Just when you think he’s not going to be a jerk, he rejects Rebecca’s homemade Kugel (because he ate a sushi burrito, gross) and avoids making plans with her because he’s going to a ping pong bar with the bros. Rebecca immediately claims to be a ping pong champion, naturally, so there’s this week’s shenanigans!
As Rebecca searches for pictures of ping pong players (because that’s how you learn to become a champion, right?). Paula comes into Rebecca’s office, deftly avoids getting pulled into Rebecca’s web, and tells Rebecca about applying for law school. There’s some squealing and jumping and then Paula asks Rebecca for a letter of recommendation, to which Rebecca heartily agrees. Again Paula emphasizes the deadline so let’s just assume Rebecca’s going to miss it too. Are her and Greg’s future snafus related? We just have to wait and see.
Paula says her dreams are finally coming true (aww), which leads to the first song of the night, “Maybe this Dream.” Boiling it down, the song is essentially a mid-life crisis kind of thing, but not sad. The office turns into a meadow out of a fairy tale with Paula in corresponding attire. I could do an entire essay discussing the lyrics of this song, but instead I’ll just leave you with one of my favorites below. Donna Lynne Champlin’s vocal performance is also stellar. Not something always present in CXGF songs.
“I pee just a little
Because I’ve had two babies
So by the time I get home
My undies smell like
A sewer rat!”
Wanting to prove that they’re “besties,” Daryl keeps pushing to give Paula a letter of recommendation. Paula sticks with Rebecca, for better or worse. Now it’s time for the 11-year-old ping pong expert to come to the office for Rebecca’s crash course (on a conference table). As even tweens have more sense than Rebecca sometimes, the kid tries to talk some sense into her. She’s more concerned about learning how to play “sexy ping pong.”
Looks like Greg’s back to work. His boss makes a big hoopla about Greg’s getting sober and Heather adds her typical hilarious two-cents. Greg tries to get them to just act normal but what fun would that be? Josh arrives a little later freaking out because Greg has called an emergency meeting with him, Hector and White Josh. He thinks Greg found out about his relations with Rebecca, but as we know he’s just coming clean about his DUI and sobering up. Josh manages to make it about him, but White Josh quickly puts him in check, or he tries. All the guys do express discomfort with drinking around Greg now even though sweet, adorable Greg poured them beers for their emergency meeting.
Time for the next song, “Greg’s Drinking Song.” It’s set as an old-timey drinking song (maybe Irish?) about all the sad/crazy/weird stuff Greg did when he was drinking. Josh is thrilled Greg’s alcoholism isn’t his fault but again White Josh reminds him Greg’s issues do not revolve around him.
Josh gets boba with Father Brah to get advice. He is surprised to hear that Father Brah agrees he should not tell Greg about him and Rebecca at this point. Right on cue, Greg shows up with Heather. He’s doing his apologizing step of recovery, but instead of apologizing for dumping her for Rebecca, he apologizes for drunk eating her French fries. Josh goes over and comes up with a semi-reasonable lie for where he’s staying. He says he’s at an Airbnb but it quickly spirals into a celebrity house and then he blurts out that he not only slept with Rebecca the night of the wedding, but he’s slept with her repeatedly since.
Greg says they’re cool and they bro hug, which baffles Heather. Rightly so she wants Greg to be pissed off since, you know, he dumped her to go out with the girl banging his best friend. There’s a quick reprise of “Could If I Wanted To” before Greg punches a wall. Clearly he’s not okay.
No shock here, it’s Friday and Rebecca totally forgot to write the letter of recommendation for Paula. Paula is visibly disappointed but she offers to just use Daryl’s letter (who, coincidentally, is listening); but Rebecca promises to submit it at 2am. Does she not know how deadlines and clocks work?
Her guilt is only momentary. Right back into ping pong lessons she goes. This coincides with the song, “Ping Pong Girl.” Josh sings this song with a “band.” They basically look like the guy version of Avril Lavigne and the song has that tone as well. The lyrics are typical Rebecca-like delusions that Josh will suddenly see her as independent and sexy if he sees her playing ping pong.
Paula defends Rebecca to her husband Scott, but reveals she’s worried Rebecca just actually doesn’t think she can do it. Scott plays good husband and encourages her.
Finally the big ping pong night has arrived. Rebecca’s lessons didn’t really work and apparently she brought the 11 year old to the bar. And they’re wearing matching outfits (because yes, Rebecca, twinning with an 11 year old is going to make Josh love you. Greg fails to show up for ping pong and his meeting (with those crucial doughnuts). The revelation about Josh and Rebecca shocks White Josh, but he’s more concerned about Greg. Aww. When Rebecca tries to coolly drop in the conversation, she finds out about the situation and his shocked (maybe even angry?) with Josh.
White Josh’s reaction is my favorite quote of the episode. “Good job ya horny monsters,” he says. White Josh and Hector (who’s apparently not grasping what alcoholism is) go to find Greg, but forbid Josh and Rebecca from helping. Rebecca decides to use Paula’s GPS trick to find Greg on her own anyway.
Rebecca finds Greg at a pond. They go over what the audience already knows. Rebecca admits that his behavior at the wedding hurt her and he admits that he blew his shot. His DUI was actually when he was driving over to Rebecca’s the next morning to tell her he loved her. He asks if she’s happy with Josh and if he treats her well. Realization seems to dawn on Rebecca’s face, but she quickly covers it up and lies and says yes. The little kid shows up (is she bringing him everywhere now?) reminding her he needs a ride home.
The next morning, Rebecca brings the letter of recommendation to Paula’s desk and explains that she thinks Paula going to law school is brave and it was her own crap that prevented her from doing the letter. Paula loves the letter but admits she had to turn in Daryl’s (who is listening again and so thrilled that he knocks stuff over) because yeah deadlines matter in law.
For his act of repentance Greg shows up to the next meeting with gourmet doughnuts. This does not impress Guardrail (except for the cute little dinosaur one of course) and he tells Greg just to show up.
Back at Rebecca’s house she tells Josh about the conversation with Greg while he plays video games. Of course Josh only cares that he’s off the hook and doesn’t have to feel guilty. When he invites Rebecca to play video games, she admits she doesn’t like them or ping pong for that matter. Not surprisingly he seems surprised when she says she lied to spend time with him. Then she finally confronts him saying she deserves to be with someone who treats her well. They’re both shocked at her honesty and emotional maturity so she leaves, goes upstairs and sniffs Greg’s sweatshirt looking sad. I am torn. I want her and Greg to be mature and together, but I know then there wouldn’t be much of a show. So I’ll just sit here waiting for the next obstacle, and the one after that.
Sober and mature Greg is lovely to see but I have to say, I miss the old Greg for comedic purposes.
What did you all think? Sound off in the comments below.
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