Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Review: I’m on My Own Path (Season 4 Episode 3)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is coming full-pretzel. That’s right, pretzel.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 3, “I’m on My Own Path,” zooms right by full-circle and makes some salty and satisfying twists towards full pretzel.

It is a fitting shape for the series. Full-circle is clean, perfect, harmonious, and NOTHING like real life. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does so much more than that. It gives us reality is all its twisted goodness.

The depth of excellent on the episode is astounding. From Jim’s perfect shoulder work on “Don’t Be a Lawyer,” to Heather’s reprising walk down the aisle, everything about “I’m on My Own Path” works.

Narc my words, this show is getting an Emmy.

The Apology

I was greatly disappointed by the limited apology Rebecca delivered on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 3 Episode 13, “Nathaniel is Irrelevant.”

True, she said, “I’m guilty.” But Rebecca’s admission of fault was public, dramatic, and all about her.

The letter Rebecca gave Josh Chan was basically confession diarrhea: all over the place, gross, painful and indicative of some sickness. Josh never had the chance to ask questions about or even confront the new revelations, including the attempted murder of his grandparent.

“I’m on My Own Path,” gives us the real apology Josh Chan needs to move on with his life. It is the apology I need to move on with Rebecca on her path for the rest of the season.

Rebecca’s apology to Josh Chan has an audience of one and it is delivered impromptu. This is markedly different from in the past when the expressions of guilt have been in front of a big group and very staged.

Rebecca crafted her past apologies. This one comes from a real place. It is sincere and authentic.

This apology is also notable because it has no “but.” It is not winnowed down or made subject to other conditions. Rebecca is sorry, period.

I am so glad we got the first apology so that we now can see, via the contrast, how meaningful Rebecca’s therapy waiting room “I’m sorry,” is.

What the incredible apology on “I’m on My Own Path,” boils down to is it is not about Rebecca. It is finally about Josh Chan.

Josh Chan is finally relevant, whole, and more than the object of Rebecca’s struggles.

Toetally Romantic

Heactor is the sweetest ship to ever sail. The love story between them has been low-key and quippy, so it is easy to miss how powerfully their story upends harmful stereotypes and empowers diverse perspectives. Also, they are one of the most adorable and good-looking pairs to have ever graced our televisions.

Hector is a Latinx man who is clearly a Charlotte. He is goofy, loyal, and youthfully optimistic. It makes perfect sense that he has been dreaming of a big church wedding with Heather.

That is norm-bending stuff. Latinx men are stereotyped as filled with machismo and afraid of showing emotion.

It’s not that Hector is the opposite of that, it is that he is three dimensional. He doesn’t go against stereotype as much as he uproots and discards it.

That is what happens when we know someone as an individual, not a token. Hector is an example of what Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does over and over; it gives us representation that matters by showing on screen the deep diversity and individuality we see in real life.

When Heather and Hector say their vow in the church, an Asian priest is marrying them, a woman with a mental health disorder is giving a speech, a Latinx groom is marrying a biracial bride while a bisexual man, a Latinx bisexual woman, a gay masculine-expressing woman, a Filipino sex symbol, a hot white male boss, and a career-changing woman lawyer look on.

That is some serious representation.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has diversity so built into its DNA that you don’t really even notice it until you enumerate it. That is very important because as a result, the story becomes about the characters and their pretzel journeys, not about their “isms”.

Behind the Camera

While the performances from the cast, excellent from the top to the bottom of the call sheet, make a big impact in regards to the inclusive storytelling, the show creators and writers deserve a heap of credit.

The humility of the creators and the writing staff is evident. They know what they don’t know.

The spine zinging authenticity of the different songs, especially “Don’t Be a Lawyer” indicates clearly that lawyers were consulted.

That means this writing staff is listening to the experience of others who have had their own path. And that inclusivity is why diverse writers rooms are essential.

It is not just to have a difference. It is to be able to listen to the different experiences and perspectives that the difference has created.

Again, the pretzel is the perfect imagery for this show and this story.

The episode is written by writers’ assistant, Alden Derck. That is quite incredible as writing credit is typically reserved for the lead staff writers.

When Rachel Specter was denied official credit for direction of last week’s episode because she was a part of a team with Audrey Wauchope, showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna was quick and fierce in her defense of Specter’s entitlement to the credit.

Aline Brosh McKenna and co-creator Rachel Bloom SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT. They include, they support and they champion.

And it shows in the amazing characters and stories they are able to create.

“I’m on My Own Path,” earns its five stars for the amazing episode and for the commitment to inclusivity and teamwork from behind the camera.

Pretzel Pun House

The episode manages to make a singing pretzel poignant. The litany of pretzel puns lends a whimsical levity to a core and heavy question every person faces, “what do I want to do with my life?”

I really kneaded that singing pretzel.

In Season 4 the spotlight on Rebecca has been significantly broadened to include the entire cast and this allows the show to use brief interactions with guest stars to make a big impact on the entire lead ensemble.

Everyone is so good, it’s crazy.

Rene Gube is back as Father Brah and I rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

First, Hector’s reaction to Father Brah giving him a tux is so stinking sweet I need to rewatch it at least three times. I actually tear up at the tenderness. Then, when Rebecca describes the Bible as the best fairytale, Father Brah lets out this little awkward, incredulous noise, and it is perfect.

It is a fraction of a second and yet it packs in more characterization, humor, and heart than other shows manage in an entire episode (I’m looking at you I Feel Bad).

The same is true of each of the guest stars.

Burl Moseley thrills and kills it with his solo “Don’t Be a Lawyer.” His sharp dance moves and cheesy smile are a delight. It is flat out good storytelling that after all that, he leaves the franchise world to go back to having a boss.

As a reformed attorney myself, I can not relate any harder to the song and struggles Jim faces on the episode. I too have danced in a neon shoulder-padded blazer to work out my feelings.

Jim: No one’s ever said, “first, let’s kill all the tailors!”

Clark Moore’s brilliant turn as law student AJ forwards the core message of the episode, following your own path is the ultimate act of love. It reminds us too that Rebecca will always have done what she did.

When AJ repeatedly refers to Rebecca as the Rooftop Killer, we are reminded that her past is a part of her. But, that doesn’t mean she can’t love herself and move forward.

Nia Vardalos as strict and severe Wendy Legrand shows us how serious Paula is too.

Paula’s journey has really set the stage for Rebecca’s. She was able to face her fears and go after what she really wants: to be a lawyer.

Rebecca hits the nail on the head:

Rebecca: Love is finding your own path.

Wendy Legrand is very serious about attorneys. This provides the space for Paula to admit that she is a serious person about her career. She doesn’t have to apologize for being a career woman who is a new attorney in her 40s.

Paula is on her own path and the guest stars help to shine a light on how awesome it is that Paula has earned power and voice through becoming an attorney.

That this storyline is happening in tandem with Jim’s story about why being a lawyer is the absolute worst is a testament to the agility and skill of this show. Again, the pretzel symbolism fits.

It is a truly ground-breaking, powerful episode that I feel deeply grateful to be able to enjoy.

Crazy Talk

• That toe-wound is no joke and will haunt me forever.
• Maya’s sad story about moving home is intriguing. I hope we learn more about her in coming episodes
• Beth is back! Just in time to make sure Valencia continues to grow into a more just and equitable person. I big time ship #Belenica
• I love that all the ladies Josh Chan dates see him as a sex object. I have never seen a Filipino man so sexualized, and I think it is important.
• Nathaniel wants to get Rebecca back. I repeat, Nathaniel wants to get Rebecca back. Let’s go.

What did you think of this episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Fridays at 9/8c on The CW.

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