Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Review: I Will Help You (Season 4 Episode 7)

I am so proud of Rebecca. On Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 7, “I Will Help You,” the pretzelrista faces her fears and shuts them down.

I’m as glowing and glazed as if I were Paula herself, impressed and delighted by my little girl’s capacity to take responsibility for her relationships.

The courage and relentless commitment to growing Rebecca shows on the episode is at once funny and deeply life-affirming. People can change and remain strange. Don’t forget it! 

Even the sexy “oh sh*t” reveal at the end of the episode, where it becomes clear Rebecca still wants to bang both Nathaniel and Josh, is a sign of growth.

This is not Rebecca back to her old ways. Rebecca’s lusty thoughts come about when she notices her exes are maturing. She is turned on by healthy traits. That is not who she once was. 

At this point, I am simply excited to see where Rebecca’s love life goes. Scott Michael Foster has made Nathaniel my favorite to watch and hear, but Josh, New Greg, or no one are also dazzling choices rife with satisfying story possibilities. 

It’s actually incredible that we’re at this point with Rebecca. A season ago it seemed that there was no pit low enough for Rebecca to crawl into. Now, there is no mountain too high for Rebecca to climb! 

That is not to say Rebecca is “cured.” Mental health and life don’t work that way. 

Rebecca continues to make mistakes like overdoing it with the honesty and posting her mug shot and rap sheet on the apps. But, she is recognizing and learning from those mistakes. 

I’m going to go ahead and put it out there that becoming roommates with Josh is another pretty poor idea. But, I’m not afraid it is going to spiral. That is progress. 

The romantic growth, though, is not what makes my pride swell. It is Rebecca’s honesty with her mother, Naomi.

The couch conversation they share where Rebecca, with Valencia’s moral support, tells her mother what she needs to tell her mother is stunning. 

Rebecca’s anxiety is palpable. But still, she persists.

She does it again in Valencia and Beth’s apartment when she makes her boundary clear: Naomi can respect her life choices or she can sever her relationship with Rebecca. 

Many of us work in therapy for years in order to make that kind of honest boundary. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend puts words and song to this very difficult and universal situation. And, it does it with empathy for Naomi.

She is not a villain, she is an honest character. 

It is now the part of the review where I repeat that this show deserves some Emmys. 

I would be remiss not to mention, highlight, gush and glow about the performance of the stunning and talented Tovah Feldshuh. Her turn as Naomi is what allows us to love her, understand her, and want to punish her for all she has done to Rebecca. 

The lotion and frame store parts of her song “Forget It” are deeply funny. Her cunning duet with Elayne Boosler is pure magic.

The delight on Namoi’s face is spot on and is a reminder that she will always care far more about appearances than her daughter’s happiness. 

It’s a blow and a glow. 

But, what I need to talk about from this growth-focused episode is Valencia. 

Valencia saves the day over and over again on “I Will Help You.” She is a solid, responsible, and thoughtful friend. In fact, I bet she is the one who kept Estrella OG alive back in West Covina. 

In the midst of her hectic NYC schedule, Valencia takes the time to support Rebecca and face Naomi. She shows up. 

Then, Valencia goes above and beyond to get Elayne Boosler to show up to Naomi’s event!

Notice, she does not do this for glory. She does not do this so Rebecca can impress her mom and win her mom’s favor. 

Valencia pulls out all the stops to get Elayne Boosler because she does not want Rebecca to have to lie about her life.

Are you kidding? That is a huge ROMANTIC gesture between friends. 

Now, let’s notice the blocking.

In each of these heroic scenes where Valencia has put her schedule on the back-burner to help Rebecca, Valencia is off to the side. She is behind a door, off stage and behind the stage curtain, perched on the very edge of the couch, or standing behind Beth. 

Valencia has very few lines on the episode and little screen time. She is absolutely pivotal to the story, but she is minimally present. 

That is, for me, so accurate to how it feels to be a Latina in a white woman’s world. 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, intentionally or by virtue of being their authentic selves, has tapped into that silencing of a Latinx woman who is experiencing the same thing as a white woman. It is also a tapping into of the lonely and thankless reality of loving a person with a self-focused mental health disorder.

It is always about Rebecca and Valencia has to accept that to move forward in their friendship.

Valencia has experienced so much of what Rebecca has. Most obviously, she was with Josh Chan and thought they were getting married. That’s a huge parallel!

Valencia has also gone through great strife trying to figure out her purpose. She has changed career paths, moved coasts, and fought hard to find self-acceptance. 

But, Valencia is still on the side, an accessory to Rebecca’s story.

I honestly don’t know if the writers are aware of how achingly significant this is. 

The Valencia story is very well paired with the clapbacks directed at white women and white savior complex on the episode. I adore that Beth calls herself out with her WASPy inability to look at confrontation. 

Paula pointing out Nathaniel’s white savior attitude is hilarious and somehow sweet. It highlights strengths in all three of the characters on screen. Very well done. 

It all works together to set the show up to make a series long point about the silencing of Valencia and I am here for it. 

We are winding up to the final episodes of the series and it is near time to start speculating on how this show will conclude.

Here is my wildest heart’s hopeful speculation: the show will end with the show’s star, Rebecca Bunch, realizing that the true hero of the story has always been Valencia. We will, on one episode and one episode only, get to see the world through Valencia’s lens and get to soak in the glory of her character. 

There you have it. My speculation and my heart on my sleeve. 

And next week, Greg is back! The timing couldn’t be better. 

Crazy Talk

• Rachel Bloom is breathtaking pretty on the episode. It’s meaningful that she doesn’t always have to be in make-up; we see Rebecca is every state of haggard. I think that honesty in showing her as a whole person makes me more comfortable and joyful admiring her loveliness. 
• Rebecca doesn’t bring up the fact that she donated an egg to a friend and now a baby exists with her DNA. Darryl does mention how Rebecca has yet to notice Hebecca. The whole thing is very funny and consistent with the characters.
• I love the attention to detail on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The use of titles on this season to indicate that Rebecca is finally working on herself and not obsessing about Josh or Nathaniel is both clever and meaningful. 
• I would have really like a JAP Battle Song between Marilyn and Naomi. 
• The two-second clean-up song for Josh Chan was the perfect length and tone. I die. 
• I would like to request merch with Nathaniel’s “pumpkin-patch visit with mom” photo on it. 
• I would also like to request an extended cut of the Nathaniel and Rebecca memory montage. They are hot, hot, hot. 

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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