As Rebecca contemplates her feelings about her career, Paula is forced to deal with a big client. Josh tries to get back in the dating game. Heather and Hector deal with insurance.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
"I'm On My Own Path" was written by Alden Derck and directed by Jude WengRebecca's job has never been at the forefront of her identity. She was simply a lawyer. She had the opportunity to find work no matter where she went. She was working as a lawyer in New York at the start of the series. And she was easily able to transfer to the firm in West Covina. In fact, she is the best lawyer that has ever worked in that office space. The show has featured her arguing cases in front of a judge as well. However, it's been much more important just seeing her in that environment interacting with that group of people. Those are the bonds that have really resonated. It's where she met Paula, Darryl and Nathaniel. Those relationships are strong. Sure, Nathaniel is refusing to talk to anyone at the moment because Rebecca broke his heart. That's silly but it still leads to him making a major realization about his feelings. He genuinely loves her. That's terrifying and exciting especially because her path may no longer coincide with his. This season began with the idea that Rebecca would still be practicing law as well. She saw offering free legal advice to the inmates at the prison as the way that she could give back to the world. She was struggling to find a reasonable penance to do after all of the horrible things she has done throughout her life. She is perfectly able to do that as well. This episode confirms that she hasn't been stripped of her legal license despite being arrested and spending time in prison. There would be no cause for the bar to take that away from her. And yet, Rebecca is strangely hoping that will occur throughout this hour. She has a solid group of clients at the firm who only want to do business with her. If she was no longer a lawyer there, then they would take their business elsewhere. She is a valuable member of the team even though she's been absent a ton. Everyone just lets that slide because of how smart and cunning she is when she does show up. That's the trade off. Rebecca can handle these zoning issues for this major client if she wanted to. She could handle it much more efficiently than Tim can. However, it's a question of if this is what she wants to be doing with her life. She instinctively wants to run away and just work at the pretzel store that Jim has opened downstairs. That too feels like a calling for her. She already has so many big ideas about how to market different types of pretzels that will be completely unique to this location. But it's also her hijacking someone else's idea and not caring what the potential consequences will be. Jim tells people that they shouldn't become lawyers. That is such a delightful and funky musical number. It contrasts what people aspire the law to be and what the job actually is. It's really just a bunch of boring paperwork for corporations that really don't matter all that much. Only that rare person makes it to the Supreme Court one day. It's much more realistic to work at a franchise restaurant because it means you'll no longer be in debt for the rest of your life. Rebecca doesn't have that problem even though she's terrible with money. However, all of this inspires her to make a career change because the law wasn't a path that she chose for herself. She is making a different choice now and wants to ensure that it doesn't upset the people who mean so much to her at the firm. Plus, they are still going to be seeing her every day. So, this really could be a change for the better.
Elsewhere, it's so unexpected to see Heather and Hector impulsively get married. It seems like they are only doing this to ensure that Hector has health insurance when he needs to go to the emergency room. It's very practical that way. It means that one of them has actually figured out how insurance works. But the overall story between them isn't even about that. Sure, there is the gruesome shot of Hector's toe. But the story moves beyond that to show that this is truly a loving and moving bond. They are surprised as well about what it means to be married. They opt for a no-nonsense ceremony at first. They just go down to the courthouse where it happens so quickly. It's unexpected for them as well. But they still share that moment together of profound bliss. They are glad to be spending the rest of their lives together. Of course, this also sparks a conversation about whether or not this was the ceremony they actually wanted. Heather doesn't want anything more. She just sees it as conforming to societal standards in a way that makes no sense at all. And yet, Hector is a romantic. He wants to celebrate their love in front of their friends and family. In the end, he gets exactly that as well. That moment proves just how terrific they are as a couple. They have grown so much and supported each other. Sure, it may create some headaches in the future because Heather and Hector will want to live together and Rebecca won't want to move out. That's a concern for later though. Right now, it's just fantastic to live in this moment as these two celebrate their love.
