S3E7 "Getting Over Jeff"
As the title of the episode refers to Paula's ex-boyfriend, or as she puts it, her Josh Chan, it really is her episode. Paula heads to Buffalo to take care of her father, with a conversation with Scott about how Paula isn't really there for her family weighing on her mind. It seems like a really bizarre time for Scott to bring this up, but this isn't really the focus of the episode. In Buffalo, Paula runs into Jeff, a guy who was many firsts for her. I appreciated the callbacks and references to the early episodes of the show, comparing Paula's feelings toward Jeff to Rebecca's toward Josh. However, it does seem strange that Paula's relationship with Jeff has affected her so deeply, especially in her relationship to Scott, yet this is the first we hear of him.
Paula and Jeff spend some time together, and when Jeff, who ultimately rejected Paula when she was younger, admits he still has feelings for her, Paula gains closure, and finds herself more committed to Scott. The whole thing feels like a stretch to me, but I appreciate the effort put into further developing Paula's character. There is also a great moment here where Rebecca tells Paula that they should be equals as friends and end the mother-daughter-like relationship they had, and I always like the development of this friendship.
Rebecca is taking treatment of her mental illness seriously, perhaps too seriously, as she dives into a bunch of workbooks and completes them. She is encouraged by her doctor to live outside the therapy bubble, leading to a story that also feels like a stretch. Accompanying Paula to Buffalo, Rebecca enjoys spending time with Paula's father (who, you may recall from previous episodes, Paula hates) and she is amused by the insensitive things that he says.
I find this to be quite unbelievable in regard to Rebecca's character. She has never behaved like this at all before. In addition, Rebecca debates having sex with Nathaniel all throughout the episode, and in the end she decides to. I was hoping after the end of the previous episode that the inevitable Rebecca and Nathaniel relationship would have a slow build-up due to Rebecca focusing on her mental illness at the moment. While they aren't embarking on a relationship at this time, and Rebecca does acknowledge that she knows that she shouldn't, the two having sex feels like a major step in that direction, and one taken too soon. It also seems bizarre that Rebecca's doctor praises all of the things Rebecca shares with him, which includes this.
Josh is unbearable. He makes that very clear all throughout his story in this episode. He starts working as a bartender at Home Base, and believes that he makes that job cool. I believe that Heather's expression when Josh meets the girl while bartending matches most of the audience: why does the girl have any interest in Josh being an idiot? Of course, we get the last laugh when Josh ignores a staph infection that he got from touching dirty glasses and then trying to pop a pimple. Luckily this story ends with some great humor from Heather as she comforts Josh, "I'm still figuring things out and I'm like way smarter and cooler than you are."
The strongest parts of the episode, in my opinion, were the scenes between Darryl and White Josh. While the two don't know what to do about Darryl's desire to have a baby in contrast to White Josh not wanting one, Darryl's daughter Madison tells her father that the two need to break up. Darryl doesn't want to do this, and he avoids it at first, but when Madison makes a second attempt to make the break-up happen, it leads to a heartbreaking scene where Darryl breaks up with White Josh, despite how much he loves him. This was easily the stand-out part of the episode, as the two actors were wonderful in communicating their characters' love for the other, but acknowledgement that they want different things.
And now for my thoughts on the songs of the episode...
"First Penis I Saw": This was a fun song, though in my opinion the words weren't quite as strong as the visuals. I enjoyed the brands of all of the items in the store being "Jeff!" and the ladies signing into the vegetables that were of a fitting shape was a highlight.
"My Friend's Dad": I honestly didn't enjoy this song. I found it to be creepy, and it just pointed out the flaw in the story that I mentioned above: this doesn't match Rebecca's character.
Recently, I have been wondering what direction the story is going in this show, and what role Josh will play in it, as he doesn't really seem to have much of a purpose anymore. This episode didn't do much to clarify where the show and Rebecca are going, though that can be somewhat excused with the Paula focus. Overall, this certainly wasn't my favorite episode, with most parts of it being just decent, but with Darryl and White Josh's scenes standing out.
Score: 6.5/10
What did you think of "Getting Over Jeff"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
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