Director: Jude Weng — Writer: Rachel Specter & Audrey Wauchope Aired: 1/5/17 — Season: 3 — Episode: 8 — Nielsen ratings: {{{ratings}}} Description: Rebecca wonders if history is repeating itself as Darryl embraces a newfound superpower and Paula schemes again, this time for good.
It’s just, if you don’t do this, I will try to kill myself again and I’ll succeed and the note will blame you.
— Rebecca
Two weeks after her trip to Buffalo, Rebecca has been spending her nights with Nathaniel at his apartment. She is excited he considers them to be in a relationship but worries she’s repeating obsessive patterns. At her therapy session with Dr. Shin he tells her to keep this in mind as she get to know Nathaniel. At Whitefeather & Associates, Paula offers to help Darryl by picking an egg donor from a catalog. Paula suggests he get his sperm checked to see if they are still healthy. That night at Nathaniel’s apartment, Rebecca get her boyfriend to talk about his past. As a child he was closer to the gardner Esteban than his parents although today he has a good relationship with his mom but not his father.
At the law firm, Paula chooses donor 456H76 but the egg is unavailable. Elsewhere, Rebecca sneaks in and asks George to get her Nathaniel Seniors schedule. Over at the Chan residence, Lourdes tells Josh to pack up his things. She needs his room for her day care business and he’s moving in with Hector and his mom. At the same time, Rebecca tells her plans on improving Nathaniel and his fathers relationship to Dr. Shin and her therapy group which includes Lana, Clarice, Bert and Rick. Shin and the others believe her meddling is a bad idea but Rebecca sees it as a good deed. At the park, Paula tracks donor 456H76 while Darryl is at the San Gabriel Fertility clinic getting his specimen tested.
George is summoned to Rebecca’s house and made an unwilling accomplice to her scheme. They go to a golf course Nathaniel Sr. is supposed to be and follow him when he drives off with a woman. The pair meet up with a young girl and Rebecca concludes she is Senior’s illegitimate daughter and Nathaniel’s half-sister. At the Chan residence, Josh puts off packing when he finds his old karaoke machine. Meanwhile, Paula pleads with donor 456H76 to allow her egg to be used as Darryl learns from the clinic his sperm is healthy (♫ My Sperm Is Healthy ♫). After some consideration, donor 456H76 gives her consent although Paula puts off hearing her stipulations to tell Darryl the news.
That night, Rebecca gauges Nathaniel's reaction to the idea of having a sibling. Across town Josh continues to procrastinate only to have his mom tell him he needs to move out now (♫ Get Your Ass Out Of My House ♫). The next day, Darryl tells Paula that the fertilization is happening. Unfortunately, donor 456H76 blackmails Paula for more money if the procedure suceeds or she’ll tell the authorities how her anonymity clause was violated. At Sugar Face, George lies to Nathaniel about meeting a client so Rebecca can introduce him to his ‘sister’ who she also tricked into coming. After introducing them Rebecca learns the truth; the girl’s mom was Nathaniel Senior’s secretary for 30 years and he pays for her daughter’s tuition.
At the Chan residence, Josh comes to the realization that his time with Rebecca had a profound affect on him. Back at the law firm, Darryl learns the procedure failed which relieves Paula. However, Darryl is depressed as he can’t afford another attempt for a year. That evening, Nathaniel chooses to forgive Rebecca knowing that she meant well. He adds that despite her tendency to go too far he can see Rebecca being a good influence on him. The next day at her therapy session, Dr. Shin warns Rebecca that even if she had good intentions she may be falling into another obsession. She rejects this idea until she finds herself repeating statements about Nathaniel which are similar to what she said about Josh.
Back at the law firm, Paula learns Darryl sold all of his Native American decorations to fund another attempt at fertilization. Although Paula is hesitant, Darryl insists he needs her help when he goes through the process again. At her house, Rebecca recounts more obsessive behaviors she had with Josh and Nathaniel. She is then surprised when she has an unexpected visit from Josh. He thanks her for changing him for the better and helping him to break out of his patterns. Josh also owns up to being a coward when it comes to making hard decisions, particularly when it’s the right thing to do. This spurs Rebecca to make her own hard decision and she goes to Nathaniel’s apartment to tell him something.
Recurring themes
Songs
Episode songs
"My Sperm Is Healthy" Performed by: Darryl Whitefeather. Writers: Adam Schlesinger, Jack Dolgen, Rachel Bloom
Darryl is excited to learn that his sperm was healthy and rejoices in this news with his staff.
"Get Your Ass Out Of My House" Performed by: Lourdes Chan Writers: Adam Schlesinger, Rachel Bloom, Jack Dolgen
Lourdes tells her son Josh to move out as she’s tired of him constantly relying so much on her and his father.
Continuation: This is the first Episode back from the Winter hiatus. Narratively this episode takes place only two weeks after “Getting Over Jeff.”
Backstory:
Nathaniel gives a few details about his upbringing. He’s now close to his mom but not his father and he admits they don’t know each other at all. As a child he was friends with the gardner who was named Esteban.
Plot points:
Rebecca and Nathaniel are officially dating.
Darryl is going forward with having a child without his ex-boyfriend Josh Wilson.
Josh is being asked to move out by his mother. He is to move in with Hector and his mom.
Rebecca mentions “love kernals” to Dr. Shin referencing the song of the same name from Season Two.
Rebecca mentions the feeling of “glitter exploding inside” to Dr. Shin which references a similar thing she told Paula in the Season One Episode “Josh Just Happens to Live Here!”
Rebecca tells Josh “Get your ass out of my house” referencing the song which debuted in this episode.
Relationship developments: Nathaniel casually calls Rebecca his girlfriend signifying he considers them to be in a relationship.
Rebecca, unsatisfied with Paula's ideas to build a case against Josh, turns to Nathaniel for help crafting a truly evil plan. Meanwhile, Josh finds becoming a priest is harder than he thought.
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Dan Gregor and Doug Mand
Just as Rebecca tries to be more realistic and practical, Trent throws a wrench into her plans. At the same time Josh and Valencia reckon with their shared history.
Directed by: Audrey Wauchope - Written by: Erin Ehrlich
Rebecca, Paula, Heather and Valencia participate in a séance after a spooky discovery. Darryl takes his parenting duties to an extreme, while Nathaniel is determined to prove to his father he's the best person to run the law firm.
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, while Heather and Hector deal with insurance.
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Elisabeth Kiernan Averick
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, while Heather and Hector deal with insurance.
Directed by: Erin Ehrlich - Written by: Ilana Pena
Heather and Valencia both have changes in their lives which leaves Rebecca reeling. Meanwhile, Paula has to adjust to some good news/bad news from her eldest son.
Rebecca gets more than she bargained for during a day out with Darryl. Josh lends a helping hand to Paula, while Heather encourages Nathaniel to be a nice person.
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Rene Gube
Greg returns to West Covina, which forces Rebecca to question things she thought she knew about people she has loved in her life. Meanwhile, Valencia and Josh make some shocking discoveries while at their high school reunion.
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Rene Gube
Rebecca supports Paula in her time of need despite, her own personal challenges. Emotions run high when Greg, Josh and Nathaniel have an unfortunate encounter.
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Alden Derck & Aline Brosh McKenna
Rebecca gets a call to help her old nemesis out of a complicated situation. Meanwhile, Nathaniel, Josh and Greg attempt to deal with their competing feelings for Rebecca.
Directed by: Marty Pasetta, Jr. - Written by: Rachel Bloom, Adam Schlesinger and Jack Dolgen
Rachel Bloom and the cast of the critically acclaimed series perform live versions of fan-favorite songs with incredible staging, multimedia visuals and a live band and orchestra.