'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Season 3, Episode 3 'Josh Is A Liar' Recap: Rebecca Hits Rock Bottom [SPOILERS]

Rebecca Bunch is the kind of character you root for to get better. She isn’t the sort of protagonist you want to see end up with the guy in the end. In “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” we want to see her journey in trying to get better. Last week, we saw her start to unravel. She has done horrible things to win back her ex-boyfriend and this week she has hit rock bottom. Josh leaving Rebecca has triggered her anxiety and self-loathing. She is on the verge of self-destruction without even realizing it. Now, we see Rebecca fall even deeper in her own lies.  She starts a smear campaign to discredit Josh before he can turn everyone against her. Meanwhile, Nathaniel is coming to terms with his feelings towards Rebecca and Heather is finally graduating.

Josh Chan Is A Liar… But Not Really

In the opening of the episode, we meet the manifestation of Rebecca’s anxiety—a younger version of Rebecca who presents the issues she’s buried deep inside since day one. This is all caused by confronting Josh last week about everything she has done to be with him. She is afraid Josh will tell everyone about her confession and she will be sent back to the Psychiatric ward. At first, she calls off the case against Josh because she has discredited the lawsuit Paula has worked so hard for. Paula even talked to a popular feminist blog who wants to write an article about them.
But when Josh went live on Facebook telling his friends he has a few things to say, Rebecca’s anxiety is off the rails. She decides to push through with the lawsuit explaining to Paula the only reason she called it off because she was scared. Now she isn’t and wants to use the blog article as a way to get their message across. But it isn’t just “down with the patriarchy,” it’s more of Josh Chan being a lying scumbag.

She tells the editor Josh is a racist, homophobic, God-hating Nazi sympathizer. She was able to tarnish his good image before happy hour. Which leaves Josh confused and angry when his friends confronted him about the viral article. He tried to explain his side and tell them everything Rebecca told him. Sadly, his friends and everyone else in West Covina turned their backs on him.
This leads Josh to use the top-secret document Trent gave him last season. Fans know Josh didn’t open the document and threw it in the trash. But he went back for it one night thinking he might need it—and boy he did. Josh goes to his priest and reveals to him the secret document. They both find out the truth about Robert and Rebecca’s past before West Covina.

‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Finally Addressing Underlying Issues

Rebecca is trying to ruin Josh’s life. His friends have turned their backs on him. People who have never met him thinks he is everything Rebecca called him out for.  She felt guilty for a moment but when Paula called her a role model she was back on her high horse. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” makes Rebecca’s character both unlikeable and concerning. In this episode alone, she was selfish and conniving and devoted to ruining someone’s life with very little remorse. Even her younger-self, who was a manifestation of her anxiety, was an enabler of her shenanigans.

Other shows will write this off as cute in the name of romance. But the show challenges the trope by splashing reality. Because no one in their right mind would think Rebecca’s antics are for the name of love. Yet we sympathize with her because we know Rebecca has a few issues, and finally “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” will address them. After the blog post went viral, Rebecca is happy and ready to go on about her day as this new feminist role-model. But when she came to work Paula was not on her desk. She checks Paula’s voicemail. Josh’s priest called Paula for a meeting about Rebecca, this leads to Rebecca panicking. She runs to the church and it was all too late. With the papers laid down on the table, Josh’s priest tells Paula about Robert. Rebecca’s next course of action was to leave West Covina. Considering that she even lied to Paula, it’s hard to believe anyone else in her life would trust her again.

Nathaniel And Heather’s Self-realization

Whilst Rebecca was dealing with her situation, Nathaniel realizes he has feelings for Rebecca and Heather has to face graduation. The two subplots are a contrast to the drama happening in Rebecca’s life.
Starting with Heather’s subplot, she finds out she has taken every course her college has offered. This news shocks and disappoints Heather because in case you missed it, she loves calling herself a student. Now she has to face the big bad world with her college degree. She cuts to an inspiring musical number called “The moment is Me.” She sings about the uncertainties of her future with her deadpan expression and utter distaste for motivational cliche. She has finally made it and she has to ask herself “what now?”

Meanwhile, Nathaniel sings about going to the zoo to deal with Rebecca standing him up. The rejection stings for a white, heterosexual man as he nonchalantly pointed out. He rushes to Rebecca and tells her how he feels at the moment she was about to run off. He then suggests he can take her anywhere she wants. She jumps on the opportunity and onto Nathaniel’s arms. But before they could walk out the door, Heather blocks them. Then enters Paula, Daryll, and Valencia in a pre-confrontation cliffhanger.
Are her friends turning their backs on her too? Or are they sending her back to Psychiatric Ward?
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” continues next Friday with “Josh’s Ex-Girlfriend Is Crazy,” 8/9c on The CW.