Relationship Spotlight: Paula Proctor & Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Yep, more Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!  Unlike with Josh and with Greg, there’s only platonic love going on between Rebecca and Paula, but like Rebecca’s relationships with the guys, there’s some messed-up stuff going on here, too (Rebecca-Paula-related spoilers.)

I was thrilled to see Paula turn from Rebecca’s potential nemesis into her 100% ally at the end of the pilot.  While Paula’s suspicion of Rebecca’s totally-weird incongruity in West Covina is funny, I almost always prefer to see female characters working together rather than trying to tear each down (not to mention, there’s already Valencia to contend with.)  When Paula reveals that she knows Rebecca’s Josh secret, you think it’s heading for a big humiliation fest where Paula rubs Rebecca’s nose in the fact that she quit her job and moved across the country for a guy she dated ten years ago, but then, Paula flips it.  It turns out, she’s all about “Bella and Edward, Carrie and Big, / Harry and Sally, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere,” and to her, Rebecca is brave, not crazy.  Convinced that Rebecca and Josh are a love story for the ages, Paula aligns herself with Team Rebecca and starts plotting how to make all of Rebecca’s Josh dreams come true.

Near unconditional support?  Check.  Knows about Rebecca’s assorted closet skeletons because she helped put many of them in there herself?  Check.  Ready for a harebrained scheme at any time of the day or night?  Check.  There to pick up the pieces and hold her tongue on the I-told-you-so’s when Rebecca crashes and burns?  Check.  Paula is all in.

The devotion is sweet and the antics are hilarious, but there are serious problems with this relationship.  First up is the fact that Paula real-person ships Rebecca and Josh, regarding them like romantic comedy characters and encouraging Rebecca not to think about whatever collateral damage might get in the way of her “you had me at hello” moment, like Valencia.  Rebecca/Josh is her satisfaction, and she uses her obsession with Rebecca’s love life to a) live vicariously through her younger friend and indulge in the risks she wishes she’d taken at that age and b) avoid dealing with the problems in her stagnating marriage.

It’s not healthy for Rebecca, either, because goodness knows she doesn’t need anyone fanning the flames of all things Josh (and, later, more generalized guy concerns.)  While Paula has plenty of her own issues, I don’t think she really gets how much is going on in Rebecca’s head, and thus, she doesn’t see why the whole thing is bad for Rebecca.  She thinks it’s all just fun, or wish fulfillment, or a romcom come to life, or else she’s so into it that she doesn’t notice how deep Rebecca is in.  Late in season 1, when Rebecca tries to get a handle on her Josh obsession and make better choices, Paula is the enabler trying to yank her off the wagon.  Partly because she thinks it’s what Rebecca needs, and partly because it’s what she wants, Paula can’t let go of the idea of Josh and doesn’t want Rebecca moving on or addressing the issues that led her to him.

The relationship has undergone a big shift in season 2.  While I wish we could’ve seen the moment when Paula truly realizes that she needs to stop pushing Rebecca toward something that isn’t good for her, that’s where we’ve ended up anyway.  Actually, what’s Paula’s realized is that it’s not good for her to get involved in crazy shenanigans with Rebecca.  It’s been really interesting to watch both of them try to navigate the new terms of their friendship, particularly Paula’s gradual assertion of her own wishes and concerns.  Excited to see where it goes!