3x03 "Josh is a Liar"
Written by Micheal Hitchcock, directed by Stuart McDonald. Original airdate October 27 2017.
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Songs:
"The Moment is Me" (sung by Vella Lovell)
- Affectionate Parody: Of pop rock musicals filled with cliched and stock inspirational lyrics about reaching for your dreams, in the vein of High School Musical.
- …And That Little Girl Was Me: Parodied like nobody's business. During the last verse, Heather sings about an old woman in the park, who looks so wise and asks her if she achieved her goals. The woman then turns around and reveals herself to be Heather as an old woman, who looks just as displeased to be a part of this number.
- Cliché Storm: Heather clearly thinks the lyrics are a hodgepodge of inspirational cliches In-Universe, and rolls her eyes at the trite phrases.Heather: What does the future hold? What will tomorrow bring me? (Ugh!)
- Funny Background Event: Heather throws away her graduation cap and gown as soon as she starts to sing. A few seconds later, we see a guy walking behind Heather and the dancers holding said cap and gown and looking confused.
- Old Man Conversation Song: Parodied. Heather meets an old lady in the park and asks for her story in what's clearly a send-up to this trope, only to realize that the old woman is her future self, who also doesn't want to be singing these lyrics.
- Lyrical Dissonance: An upbeat, corny musical theater song sung by Heather, stoic Deadpan Snarker extraordinaire.
- Stock Phrases: Heather herself lampshades the lazy, nonsensical phrases she's forced to sing, such as not 'letting the future slip away,' 'soaring like an eagle,' and finding her 'time to shine.'
- Stylistic Suck: Heather's singing is significantly flatter than usual, and the halfheartedness which she does the choreography is emphasized by the over-the-top movements of her backup dancers.
"I Go To The Zoo" (sung by Scott Michael Foster)
- Affectionate Parody: Of Drake's "Hotline Bling."
Tropes in the episode:
- Call-Back: Nathaniel realises he has feelings for Rebecca and says "oh my god I think I like her", which calls back to the song of the same name in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S1E17: "Why Is Josh in a Bad Mood?".
- Also when Rebecca says she can’t be alone with her thoughts. She ironically says this to the manifestation of her anxiety.
- Chekhov's Gun: Josh has kept the files on Rebecca that Trent gave him in the season 2 finale, which he reads.
- It's All About Me: Rebecca's behavior through this episode. She casually tosses aside Paula until she decides to discredit Josh, she treats Heather as if she doesn't exist, and is only happy to see Nathaniel when he offers to take her away from the town.
- Oh, Crap!: Rebecca when she realizes Josh has her personal record and knows who Robert is.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: Rebecca also refers to the Seminary as "Priest School".
- Talking to Themself: Rebecca spends this episode talking to her younger self who has appeared as a manifestation of her anxiety.
