Recap / Crazy Ex Girlfriend S 4 E 13 I Have To Get Out

Rebecca realises that she's not sure what her dream is; Paula's hospital stay threatens to interfere with her ability to take the bar exam; Nathaniel, Josh and Greg are forced to spend time in quarantine after being coughed on by a boy with squirrel flu.

Songs:

"Anti-Depressants Are So Not A Big Deal" (sung by Michael Hyatt, Rachel Bloom and company)

• Affectionate Parody: Of La La Land, specifically the numbers "Another Day of Sun" and "Someone in the Crowd."
• Brand X: The anti-depressants mentioned (fluoxetine, paroxetine and citalopram) are referred to by their scientific names rather than the more commonly known brands they're sold under^note Prozac, Paxil, and Celexa. Everyone in the song actually lampshades this and says their lawyers forbid them from mentioning said brand names.
• The Cameo: Several minor characters from the show's past seasons appear as back-up singers/dancers: Josh's sister Jayma with her husband and child, the Hispanic mover from the pilot and Ally the grocery clerk.
• Crowd Song: Done to emphasize to Rebecca how common it is for people to be on therapeutic medication like anti-depressants.
• Leitmotif: The signature four-note melody from "West Covina" plays briefly when Rebecca puts on her tap shoes.
• Sarcasm Mode: When everybody refers to the stigma against analeptic drugs and how historically not everyone was medicated, Dr. Akopian snarks how witch trials and the Crusades also sounded like fun.
• Sleepy Depressive: One of the backup singers is a young woman who couldn't get out of bed for six months after losing her job triggered a depressive episode. Now that she's on meds, she's doing better and apparently has found a new job.

"End of the Movie (Reprise)" (sung by Rachel Bloom)

• Dark Reprise: The original song was fairly dark, but the reprise sends up the idea:
  Because sometimes life decides to be annoyingly obvious
  About when it wants you to make a change
  And you're just supposed to be in awe like a putz and go
  "Wow, life, sometimes you're magical and strange!"
  Oh, my God, this corpse is named Rebecca
  So is this corpse and so is this one, too. Okay, I get it!
  Oh, wait, this corpse is named Steve
  But three Rebeccas is still super weird
• Rule of Symbolism: Rebecca correctly pinpoints that the morgue is a symbol for how she needs to make a change.

"Real-Life Fighting Is Awkward" (sung by Adam Schlesinger)

• Affectionate Parody: Of "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas.
  • Also, of movie fight scenes in general.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: After the choreographer gives them a few hints.
  Josh: You're doing great. Ready?
  Greg: Are you sure? Cause I'm really just a singer who moves.
  Josh: No, but—that's really good.
  Greg: Thank you, it's a dream role.
• Bruce Lee Clone: Josh gets to be one of these, delivering a roundhouse kick to Greg's head in a fantasy sequence; parodied in real life, where Greg just grabs his leg and tickles him behind his knee.
  You have to both agree to use karate
  Can't just be one guy using karate, you gotta have some ground rules
• Creator Cameo: Features an appearance by the show's choreographer Kathryn M. Burns as herself, running through the moves with the guys.
• Dance Battler: Greg and Josh in a West Side Story-style fantasy sequence. Lampshaded in the lyrics:
  It's not like theatre fighting, it's not that graceful
  There's not a lot of leaping, you don't have the presence of mind to leap
• Improvised Weapon: Josh wields a tongue depressor threateningly at Greg. Combined with Disproportionate Retribution in that Greg responds by picking up a scalpel. They all immediately realise that that's going too far.
• Slap Stick: Greg and Josh's actual fighting, in which they repeatedly injure themselves in the course of trying to inflict damage on each other. Whenever they do hurt each other, they are genuinely concerned that they've actually hurt each other.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The whole song is about how real-life fights are not as cool or choreographed as fictional fights.

Tropes in this episode:

• Cock Fight: Josh and Greg get into a physical fight over their strained friendship and Rebecca.
• Continuity Nod: Josh references the time Greg has sex with a bush.
• Kids Play Matchmaker: Madison and Chloe get over their feud and scheme to set up their parents when it becomes apparent that they like each other.
• Meet Cute: Darryl meets a woman named April (Maribeth Monroe), who is also waiting for someone at the hospital. They click instantly and bond over bean dip.
• The Patient Has Left the Building: The girl group attempts to break Paula out of the hospital so she can take the bar exam. Despite some mishaps, they succeed!
• Waking Up at the Morgue: Variation. Rebecca wakes up at the hospital morgue after falling asleep due to her new meds.