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Nathaniel Needs My Help!

Nathaniel Needs My Help!
◀️ Previous episode  CXG episode gallery  ▶️ Next episodeEpisode information 🔽️
Director: Jude WengWriter: Rachel Specter & Audrey Wauchope
Aired: 1/5/17 — Season: 3 — Episode: 8 — Nielsen ratings: 0.69
Description: Rebecca wonders if history is repeating itself as Darryl embraces a newfound superpower and Paula schemes again, this time for a good cause.


Plot[]

“
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 gets to know Nathaniel. At Whitefeather & Associates, Paula offers to help Darryl pick an egg donor from a catalog and suggests he check the viability of his sperm. That night at Nathaniel’s apartment, Rebecca gets her boyfriend to talk about his past. As a child, he was closer to the gardener 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 Senior’s schedule. Over at the Chan residence, Lourdes tells Josh to pack up his things. He is to move in with Hector and his mom and Josh’s room is to be used for a daycare service. At the same time, Rebecca tells her plans on improving Nathaniel and his father’s 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 Senior 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 good 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 succeeds. Otherwise 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. Rebecca then 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 realizes his time with Rebecca had a profound effect 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. Despite Rebecca’s tendency to go too far, he believes her to be a positive 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. Rebecca realizes this may be true when she finds herself repeating statements about Nathaniel which are similar to what she used to say 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 choices, particularly when it’s the right thing to do. This spurs Rebecca to make a decision and she goes to Nathaniel’s apartment to tell him something.

Recurring themes[]

Songs[]

Episode songs
George’s Coffee Song

"George's Coffee Song"
Performed by: George
Writers: Danny Jolle
George sings about getting a cup of coffee.

My Sperm Is Healthy

"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

"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.

Continuity[]

Continuity lists
Narrative
List of debuting or returning story elements:
  • 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.
  • Callback:
  • Relationship developments: Nathaniel casually calls Rebecca his girlfriend signifying he considers them to be in a relationship.
People
List of debuting or returning characters:
  • Dr. Daniel Shin returns.
  • George returns.
  • Lourdes Chan returns.
  • Nathaniel Plimpton II returns.
  • Bert returns as a member of Rebecca’s therapy group.
  • Lana from Rebecca’s therapy group debuts.
  • Clarice from Rebecca’s therapy group debuts.
  • Rick from Rebecca’s therapy group debuts.
  • Mrs. Hernandez returns.
Places
List of debuting or returning places:
Things
List of debuting or returning things:
  • Stanford t-shirt.
  • Karaoke machine.

Episodes[]

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Episodes
veSeason One Episodes
Michael McDonald as Darryl Whitefeather    "Pilot" N/A
Directed by: Marc Webb - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom

New York attorney Rebecca Bunch moves to West Covina to pursue her ex-boyfriend Josh Chan.

1x1 main photo    "Josh Just Happens to Live Here!" October 12, 2015
Directed by: Marc Webb - Written by: Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh MCKenna

New York lawyer Rebecca Bunch makes an impulsive decision to move to West Covina, California.

1x2 main photo    "Josh's Girlfriend is Really Cool!" October 19, 2015
Directed by: Don Scardino - Written by: Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh McKenna

Rebecca unexpectedly bonds with Valencia much to the dismay of Josh and Paula.

1x3 main photo    "I Hope Josh Comes to My Party!" October 26, 2015
Directed by: Tamra Davis - Written by: Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh McKenna

Rebecca thows a party in order to get quality time with Josh.

1x4 main photo    "I'm Going on a Date with Josh's Friend!" November 2, 2015
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Erin Ehrlich

Greg asks Rebecca out on a date while Josh hopes to land the job of his dreams.

Josh and I Are Good People! main photo    "Josh and I Are Good People!" November 9, 2015
Directed by: Alex Hardcastle - Written by: Michael Hitchcock

Rebecca goes to extremes to prove Greg that he's wrong about her being a terrible person.

My First Thanksgiving With Josh! main photo    "My First Thanksgiving With Josh!" November 23, 2015
Directed by: Joanna Kerns - Written by: Rene Gube

Rebecca gets invited to Josh's family Thanksgiving dinner where she hopes to impress his parents.

I'm So Happy That Josh is So Happy main photo    "I'm So Happy That Josh Is So Happy!" November 28, 2015
Directed by: Lawrence Trilling - Written by: Sono Patel

Rebecca becomes depressed after Josh and Valencia move in together.

My Mom, Greg's Mom and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves! main photo    "My Mom, Greg's Mom and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves!" November 30, 2015
Directed by: Steven Tsuchida - Written by: Rachel Specter & Audrey Wauchope

Rebecca's mother visits; Greg and Heather go to Christmas dinner with his mother and step family.

I'm Going to the Beach with Josh and His Friends! main photo    "I'm Going to the Beach with Josh and His Friends!" November 30, 2015
Directed by: Kenny Ortega - Written by: Dan Gregor & Doug Mand

Rebecca rents a party bus to hang out with Josh and his friends at the beach.

I'm Back at Camp with Josh main photo    "I'm Back at Camp with Josh!" February 1, 2016
Directed by: Michael Shultz - Written by: Jack Dolgen

Rebecca volunteers at a youth camp with Josh; Darryl invites Greg, Hector and White Josh over to his place for a party.

1x11 main photo    "That Text Was Not Meant for Josh!" February 8, 2016
Directed by: Daisy Meyer - Written by: Elisabeth Kiernan Averick

Rebecca accidentally sends a text meant for Paula concerning Josh to Josh himself.

Queso    "Josh and I Work on a Case!" February 22, 2016
Directed by: Steven Tsuchida - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna & Rachel Bloom

Rebecca recruits Josh to help work on a case.

1x13 Promotional photo 5    "Josh and I Go to Los Angeles!" February 29, 2016
Directed by: Michael Patrick Jann - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna

Rebecca faces off against her New York rival Audra Levine.

Josh is Going to Hawaii! Main photo    "Josh is Going to Hawaii!" March 6, 2016
Directed by: Erin Erhlich - Written by: Sono Patel

Rebecca is convinced by Paula to chase after Josh who is going to Hawaii.

1x15 Promotional photo 4    "Josh Has No Idea Where I Am!" 3/21/16
Directed by: Steven Tsuchida - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom

While on a plane trip Rebecca has a therapy session with Dr.Akopian.

1x16 Promotional photo 5    "Josh's Sister is Getting Married!" 3/28/2016
Directed by: Alex Hardcastle - Written by: Audrey Wauchope and Rachel Spector

Rebecca is asked to be a bridesmaid in Josh's sisters wedding.

1x17 Promotional photo 6    "Why Is Josh in a Bad Mood?" 4/11/2016
Directed by: Joanna Kerns - Written by: Jack Dolgen

Paula suspects Rebecca of having a steamy affair and Josh is upset when he discovers who that is with.

1x18 Promotional photo 9    "Paula Needs to Get Over Josh!" 4/18/2016
Directed by: Aline Brosh McKenna - Written by: Rene Gube

Relationships are forever changed at Jayma Chan's wedding.

CharactersSongsLocationsCast
ve Season Two Episodes
2x1 Promotional photo 10    "Where Is Josh's Friend?" October 21, 2016
Directed by: Marc Webb - Written by: Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh McKenna

Rebecca and Josh continue their new relationship as Greg goes missing.

2x2 Promotional photo 1    "When Will Josh See How Cool I Am?" October 28, 2016
Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar - Written by: Rene Gube

Rebecca plays table tennis to impress Josh as Greg tries to adjust to his new path in life.

2x3 Promotional photo 6    "All Signs Point to Josh...Or is it Josh's Friend?" 11/4/16
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Wauchope and Specter

Both Rebecca and Paula struggle with a big decision in thier personal lives.

2x4 Promotional photo 1    "When Will Josh and His Friend Leave Me Alone?" 11/11/2016
Directed by: Paul Brigantine - Written by: Erin Ehrlich

Rebbeca tries to reinvent herself in the wake of losing both Greg and Josh.

2x5 Promotional photo 1    "Why Is Josh's Ex-Girlfriend Eating Carbs?" 11/18/16
Directed by: Erin Erlich - Written by: Sono Patel

Rebecca tries to make amends with Valencia.

2x6 Screencap 1.jpg    "Who Needs Josh When You Have a Girl Group?" 12/2/2016
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Jack Dolgen

Rebecca, Paula, Heather and Valencia have a girls night out.

Who's the Cool Girl Josh Is Dating?    "Who's the Cool Girl Josh Is Dating?" 12/9/2016
Directed by: Jude Weng - Written by: Michael Hitchcock

Rebecca and Valencia team up to investigate Josh's new girlfriend.

2x7 Main photo    "Who Is Josh's Soup Fairy?" 1/6/17
Directed by: Linda Mendoza - Written by: Rachel Specter and Audrey Wauchope

Paula has Rebecca look after her son Tommy.

2x8 main photo    "When Do I Get to Spend Time With Josh?" 1/13/17
Directed by: Kabir Akhtar - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom

Whitefeather & Associates gets a new boss.

2x10 Promotional photo 5    "Will Scarsdale Like Josh's Shayna Punim?" 1/13/17
Directed by: Alex Hardcastle - Written by: Dan Gregor and Doug Mand

Rebecca returns to Scarsdale.

2x11 Promotional photo 13 edit    "Josh Is the Man Of My Dreams, Right?" 1/20/17
Directed by: Michael Patrick Jann - Written by: Elisabeth Kiernan Averick

Rebecca and Nathaniel get to know each other better.

2x12 Promotional photo 3    "Is Josh Free in Two Weeks?" 1/27/2017
Directed by: Alex Hardcastle - Written by: Katie Schwartz

Nathaniel's father visits the law firm as Rebecca gets stressed out.

Can Josh Take A Leap Of Faith?    "Can Josh Take A Leap Of Faith?" 2/3/17
Directed by: Aline Brosh McKenna - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna

Unexpected life changing moments happen on Rebecca and Josh's wedding day.

CharactersSongsLocationsCast
veSeason Three Episodes
3x1 Promotional photo 1    "Josh's Ex-Girlfriend Wants Revenge." 10/13/17
Directed by: Erin Ehrlich - Written by: Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna

Rebecca is looking to make Josh pay for leaving her at the altar.

3x2 Promotional photo 13    "To Josh, With Love." 10/20/17
Directed by: Kabir Akhtar - Written by: Rachel Specter and Audrey Wauchope

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.

Josh Is a Liar    "Josh Is a Liar." 10/27/17
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Michael Hitchcock

Rebecca starts a smear campaign to discredit Josh before he can turn everyone against her.

Josh’s Ex-Girlfriend is Crazy    "Josh's Ex-Girlfriend Is Crazy." 11/3/17
Directed by: Joseph Khan - Written by: Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosch McKenna

Rebecca is confronted by her friends about her recently uncovered history.

I Never Want to See Josh Again    "I Never Want to See Josh Again." 11/10/17
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Jack Dolgen

Rebecca returns to Scarsdale after hitting rock bottom.

Josh is Irrelevant    "Josh is Irrelevant." 11/17/17
Directed by: Max Winkler - Written by: Ilana Peña

Rebecca tries to recover from a suicide attempt.

Getting Over Jeff    "Getting Over Jeff." 12/08/17
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Erin Ehrlich

Rebecca accompanies Paula when she goes back to her hometown of Buffalo.

3x8 Promotional photo 13    "Nathaniel Needs My Help!" 01/05/18
Directed by: Jude Weng - Written by: Rachel Specter & Audrey Wauchope

Rebecca wonders if history is repeating itself as Darryl embraces a newfound superpower and Paula schemes again, this time for good.

3x9 Promotional photo    "Nathaniel Gets the Message!" 01/12/18
Directed by: Kabir Akhtar - Written by: Elisabeth Kiernan Averick

Rebecca discovers the powers and limitations of altruism as a new unexpected bromance forms between two other characters.

3x10 Promotional photo 1    "Oh Nathaniel, It's On!" 01/26/18
Directed by: Jude Weng - Written by: Sono Patel

Rebecca navigates major changes in her professional life and Heather gets a new opportunity.

3x11 Promotional photo 1    "Nathaniel and I Are Just Friends!" 02/02/18
Directed by: Erin Ehrlich - Written by: Rene Gube

Rebecca faces some fears in therapy while Paula brings a new friend to work.

3x12 Promotional photo 10 edit    "Trent?!" 02/09/18
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.

3x13 Promotional photos 7    "Nathaniel Is Irrelevant." 02/16/18
Directed by: Aline Brosh McKenna - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna and Michael Hitchcock

When Rebecca decides to make amends for her past, she finds some unexpected challenges. At the same time, West Covina awaits an important new arrival.

veSeason Four Episodes
4x1 Promotional photo 11    "I Want To Be Here" 10/12/18
Directed by: Stuart McDonald - Written by: Rachel Bloom

Rebecca confronts the consequences of her guilty plea while an angry Nathaniel seeks solace in a retreat and Josh searches for answers.

I Am Ashamed    "I Am Ashamed" 10/19/18
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.

I'm On My Own Path    "I'm On My Own Path" 10/26/18
Directed by: Jude Weng - Written by: Alden Derck

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.

I'm Making Up For Lost Time    "I'm Making Up For Lost Time" 11/02/2018
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.

I'm So Happy For You    "I'm So Happy For You" 11/09/2018
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.

I See You    "I See You" 11/16/2018
Directed by: Dan Gregor - Written by: Jack Dolgen

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.

I Will Help You    "I Will Help You" 11/30/2018
Directed by: Kabir Akhtar - Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna

Rebecca takes a trip to visit her mother while back home Josh housesits. Nathaniel helps one of Paula’s clients in an effort to do something good.

4x8 Promotional photo 9    "I'm Not The Person I Used To Be" 12/07/2018
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.

4x9 Promotional photo 5    "I Need Some Balance" 1/11/2019
Directed by: Kimmy Gatewood - Written by: Elizabeth Kiernan Averick

Rebecca starts dating again while two of her ex-boyfriends get acquainted.

4x10 Promotional photo 1    "I Can Work With You" 1/18/2019
Directed by: Kabir Akhtar - Written by: Rachel Specter & Audrey Wauchope

Rebecca agrees to help out Darryl by offering to babysit and an unexpected guest crashes the evening. Meanwhile, Paula throws a game night.

I'm Almost Over You    "I'm Almost Over You" 1/25/2019
Directed by: Erin Ehrlich - Written by: Michael Hitchcock

Rebecca tries to stick to her plan for happiness while Nathaniel and Maya bond over their feelings of unrequited love.

4x11 Promotional photo 9    "I Need A Break" 2/1/2019
Directed by: Jack Dolgen - Written by: Ilana Pena

When Rebecca and Greg take a day trip, things don’t go quite as planned. Meanwhile, Paula has an incredibly stressful week.

4x13 Promotional photo 7    "I Have To Get Out" 2/8/2019
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.

4x14 Promotional photo 5    "I'm Finding My Bliss" 3/15/2019
Directed by: Kabir - Written by: Elisabeth Kiernan Averick and Michael Hitchcock

Rebecca tries out for the local community theater, while Paula is courted by various law firms.

4x15 Promotional photo 1    "I Need to Find My Frenemy" 3/22/2019
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.

I Have a Date Tonight    "I Have a Date Tonight" 3/29/2019
Directed by: Dan Gregor - Written by: Erin Ehrlich

Rebecca spends time with Nathaniel, Josh and Greg in an attempt to get clarity.

I'm In Love    "I'm In Love" 4/5/2019
Directed by: Aline Brosh McKenna - Written by: Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh McKenna

Rebecca makes a life-changing decision about her future.

Yes, It’s Really Us Singing- The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Concert Special    "Yes, It’s Really Us Singing: The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Concert Special" 4/5/2019
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.

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