Paula's Choices Are Tough On ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'

Far and away one of the most interesting character arcs on this season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is Paula's. Paula has been going through an intensely transitional period as she has attempted to create firm boundaries between herself and her best friend, Rebecca. Rebecca doesn't necessarily make it easy, though. Despite her recent attempts to look for signs and see what the universe might be telling her to do, Rebecca seems pretty ignorant to the signs that her own friend is giving her about her personal turmoil. Even though Paula was able to rely on Rebecca for a recommendation for her law school application, our faulty heroine has little idea of the big choices Paula has recently been faced with on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. For everyone's favorite mom/paralegal/lowkey Disney princess, the choice is no longer simply between going to law school or staying in her current role. Now, Paula has to choose whether or not to keep her baby, too.

For what it's worth, Paula's choice between keeping her baby or going to law school is an exciting narrative to explore on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. We rarely get to explore this kind of crossroads older women can be faced with on television. Sure, we think of working women like Murphy Brown, who famously kept her child and went on to become a successful single working mother. But Paula's unique situation — a married mother of two and already a hard-working woman — calls into question whether she needs to actually keep her baby or whether it's possible to try and have a third child while still pursuing law school.

At one point, Paula's husband (who has been incredibly attentive and supportive this season), gently suggests that she has "options." It's a pointed remark that carries significant weight. Paula instantly shoots him down, remarking that the option he's referring to is for teen girls "the morning after winter formal," not her. Her husband then tries to show her that it's possible for her to go to law school and be a mother by attempting to cook dinner and delegate chores to their children. He adorably fumbles but the gesture is sweet enough.

Can Paula actually make the new dynamic work? Her options about whether to forgo her dream of law school in relation to keeping her child carry such immense weight. She doesn't take it lightly but it's clear that the choice is anything but easy for her to make. No matter what we see her choose, it will be a major moment in Paula's development on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Image: Scott Everett White/The CW (2)