Is Paula Actually Rebecca’s Mr. Robot on ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’?

Two of last year’s biggest and buzziest TV debuts were Mr. Robot and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: quirky (in very different ways), hour-long shows that were unique choices for their respective networks, USA and The CW, and responsible for capturing very enthusiastic audiences. But could they be linked in a deeper way?

There are very much spoilers ahead for season 1 of both shows.

In Mr. Robot, one of the biggest reveals was that this Mr. Robot dude (played by Christian Slater) is maybe not a real person. Well, at one point he was a guy that was Elliot Alderson’s (Rami Malek) dad, but now he is merely a figment of his imagination, or even another personality Elliot is functioning as. We start to notice, in a Fight Club and The Sixth Sense way, that this guy has had complete and total control over Elliot’s thoughts and actions. And then we start to realize that very few other characters have actually interacted with him directly at all. He’s the one running the fsociety revolution, and encouraging Elliot to hack into the computer network of the world’s biggest bank to wipe out the debt of the world. He’s the one behind Elliot’s motivations and decision-making, always convincing him of what he SHOULD be doing and why it’s the right move and how to be better.

Sound familiar? Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) is this same type of influence on Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So much so, it’s kind of scary. As far as we know, she is alive, as other characters including their boss Daryl (Pete Gardner) and communications manager Mrs. Hernandez (Gina Gallego) have spoken to her…well, interacted with her, since the latter remains speechless. Other characters can see and experience Paula, so she does not seem to be an alter ego or entirely imagined. But the relationship she has with Rebecca is still a dangerous one.

Here’s where the similarities continue: the main characters brush off their alter ego/friend-types when they first meet them, Rebecca mistaking Paula for her assistant, when she is in fact the practice’s head paralegal, and Elliot believing that Mr. Robot was just a crazy guy on the subway. Right out of the gate, Paula is suspicious and begins antagonizing (as Mr. Robot similarly does to Elliot) Rebecca, not believing she would want to move to West Covina, CA on her own, and not giving up until she finds out the reason. She hacks into Rebecca’s computer (she probably just hopped on when Rebecca walked away for a minute, not quite the kind of hacking Elliot is experienced in) to learn that she checked Josh’s (Vincent Rodriguez III) Facebook 63 times that day, and his Instagram 18 times (Rebecca should check Instagram more frequently than Facebook, tbh). Paula makes it her mission to figure out the truth about Rebecca, and then as soon as she does (“You love him, you moved here for him and you won’t admit it”), she feels for Rebecca a little bit, but mostly sees an opportunity to escape her own boring life and get involved with Rebecca’s drama, immediately declaring them friends.

Which brings us to the next similarity: each main character has their sights on one huge, main goal, and one that they basically do not realize on their own and have to be talked into by the “friend”. For Elliot, it is the biggest hack of all time, and for Rebecca, well, she’s hacking into her teen camp crush’s adult relationship to make him her boyfriend. Paula states that together, “we can win the whole thing.” She even predicts that it won’t be long until Josh texts her, and at that moment, an iPhone notification pops up, prompting Rebecca to ask, “Are you a witch?” No, but she does have you under a spell, girl.

The alter egos are the ones that convince the main character to do incredibly dangerous activities while they sit back and watch for their own enjoyment. Mr. Robot convinces Elliot to hack into buildings and networks and relationships both via computer and IRL. Paula is responsible for the same: when Rebecca accidentally texts Josh her feelings for him, Paula tells her to break into his home and delete the text before he can even see it. That’s not…normal behavior. Paula is also the mastermind behind Rebecca becoming a counselor at the same camp as Josh (after having to make a huge donation because they were all full), chasing him to Hawaii on his vacation (which, luckily, did not play out as planned), and getting invited to his family’s Thanksgiving dinner (by “randomly” running into his mother at the grocery store). This is also the woman that talks Rebecca into having a party simply to be able to invite Josh, despite Rebecca’s deep fear of doing so, encourages her to be a bridesmaid in his sister’s wedding, and even convinces her to find a legal case to take on just so she can spend more time with her crush. Rather unhealthy behavior!

So while Paula does not lead Rebecca to cause a global financial crash, her urging does lead to the end of Josh and Valencia’s (Gabrielle Ruiz) relationship, as well as Rebecca and Greg’s (Santino Fontana) relationship, which was not perfect, but certainly had promise! Where will Paula’s manipulation lead Rebecca in season two: will she bring down Josh’s place of happiness and employment, the Aloha Tech Center? Just as Mr. Robot is proving to be an even more provocative presence in Elliot’s life this season, it is very likely the same will hold true for Paula and Rebecca’s relationship in season 2. You better get your journal fired up now, Rebecca. You are in control.

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