Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Just in case the name confused you - no, I'm not talking about me.
Some of you may know, who I've spoken to over the past few months, that I'm super obsessed with the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend which is currently on Netflix.
It originally aired between 2015 - 2019 and stars Rachael Bloom as Rebecca Bunch a young lawyer who quits her high-paid legal job in NYC and moves, basically on a whim, to West Covina, California (essentially just east of LA and somehow 4 hours from the beach). For a guy.
Not just any guy - Josh Chan, who she briefly dated at high school drama summer camp.
You see, Rebecca, who is actually super unhappy and about to be promoted to partner, runs into Josh in NYC during an anxiety attack and decides that the universe sent him as a sign that they are not only supposed to be together but that he, and West Covina, will make her happy. So, she quits that day and moves to West Covina.
But she totally didn't move for Josh - or so she tells herself - and thus begins a season of quirky misadventures to impress him and make him fall in love with her.
Its also a musical.
But its actually a lot more nuanced than that. Yes, Rebecca is kind of crazy - but that's part of her charm and her character growth over the four season run as a huge theme of the show is actually how we respond to, villainise, misunderstand and interpret mental illness. The show is a musical because the one thing Rebecca truly loves, and is made happy by, is musical theatre and the show is from Rebecca's perspective.
As the show goes on however we are able to learn more about Rebecca, her illness, the childhood traumas she's experienced and why she struggles to properly connect with people. You see, because even though alot of what she does, particularly throughout the first season, is centred on winning Josh, its never actually about Josh - its about Rebecca trying to come to terms with the fact that she's unhappy and that she genuinely needs help. And that being able to recognise that you need help and being able to ask for that help is extremely valuable.
You also don't have to do it alone, either, which the show shows us as Rebecca gets to know Paula, Darryl, Josh, Greg, Heather, Valencia, Hector and (yes, really) White-Josh who all collectively become the family she never had. Also later Nathaniel, too, who's my absolute favourite.
As well as being quite a clever comedy, with a huge soundtrack of great musical numbers, the show is pretty satirical, too, and manages to subvert several television tropes from love triangles, to romantic grand gestures, lovers to enemies, weddings, LGBT relationships, to prison, and stalking. Over 4 seasons I feel like the show does everything and its genuinely just a heap of fun.
I'm on my second watch through and its a new favourite for me. Plus some of the songs are just absolute bangers.
Let me just give you an example of my favourite one. Link to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-UEqJ85KE
The song is called 'Don't be a Lawyer', sung by one of Rebecca's coworkers in season 4 when one of the younger cast, who's at university, mentions to Bill that they're studying pre-law. The song is catchy, nostalgic and cleverly written highlighting just how unglamorous law really is despite how rich, smart and exhilarating its portrayed in television and movies. In short, Jim does a song and dance about how being a lawyer actually sucks and I, as the daughter of two lawyers who's grandparents low key wanted her to do law, never cease to find hilarious. Its my jam.
There are so many great episodes, story lines and songs that I could honestly go on about how much I love the show for ages, and I really haven't done it justice here. But if my enthusing convinces just one of you to give it a chance (and it really hits its stride into season 2) then my work here is done.
The world is still in a Pandemic and we could use some cheering up - especially from a fun show that not only shows us that its ok to not be ok but that not being ok, seeing someone about not being ok, talking anti-depressants, and mental illness in general is normal.
Sam xox
PS - That's Nathaniel (below). I <3 him !
Some of you may know, who I've spoken to over the past few months, that I'm super obsessed with the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend which is currently on Netflix.
It originally aired between 2015 - 2019 and stars Rachael Bloom as Rebecca Bunch a young lawyer who quits her high-paid legal job in NYC and moves, basically on a whim, to West Covina, California (essentially just east of LA and somehow 4 hours from the beach). For a guy.
Not just any guy - Josh Chan, who she briefly dated at high school drama summer camp.
You see, Rebecca, who is actually super unhappy and about to be promoted to partner, runs into Josh in NYC during an anxiety attack and decides that the universe sent him as a sign that they are not only supposed to be together but that he, and West Covina, will make her happy. So, she quits that day and moves to West Covina.
But she totally didn't move for Josh - or so she tells herself - and thus begins a season of quirky misadventures to impress him and make him fall in love with her.
Its also a musical.
But its actually a lot more nuanced than that. Yes, Rebecca is kind of crazy - but that's part of her charm and her character growth over the four season run as a huge theme of the show is actually how we respond to, villainise, misunderstand and interpret mental illness. The show is a musical because the one thing Rebecca truly loves, and is made happy by, is musical theatre and the show is from Rebecca's perspective.
As the show goes on however we are able to learn more about Rebecca, her illness, the childhood traumas she's experienced and why she struggles to properly connect with people. You see, because even though alot of what she does, particularly throughout the first season, is centred on winning Josh, its never actually about Josh - its about Rebecca trying to come to terms with the fact that she's unhappy and that she genuinely needs help. And that being able to recognise that you need help and being able to ask for that help is extremely valuable.
You also don't have to do it alone, either, which the show shows us as Rebecca gets to know Paula, Darryl, Josh, Greg, Heather, Valencia, Hector and (yes, really) White-Josh who all collectively become the family she never had. Also later Nathaniel, too, who's my absolute favourite.
As well as being quite a clever comedy, with a huge soundtrack of great musical numbers, the show is pretty satirical, too, and manages to subvert several television tropes from love triangles, to romantic grand gestures, lovers to enemies, weddings, LGBT relationships, to prison, and stalking. Over 4 seasons I feel like the show does everything and its genuinely just a heap of fun.
I'm on my second watch through and its a new favourite for me. Plus some of the songs are just absolute bangers.
Let me just give you an example of my favourite one. Link to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-UEqJ85KE
The song is called 'Don't be a Lawyer', sung by one of Rebecca's coworkers in season 4 when one of the younger cast, who's at university, mentions to Bill that they're studying pre-law. The song is catchy, nostalgic and cleverly written highlighting just how unglamorous law really is despite how rich, smart and exhilarating its portrayed in television and movies. In short, Jim does a song and dance about how being a lawyer actually sucks and I, as the daughter of two lawyers who's grandparents low key wanted her to do law, never cease to find hilarious. Its my jam.
There are so many great episodes, story lines and songs that I could honestly go on about how much I love the show for ages, and I really haven't done it justice here. But if my enthusing convinces just one of you to give it a chance (and it really hits its stride into season 2) then my work here is done.
The world is still in a Pandemic and we could use some cheering up - especially from a fun show that not only shows us that its ok to not be ok but that not being ok, seeing someone about not being ok, talking anti-depressants, and mental illness in general is normal.
Sam xox
PS - That's Nathaniel (below). I <3 him !
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