“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Review

Rebecca Bunch should be living the dream. A big time lawyer living in New York City with a bright future ahead of her, instead she succumbs to anxiety and depression. When she’s offered a promotion, a meltdown ensues. She goes takes the street to calm down and convince herself that a promotion is exactly what she, and not her overbearing mother, wants, and that’s when she sees him. Down the street from her is Josh Chan, her camp boyfriend from when she was sixteen; the boy who made her happy and gave her the best summer ever. When she catches up to him, he tells her about his hometown, West Covina, California, and about how much he missed it. The prospect of happiness -and being with Josh Chan again, even though she denies it- gives her the idea to move to West Covina. And that is how “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”, the Golden Globe winning show, begins.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”  premiered in October of 2015, and the second season premiered on October 21st. Its popularity slowly increased as the shows aired. To sum it up, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” is a musical comedy about Rebecca trying to become friends with Josh and fit in in West Covina.

When reading the synopsis of the TV show, the first thought that comes to mind is sexism, but don’t let it fool you–this show is fantastic and although Rebecca’s love for Josh causes her to act irrationally, it’s hilarious. The show also demonstrates Rebecca and her best friend Paula’s erratically induced rampages. The show also tries to disguise Rebecca’s craziness under her brains and job. While the “crazy ex” stereotype for girls can be strongly charged, the show has a way of covering it up, and somehow, it works.

The supporting characters of the show are a delirious bunch of funny, wacky and bizarre peers, much like Rebecca. They bounce off of each other and develop in ways that are unexpected, which becomes further evident in season two. The only one who remains static is Rebecca, whose character development is a bit of a roller-coaster. By the end of season one, she’s changed, but after a series of events during the season finale, she seems to go back to square one.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” is also full of outlandish songs which are central to every episode. The bizarre yet wonderful songs are part of Rebecca’s imagination as she or another character sings and dances about how they are feeling or sometimes uses them to persuade another character to do something. One particular song, “Face Your Fears” is a charming and hilarious tune in which Rebecca’s best friend and partner-in-crime, Paula, tries to convince Rebecca to throw a house-warming party. This is suggested to Rebecca by telling her to run with scissors, lay in the busy street, and other ill-advised proposals.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” has its problems (including the “crazy ex-girlfriend” plot itself), but it evolves into something great. Even I was shocked when I watched it; I rolled my eyes as I first saw commercials for the show. But as I actually began to critically watch it, it was nothing like expected. Don’t let the title of the show fool you; it is fantastic. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” is sidesplitting, ridiculous, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.