We’ve heard it all before, from our brothers, our guy friends, a random dude – “I have a crazy ex-girlfriend!”, “my ex is crazy!”, “that b*tch is cray!” and other far more colourful variations of the phrase but what does it mean, really? Crazy Ex-Girlfriend created by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna is a musical comedy series which features an accomplished yet unhappy New York-based lawyer, Rebecca Bunch (played by Bloom who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal) who ran into her ex (Josh Chan played by Vincent Rodriguez III) in the middle of a nervous breakdown, who then turned down a promotion and moved across the country to West Covina to pursue said ex-boyfriend. By that premise alone, audience can easily conclude that she really is crazy but the brilliance of the show seeps deeper than the title – what it’s about really is a woman who’s lived her life according to what was expected of her who now decides to do something for herself and pursue her happiness, however drastic it may be.
Here are five things you can look forward to if you watch the show:
- Don’t be mislead by the title because the show is actually deeply-rooted on feminism and aims to deconstruct societal views on women. From the first episode, it’s clear that the show makes fun of how media or dare I say, Hollywood often gives women mixed signals on being beautiful as if saying “look pretty and ageless but don’t tell us how you got there (Bloom)” and how often media takes away reality in order to glamorize women. The Sexy Getting Ready Song from the pilot episode had me in stitches because there’s never been a more honest portrayal of the struggles of a woman getting ready than this.
- Another thing the show tackles so alarmingly accurate is “quarter life crisis” of which I know now is real. The show tells it like it is and isn’t afraid to portray depression, anxiety and what it’s like to be a neurotic twenty-something juggling the blistering realities of adulthood, pressures from the society, finding yourself and what makes you happy so you won’t end up on the bathroom floor muttering to yourself “je suis garbage..” (watch the video below for context lol)
- A hero is only as good as her villain and for Rebecca, there’s Audra (Rachel Grate) a fellow Jewish-American princess who took the promotion she refused to take. Audra gives the audience a mirror on how far Rebecca has gone as a person and how so much of her past life has been fueled by competition and rivalry. Their confrontation scenes are a master class in “burn” especially during their Jap Rap Battle which I may have quoted more than I should!
- Did I mention that it’s a musical? Because it is! For a musical nerd like myself, each episode is a dream because it includes 2-3 original songs featuring the characters depending on who has the emotional arc for that particular episode. Pivotal plot points are usually covered through the songs, like her decision to move across the country, her relationship with her mother, an internal turmoil and also covering a wide range of musical genres. My favorite so far is Settle for Me which includes a proposal accompanied by a classical tune, tap dancing and Santino Fontana!
- Lastly, the show features a Filipino family which is so dang cool! Filipinos are no stranger to American television shows what with being the butt of jokes (but we take no offense) in Desperate Housewives and 30 Rock among others but there’s never been a show that made an effort to cast a Filipino as a male lead let alone, feature an entire Filipino family on Thanksgiving dinner and cap off a season with a guest appearance by our own Lea Salonga. It’s quite refreshing to see your own culture and traditions reflected on screen!
*Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has been renewed for a second season and is set to return on September or October on the CW. For the Philippines, you can watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Star World, every Thursday 7pm.
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