When successful attorney Rebecca Bunch snags a prestigious position at a swanky law firm in the heart of New York City, there really is only one logical thing left for her to do: quit the dream job, sell her apartment, and move across the country to a not-so-glamorous California city called West Covina.
But please, this dramatic and spontaneous turn of events, one that costs her the cushy lifestyle she was just beginning to get accustomed to, is in no way related to her recent run-in with an old high school flame. Just because her dreamy ex-boyfriend Josh Chan,played by Vincent Rodriguez III, mentions that he just happens to reside in West Covinia, it doesn’t mean that Rebecca can’t move without carting some kind of guy-seducing agenda along with her, or so she thinks. She just wants a change of pace—a significant switch-up of scenery. Any and all ensuing interactions with the guy that she stalks regularly on social media are either purely coincidental or utterly accidental.
Or at least that’s what she tells herself.
Truth is, Rebecca thrives off Josh’s attention, and she goes to great lengths—thousands of miles and a few connecting flights, in this case—just to get it. Her days are spent consumed with thoughts of what could be, her fragile heart broken by the constant problems that arise from investing so much energy into a long-time love affair from afar.
In the dazzling new series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on The CW, the radiant writer and comedian Rachel Bloom plays the very single Rebecca Bunch. The show offers a scarily accurate illustration of the complexities of relationships in the 21st century. Misinterpretations and awkward social interactions abound in this clever show that pokes fun at romantic mishaps and misfortunes. Eleven episodes into the first season, viewers realize that Rebecca isn’t just a crazy ex-girlfriend prone to exaggeration and unrealistic expectations for romance—Rebecca is a spot-on representation of us all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ctFmXGm_yE
Despite frequent disappointment, regular sessions of self-loathing, and Rebecca’s innate awkwardness that makes the show’s humorous heroine so painfully relatable, Rebecca’s unyielding determination and infectious charisma bring a lighthearted tone to the comedic and cringe-worthy chaos that comprises Bunch’s love life.
The most recent episode—aptly entitled “That Text Was Not Meant For Josh!”—follows Rebecca’s attempts to track down her crush’s phone and destroy a text that was accidentally sent to the object of her unyielding affection. This pesky text—an embarrassing proclamation of her undying love for Josh and teeming with way too many emoticons than a 30-something adult woman should allow herself to use—turns Rebecca’s world inside out as she tries her hand at breaking-and-entering into Josh’s apartment. With a little help from her sympathetic co-workers and friends, Rebecca attempts a modern-day Mission Impossible, all the while spinning a terribly tangled web of lies as she goes.
Every episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend includes a few musical numbers peppered throughout the plotline, and this newest installment in Rebecca’s unrequited love life is no different. During the show’s tense and high-energy moments, it is not uncommon for the characters to suddenly break into song, Broadway-style. These performances—usually involving crazy props, intricate costumes, and a handful of professional backup dancers—are meant to be illusory products of Rebecca’s overactive imagination.
Each song is laugh-out-loud hilarious, as the show’s writers translate Rebecca’s innumerable life problems into what seem to be pretty high-budget performances. In episode 11, Rebecca’s daydream du jour shows her stepping onstage in an elegant, sequin-covered gown to sing a heartfelt but hate-filled ballad to herself. Referring to herself in the song as, “just a lying little bitch who ruins things / And wants the world to burn,” Rebecca chastises herself through song when her relationship with Josh goes south.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is simply hysterical. Its premise, infused with first-world problems and a generous dose of dramatic irony, is remarkably witty despite seeming silly and pointless at times. With a satirical and relatable humor employed throughout each episode, the comedy-drama fusion is a must-see for Millennials.
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” …than a 30-something adult woman should allow herself to use”. To be fair to poor Ms. Bunch, she’s only 26-27 so is still in that post-college “time to grow up” phase. Actually, almost EVERYBODY in the show is 26-27, all being grade school pals or summer camp romances. Even ‘Beans’, the guy who holds Beany Baby swap meets, is 26-27. Rachel Bloom herself is 28.