The Brilliance that is "Lizzie McGuire"...

On January 12, 2001, Lizzie McGuire graced our screens for the first time. Its premise was simple. It was a show about a girl in junior high figuring out life with her two best friends. But little did we know what show we were going to get from that premise. What we expected was your usual 65-episode Disney Channel show. What we got was a star-making vehicle for Hilary Duff, a cross-marketing explosion, and a smart show that relied on many forms of audio and visual comedy, something that no other show marketed to kids really tried to do nor has attempted to do since.

What made Lizzie McGuire so great was its relatability to its audience. Lizzie wasn’t a pop star. She didn’t live in a hotel. She didn’t have psychic powers. She wasn’t a spy. (This is not to knock any of the other shows that emerged on Disney Channel with these premises.) She was a girl in 7th grade who just wanted to make it through to the next day, who just happened to have an animated inner voice who got to say what was really on her mind. She was kind-hearted, a little insecure, and a bit of a klutz.  She had her two best friends, Gordo and Miranda, her pesky little brother, and her well-meaning and supportive parents. She had to deal with crushes, homework, and the resident mean girl on campus, Kate. Young girls could see themselves in Lizzie and learn life lessons along with her as well as fawn over her awesome early 00s hair and wardrobe.

But how is watching Lizzie McGuire now as a young adult just as entertaining to me as it was back in the early 2000s? I’m all about watching shows for nostalgia purposes but a problem with watching old shows is that many of them lived within the bubble of their time period. Certain things that I thought were awesome then are entirely cringeworthy now. Lizzie McGuire isn’t exempt from cringe moments at all. However watching the show now, I definitely overlooked many nuances in the comedy of the show.

In retrospect, Lizzie McGuire should actually be watched as a live action comic book, similar to how Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) was to be watched as a live action video game. Animated Lizzie acts as the show’s thought bubbles. (Lizzie had a Bitmoji before Bitmoji was cool!) Sound effects can be seen as the show’s onomatopoeia- a well-timed “boing,” “drop,” or record scratch sound accentuated characters actions and feelings, whether they were for sarcasm, humor, or sadness. Incidental music was also a big part of the show. The sound effects helped build this heightened world even though the show was so deeply rooted in reality. In addition, the show’s soundtrack featured actual pop songs to help drive the plot. Many kids shows don’t use pop songs since they are expensive to get the rights for. This shows how much the show’s producers believed in the worth of the show as they were willing to pay for great tunes from the Backstreet Boys, Skee Lo, and the Jackson 5.

One of my favorite examples of the use of sound effects is in the episode “My Dinner with Dig.” In the episode, Lizzie invites her favorite substitute teacher, Mr. Dig, over for dinner. He hits it off with Lizzie’s dad Sam and they become fast friends, making Lizzie uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Matt’s teacher, Ms. Chapman seems to be in an eternal bad mood. Seeing how well his dad and Mr. Dig hit it off, Matt invites Ms. Chapman over in the hopes that she will make friends with his mom, Jo, and soften her attitude. The episode ends with the reveal that Mr. Dig and Ms. Chapman have known each other for a long time and are attracted to each other. It is inferred that they will begin dating and that Ms. Chapman’s sour mood is over.

When Mr. Dig and Ms. Chapman are reintroduced, we hear R&B vocalizing between a man and a woman and a saxophone reminiscent of “Careless Whisper.” As a child, you don’t really understand what this means. As an adult, we know that this 90s R&B cooing is meant to signify that these two are about to get it on. It’s a joke that couldn’t have been made without this clever use of audio.

As for visuals, Lizzie McGuire loved using flashbacks, snapshots, and dream sequences to help invite the audience to be a part of Lizzie’s world and into the heads of the characters. The show was influenced by the German thriller film Run Lola Run (1999) and its use of storyline and visuals- a very surprising film to inspire a children’s show. Handheld cameras and POV shots also added to the fun nature of show. The placement of the camera helped us identify with Lizzie- when she felt powerful, powerless, confused, etc.

Other than Lizzie, other supporting characters had their own chances to shine and given fully fleshed out personalities throughout the show’s 65 episode run and feature length movie. Lizzie’s parents were firm and loving, but never outright bumbling. They were always aware of what was going on in their children’s lives and had all the answers, but let their children learn them in their own way and time. Lizzie’s crush, Ethan Craft, is at first shown to be very air-headed but he also is very nice and skilled at sports. He also lets her down very gently when he tells her honestly that he only likes her as a friend and not romantically. The school geek, Larry Tudgeman, is at first shown as the stereotypical geek who only wears one shirt and plays D&D. But Lizzie learns that he is happy with what he likes Lizzie comes to admire his self-confidence. Kate, Lizzie’s nemesis and former child best friend, fluctuates between being kind and mean to Lizzie, but there are a few episodes in which the two of them truly connect and Kate’s insecurities are shown.

All in all, Lizzie McGuire was a show that was wise beyond its years. It showcased young girls and boys and all of their emotions. It showed kids that everyone had their own insecurities and interests that made them who they were. It used every aspect of its medium and didn’t rely on just dialogue to craft its storylines and jokes, something that many comedies these days are guilty of doing. It was a show that parents were happy to let their kids watch. It's a show that really is once in a lifetime. Should any new shows try to mimic the magic of this show, I wish them luck because it truly is a format that effective, fun, and doesn't attempt to sugarcoat its lessons to its target audience. So, here's to you Lizzie McGuire. Thanks for making my childhood amazing. May you always live on YouTube so that I can watch episodes for many years to come.

Photo and video clips courtesy of Disney/ABC Television

Growing Up with "Girl Meets World"

It’s official. Girl Meets World has been cancelled and the series finale aired on Friday night (January 20th). The spinoff of the highly regarded 90s TGIF sitcom Boy Meets World followed Riley Matthews, the eponymous “Girl” and daughter of the original series’ protagonist Cory Matthews and wife Topanga. Like the original series, we see Riley learn lessons about the world and coming-of-age. The original series ran for 7 seasons from 1994-2001 and followed Cory from Junior High into College. The spinoff ran for 3 seasons and followed Riley from junior high into her freshman year of high school. So why didn’t the spinoff last longer? It’s one of the highest acclaimed shows currently on Disney Channel and there have been some stellar bits here and there. Here’s 3 main reasons why I think this spin-off didn’t quite work.

The show had a problem straddling the line between cultivating nostalgia and creating new storylines

The basic framework of the new series was entirely identical to the original series. The show loved to call attention to how all of the children had parallels with earlier characters. The parallels included:

• Riley is Cory (the naive protagonist here to meet the world)
• Maya is Shawn (the troubled best friend)
• Lucas is Topanga (the love interest)
• Farkle is Minkus (in this case, literally because he was Stuart Minkus’ son)
• Auggie is Morgan (the cute younger sibling)
• Cory is Mr. Feeny (the teacher)

GMW tried very hard to appeal to their original fanbase- the people who grew up in the mid to late 90s watching Boy Meets World and were now the parents of their own adolescents. Characters from the original series would make guest appearances in the spin-off, but most of the time they would be forced in for convenience to the children’s storylines.  Because it tried so hard to keep these parallels, a lot of character development that made the original series so successful was stumped and also prevented the show from growing in its own right.

A big example of this was the storyline of Shawn. In the original series, Shawn was seen as a troubled young man. He had many abandonment issues due to his rough upbringing and only seemed to make it through growing up because he had Cory on his side. In the spin-off, he emerges as a father figure to Maya since she also has abandonment issues since her father left as a child. Shawn ends up marrying Maya’s mother, Katy. However, we don’t see much to their actual relationship. In the span of a few episodes they go from first meeting to married. We see more of Maya’s relationship with Shawn than Katy’s. It’s a forced pairing for convenience to Maya’s storyline, but it completely retcons the original growth of Shawn’s character in the original series.

Cory is not Mr. Feeny

GMW tried a little too hard to make Cory into Mr. Feeny. But the problem with this is that the original character of Mr. Feeny in the show came from a place of wisdom. Cory, to put it bluntly, is not that wise.

Mr. George Feeny, originally performed by William Daniels, was Cory’s teacher from junior high into college. (Yes, we know in real life this is basically impossible. BMW had no trouble suspending this reality). He was an older gentleman (Daniels was 66 when Boy Meets World premiered) who lived next door to Cory, much to the young man’s dismay. When the show first started, Feeny was always seen as an authority figure. To a twelve year old underachieving boy like Cory was, Feeny was very much a villain. It wasn’t until later into high school and college that Cory accepted the life lessons Feeny taught him and the gang. Although Mr. Feeny taught valuable lessons, he never did so in an overt way. A lot of the time, he wasn’t necessarily involved in the inner workings of his students’ lives until they asked him. In fact, he was kind of old grump but with a heart of gold. His students came to love him anyways.

Fast forward to the spinoff. Cory is now Riley’s history teacher. However, his teaching method is making lesson plans that revolve around his daughter. He is called out on this multiple times by other students but he doesn’t care too much about anyone else other than Riley and her immediate circle of friends. Carrying on from his original character, Cory is highly neurotic and not that smart. (Topanga was always the brains of the couple). We can see that Riley and her friends’ relationship with Cory is much different than Cory and his friends’ relationship with Mr. Feeny. They may love him, but they don’t treat Cory like a true authority figure.

The actions of Riley and her friends are unrealistic

One of the reasons people loved Boy Meets World was that it was rooted in actual emotions. Yes, the character Eric became a little zany towards the later seasons. Despite Eric’s zaniness, it was always known that Eric’s heart was in the right place for his friends. My biggest qualm about Girl Meets World is that the actions of its characters didn’t make any sense.

Think back to when you were 13 years old. Say you had a crush on a boy. You tell your best friend about it. The boy and you like each other and everyone knows it. But then you find out your best friend also has feelings for him. But a few months of an odd love triangle later, your best friend tells you she never liked the boy in the first place. She just liked him because she thought she was protecting you.

WHAT? Huh? Who does that?

Yes, that’s what Girl Meets World thinks adolescent friendships are like. Riley, Maya, and Lucas end up in a love triangle for nearly a season because of this. Your best friend starts liking the boy you like to see if he’s worthy of you. I understand the sentiment behind Maya’s actions but that’s a highly unrealistic way to act for teenagers. After this love triangle is resolved, it is assumed that Riley and Lucas are in a relationship now. But then by the end of the series the whole love story is just dropped. RIley and Lucas don’t act like they are in a relationship at all. I know that the most important relationship in the show is between RIley and Maya, but you’d think that after spending so much time on this storyline they’d at least keep Riley and Lucas together as a couple in the background. As a fan of the show, the whole love triangle storyline felt like a waste of time.

So what should they do if they do get picked up by another network?

GMW fans have been vocal about getting the show picked up by another network. If somehow this happens, how can they improve the show? Here’s what I think...

1. Have these teenagers act like actual teenagers. Something about the way that these characters interact with each other is highly unrealistic. It might have to do with the fact that many things had to be sanitized because it was a Disney Channel show. But if they get picked up elsewhere, they should be able to realize that their audience is on the older side. The show doesn’t have to be as extreme as Degrassi, the highly acclaimed Canadian teenage drama series. But one of the reasons Degrassi has lasted so long (and got a Netflix pickup after it was cancelled from its original network) is because its teen characters go through real problems and deal with real consequences. GMW can take a lesson from Degrassi about this.
2. Pay attention to the continuity of the show. Granted, Boy Meets World was never a stickler for continuity (changing ages, changing actors for numerous characters, etc.) But honestly, it’s not hard. Storylines for seasons should be planned ahead of time and be respectful of past episodes and the growth that have come from them. The problem with it being on Disney Channel is that the network is notorious for showing episodes out of order. This kills any success for longer episode arcs. Also, since this takes place in the same world as BMW, it should respect everything that was laid in place in the original series. The way Angela, Shawn’s love interest from the original show, appeared on GMW completely shit on both Shawn and Angela’s character development.
3. Make cameo appearances more organic. Towards the end of the series every cameo appearance felt like a plea to get viewers as opposed to being necessary for character growth. Don’t be desperate guys.
4. Cory should be less on the nose with his lessons. In season 2, a teacher named Harper was introduced to be a parallel of Jonathan Turner, Cory and his gang’s English teacher in the original series. She was tragically underused. But what was great about her second appearance was that her lesson plan was not put together for Riley and her friends- it just happened to be related to what was going on in their personal lives like Mr. Feeny’s lessons had been before. Having Cory always commenting on the the lives of the children is a little bit of an overstep. In addition, RIley and the gang always end up falling back on his lessons and seem to never learn anything on their own. The show likes to say that it’s about growing up but I have yet to see them really learn any lessons independently.

Girl Meets World, it’s been fun. You’ve been plenty enjoyable over the past few seasons. If you do happen to get picked up by another network, I hope you’ve learned a bit from your mistakes and I wish you all the best.

All photos and video courtesy of Michael Jacobs Productions/Disney

Why I Can No Longer Defend Rory Gilmore

Disclaimer: Spoilers from the recent release of "Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life." Also, apologies in advance for certain parts in ALL CAPS and some profanity. I just have a lot of feelings and I’m sorry… Moving on

True life: I am a "Gilmore Girls" fan. When the series hit Netflix in October 2014, I binged it for a month straight. I binged it until 3AM, watching episodes until I couldn’t keep my eyes open or my phone from dropping on my face.

But I think that me starting to watch the show in my mid-20s skews my perception a bit. The show first premiered in October 2000. I was 8 (going on 9) at the time so nothing about the show seemed to appealing to me. I chose to watch “Charmed” instead on the WB. Other than a few after school reruns scattered throughout high school, I never fully got into it. So starting the show as a 23 year old meant my opinions would be different from my friends who did watch it while it was on the air.

The biggest example was that during my initial binge, I ended up being Team Logan. Despite the mistakes that they both made, I liked that Logan was her college/adult relationship. There was an understanding between them that they could have a real future with each other. Which is why I think Logan was dumb with his marriage ultimatum. Rory wanted to venture off and see the world, not be married and settled in San Francisco while he went to work for a start up. (Granted, maybe she did make the wrong choice then because start-ups might have seemed like a joke job in 2007 but we all know how they have turned out since).

So, here we are, 9 years later. Netflix has decided to give the Palladinos a chance to redeem their show (they left after season 6 due to contract disputes). Many people hated the seventh season. Fans felt the huge gaping hole that the Palladinos left behind. The Palladinos decided in production that they wouldn’t watch season 7. They were filled in on what happened in their absence, but for the most part season 7 is no longer a part of the GG canon. This is a big issue for me.

I understand that GG was the Palladinos’ baby. They wanted their final four words and their original ending. (I’ll get to the final four later on). But I think what bugged me the most in retconning the story was that they ruined Logan. In season 7, Logan grew up. Season 5 and 6 saw the billionaire bad boy who never saw consequences to his actions. Season 7 saw working Logan. A Logan who took a huge financial risk and had it fail. He was cut off from the family fortune. He had to rely on his personal creativity and his wit. When he proposed to Rory, he had a job secured in San Francisco. Post-graduation, Rory was unsure of what her job prospects were, but she was more excited to go into the “real world” since the majority of her life was led by meticulous planning. So she asked if they could do long distance again. Logan responded saying that he didn’t want to move backwards in their relationship so he left. It might have been difficult, but it was something that needed to happen and it closed the door on the Logan relationship.

Why do you assume we're okay with this, Palladinos?!

You could imagine my confusion when I saw Logan as Rory’s main “love interest” in AYITL (quotes used very sarcastically there). I was also confused that Logan was in London working for his father (I’m supposing also in newspapers/publishing. Nothing of Logan’s job is made clear. All we know is that he’s still swimming in that Huntzberger dough). But the biggest chip in my shoulder about Logan is that despite him saying he didn’t want to backtrack, he and Rory are in another “no strings attached” type of relationship. Except they are not N’Sync because GUESS WHAT HE’S FUCKING ENGAGED TO A FRENCH HEIRESS. Rory also has a forgettable boyfriend, Paul, who she treats like shit for no reason.

I agree, Jackie. I agree.

My problems with the Logan relationship are mainly because of Rory. I will table my talk of Logan for now because I’m here to talk about THE WORST character on this damn show and she’s one of the freaking leads.

Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, aka Rory Gilmore. My, my, my, do I have some words for you…

AYITL starts off with Rory at age 32 (the age Lorelai was at the beginning of the original series. What a coincidence…). She decided to give up her apartment in Brooklyn and live a wandering lifestyle. She packs up her boxes and splits them up between Lorelai, Lane, Emily, Paris, and Logan. Interesting, but also stupid because she didn’t label her boxes so she doesn’t know where her underwear is. She has written an amazing piece for “The New Yorker” about Naomi Shropshire, a hellion of a woman to keep up with. (I’m glad we wrapped that storyline up by episode 2 because I hated her. On the bright side, we got a cameo from GG superfan Jason Mantzoukas. RAFI BOMB!). Other than that, she doesn’t have any stable job. She has “many irons in the fire.” She has a website named Sandee Says begging her to work for them, however Rory doesn’t like their style and thinks she’s too good for them. She has a meeting with Conde Nast that seems to be perpetually postponed.

Rory is 32, with “no job, no credit, no underwear.” She seeks pity from anyone and everyone even though she denies that “she’s back” living at home. I understand that the Palladinos wanted to go and talk about a millennial story. However, I don’t believe Rory was the right character for this. It’s hard to have pity for this “lost soul” when Rory is Yale-educated, has money (from her mom, her dad, her grandmother, and essentially her sugar daddy Logan), and is well-travelled. Her life has always been a life of privilege no matter how much she wants to deny it. Everyone in Stars Hollow treats her like a goddamn princess. For example, during her first breakup with Dean, everyone sided with her and ostracized Dean (granted Dean was a bitch for breaking up with her because she didn’t say I love you back). But Rory did not come to his defense and correct anyone. The town also ostracized Jess many times (sometimes he deserved it, sometimes he didn’t.) The point is Rory was never in the wrong in her eyes. Even when she had an affair with Dean, she refused to believe she was wrong because he was her boyfriend first. Her solution to that was not talking to her mother and running away on a European vacation with Emily. Dean ended up divorced, they tried to date again, and then Dean left to fight demons and shit on "Supernatural."  Honestly, one of my favorite storylines of Rory’s was from season 7 in which she did not get a fellowship she wanted from the New York Times. That experience showed her a sense of humility. But nope, that season is void so Rory is still as privileged as ever at 32 years old.

It’s hard to believe that in 9 years Rory has not grown up. She hasn’t let go of her college boyfriend. She still has no problem with “no strings” relationships and no problem with being a sidepiece. If she really was “struggling,” she wouldn’t be able to afford jetting back and forth to London all the time (though I assume it’s Logan paying for the trips given their arrangement and him always sending a car for her for expensive dinners every night). She’s still stringing guys along (what she’s doing to Paul is similar to what she did to Dean with Jess, except Dean is not forgettable. #teamearlyDean #fuckseason4and5dean).  She still believes she’s God’s gift to journalism, given how she thinks the Conde Nast and Sandee Says jobs were hers on a silver platter and getting pissed when they don’t take her. When trying to tell her mom about her book about their mother/daughter relationship, she says “I need this. Without this it’s grad school or groveling for jobs I don’t want.” But for someone who hasn’t seemed to earn anything in her life, why are these such bad pathways? Growing up means sacrifice and earning your place at the table. Maybe you don’t get to always do what you want right away, but sometimes doing something different opens your eyes to a new and better opportunity.

Shut up you big cry baby...

It pains me to see Rory make the same stupid ass mistakes that she did when she was younger. I am adding her to list of fictional characters I either want to slap or shake into common sense. On a side note, DOES SHE SMELL LIKE MEAT? How is it that every guy she meets falls head over heels for her. She’s ultimately not that interesting. Once you blow past the pop culture references Rory doesn’t have much depth. Also, how is it that every guy is STILL IN LOVE WITH HER? Marty, her friend in season 5 who reappeared in season 7 like a creep. Dean, who she ended up having an affair with. Jess, who still isn’t over her even though they haven’t been together for years. And lastly, Logan. Oh my god, you’re engaged. You made the decision to follow the family dynasty. If you really wanted to be with Rory, THEN FUCKING BE 100% WITH RORY. They’ve already approved of her now. GAHD.

Moving on to the final four words. The big reveal? Rory is pregnant presumably with Logan’s child. But she probably won’t tell him since he is engaged and he has family duties. This was foreshadowed in her conversation with her father, Christopher. It feels like Rory is leaning to raising the child alone. However, we know the can of worms that will come either way if she tells Logan or not. Here are my possible outcomes:

1. She tells Logan. He dumps Odette, the French heiress, marries Rory, they have a real relationship and family. However, Odette wants revenge and brings down the entire Huntzberger family. All hell breaks loose.

2. She tells Logan. He chooses to stay with Odette because of his family responsibilities. Rory cuts her child off from Logan entirely, as him having an illegitimate child would put a mark on the Huntzberger name. A Huntzberger rival finds out about the kid and all hell breaks loose.

3. She doesn’t tell Logan. Luke and Lorelai raise the kid as their own (forgoing the surrogacy storyline). Rory works on her book and it becomes a best-seller. The kid finds out the lie that their sister is actually his/her mom and searches for his/her father. All hell breaks loose.

4. She doesn’t tell Logan. She raises the kid in Stars Hollow with the family. Jess is still in love with her, they end up together. Then Logan will pop up after his divorce from the French heiress and all hell breaks loose.

Do you see a pattern here? Rory’s pregnancy was the ending Amy Sherman-Palladino wanted in the original series. If it happened to Rory at the age of 23, then yes, I understand how poignant it would have been then. But at 32, it is way different. Rory is no longer a wide-eyed ingenue. She is 32 and she needs to own up to herself.

Also, I don’t want to buy into the theory that Logan is Rory’s Christopher and Jess is her Luke and everything is full circle. Have we not seen that Lorelai’s relationships throughout the course of the original series were a clusterfuck as well? These are lessons that she shouldn’t be taking from her mother. Come on…

Wrapping everything up, I do say I enjoyed parts of AYITL. I loved the indulgence of “Stars Hollow the Musical!” (Hello to the best divorced friends ever Sutton Foster and Christian Borle!) I enjoyed Emily and Lorelai. They are finally in a place of peace with one another. They also have grown. Emily into an independent woman now that Richard has passed (R.I.P Ed Hermann) and Lorelai finally realizing how demanding she is but also how much she loves Luke and communicating that she wants to be married. I did not enjoy that Rory has somehow lived in a vacuum for 9 years and did not find any growth at all.

The true heroes of the series...

If we get another season, my hope is that Rory grows the fuck up. She’s going to be a mother now dammit.

Images courtesy of Netflix and whoever created the original Jackie Chan meme.

My Three Characters

A while ago, a challenge popped up on my social media channels. It called for people to describe themselves in three fictional characters. I took part in the challenge because I thought it was a very interesting way for people to look introspectively at themselves. It’s not possible to wholly identify with one character. Fictional characters are meant to be over the top exaggerations. Although they have human emotions (Panda and his bros are treated like humans within their respective universe), their actions and choices are limited to their respective universes and storylines. I liked that I could look at myself and see how that character has shaped me and my personality and what parts of me they embody.

Daria Morgendorffer from MTV’s “Daria”

“Daria” is my favorite TV show of all time, bar none. I recall watching it with my older sister on weeknights and having to run upstairs so that we wouldn’t get caught by our parents staying up late when they arrived home from work. I was about 9 or 10 years old at the time “Daria” was on the air, so I didn’t understand sarcasm just yet. But I guess it worked subliminally because I grew up with a pretty sarcastic sense of humor. I’ve always had a dry sense of wit, I’ve always felt that I was somehow placed in the wrong era, and I’ve always been highly observant of my surroundings.

Panda from Cartoon Network's “We Bare Bears”

To explain my more caring side, I see a lot of myself in Pan Pan. Like Pan Pan, I have an attachment to my phone (yes, I’m aware of this vice), I love food, and I care deeply for my friends and family. Also like Pan Pan, I just want someone to love me for who I am. Pan Pan relates a little to my personal insecurities. For the most part, I am loud and outspoken about my thoughts and emotions. But at the end of the day, I do long to make a genuine connection. Plus, we also share a love for getting lost in our own thoughts and sick dance moves.

Jenny MacArthur from FX’s “The League”

If there is any character who embodies my strong personality, it’s Jenny Macarthur. Brash, loud, and a potty mouth, but yet still carries feminine traits. Although I’m not a big sports fan, I’m still the kind of girl that gets along with the boys. Like Jenny, I’m unapologetic about speaking my mind and I will work fervently to get what I want. The only thing I don’t share is her extreme selfishness. But she’s written that way because everyone else on the show is just as selfish, if not more.

A very honorable mention:

Tom Haverford from NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”

Things I share with Tom? My social media dependency, my foodie nature, my affinity for thinking of random business ideas, and a love for 90s R&B. Yes, Tom, I agree that not loving 90s R&B is on my “oh no no” list as well” And with that ‘TREAT YO SELF’

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and Female Relationships

DISCLAIMER: This is my first time writing an analytical post like this since I was in college. So I just want to say that these thoughts are my own interpretations and observations of the CW show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Spoilers if you haven’t watched the episode already. Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments below.

Season 2, Episode 4 entitled “When Will Josh and His Friend Leave Me Alone?” brought up many points about the status of Rebecca’s different relationships within West Covina. Picking up on last week’s cliffhanger, we said goodbye to Greg and Rebecca’s shitshow romance (or as how I like to refer to it, SantiNOOOOOO DON’T LEAVE!) Rebecca is now despondent that she has no one to chase after and no one to love her. She lost her “dream man” Josh Chan. She lost her “guy in the rom com who she once ignored but was perfect for her all along” Greg. She is alone and she struggles with her identity because she doesn’t know who she is apart from the affection she received from both men. When Paula tells her she should be herself, Rebecca exclaims “What? Who? No! Ew! Ugh who wants to be that?!”

In typical Rebecca fashion she overreacts and almost burns down her apartment complex- complete with a Crazy Lady 911 call. Rebecca is the queen of the quick fix. She never thinks more than one step ahead, which usually leads to her falling apart again at the climax of every episode. Her quick fix for the  Crazy Lady 911 call? Giving herself a makeover and rebranding herself as “Miss Douche.”

What is most interesting about Rebecca is how much she affects the people around her, namely the women. It is her stubbornness that acts as a catalyst for many other characters’ major decisions. To quote Dr. Dream Ghost Akopian from last season, let’s “forget about the guys!”

Her neighbor Heather, known for being extremely brilliant and smart but laissez faire, realizes that her parents have rewarded her failure over the years which has made her complacent and comfortable. Heather sees her parents doting over Rebecca the way they have over her her entire life. Mr. and Mrs. Heather ("My last name is Davis!") make 2AM pancakes and let Rebecca give up on her "Miss Douche" quest without hesitation. It's because of this Heather realizes she needs to finally move on with her life.  After Rebecca’s breakdown during the Miss Douche pageant, Heather ends up winning the title and $10,000 in prize money-- enough for her to move out of her parents’ house and in with Rebecca who desperately needs someone in her life with common sense.

How Rebecca affects Paula occurs in a less direct fashion, albeit much more poignant. After spending last season as the spunky cartoon raccoon sidekick to Rebecca’s love antics, Paula finally gets a chance to have her own spotlight. She finally decides to apply to law school only to find out that she is pregnant with her third child. When Rebecca goes AWOL at work for the “Miss Douche” contest, Paula is left to do all the work for their client.  Because she is not a lawyer, her briefing nearly gets turned down. She gains courage in herself and in her dreams when her briefing is approved and the project manager assures her that she would make a great lawyer because she didn't phone it in and poured her heart into her work. With the support of her family, Paula gets an abortion so that she can continue with her dream of law school.

There are layers behind Paula’s decision to not tell Rebecca about her abortion. The surface level layer is that Rebecca is too self-centered to really grasp Paula’s situation. Rebecca came from money, went to Harvard and Yale, and has never really had to make nuanced decisions like this. Despite her not telling Rebecca, Rebecca is a major factor in Paula’s decision. It is because of Rebecca that Paula realized she was unhappy with her life. It is because of Rebecca that Paula saw her own potential by working alone on the briefing. It is because of Rebecca that Paula can see the effects of not having your own goals and dreams because you are defined by others. Even though Rebecca is not quite there on her own, Paula is the one learning most from Rebecca’s actions.

Lastly, we have Valencia. The last time we saw her was in the season 1 finale where she broke up with Josh for not being able to commit. Season 1 Valencia didn’t seem to have much levity at first. She was seen as the pretty girl who stood in the way of Rebecca’s love story with Josh and was treated as so. It wasn’t until the latter half of the first season we saw that behind Valencia’s manipulative behavior there was a girl who was insecure and also just wanted someone to love her. Valencia pops up at the end of this episode looking disheveled and scarfing down a donut-  a far cry from the perfect blowout and boxed water we saw in season 1.

I don’t know how Rebecca has affected Valencia yet. They finally do have something in common as they are now both Josh’s ex-girlfriends. Even if they started with a rivalry they can now bond over Josh’s selfishness and his refusal to grow up, things they were blind to in the season before. 

What I appreciate most about this point of season 2 is that the show is being flipped on its head. Like Rebecca, it is no longer defined by the men. To see Rebecca’s relationships blossom with the other women on the show brings something new to the table that I am excited to see play out. Hopefully, Rebecca can finally see how much she is valued for being her own self, even if she might be crazy (that’s a sexist term… and RIP season 1 theme song. You are forever in our hearts). And hey, maybe the show can finally pass a Bechdel test for once.

All photos courtesy of CW's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"