"Crazy-Ex Girlfriend" is not what it sounds like. Yes, it’s about a woman who leaves her perfect-on-paper life of being a rich and powerful lawyer in New York City and follows a boy she dated at high school summer camp to a small California town. Yes, she drops everything to follow a man she hasn’t spoken to in over a decade, and yes, she is very often goes through over-the-top schemes to get them together.
But the show admits in the theme song that the title is sexist, includes raps about the patriarchy, and touches on mental health and sexuality in really insightful ways. It is funny, dark, diverse, and probably more realistic than we’d like to admit.
We can all agree that quitting your job and moving across the country to follow a summer camp sweetheart is bold, immature, and a little insane. But people have done a crazier things for happiness, and being in love with the idea of a person (often more than the person themselves) is universal.
What I like in particular about our protagonist, Rebecca, is that a) there is no question that she has mental health problems and b) she is more than that. One of the first scenes of "Crazy-Ex Girlfriend" is her popping anxiety pills, and there is a whole musical number about how she needs therapy for her issues.
But, as she constantly reminds us, she went to Harvard and Yale. While some of her personality traits and actions may have originated from her mental health problems, she is a full person without them.
Too often, characters with mental health problems are nothing more than that. I loved "Monk" as a kid, and "Mr. Robot" is by far one of my favorite shows, but the protagonists are consumed by their mental illnesses. And to be fair, those are struggles that a large part of the population go through. But there are people who have problems that aren’t necessarily obvious on the surface.
There are very few scenes when Elliot, the protagonist in "Mr. Robot," isn’t plagued by his schizophrenia or anxiety, but Rebecca’s problems, while always there, take a backseat sometimes. Having mental health issues isn’t always all-or-nothing, it’s possible for people to have good days and bad days. Rebecca doesn't have a heightened other skill (like computer hacking) to "make up for" her illness, she just has problems that she can overcome sometimes, and other times can't.
And just an aside- this show passes the Bechdel Test, and the Racial Bechdel Test. Where most shows avoid talking about bisexuality, "Crazy-Ex Girlfriend" showcases one character coming out as bi through a well written musical number. It features a (pretty) diverse cast of characters, and gives each character real personality traits and depth.
All of the characters have truly unlikable characteristics, and a set of redeeming qualities to make up for them. Even Rebecca’s idea that getting with her prince charming will fix all her problems, which is central to the plot, is not without critique.
The show makes it clear that a man will not fix her problems. We watch her endeavors as an exaggeration of our own hunt for happiness, and hopefully get some perspective on our own lives.
And to top it all off, the songs are hilarious and well-written. It’s clever, original, and four hours from the beach.