Tell-Tale TV Panel: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1

The debut season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has come and gone, and now that we’ve maybe gotten over the drama of the finale, it’s time to share our thoughts on how the whole season did overall.

Okay, I lied, we haven’t really gotten over the whole “Greg not telling Rebecca that he loves her, and Rebecca confessing that she moved to West Covina for Josh after having sex with him” thing, but, I mean, who has?

Our panelists are:

• Becky Peters, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Caralynn Lippo, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Christine Laskodi, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV
• Brittany Rae, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Allison Nichols, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank the season overall?

Christine: I’d give it a STRONG 9. The show itself is such a unique and fun concept, and I don’t know if there were many viewers out there who really GOT it. But for those who did, I think we can all agree that every aspect of the show was excellent.

Becky: I agree with Christine. It’s so fun and quirky, but it also manages to be very real at times as well. Plus, when I first started watching the show (binge-watching, really), I was thrilled that the entire series was a musical. That’s fantastic and it’s something I, personally, have never seen before.

Allison: I give it an 8 or a 9. It was a fantastic first season. The characters were well-developed. The musical numbers fit in amazingly and become a great way to really delve into a character or move the plot along in an interesting way. It’s just a badass, quirky, little show, and I love it.

Caralynn: A solid 9, for sure! I loved nearly every musical number. Rachel Bloom is a hilarious, creative genius. The show is truly unlike anything else currently on TV. On top of being legitimately wonderful and quirky and clever, it’s so damn original. I never thought I’d root for a character like Rebecca Bunch, but I totally do!

Brittany: Definitely an 8 or 9. Everything about the show is fresh and different and had so many complexities that I never dreamed it would have when they first announced the it. The characters are so wonderful and flawed at the same time, which leads to the best jokes, as well as the best conflict. It’s the standout show of the year for me.

What was your favorite musical number?

Christine: That’s like asking me what parent I want to live with in a divorce. There were SO many numbers that were my favorites for different reasons! I’d say, overall, it was “Sexy Gettin’ Ready Song,” because it’s really just a great snapshot of the show.

I think the funniest number was, “I Gave You a UTI,” because Santino Fontana SOLD that song, and as far as just great overall theme number, “I Have Friends,” was such a short and sweet song, but it’s theme was important and carried throughout the season, which I loved.

Becky: “Having a Few People Over” just cracks me up every time. I’m smiling just thinking about it now. So, even though there were so many more impressive numbers in term of choreography and musicality, I have to go with that one purely because I think it’s hysterical.

Allison: Geez, I don’t know if I can pick. I’ve had “I gave You a UTI” stuck in my head all week, but “Having a Few People Over” and “I’m a Good Person” are my go to songs in the car when I’m stuck in traffic, which let’s be honest is a the majority of my commute to work.

Caralynn: This is really tough. “I Have Friends” has randomly gotten stuck in my head many times in the many months since that one debuted. “Grocery clerk with half an eyelid!” never fails to make me fall into a laughing fit.

Even the delivery of the song is perfect, and it’s so funny and thematically significant. I also love Rebecca’s villain song “Villain In My Own Story,” mostly because I think villain stories are just kind of the best. I love those “sinister” composers.

Brittany: “Heavy Boobs” is basically my new anthem. It’s so relatable and so funny, and I love that Rachel Bloom lets it all hang out in ways that women just don’t get to do on TV. “Where’s the Bathroom” is the best character entrance I’ve ever seen, and “Gettin’ Bi” is an immediate classic.

What was the season’s biggest mistake?

Christine: It’s hard to say…I honestly don’t think they made a ton of missteps, at least in storytelling. So I’ll give answer from a ‘shipping perspective. I hate that Rebecca and Greg got so close, and then they ruined it all. BUT…I also get it. Because the show is about a group of people who all have some “crazy” issues that they need to work through.

Becky: Yeah, outside of plot driven mistakes, I can’t think of anywhere the show went wrong. For me, the most frustrating plot development was when Rebecca and Greg broke up (boo) and then Rebecca slept with Josh and, more or less, spilled the beans about her particular brand of crazy. You were all set to move on, Rebecca! Noooo…

Allison: There’s not some big mistake that’s glaringly obvious. I agree that the break up and sex with Josh happened rather quickly.

Caralynn: The Gregbecca “breakup” (sorta) and sex with Josh sucked, but it still totally fit Rebecca’s character and her arc. So I can’t really fault that too hard. The only thing I can think of is that Paula came off as too intensely involved with the Josh/Rebecca romance even when Rebecca put her foot down about it being over. I mean, obviously Paula was right in the end, but it was a bit much for me.

Brittany: I really don’t feel like Josh and Rebecca had enough development to warrant all the hype the show gave their relationship. I think that’s definitely the point of the season, but I felt like his journey with Valencia was more interesting than anything about his relationship with Rebecca. And the Greg/Rebecca break-up was such a bummer!

What worked really well this season?

Christine: The music! I loved that they wove that thread through the season that Rebecca isn’t ACTUALLY a very good singer and that it’s her imagining her life as a musical. I always apply that to the other characters as well. The songs ranged from funny to sweet to introspective…major props to Jack Dolgen and Adam Schlesinger for such an incredible score.

Becky: I said it before and I’ll say it again: I love that the show is a musical. The fact that they cracked out so many original songs throughout the season is incredibly impressive. There is just so much unique, funny creativity behind this show that I’m in love with.

Allison: The music stole the show. I was concerned about how music would work, but now I can’t imagine this show without it. The songs provided awesome insights into all the characters, and everyone really got a chance to shine. I loved the diversity in the types of songs performed.

Caralynn: It’s unanimous: the music is what pushes this show from being great to being flat-out AMAZING. The fact that nearly every song is so clever, catchy, and fits well into the plot is seriously incredible. It’s also a great insight into Rebecca’s mental state.

Brittany: Completely agreed. The music was so good, and so well-integrated into the story. I love that there were standalone songs like “Heavy Boobs” paired with really plot-relevant songs like “After Everything I’ve Done For You.” Plus, the unrated versions of some of the songs are absolutely brilliant.

What was the biggest surprise of the season?

Christine: Darryl being bi-sexual. It was easily the most unexpected twist of the season for a character. It was handled so well, with utter honesty, humor, and heart.

I loved seeing a show tackle a sensitive subject, while also not making it a big deal. Darryl is bi. It’s who he is. Watching him navigate being bi-sexual is just a cherry on top of the already amazing story.

Becky: For some reason, going into the show and from the hype surrounding it, I was under the impression that Rebecca would end up having feelings for Valencia. I suppose she sort of did become a little infatuated with her in the beginning there, but…yeah. I was surprised when that didn’t happen.

But, like Christine said, then we got Darryl’s story and they did such a good job with it. I won’t lie: Darryl and White Josh as a couple was surprising to me. Still is. But it ended up being very cute.

Allison: I was surprised at how much I fell in love with a lot of the characters. I learned to love Valencia, Darryl, and Josh. Come on, at the beginning it was hard to really understand why Rebecca was obsessed with Josh, but as the show progressed, you couldn’t help but fall in love with Joshua Felix Chan.

Valencia and Darryl could have been write off characters that you don’t care about or, in the case of Valencia, you hate because she’s Josh’s girlfriend. That’s not the case. You become protective of Darryl, and you end up cheering Valencia on as she confronts Josh about how she thought he was never going to propose.

Caralynn: People are rooting for Valencia? Nope, sorry, not in that camp quite yet. Darryl’s bisexuality was wonderful! I didn’t see it coming at all and yet when that storyline debuted it all made sense. It was handled so well. I loved his easy breezy acceptance of his sexuality and how everyone shrugged it off as a non-thing.

I especially loved how adorable Darryl was about it all. I just love Darryl and wasn’t expecting that of such a minor character. The fact that each of the characters, major and minor, were developed so well and so quickly is a great strength of the show. On that note, I was also surprised at how much depth Josh wound up having. I just assumed he’d be a hunky California surfer bro.

Brittany: Darryl and White Josh! Valencia standing up for herself! Paula being more than the hype girl! Everything about this show surprised me with how deftly it turned tropes into twists.

I also really loved the evolution of Rebecca’s relationship with her mom, and how Paula reflected parts of it. Plus, Rebecca actually revealing to Josh that she actually moved to West Covina for him — I never thought that would happen this season, and I love that it wound up being the cliffhanger.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is moving to Friday nights at 9/8c on The CW when it returns for season two this fall.