Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Review: Josh is Irrelevant (Season 3 Episode 6)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 3 Episode 6, “Josh is Irrelevant,” is an excellent, ground-breaking, dick-joke making episode, and the strongest of Season 3. Yet, it still suffers from a #BunchaConstipation.

On “Josh is Irrelevant,” Rebecca Bunch finally meets with Dr. Akopian (my favorite dream-ghost has returned at long last!) and “Dr. Dayumn” and learns that she has a new diagnosis.

The showtunes-style song “A Diagnosis” perfectly captures the joy and relief of getting a diagnosis.

A diagnosis means that she isn’t crazy for feeling crazy. A diagnosis means there is a name for what is wrong with her. A diagnosis means that there is something she can do to fix what is wrong.

Rebecca’s yellow dress and buoyant voice are stellar choices to artfully portray the deeply moving and important moment of getting a diagnosis.

Indeed, “A Diagnosis” is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend at its best: a song with an atypical topic that manages to bring to light an experience that is hiding and lonely in the shadows. “A Diagnosis” tells us that we are not alone: Rebecca is with us.

Rebecca frankly shares what she has been feeling, and it is deceptively simple. She explains things like how tired she feels, how she doesn’t laugh at things she used to, and her desire to have a diagnosis that was caused by something external, not a part of her personality.

The explanations capture a great deal of truth about mental illness and the impact of its simple tellings are rich. It feels healing to hear.

The core Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ensemble shows the different ways loved ones handle the aftermath of a suicide attempt.

Valencia’s method of dealing with Rebecca’s mental health battle is by far the most poignant and digestible.

It is a reminder that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend should stop putting Valencia on the shelf episode after episode. The episode calls upon the talents of the women of color on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and is why “Josh is Irrelevant” is so strong. The show would be wise to take note and turn away from prioritizing white women’s experiences.

Valencia’s way of dealing with her fear and sadness? Take it to the selfie-stick!

Valencia uses her courage to share Rebecca’s courage on a series of Facebook Live posts. Her movement, complete with its own hashtag (#bunchafriends) and product sponsorship, reaches an apex with the second song of the episode, “This is My Movement.”

“This is My Movement” is so much more than an extended poop joke. It brings to the forefront how starved for attention Valencia is.

By the time we see Valencia tickling the keys in a showy ballad, we understand that her bratty behavior at the beginning of the episode was just a rumbling symptom of an issue she’s been dealing with for at least a month.

Gabrielle Ruiz’s compelling portrayal of Valencia in “Josh is Irrelevant” gently urges us to notice how a person like Rebecca can take up so much space that others’ needs are pushed down inside themselves. Valencia is writhing and bending with the piano, unable to release her emotional constipation.

It is layered. We giggle at the poop joke and simultaneously laugh at how people make “movements” out of their friends’ tragedies in some of the most uncouth ways. Valencia dismissing another woman’s cause because she doesn’t even have a hashtag is a quick joke that cuts deep in an age of causes gone viral.

“This is My Movement” is also about Valencia herself. She wants to be a part of something. She wants, for once on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, for it to be about her. Even though the episode is not ever actually about her, it does tell Valencia’s side of the story.

Rebecca’s #squad rushes to her side in the week after her suicide attempt. In a scene that also brings the new intro song into play, Rebecca is locked in the bathroom and not responding to knocks. Paula urges everyone to stay calm and then, in a blink, Heather arrives with an axe.

Just as Heather is taking a swing to cut down the door (a nice call back to when Paula was trapped in the bathroom and the #squad had to chop her out), Rebecca opens the door. She just had earbuds in is all.

The camera pans to Heather and Paula’s startled but relieved faces, and we realize that Valencia is not there.

Valencia is sitting in the kitchen, sobbing.

Valencia admitting that she thought Rebecca was dead and that she is afraid, so very afraid, of losing her is heart-crushing.

This scene got me.

The fear of what is behind the closed door of a person who you know struggles with suicidal ideation is acute and deep. Valencia, as much as she may try with her selfie-stick, can’t truly be in the room or the experience with Rebecca. She has no control.

Also, Rebecca can’t promise Valenica that she won’t at some point open a door to find Rebecca on the floor, having again tried to harm herself.

I’m crying now writing about it, because the undulating waves of mental illness do leave us unsettled, scared, and hurt in their wake. But there is hope.

Rebecca makes a commitment to get help. It is the honest and courageous step that she and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend need to have a real future. The #squad (plus Darryl) comes together and embraces Rebecca’s new journey toward a healthy life managing her Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

Nathaniel’s arc on “Josh is Irrelevant” is relevant and well done. He struggles to write a message to Rebecca in his post-suicide attempt bouquet, and we learn that he is experiencing panic attacks.

Nathaniel confronts his mother and reveals that when he was young he found her passed out on the bathroom floor, unresponsive. The incident was covered up by a ludicrous lie that Mother Plimpton had the flu so she went on a sailing trip to get better.

Nathaniel’s relationship with his mom does set sail though, as she shares an edited but honest version of what happened and assures her son that she loves him. We see the anxiety-ridden lawyer return to Rebecca’s doorstep with roses his mother gave him.

The body language and tone of the interaction between Rebecca and Nathaniel is transformed. There is levity, ease, and a sweet banter. It is good news for the ship, but also good news for all who suffer from mental health issues.

The message is that two people who suffer from mental health issues can get better by facing themselves and honestly asking for  help. Asking for and receiving help can open doors to healthy romance. That is a beautiful message.

I still contend that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend suffers from a #BunchaConstipation. The reason is that, as Rebecca goes through the nine signs of BPD with Dr. Akopian, she doesn’t come close to sufficiently covering her past actions. The sexual violence actions are still stuck inside her.

The fact is, Rebecca Bunch stalked, cyber-harassed, sexually harassed, and attempted to assault (with poop cookies) Josh Chan.

In 2017, sexual harassment has become a pivotal issue, with many victims coming forward to reveal what they have endured.

Rebecca Bunch is a victim of her illness, but she has also victimized.

I do not think that if a person such as Andrew Kreisberg (who has worked on CW shows and has been accused of sexual harassment) were to come forward and explain that he suffers from BPD, it would excuse his behavior. It would not.

If a person accused of sexual harassment were to reveal that he suffers from BPD and refused counseling, even after a previous conviction for a related offense, his behavior would not be excused.

Rebecca committed arson and spent time in an institution to address her mental health. She refused to take Dr. Akopian’s advice in the past and did not continue to see her after Josh proposed.

Rebecca stalked, sexually harassed, cyber-harassed, and attempted to assault Josh Chan.

I urge Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to look at how giving Rebecca a diagnosis after an attempted suicide, without addressing her stalking and sexual harassment, is excusing her past behavior.

I am not saying the episode is not reaching people who suffer from mental illnesses and giving them great hope and connection. It is.

I am saying that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend still needs to deal with its constipation from Rebecca’s sexual violence. First step: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend needs to admit that Rebecca committed sexual violence.

I suggest Crazy Ex-Girlfriend enlist Valencia to assist with addressing said constipation. After all, we know she has the talent to make a movement happen.

What did you think of this episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Fridays at 9/8c on the CW.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!