Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Review: I’m In Love (Season 4 Episode 17) and Yes, It’s Really Us Singing: The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Concert Special (Season 4 Episode 18)

Rebecca Bunch is just a girl in love, with her own crazy-talented mind.

On Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 17, “I’m In Love,” Rebecca doesn’t choose herself, exactly. She chooses the creative process of storytelling that she is so good at. 

Storytelling was standing right there the whole time, and she was always “the one,” for Rebecca Bunch. 

This explains so much!

The end of the series (SOB!) explains why Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has always felt like a special, intimate love letter to us viewers: the OTP is a girl and her story. 

Indeed, the narrative process is elevated on the show. For those of us, whose great love in life is storytelling and stories (raises my hand), this is the most satisfying possible ending from the greatest show ever. 

Enemies to Lovers Trope

In some ways, the entire show is my very favorite RomCom trope: enemies to lovers. Instead of another person, Rebecca’s love interest is her own creativity and imagination.

The character of her creativity is manifested at first as an enemy through songs like “You Stupid Bitch” and “I’m A Good Person.” But then, we get to see that enemy turn into a friend and lover in songs like “A Diagnosis,” “The Darkness,” and “Meet Rebecca.”

The final love song is the show itself, a testament to her journey.

The last six words, “this is a song I wrote,” is a massive declaration of love to herself. It is, in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s particularly meta-way, a storybook ending that honors the difficulty of finding your identity when you struggle with mental health. 

Getting lost in your own mind and disassociating is a common way of coping with trauma. This part of the episode hits me in a very personal way because being able to disassociate and get lost in stories I watched or made up in my head allowed me to survive childhood trauma. 

For Rebecca too, her disassociation has helped her get through and process her life.

What we get to see on the series, and tied up with a bow on the finale, is the growth from an internal narrative that is filled with self-loathing and toxic obsession to one that is filled with vulnerability, joy, and honesty.

That journey from self-hate to self-love is so deeply important to portray and “I’m In Love,” brings us to the finish line in a tender, thoughtful, and open-ended way.

Cookie 

An aspect of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend that the finale and the concert special really drive home is that this story is about Rebecca AND Paula.

It is about two white women, one Jewish and one middle-aged, figuring out how to use their voice in a world that has by default muted their microphones. 

Paula is the only other character who gets a fleshed out story arc on “I’m In Love.” (Nathaniel comes closest, which to me is indicative of where Rebecca’s romantic life is headed-more on that later).

It is also Paula who Rebecca finally confides in and takes into her inner-world. That is deeply significant folks. 

I am deeply moved by their connection. It honors the connection between Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh-McKenna, as they share many qualities with Rebecca and Paula. 

Paula helps Rebecca embrace and see the beauty in who she is. 

PAULA: It’s not nothing. It’s beautiful. 

Paula herself is complex. Her development on the show has been just as complicated and deep as Rebecca’s. 

What a gift and a legacy that will continue to impact viewers as we unpack all the ways this show has informed and changed us. 

The way the show ends, with the clear perspective being from Rebecca and Paula, helps me to come to terms with the limitations of that perspective, and the limitations of narrative in general. 

Valencia, Heather, White Josh, and others are relatively underdeveloped and given some out of character storylines on the show. 

It will always make me sad that Valencia never just gets what she wants and that the white women in her life, including her fiance, take precedence over her in nearly every way. 

But, and it’s a big but, I am actually glad that this is how the show moves forward because that is how it actually is in life where Latinx women are still largely marginalized.

That is not a flaw on the show, but evidence of its authenticity.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend doesn’t pretend to be able to speak for Valencia.

It speaks for Rebecca and Paula. And, THAT IS OKAY.

It speaks for them fully and well, and it is very careful to include people like Heather, Valencia, Father Brah, and White Josh.

A huge thesis to come from “I’m In Love,” is that we need to tell our own stories. It is healing; it is love.

Many shows make the mistake of trying to tell other people’s stories. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend never does that.

It tells what it knows, and that very smart decision is reflected in the limited stories for characters that aren’t part of the narrative lens Rebecca and Paula can provide. 

Bloom and Brosh-McKenna aren’t women of color or gay men. So, they don’t tell that story. They do include the characters in a meaningful way, hallelujah, but they don’t tell their stories. 

And, wow, I actually really respect that. 

Dream Ghost 

The first ten minutes of “I’m In Love,” take us on a Dream Ghost trip into Rebecca’s future. 

Rebecca reacts to these future visions with fear because she looks unhappy and this leads to her realization, that I noted in my review of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 16, “I Have A Date Tonight,” that she doesn’t know herself. 

Rather than interpret the scenes as sad futures, that Rebecca avoids by getting to know herself, I interpret them as true visions of the future. 

It is not that the future changes, it is that Rebecca’s understanding of her own sadness and how she will deal with it that changes. 

It is normal, expected even, for people with a BPD diagnosis who have experienced depression throughout their lives to feel depressed, anxious and sad during times of transition and change in their lives.

This is normal for all people. 

Rebecca sees herself with her unhappy face when Nathaniel says “I love you,” and she’s left standing over the crib of their soon to arrive baby.

Then, Rebecca sees herself unhappy when she is sitting alone at her and Greg’s wedding.

At the end of the series, this could still very much be what Rebecca’s future holds.

Rebecca will still be sad at points in her life. Whatever romantic life she chooses, there will be moments of despair, loneliness, anger, and anxiety.

That is not what has changed.

The thing that has changed is that when she feels sad, she will no longer call herself a stupid bitch and ruin everything.

She won’t turn to stalking, assault, and obsession. Instead, Rebecca will process her feelings through writing songs and relying on her #GurlGroup4Eva to be there for her during difficult times. 

That’s a powerful message about the power of storytelling to change our reaction to pain in our lives.  It is also a powerful message about how we can change our reactions to depression with the help of our community. 

Of the Dream Ghost options, my personal favorite is Nathaniel. 

I love that the show allows us to maintain our hope for our favorite ship for Rebecca. I need that. 

Scott Michael Foster as Nathaniel Plimpton is drastically underrated. He stepped into a role and a cast that was already developed and that already had an ending in mind. 

Nathaniel doesn’t require justification or explanation from Rebecca. He just accepts her choice and encourages her to live the life she wants. 

Then, he does the same for himself and finds joy in working with animals. 

How could we NOT stan? 

Foster is a star who arrived to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend already having led a show, Greek. Yet, he manages to shine without stealing the spotlight of the other characters. 

Nathaniel as a character likewise manages to make space for Josh and Greg, without becoming a martyr and giving up on his love for Rebecca. 

I am clearly on Team Nathaniel and in my mind, she moves forward with him. Ultimately, I am glad and thankful to have so much content built up as a foundation for my imaginings of their life together. 

I haven’t really internalized it yet, but it is the end of the series. 

I feel crushed, sad, and low. I miss this show, these characters, and this creative team already. 

But, I’m left with the expansive and healing solace that my voice matters too and that I can continue the important work of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend by adding my own authentic narrative to the world. 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the most inspirational show I have ever seen. Thank you, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you have earned our everlasting standing ovation. 

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

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Series Final airs at 8/7c on The CW.

 Follow us on Twitter! 

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