I think we all shared a collective WTF last year when at the CW upfronts they announced they had picked up a show called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to series. First, the title was just off-putting. That's a strike. Second, the show hadn't appeared on any in-development show spreadsheets leading up to upfronts, but then it was revealed the show as originally developed as a half-hour comedy for Showtime. I think that made quite a few people pretty confused. Were the other CBS pilots, notably Cheerleader Death Squad, that bad that they chose this random show over it? It seems so. That's another strike. Oh, it's a musical? That's another strike. It felt like going in, CEG had a lot stacked against it as it felt like nothing but politics coming into play over at the CW and forcing another CBS show on the air instead of using the slot for a sole WB production like Tales From the Darkside. It also didn't help that the logline for Crazy just read as Felicity: the Adult years in musical form. It's kind of crazy that the show was able to garner any positive interest thanks to randomness of its concept and introduction the CW. Sure, the show has been getting some pretty heavy critical acclaim, but does that wash away the promo image of the main character sitting on a giant pretzel from anyone's minds? Judging by the ratings, it doesn't quite seem like it.
The CW did at least put quite a bit of effort into promoting the show(It was also their only new fall show, so they could afford it) and they did pair it with the wonderful
Jane the Virgin to create a night that for most part seemed to make sense. Mondays on the CW feature two whimsical shows with two strong actresses at the center, but as evidenced with Reign and JtV's ratings, these kind of shows just aren't what the majority of the Cw audience is into, and frankly it's shame. I'll admit, I needed quite a bit of time to fully process the craziness of the CEG pilot. I wasn't exactly moved the pilot in any means. It really had some issues that I'm hoping will work themselves out, but at the same time, there is nothing quite like CEG on broadcast right now, and it makes me curious to see more of Rebecca Bunch and her story but curiosity alone won't make me stay and the show is going to have to bring more of the little sparks of greatness I witnessed in the pilot to keep me around.
What is her story, you ask? Well I'd like to think that Rebecca Bunch is a cautionary tale for all of us who have ever just let life take over and stop being happy and stop chasing our dreams. However, Rebecca's response to her realization is most likely the scenario to the most extreme. See, we first meet Rebecca and it is the end of summer and she is waiting for her mom to pick her up from some theatre camp with her summer fling, Josh Chan. It is here in this conversation we first learn about Rebecca's mother and her extreme aspirations for her daughter, when Rebecca mentions that her mom originally wanted her to go Mock Trial camp instead of theatre. It's also here we probably see Rebecca at one of the last times in her life where she is actually happy. This would explain why seeing Josh is such a trigger. I think her breakdown is less about Josh and more about who she was at the time she was with Josh. I think when she sees him a bit later in the episode she sees Josh as a way to escape her problems instead of just rally dealing with them, Josh is scapegoat and using scapegoats is something we all have probably been guilty of. Of course, this all my thoughts, not something that was clearly stated or that will be clearly stated, though i am assuming that is what the show is going for here.
We also get a glimpse of Rachel's cluelessness when she is talking and loving on Josh who is clearly distant as he is proceeding to break up with her. Cut to 10 years later and Rebecca is an unhappy lawyer with a lot of accomplishments under her belt and is on the fast track to make partner at her New York firm but something is missing from her. After seeing several messages she sees as signs she eventually runs into Josh Chan on the street, which helps sway her into turning down her offer for partner and moving to West Covina, California where Josh is moving back to.(I was not really keen on the West Covina number until the reprise at the end btw). Rebecca takes up a job at a small firm with some quirky characters like Paula the paralegal who is suspicious as to why someone successful like Rebecca would have moved all the way out here or her boss Darryl who Rebecca to handle his divorce. She also meets Greg, a bartender friend of Josh's who has a thing for Rebecca despite her obvious thing for Josh, when she shows up at a ber that she thinks she's going to meet Josh at for drinks. Greg takes advantage of her wanting to see Josh to get her to go to a party where Josh will be as his date, but it seems she still only has eyes for Josh. The hour ends with Paula (after having investigated as to why Rebecca is really here) and Rebecca both singing a reprise of "West Covina" and daydreaming about her winning over Josh despite the fact that he has a girlfriend(Juicy!). The pilot is all good and fun except when it's not working quite as well as it should. There are several moments that feel like they are supposed to be funny that just fall flat, or scenes that feel that go on just a little longer than necessary in order to fill time due to format transition, even the music numbers feel to be a bit drawn out as well.
While I admire that the show has quirks, the premise is still just a bit too much for me to handle. I do think that music isn't half bad. I really liked the whole
Sexy Getting Ready Song number as that bit was perfection from start to finish. The trouble I had with the pilot was that everyone was so one-dimensional it was hard to like them. I found bits of Rebecca relatable, but not so much likeable. That to me made the whole hour a chore to get through. What exactly am I supposed to be rooting for? Surely, not for Rebecca to pine and stalk Josh, but for her to seek professional help, right? Maybe the show will surprise me and surpass its title and become something different like a good tale of what it means to start over and find yourself at an odd place in your life or look at how too much pressure to be something ruins our mental health or maybe I'm just thinking too much about it. But either way, something about the show isn't gelling properly. It should funnier, and more engaging, not resting on musical numbers to pass the moments by. If Bunch and Co. don't get it together, I might just have to break up with them.
C.
What did you think of the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Pilot? Are you going to keep watching, or are you planning on putting some distance between you and the show? Sound off Below!
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's second episode Josh's Girlfriend is Really Cool! airs Monday 10/19 on the CW.
About the Author - Winston Mize
Winston is a 25 year old goofball, born in the north, and currently living in the south. He loves TV.... for some it's coffee, for him it's TV talk that gets his day going. He wants to be a screenwriter, and watches some of everything. You name it, he's probably checked it out. And he would like you to know that it is okay for a 25 year old to play with action figures... well, he does anyway. He's semi-active on twitter, and has quite a lot of nothing to say. Get to know him and learn he is just randomness personified. You can check him out with previews/reviews of Minority Report, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Heroes Reborn and iZombie this fall.
