Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm In Love (4x17)

I can't believe it's over! I am experiencing many emotions!

Cons:

I'm trying really, really hard not to let my brain run away with me about all the things we didn't get to see, but that tends to be a problem whenever a show comes to an end. Even if I like the material we got, I feel cheated of what we didn't get. I'm upset that WhiJo didn't get some sort of happiness. I didn't want him and Darryl back together at this point, because it wouldn't have worked within the narrative, but... something. We never got to see Paula's husbands and kids again. There were things from Rebecca's past that were never brought up, like Trent or the professor guy from her college that arguably kick-started this whole thing. I suppose I didn't need to see every little character get a moment to shine, but I wish I could have had it anyway.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Have a Date Tonight (4x16)

Weird Al! White Josh! Dr. Akopian! I had so much fun with this episode and also I'm so nervous about next week and I don't know what to think!

Cons:

Okay, obviously, obviously, the narrative is promoting Greg over the other two. For my money, Josh was never in the running in a serious way, although I appreciate the connection that he and Rebecca have. I have some problems with the idea of Greg and Rebecca ending up together, even though I really do like them and think they're sweet. It's kind of difficult to be articulate about it, though. First is the undeniable fact that Skylar Astin is doing a great job, but he doesn't seem like Greg to me. The dynamic that him and Rebecca have now is perfectly sweet, but it does not in any way feel like a continuation of the same character and the same relationship that we saw before. I know that in some ways this is intentional, but in other ways it's kind of weak because we didn't get to see this new thing develop for long enough for me to want it as end-game? If that makes sense?

I also think this story does a bit of a disservice to all three of Rebecca's suitors. With Nathaniel, we have seen how far he's come, but I feel like at some point the show decided that we'd had enough development with him, so now his only personality trait is that he loves Rebecca. Same with Josh - we know he's been going to therapy and working on himself, which is great, but here at the end it's like all of his character focus is about Rebecca, instead of about being a fully realized character in his own right. That's kind of disappointing, and I don't know if the finale could possibly be good enough on its own to assuage some of my unfulfilled feelings.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Need to Find My Frenemy (4x15)

What even is this show. It's so unbelievably brilliant.

Cons:

I thought the Rap Battle reprise was a little underwhelming, when compared to the brilliant original. It wasn't bad enough to be like a real problem or anything, it just wasn't a new favorite either. Just thought I'd mention that.

Also, and this isn't a real complaint, but... I miss White Josh. It sucks that he hasn't been around more this season. It was so fun to see him here and I wish we could have so much more.

Pros:

I want to start with the comedy corner and just mention a few of my favorite jokes: Heather makes fun of the CW's "Dare to Defy" slogan, and it gives me life. I liked Darryl and White Josh being delighted in all the drama with the three guys. Every time Josh said "stand down," I cackled. Paula's references to a not-so-secret past gambling addiction, all of the call-backs to previous seasons (the butter, the reprises, the lyrics), it was all comedy gold. Specifically talking about the slow-motion song for a second: I honestly thought that gimmick was going to get old or stupid very quickly, but it didn't. Every time they went back to the slow-motion, there was a new element involved to make it even funnier.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm Finding My Bliss (4x14)

Yep, another good episode. Who's surprised?

Cons:

This isn't actually a problem with the episode, but maybe a function of me not being able to get my head out of my ass, but I'm still finding it hard to wholeheartedly support the idea of Rebecca and Greg. Skylar Astin is doing a fantastic job, and whenever he's sharing scenes with other characters, I'm totally sold on this being Greg. But when he's with Rebecca, the energy and chemistry that they bring to the relationship just does not feel like a continuation of what they built back in Seasons One and Two. It's compelling in its own, way, but it feels like a separate thing.

I wish Valencia hadn't given Beth an ultimatum like that, but I suppose we'll wait and see what the fallout is in the next few episodes. I really should reserved judgment, and I thought Valencia had a fascinating journey in this episode, but I'm a little bit frustrated at the idea of Valencia and Beth's relationship ending in these last few episodes. We'll have to see what happens.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Have to Get Out (4x13)

After watching this episode, I went on tumblr and discovered that there is Discourse about it. People are really heating up with the ship wars, and I'm just kinda over here with a shrug emoji about it all. That said, I am having some very complicated feelings about this episode in particular... let's get talking.

Cons:

So... there are a number of things that I didn't like about this episode, but that I acknowledge might actually not be so bad, provided that they are handled well in the coming weeks. The biggest example is this: I hated when Josh and Nathaniel both had scheming looks on their faces about the fact that Greg and Rebecca broke up. Josh and Rebecca have had such a fun dynamic this season and I don't want that to be ruined. And Nathaniel just had a whole episode devoted to his understanding that he needs to let Rebecca go. I don't want to see a repeat of the same poisonous behavior. BUT, I have to admit that this show is not just about Rebecca growing as a person. It's about the whole gang getting better and making strides to improve. Rebecca has backslides on her road to recovery, and I'm not saying that Josh and Nathaniel should be given as much care within the narrative, especially since neither of them has BPD, but it's possible that we're trying to show here that improving oneself doesn't always move in a straight line. Josh and Nathaniel might both be better people than when we first met them, but is it okay if we see them stumble and do bad things still sometimes? I don't know. I'm frustrated, but I also trust this show to handle the situation well, without condoning these men's behavior, but also without condemning them as people.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Need A Break (4x12)

It's almost exhausting, how good this show is. I worry I'm going to run out of things to say because I don't want to write whole review that's just endless gushing, but... yeah. This was another fantastic episode.

Cons:

Really nothing. If the episode had been a bit longer I would have liked to see Rebecca apologize to Nathaniel for showing up at his house like that, but I'm sure that will be something that's addressed maybe next week, and it's really a small detail. Also, I still can't help missing Santino Fontana, even though Skylar Astin is doing a fantastic job.

Pros:

I'm going to take the list approach because there are just so many elements that I want to discuss, that I'd be here all day if I wrote a full paragraph for each.

- Greg's Springsteen song was hilarious. I loved the bit about the guitar, and I loved that the song was kind of complicated in its messaging. If Rebecca had been in a better place, maybe she would have taken Greg's message in the spirit it was intended, but instead it goes to a dark place because she's in a dark place.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm Almost Over You (4x11)

Aww Nathaniel... you're killing me with this. I'm seriously so very sad and I don't know what to do about it.

Cons:

I'm starting to ever-so-slightly change my opinion about this new Greg. I think the actor is doing a great job, and I think he's playing a character that is realistically what Greg would be like after everything he's been through. But the energy between Rebecca and Greg is not the same as it was between Rebecca and... Greg. It feels like I'm watching Rebecca fall in love and start a relationship with someone completely new, not the same guy she had such a confusing relationship with in the past. I don't want to feel that way. I want to be 100% on board. But I have to be honest.

Pros:

After last week, I realized I really needed this episode. A full episode of Nathaniel working through his feelings and reconciling this new performative "good guy" thing with the realities of what that means for his relationship with Rebecca. If he's being a better person in order to get with Rebecca, then it's not real. But this episode shows him doing the hard emotional work, and coming to understand that he needs to move on with his life, and he needs to let Rebecca do the same. I personally am still kind of devastated about it... I think if I had to pick a romance that I would want to win in the end, I'd still pick Nathaniel. And maybe that's a weakness of this narrative, or maybe it's a strength, because I sincerely wish the best for Nathaniel and hope he finds happiness in his life, even if it's not with Rebecca.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Can Work With You (4x10)

Aw man, you guys… I honestly don’t know how I feel about Greg and Rebecca! My poor heart has been torn in two!

Cons:

Sometimes I honestly feel a bit trapped by this show, because I know the point isn’t who Rebecca ends up with as a romantic interest. I know it’s “a lot more complex than that.” But I also feel compelled by these characters in a way that I can’t help but ship certain pairings, root for certain romances to succeed, and so on. And in this episode, I honestly don’t know if I’m supposed to be thrilled about Rebecca and Greg (which I sort of am) or crushed about Nathaniel (which I definitely am) or worried about Rebecca (which I’m not, right now… she seems to be doing pretty well). This is probably good storytelling, but I just wanted to point out that I’m feeling conflicted, and not in the good way that I like to be conflicted.

On a more granular note, I’m actually a little disappointed that Greg was able to forgive Rebecca for sleeping with his dad. When that happened back in Season Three, that was the lowest of low moments. Rebecca almost died by suicide shortly after that. The consequences seemed pretty clear in the moment. Among many other concerns, it seemed crystal clear that she’d lost any potential future with Greg by doing that. And now… apparently not. I guess I wish we could have had even more time with Greg, so we could understand where he’s coming from and why he was able to forgive her and move forward from it. I don’t think most people would have been able to do that.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Need Some Balance (4x09)

Great episode. Great laughs, great drama, great title, great acting, just... great. Man, this show kicks some serious ass.

Cons:

I freakin' loved the Cats motif, don't get me wrong, but I do notice that this is yet another episode this season that doesn't have any new favorites for me. There are so many songs from the first three seasons that I feel like listening to on repeat right after finishing the episode, and I haven't found that to be true with as many songs this season. I'm sure we've still got some great stuff coming up, though.

Pros:

Where to even begin? I love that Rebecca's dislike for the musical Cats ends up creating a musical motif for an entire episode of the show. What a strange throwaway joke to become such a big focus! All of the musical interludes with the cats were just hilarious. I think the first one was my favorite, but they were all excellent, and added so much to the energy and themes of the episode.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm Not The Person I Used To Be (4x08)

I'll admit it, I was skeptical that they could pull this off. And... wow. They pulled it off.

Cons:

I don't know. Honestly, this episode was pretty perfect. Maybe I would have liked to see the four core bros spend time together. We got lots of Hector, WhiJo, and Josh, but when Greg shows up he and Josh don't so much as share a hello. I get that this was an episode about Greg and Rebecca, so maybe Josh and Greg stuff will come later.

Pros:

Josh's subplot is comedic, but it's also part of his character growth and his transformation into a proper adult. He spends the episode reliving the glory days from high school, only to realize that he's missed out on so much. George breaks it down for Josh in a great song, showing him that there was other stuff going on in high school outside of the popular kids' understanding. What I love about Josh as a character is that he's honestly such a big dork. The fact that he was a jock wasn't because he didn't think magic was cool, but because he just fit the dumb jock stereotype so well. He doesn't have any judgment for the "nerds," he just didn't think about them at all. Now, he's got a chance to broaden his horizons!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Will Help You (4x07)

Guess what? I liked this episode.

Cons:

There were great things about the songs this week, for sure. I liked Naomi's song, I liked the joke start to a song that Darryl and Josh had, and I liked Naomi and Elayne Boosler's camp song. All that said, though, this season has not delivered with quite as many winning songs as seasons past. In all of the first three seasons, I can only think of a handful of songs that didn't interest me enough to go back to several re-listens. This season, there are already quite a few that I thought were just... fine, but not really worth repeating. I think this is a product of the longer episode order. Maybe they only have the budget for one full production number per episode.

I've seen another reviewer complain about this in the past, and it's always bothered me a little bit too, so I thought I'd say something: everybody being on Josh's case about moving out of Hector's mom's house feels a little strange to me. Clearly their relationship is meant to be comedic and inappropriate, but whenever the rest of the gang starts telling him to move out, I always think about the money question. Nobody ever seems to put together the idea that Josh might not be able to afford a change in circumstance. That feels like an odd misstep on this show, and it highlights the degree to which money is not really examined as a moving force in people's lives. Sure, we all know Nathaniel is rich and he is judged for that because it enhances his privilege. But other than the necessity of having roommates as adults, we don't see the characters ever struggling or worrying about paying the bills. Remember when Rebecca was totally broke? Well, since then, she hasn't exactly been bringing in a steady income, and yet she seems to have no trouble staying afloat.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I See You (4x06)

Um guess what? This episode was very good. Shocking, I know.

Cons:

Not really, no. Maybe there's a little bit of a sense that this episode could have been plopped down anywhere in the season? Obviously there's moments of growth, but this episode doesn't really comment on Paula's son leaving, or Heather getting ready to move, or Darryl's kinda-sorta-second-breakup with White Josh. It's like this episode exists in a bubble. I'm not going to say that this is a horrible thing, by any means. Just something to point out.

Also, I miss when we had two full-blown musical numbers (at least) in every episode. I get the sense that the longer season means there's less money to produce music for each episode. We only really get one song in this episode, plus another little one right at the end. Both are great, but I want even MORE!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm So Happy For You (4x05)

You know another thing that's excellent about this show? It's relatable as fuck.

Cons:

I mean... I'm bummed about Heather and Valencia? I assume they're not being written out of the show, but I also assume we'll be seeing less of them, and of Hector, and that is a big dang bummer.

Pros:

Let's start with White Josh and Darryl. The two have been spending a ton of time together, taking care of the baby and binge watching TV, but they have no plans to get back together. At the park, a bunch of people from Darryl's work, including Maia, Tim, and Rebecca, all converge on them and try to convince them to get back together. The two extricate themselves and continue on their way. But Darryl then realizes that White Josh is using their friendship as an excuse not to give other potential relationships a chance, so he pushes him out the door. It looks like WhiJo does have another prospective partner, a friend of his from the gym.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm Making Up for Lost Time (4x04)

This is probably the weakest installment of the season so far, but with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, even the lesser episodes are still miles ahead of most of what you see on network TV. Let's dive in!

Cons:

I found Nathaniel's attempts to get Rebecca back to be kind of lackluster and stupid. He steals Rebecca's diary and makes a grand speech that he steals from it, and Rebecca is understandably unimpressed. I think one of the things this season is going to focus on, when it comes to Nathaniel, is that he has some personal growth he needs to take care of as well. I get that, and yet at the same time I'm feeling myself less than interested in watching him mess stuff up so badly. I guess I'm just wishing for more with him. I want him and Rebecca to be together, selfishly, but more than that, I just want them both to be okay, as separate human beings.

I feel a little cheated in the song department, because little Tucker is the only one who gets a song. The second "song" of the episode is a reprise of "One Indescribable Instant," which is well performed, again by Tucker, but not a fun new number to bop along with. Hopefully there are two full numbers in next week's installment!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm On My Own Path (4x03)

Once again, great. I feel like there's no way I can think of new things to say about this show at this point. It's just all so good.

Cons:

Not specifically about this episode, no. But I suppose I'm impatient for more screen time from certain characters. I'm glad Heather and Hector get so much focus, and I love Josh's story-line, but we haven't even seen Paula's husband and kids this season yet, and White Josh was absent once more! I'm just being a nag. I know we'll get to see everyone soon enough.

Pros:

Okay. Let's start with the main story - Rebecca goes back to work, but then has a bit of a crisis and decides instead to work at a pretzel shop in the lobby of the building, owned by another former Whitefeather employee - Jim. This is all kinds of silliness, and we follow Rebecca as she wrestles between being a lawyer, something she's trained for and knows she's good at, but doesn't enjoy, and being an employee at a pretzel stand. In the end, she lands somewhere slightly different. She'll open her own pretzel stand, and do her own thing. It's silly, but it's poignant, and it feels right for Rebecca in this moment.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Am Ashamed (4x02)

Another great episode. I am a broken record!

Cons:

Okay, so this isn't really like a big complaint or problem or anything, but I found it a bit odd that Rebecca had this cathartic moment in the graveyard at the end, and then after that moment, Patton Oswalt pops out of nowhere and a large group number about "shame" happens. It was a great song, but usually the musical numbers help us to understand a bit about why the characters are feeling the way they're feeling, and in this case, we had all of the emotional work, and then the song felt almost like an afterthought. I may be nitpicking just a little bit.

Pros:

Let's start with Darryl and White Josh's story. Last week I got really freaked out when I didn't see White Josh, so I was glad he made an appearance here. Darryl is scared that he won't be able to give his new daughter, Hebecca, all of the advantages she would have if she had a mother, too. He's especially worried about breast milk, and ends up going online to buy some. This leads him to driving all over town and leaving a reluctant WhiJo in charge of the baby. Josh comes over and the two Joshes dress the baby up in a cute Halloween costume and actually have an okay time. As the episode ends, Darryl's ex-wife, and his older daughter, both reassure Darryl that he's a great father and that the baby will be just fine in his care.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I Want to Be Here (4x01)

It's back! This show is a life-changing, beautiful, incredible journey and I'm so happy that we get to see the story play out as the creators intended, even though I'm bummed this will be the final season. Let's hop to!

Cons:

The only thing I ever have to complain about with this show is that I want more of some of the side characters. So while everything in this episode was golden, we didn't spend any time with Valencia and her girlfriend, we didn't see White Josh going about his life journey, etc. etc. But that's not really a problem of bad writing or anything. It's just that when I watch this show I'm so enamored with every little moment that we get, that I find myself constantly craving more. Not a bad problem to have!

Pros:

I want to talk about the technical proficiency of this show for a second. The songs are just so excellently produced. "No One Else is Singing My Song" is a song that relies in part on tight vocal harmonies not just to make the song sound pretty, but to carry the punchline to a multi-layered joke. And if these talented vocalists, the sound mixers and editors, etc. didn't do a good job of creating these harmonies, the joke would fall flat. In "What's Your Story?" we see how the use of light can make or break a song, and there's an excellent moment towards the end when Rebecca flinches away from a spotlight and breaks the fourth wall, adding another layer to the title of the song itself - this is a story about someone telling their story, and she's not doing it right.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Nathaniel is Irrelevant (3x13)

I can't believe how blessed we are with this show honestly. I mean can you believe what is going on here? Can you believe how perfect this finale was?

Cons:

No! No complaints! I mean, I suppose that if this ends up being the final season (which it probably won't be) I would have complaints, because there are a lot of loose ends. But in some ways that's another plus, because they didn't try and do that dumb thing where they try and close all the doors just in case there's no more show, so the next season then feels like some weird extra epilogue... this finale elevates the show in a new way, and it makes me all the more excited for whatever they come up with next.

Pros:

Before I get in to the two plots, I'll just say I loved how this episode referenced tons of previous songs by dropping their titles in as dialogue. That was a neat way to make this feel like a finale and really tie it together with all of the various themes over the years of this show. As we'll see in Rebecca's plot, there was a lot of reckoning with past behavior going on here, and mentioning the song names really helped to highlight that.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Trent?! (3x12)

Well, I suspect everyone will be tired of reading this by now, but... another great episode!

Cons:

I will say, that I probably rank this one just a tad bit lower than most of the ones we've gotten this season. In the scheme of things, that still makes it a great hour of television, but there were some qualms here and there. The main one is that we have a pretty trite and cliche moment where Rebecca shows up at the office with Trent, faking that she's his girlfriend, and Nathaniel sees them, and is heartbroken that Rebecca has moved on. This is too close to one of those "misunderstanding" plot threads and feels like the sort of thing that could be easily explained away. Nathaniel takes this as a sign that he really does need to move on and dedicate himself to Mona. I'm not sure how I would have done it differently, but I guess I wish there had been a less predictable way to get to this same point.

I also felt like Rebecca and Paula's song "Back In Action" was one of the weaker ones. Again, this is all comparative - it's not like I thought the song was bad, by any stretch of the imagination. Usually I feel compelled to go re-listen to the new songs immediately after an episode, and this one just had me shrugging. I think part of it is that Paula's lack of enthusiasm was a bit catching. I think that part of the point of this plot thread was that the whole "caper" idea is pretty ridiculous and un-funny when put into the harsh light of reality. So it makes sense that the song would capture some of that depressing atmosphere. Unfortunately, that also makes for a song that's not all that exciting to listen to.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Nathaniel and I Are Just Friends! (3x11)

I... just... this... show... is incredible.

Cons:

None? I mean, the only thing I can think of is that I do wish there were more time for certain elements. We spend a lot of time with Hector and Heather in this episode, but we don't get to see how Rebecca, who lives in the same house as them, is involved in this dynamic. And Valencia has a new relationship, but we don't really see anybody else interact with her significant other. White Josh spends some time away and then adopts a dog, but we don't see him interacting with the other characters. This is yet another example of my ONLY COMPLAINT being that I want more. I enjoy what I have, and I wish I could see even more of it. That's not a bad problem to have.

Pros:

Where to even START?! This episode features an eight month time jump. I wasn't expecting it, but it worked perfectly to accelerate certain characters along their paths.