Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Its Message About Crazies

"Crazy" is a word that we throw around quite often without ever putting much thought into it. This is where the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend swoops in to the scene to redefine the word and also remind us of the importance of mental health and seeking help when you need it.

The star of the show is the Harvard graduate lawyer, Rebecca Bunch, who is played by Rachel Bloom. She is your average quirky rom-com protagonist turned so eccentric, that you start feeling second hand embarrassment from all her antics. In Season 1, the main plot revolves around Rebecca being unhappy in her very successful law firm in New York. That is when she runs into her ex-boyfriend from summer camp, Josh Chan, who tells her about his hometown West Covina, California, where he is moving to once again. Seeing him after such a long time she remembers how happy she felt when they dated. Acting on those feelings, she also impulsively moves to West Covina by leaving her entire life in New York. But, just to be clear, she does not move to West Covina for Josh Chan. This is a point Rebecca will emphasise throughout the first season of the show.

Now this is a great spin to your usual rom-coms because in the first two seasons, we see Rebecca scrambling to find the meaning of her life through her romantic attachments and even delving into severe depression due to the lack of it. But, in the last two seasons, we start seeing a clearer view of her psyche and what causes her to always rely on romantic attachments for happiness.

Also, did I mention it is a musical? The ones who hate musicals, fret not. At its heart, the show really is just a dramedy but the musicals are still the best part because the show conveys most of its great messages through songs. Songs like "Without Love You Can Save the World" portray the main character's realisation of how much time she has wasted on her romantic interests and this is time she could have easily used to work on herself. Then the song "Anti-Depressants Are So Not A Big Deal" tries to break the stigma surrounding depression medications.

Although throughout its run (from 2015 to 2019), the show consistently suffered from low ratings, a major cult following formed around the show and its songs. Disguised as a rom-com, the whole message of the show is really just about learning self-love and not trying to find the meaning of life through romance. In a way, this is the best kind of rom-com and the kind I wish I had grown up with.

Tasnim Odrika has only one personality trait and that is cats. Share ideas for new personality traits with her at odrika_02@yahoo.com