SPOILERS AHEAD
After watching the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend finale tonight, I was shocked by how well the writers were able to tie everything so wonderfully together. For those who don't watch the show, do not be deceived by the title. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a musical dark comedy about mental illness with an incredible female protagonist and a great deal of representation among the supporting characters. Tonight, we were going to see the protagonist, Rebecca, finale marry Josh, the man she's been obsessed with for years.
And then, as it now seems to be a trend for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend season finales, nothing went as planned. Rebecca's relationship with her father creepily resembled the way she had acted with Josh in the beginning (brilliantly done by the writers), right down to the language of her text message to him and the way she acted when they were mistaken for a couple. There was a great deal of repetition from past episodes as a way of showing familiar themes, and not just between Rebecca's obsessions for Josh, her father, and now her ex-boyfriend, Robert. We also got the great line, "This is what happy feels like" as Rebecca stared at herself in the mirror before she was set to get married. Clearly, Rebecca was not ready for this, and it seemed like she would be the one to destroy the wedding.
The show kept with the circular story arc with the mirroring between all the men in Rebecca's life, though, by making Josh leave her at the altar. It was both brilliant and shocking, and it worked really well. What was particularly jaw-dropping was the fact that Josh left Rebecca to become a Priest. He was so ready to cheat on her/leave her for his co-worker, Sarah, until Father Brah talked to him and told him not to fall back into old patterns. Josh is just as impulsive as Rebecca, however, and all he heard was that his problems could be solved if he followed his friend and became a Priest. And, worst of all, he didn't even tell Rebecca himself.
This left Rebecca desperate, miserable, and on the edge of a cliff. She felt panicked at the thought of finale having to face her problems without Josh, and she literally did not know what to do. Finally, inspired by Paula's hatred of Rebecca's father, Rebecca decided in that moment to turn her obsession into a desire for revenge. While this may seem empowering because Rebecca is actually standing up for herself, it is instead just another way to hide from her problems. She still doesn't know how to deal with her issues, so she is going to hide from her problems by distracting herself in yet another scheme.
There were many other amazing highlights in this episode--Trent and his stalking, Whi-Jo and Darrell looking into marriage and babies, Paula being an amazing matron of honor, Nathaniel being the dreamboat he is and standing up to Rebecca's father, and Rebecca admitting to having loved Greg. However, what really made the episode--and what really makes the series--is Rebecca's character development and her journey with mental health. The music, too, was a beautiful representation of Rebecca's desperation as it went into reprises of many of the old songs in relation to her and her relationships with Josh and her father.
In conclusion, this show is definitely the smartest show on television right now (and this comes from an avid TV-fan) because it focuses not just on a career, a romance or a friendship--but rather on the protagonist's mental health. It's unique and wonderful, and I cannot wait for Season 3, and hopefully more seasons to come.
