Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: the character analysis you needed

Why Rebecca Bunch is one of the best female characters in modern TV history... Today I'll explore the evolution of her character- explore her motivations, character development, and relationships. Including the depiction of BPD, trauma from childhood, male centricity, and the obsessive love trope.
Subscribe to see the rest of this Crazy Ex-Girlfriend series! We are diving deep into the captivating world of 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' and the journey from external validation to self-prioritization.
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key words (ignore)
greg and rebecca, cxg analysis, rachel bloom, the CW, borderline personality disorder, paula proctor, josh chan, valencia, heather davis, nathaniel plimpton III, hector, darryl whitefeather, greg serrano

[@antiheroine3611]

"The guys that I was most violently obsessed with were the people I aspired to be. " That's an incredible insight. Damn.. I might have to watch this show

[@dragonflyry]

“this is the first video in my crazy ex girlfriend series” THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU this has been one of my all time faves since it was airing & theres next to NO content about it on youtube!!! you’re such a queen

[@SerenaSkybourne]

anything for you darling

[@littlecookie22]

there are also video essays by bagels after midnight

[@luhguren]

@@littlecookie22 Yeah and they're great, but there's a surpringly tiny amount of videos about CxG. Such a good show!

[@bellalalala3327]

@@littlecookie22 bagels after midnight singlehandedly fed my cxgf obsession for a whole year

[@Emwaroccoanastasia]

there is such a small amount of crazy ex girlfriend analysis content, thank you for this! i love it!!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

yeah not much content for such a rich show!

[@cherrykitty1998]

I KNOW RIGHT!!! its criminal

[@bips3470]

one of my favorite little tidbits from this series is actually how they weaved episode titles into the seasons’ themes! during season 1, every episode title mentions Josh in some way, and they’re all exclamations to show how excited Rebecca is in her own delusion. in season 2, this persists but they are all framed as questions - potentially to drive home the idea of paranoia and self doubt. this keeps up in season 3 with full stops, to evidence her passive-aggressiveness and need for revenge, and then the focus shifts to Nathaniel. it’s not until season 4 where the titles begin with “I” and have no one else’s name on them, that Rebecca truly starts to focus on herself and her healing journey!

[@x_MirariM_x]

The show's writers didn't actually have a specific diagnosis in mind when writing the first two seasons. They showed clips of Rebecca's behaviour to real psychologists and asked what they might diagnose someone with these tendencies, and while it might seem backward I actually love this approach to mental illness, since it allows them to avoid stereotyping/preconceived biases and mirrors how actual people are diagnosed. It's a testament to how real and organic the writing in the show is, and how believable of a character Rebecca is, that they could perfectly capture a specific mental illness without even realising it.

[@deedreamerify]

I didn't know this! I'm doing a rewatch and this is a great piece of insight to bring into it, thank you for commenting this!

[@evildoesnotsleep-x2b]

there has never been a show like this, introspective and funny with loads of creativity infused in every detail

[@societycrumbles]

Criminally underrated show, so smart, clever, funny and touching. Everyone needs to see it.

[@thoraortegren]

as a person with bpd, the representation of my illness in this show honestly made me feel so seen. I first watched this when i was 16 and undiagnosed. Even then, I always related to Rebecca’s struggles. I really feel that this is the only accurate representation of bpd. Finally we aren’t just crazy people who manipulate others to get what we want,,, we’re actually people. We see Rebecca’s good and bad side. We see how compassionate she is, but also how impulsive. This show is a necessity for all borderlines. I watched the show again at 19, fresh after my diagnosis, and it was so helpful in my own healing. I cant thank Rachel Bloom enough for this show. I really wish more media out there would reduce the stigma around borderline. I just watched “bodies bodies bodies” and one of the characters reveals their mom is a “borderline” and the whole cast treats it like it’s this crazy disease and if her mom had it, then she does and she must be the one murdering everybody! That made me feel so shitty. CEG, shows that we are all human, despite our diagnosis.

[@peachberrypie]

I was diagnosed with anxiety, then depression, then bpd by 3 different therapists, not sure who to trust, but I see myself in the character. I do a lot of what she does and I have been doing it for years lol

[@jovanakrivokapic]

Everybody should watch it honestly, such a good quality show and beyond hilarious too, loved itttt. AND THE RIDICULOUS INTRO SONGS, made me giggle so much

[@SerenaSkybourne]

hahah my favourite is "I'm just a girl in love"

[@SweenyTodd98]

This show is so good! I actually got to see Rachel Bloom perform live back in the fall of 2019. Being in the audience and getting to sing "You Stupid Bitch" back to her was an incredible experience!

[@Danielle-zq7kb]

So lucky! I saw the televised version of the live musical show.

[@thaboiinblue]

This was one of the CW’s BEST shows. SUCH high quality and excellent acting, musical performances, comedy, writing, and heart. My favorite songs were “I’m So Good At Yoga” (you HAVE to listen to it uncensored), “Stuck in the Bathroom”, “Sex with a Stranger”, “Don’t Settle For Me”, and “Let’s Generalize About Men”. Also Paula’s “Face Your Fears” was HILARIOUS!

[@ayaaralemua7154]

Run with scissors 😂

[@BurnTheTeddy]

the boyband with four joshes is HILARIOUS too

[@themanfromhell24]

i loved the show... except for the songs. they were honestly the worst part, to the point that i would have to skip through to the next scene every time. most of them would start out great, but then would go on for waaaaaayyy too long. It ended up giving me the impression that they were being extended to fill time, which was disappointing from a show that is otherwise full of attention to detail.

[@elicohen4515]

This was a great show and I’m very happy to see people engage with it even years after it ended

[@befaithfully]

I watched the show at least three times - some episodes even more. Also I listen to many songs on spotify. And just watching this video makes me wanna watch the show again. 😊

[@devisrina]

Oh my god it’s an amazing show! Season 3 was my favourite season. The plane scene really hit my feels, and I’m so glad that the flight attendant was there and offered her kindness. Although I am team Nathaniel, and I like to believe they get together afterwards, I like the key message that she didn’t have to get together with someone and I like that she is just doing what she loved.

[@writerwannabe8778]

Same. I loved Nathaniel. Ugh, and strip away my conscience is my favourite song. There's also an edit of the show, with the song 'Reasons not to die', I think you'd probably like. It's how discovered that song. I love the song and the video shows clips of my favourite episode that means so much to me, of Rebecca's therapist telling her ''she deserves love'' and hopes ''you'll one day believe that'' (to Rebecca.)

[@BigMacsm245]

Multiple Crazy Ex videos? Amazing! It's such a great show. Netflix done a bad job advertising it (I know it's the CW but we don't get CW where I live) looked very generic and boring in their previews but I watched it because I liked Racheal Bloom and it turned out to be one of the best shows of all time! You can really tell that a lot of love was put into the show.

[@rahbeeuh]

Netflix doesn't do well advertising much of anything

[@BigMacsm245]

@@rahbeeuh True, It amazes me how many of their previews still use the "random clips with a voice over narrator who isn't even in the show" like it's still the 90's. It's like the south park voice over parody but they're still using it seriously.

[@rahbeeuh]

@@BigMacsm245 the show aired in a completely different time for TV. It was originally set to air on Showtime but that deal fell through. I think had it aired on Showtime their promo would've been different. With a show like CXGF I don't think most networks know what to do with it bc of how different it is

[@hillakatz5855]

yasssss i fucking love this show, all the characters are so well-written and 3-dimensional. theyre all presented as stereotypes that the show eventually inverts through their respective character arcs. there were also so many times i was watching this show where someone will say something in dialogue or song and id be like "oh wow ive always thought that too, i didn't know other people did as well!"

[@SickGirl666]

I love rewatching this show. Its so comforting and I love the humor in it 😭 its so good

[@ivbwatchwithme8501]

Thank you for sharing this! I’m so glad I have another person to talk about this show with! In 2021, I got a tattoo of the 11 o’clock symbol at the very end of the show and last year, I showed it to Rachel Bloom herself. She is incredibly sweet and I even got to have a conversation of substance with her where I showed her a picture of my niece. This show and her work are the reason why I want to break into the world of television writing. She’s my hero and the fact that I got a real moment with her means so much to me!!! And your analysis of this was fantastic! I look forward to hearing more of what you have to say!

[@writerwannabe8778]

I'm happy you got to meet her and that this show brought you so much. Awesome! Also: that's such a cool tattoo with a great story. Love from another CEG fan.

[@mountaindew9]

I love this show, I'm here for some more analysis. I really think this show is criminally underrated, I wish it had more seasons because it is just so fun to watch

[@neivilde.1242]

i love that show so much, like the arc rebecca goes through is amazing, and i love every character in it, and how they get meaningful storylines also, and are 3 dimentional

[@writerwannabe8778]

It nails every aspect of a series and there's not many shows that do this. It's my absolute favourite show. And I love Rebecca's character so much. Along with all the characters in the show being really funny, with their own uniqueness and the diversity of their various storylines which gives the show so much going for it.

[@JonNewsh]

This video is like having someone read me for 40 minutes straight… Honestly Rachael did an amazing job with the show! You can very much tell it came from personal experience and that’s what makes it so relatable and honest. I think that’s why it may have no been widely enjoyed though, it’s very much understandable seeing Rebecca’s actions through the lense of mental illness, but if an audience member hasn’t experienced that they may not understand her. Plus some people going through those struggles may not want the reminder and feel uncomfortable while watching it.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

What do you think Crazy Ex-Girlfriend should have been renamed instead? It may have done better as a show if people didn’t assume that it was sexist based on the title

[@rahbeeuh]

Here are some possible alternatives: 1. West Covina 2. Love Kernels 3. When was the last time you felt happy? 4. The Villain in my Own Story 5. Exes Gonna Ex 6. Meet Rebecca 7. Tell me I'm okay 8. Swim Chan

[@SerenaSkybourne]

@@rahbeeuh i loveeee "west covina" for some reason hahaha

[@rahbeeuh]

@@SerenaSkybourne the song could be a factor lol. It's so fun! I just listened to it yesterday

[@xxlin2]

I didn't check it out for the longest time because I assumed it would be a very different show

[@joelpartee594]

Different title for each Season, maybe call each one a Series British style. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Girl In Love, You Do/You Don't Want to be Crazy, Meet Rebecca. Alternatively: In Love, with West Covina

[@anawieder5003]

Rebeccas relationship with Naomi is a classic example of splitting. Either she idealizes her mother which makes her feel terrible about herself, or she devalues Naomi which gives her someone to blame (to be fair Naomi is extremely invalidating most of the time). The same is true with her dad (mostly idealizing) until all the facts force her to confront the the truth of who he is. She definitely needs dbt to resolve her extreme views of herself and others

[@lindseybellamy6374]

I am so glad people love this show. I am always recommending it and I don't know anyone who has watched it and it's so good. Looking forward to the rest of the videos ❤

[@ag00714]

This show really hits home for me as my sister was diagnosed with bpd, and it kind of helped me come to terms with it in a way. I never had a good relationship with her as she was often behind many of the worst points in my life and while watching the show I could never truly sympathize with Rebecca and I didn't know why. A few days after watching season 3(?) she came to me with her diagnosis and I was able to see many if their similarities. While at first I was conflicted on how I felt (happy that she could get help but still angry about past actions) the show helped me to better understand and to see that her even getting the diagnosis was a big step. Our relationship has gotten better however there's still a bit of cautious distance. Either way this is an amazing show that I truly hold dear.

[@xooeyengmann2020]

OMGGGGG I never realised how badly I needed you to talk about this show I'm so excited!!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

it's our time babyyyy

[@Spicie95]

I just finished binge-watching the show last night, and I love it!! The title doesn't bother me, since it actually gives the narrative to the ex-girlfriend and reminds us that sometimes people do bad things because of trauma or mental struggles which they need to deal with.

[@val834]

Crazy ex girlfriend helped me through one of the most disappointing break ups of my life. To me it’s absolutely crazy this show is not popular because I think it’s a masterpiece. It’s incredibly written and shot. Some people might be put off by the musical aspect, but also that is perfectly inserted in the plot. This show is genuinely the smartest show of the past decade, it knows exactly where it needs to end and every step is perfectly planned. It’s so significant to me that, even being one of my favorite shows of all times, I can’t binge it. I grieved my relationship with it, I started my healing journey because of it and when it ended I was ready to put that relationship away and move on. THANK YOU SO MUCH for talking about it, I hope your series will bring a whole new audience to it and make people discover it. Who knows, maybe someone in the community is going through something similar as my experience and the show will help them through it like it did for me! 💖

[@Cassper11]

THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS! I love this show, I love her and as someone with BPD it’s amazing to see it portrayed in the show ❤

[@SerenaSkybourne]

can't wait to share the rest of the series!

[@By_Ash_Away]

Finding this show the summer before I went to college was so eye opening for me. Even in just the first few episodes I felt seen in a way no show ever had made me feel before. No, I hadn’t done most of the specific things Rebecca did, but it felt so radical to see a show depict the underbelly of these ‘quirky’ decisions. I was the person whose entire day was put on hold because my crush(es) hasn’t texted me back. I felt there was something wrong with me that I had to keep hidden from the world. So seeing Rebecca do and feel those same things was amazing. I kept thinking ‘I can’t believe they’re doing this’ because I hadn’t seen a show deal with a character like her that way before.

[@By_Ash_Away]

Also - Feeling Kinds Naughty was a shock for me, as someone who is queer but also had self image issues and had difficulty figuring out when I wanted to be LIKE someone or be WITH them.

[@pjhunt4135]

Must admit I haven't caught this show yet but you've inspired me to look out for it

[@SerenaSkybourne]

it's on netflix! would def recommend

[@lestervalentin5418]

totally LOVE this analysis and would love to hear more of your analyses, especially about paula and valencia because i think that after rebecca, they are the 2 most interesting characters and have shown the most growth throughout the show

[@katarinakrnjevic8183]

Crazy ex girlfriend is one of best tv shows of 2010s that should get more popularity. It's musical yet it has both good comedic and dramatic moments.

[@jesserivera2043]

Meet Rebecca. That's the name I feel the show can go with, which also allows the timeline to work up to the season 4 theme song

[@sontaranmc2109]

Yesss, I love this series! Great video, I agree with everything you said, and have some stuff that I think might be interesting additions in future episodes. So, first off, BPD is actually a somewhat controversial diagnosis in a lot of psychology spheres. Not so much in that it's never correct, just that it's sometimes used irresponsibly and in a misogynistic way. Basically, there's a long, storied history of psychologists using diagnostic labels to medicalize women's "problematic" behavior, with the most infamous classic edition being "hysteria". But also, once hysteria fell out of fashion as a diagnosis, you start to see an uptick in diagnoses of HPD, which is now easily the least commonly diagnosed cluster B disorder after being recognized as misogynistic as well. BPD is, according to some, the latest iteration of this phenomenon. Though of course, as I said, it's kind of an ongoing controversy because there are some people (Rebecca being an example as a character) where it does seem to be a helpful label! It's just a tricky subject, though I think the show handled it decently well. For a little more detail on where the criticism comes from, there are two particular diagnoses that false BPD diagnosis is associated with: autism and CPTSD. A *lot* of autistic women get diagnosed with BPD due to autistic women's greater tendency to mask themselves, and the ways that bullying and social deprivation as kids can lead to them being somewhat obsessive in they relationships they make as adults. Which, while I don't think it's intentional, does seem somewhat mirrored in Rebecca's general difficulty being herself and historic struggles with friendships. I personally see a lot of myself in that side of her, though of course that is just me. The other, and arguably more important one here, would be CPTSD, which is basically when consistent, ongoing trauma, especially as a child, causes you to adjust to living in an actively hostile environment. It would tend to go hand in hand with BPD for obvious reasons, since both are associated with formative childhood trauma. But sometimes BPD is used dismissively as a diagnosis, essentially saying "here's the problem, you have Bad Person disorder, and here's how you can fix it." Like I said, tricky subject. For my two cents as a student in the field, the most important thing is putting the human first over everything. And that's what makes the show so special, I think--I know very few shows that introduce a character, lets them exist on their own as just... themselves, and *then* give them a diagnosis. Usually that's part of their presented identity as a character from the very beginning, which allows their diagnosis to become essentially an all-consuming archetypal trope for them to fulfill, and that's just not good for people who actually experience these disorders. And I liked how you (accurately) called out that Valencia shares a lot of Rebecca's "crazy" behaviors that got her diagnosed, because those of us with mental illnesses aren't totally different or inhuman, we just have an unhealthy balance of traits and coping mechanisms that are, fundamentally, very human. Rebecca's BPD diagnosis process is basically what these sorts of things are supposed to do, which is provide people with community and frameworks to better understand themselves to they can start to heal. But if she had that diagnosis from the start of the show, I think it would be a much weaker effect, because audiences are conditioned to view anybody with a diagnosis label through a medical lens of problem correction, which is one that serves nobody.

[@rea.neeko.artemis]

i personally like how the title of the show is! it is no secret that from the get-go one could easily assign rebecca as a crazy ex-girlfriend because of how intense her obsessions are, with stalking and manipulation to make herself appear appealing to josh. and then throughout the series we get to know rebecca and how nuanced she actually is, how her childhood traumas and lack of self-worth impact her, how her unmedicated and untherapised behavior is... she's so very human. so by the end of it, the show brings nuance to the term "crazy ex-girlfriend" in itself by humanising the people such a label could be placed on.

[@tatehildyard5332]

One thing I'll say though is that intentions aside, Naomi Bunch was a pretty blatant abusive mother. She verbally belittled and undermined Rebecca at every available opportunity, locked her into a career path from the time she was a child, incentivized her eating disorder, and ignored the blatant cry for help that was her first suicide attempt and even when Rebecca's mental instability was shoved right in her face during the arson trial, she saw no reason to change or examine anything. She just sent her off to a quack, put on pills she clearly was not responding to positively and put her right back on the path she had that caused the breakdown in the first place because she cared more about the idea of Rebecca and how she represented Naomi as a parent than Rebecca herself. Suddenly making an effort right before another suicide attempt and then walking it all back by the next time you see each other does not make up for it. Think about how badly Rebecca was crushed under Naomi's thumb that a decision made in the midst of a literal nervous breakdown still put her on a more emotionally positive path than any point with Naomi involved in her life. I'm not solely blaming Naomi, but I'm just trying to say this is not a mother character who deserves the good grace of a sympathetic analysis.

[@vivvy_0]

loved her song tho 👀😂

[@DominionMovementDotOrg]

it makes me wonder if she is actually codependent due to having narcissistic and neglectful parents who never actually raised her but instead used and ignored her. it makes sense that this would lead her to continuously struggle due to that, including getting pathologized and scapegoated

[@yeetyeet1655]

@@DominionMovementDotOrgThe grand majority of people diagnosed with BPD have immense childhood trauma, so this does make sense

[@sparklingdaisy3169]

This made so much sense to me. How Rebecca acts similar to how i act whenever i get new friends and i end up ruining them by oversharing and getting obsessive. I might restart therapy again. There have been a few times where i questioned whether i have BPD or not.

[@explodingmangos3416]

23:30 I like the headcannon that Valencia has ASD and just got really good at masking it because she’s pretty so people wouldn’t press too hard, I think Rebecca mentions it to her like once but Valencia brushes her off and it’s never brought up again!

[@DaisyDine]

OMG .. When I tell you I SCREAMED when I saw the title!!! So Excited that you will cover this amazing show in a full- series! YEY !! Thank you so much! I literally re-watched it for the third time last month and was thinking about how exciting would it be to hear your thoughts on it 😊

[@SerenaSkybourne]

omg trust me, you're as enthusiastic as I am!!

[@bbrenduhh]

Loved this so much I started rewatching the show and it was better than I remembered! Why the need to know if it’s spiders’ or spider’s warms my soul I will never know but it is a high priority and immensely satisfying when clarified

[@rahbeeuh]

I saw a comment under one of the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songs mention how the songs are likely how Rebecca imagines it vs the character's imagination. I s'pose that makes sense but like you said it's hard to separate which is the case. 🎉 SPOILERS AHEAD 🎉 I think of the episode in the last season where they're in a play. Those are their real voices vs how we've heard them in prior episodes. So maybe there's sum'n to that comment.

[@joelpartee594]

I split the songs into categories. There are a lot of songs that are showing us Rebecca's perspective - like "West Covina". There are songs that show us the perspective of another character, like Greg singing "What'll It Be". There are songs I feel are coming from the show itself satirizing what's going on - "Sexy Getting Ready Song" is an early example of that. Crucially, I don't think any of the songs are "written by" Rebecca, because she doesn't have that level of self-awareness or sense of humour - we see her songwriting in that episode with a musical play, and it's completely earnest and humourless.

[@floatingvibez]

Very thoughtful analysis! You’re absolutely correct, this is a highly underrated and under reported about show! Rebecca Bloom is incredible

[@stellablake6200]

So excited you're covering this show! 😊 I felt the same way about her getting diagnosed when I watched it the first time, like by season three I was worried they weren't ever going to address what was really going on with her, but I was so glad when they did. And as a bisexual musical theater nerd whose undiagnosed mental illness reaked havoc on my life until I was finally able to get a diagnosis and learn coping skills, this show is basically everything I've ever wanted lol

[@habeashumor9814]

I was starting to cry during this video. I love CEG, but I also have yet to finish it because it's so close to home for me that it cuts deep. I come from the same comedy/musical theater community in NYC that Bloom is from, PLUS I'm a lawyer with daddy issues and abandonment issues.

[@luhguren]

Not just a single video about CxG from Serena, but A WHOLE SERIES of them??? I'm here for it!!! Such a genious show!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@Isabelle-hv6ny]

Still so thankful for this video. I wanted to watch this but thought: "Maybe watch the show first" And I binged the show. It was sooo amazing. I can not believe that I almost missed it. Now I am ready for your videos😂❤

[@lindseybellamy6374]

On the theme of female lead shows where they are the anti-hero I highly recommend Yellowjackets it's absolutely amazing. So many layers to the show its fantastic x

[@Kelps_K]

Omg YESSSSS!!! I literally listened to the soundtrack yesterday! 😃❤ Love the show so much! My fave song is "Don't be a lawyer", what's yours? 😊

[@Soapsim]

I quit watching the show early on in the fourth season because I felt it went downhill and couldn't take my frustration with Rebecca's character anymore. I don't mind that she is deeply flawed but I found it hard to continue to suspend disbelief at what her friends put up with from her. Every time they needed something from her, she ended up letting them down. You brought up her offering to watch Paula's kid to prove to Paula that she can be a good friend, but did not mentioned that she then LOST THE CHILD somewhere because ultimately she did get swept up in her own obsessions again.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

yeahh it's odd how lenient people are with her at times

[@joelpartee594]

That's certainly fair, but I love the fourth season. It's got a lot of great resolutions, some very funny and surprising episodes, and a killer series finale. It helps me to remember that this show is about radical empathy and the need for self care - Rebecca is me when I'm at my worst, and this show tells me I can be better.

[@Htmss]

Omg been waiting

[@Babbalucia1986]

Oooooh. I was waiting for this! Absolutely underrated!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

thankyouuuu

[@neoscencez]

Yaaay! One of my absolute favourites shows and such an amazing portrayal of mental health and growth.

[@bellalalala3327]

SERENA THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THIS!! i love cxgf and ur channel!!!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

awww my pleasure

[@nuggetdoja871]

Thank you for talking about one of my favorite shows!

[@dilfpickler]

Another thing I absolutely love about this show is all the musical theater references and how well they emulate the media theyre molded after, while still telling the story perfectly!

[@bitchlasagna1]

Frankly I’m terrified of this show. There’s such little representation of Borderline PD, and when we are represented it’s usually as the crazy ex gf/bf/friend with no deeper conversation into the disorder and it’s complexities. I’m just worried ab how accurate and potentially harmful this show is for those w BPD (not saying it is or it isn’t, I haven’t seen the show, just that it’s always scared me to watch bc I don’t know how well represented I’ll feel)

[@gravity-arbor]

I think it was handled with a lot of nuance and humour. I don’t know if it would trigger but do believe it’s really thoughtfully done (when you watch the whole series, particularly ).

[@rahbeeuh]

The title of the show is to deconstruct the crazy ex-girlfriend trope. Some people didn't watch the show bc of the title. I don't have BPD but from what I've heard the show handles the topic in a nuance manner.

[@bitchlasagna1]

@@rahbeeuh yeah it wasn’t even bc of the title of the show because I kinda got that the title was supposed to be a call out to the harmful stereotypes surrounding the disorder, but I still didn’t watch cuz I just don’t have confidence in writers to represent well, and also bc while the title is meant to deconstruct that narrative, if you don’t actually watch the show and do the work to understand that point it really does just reinforce it to those who hear ab the show briefly but never watch it or look into it more

[@mystic0screams]

​​@@bitchlasagna1 I don't have Bpd but if it helps I did watch a good number of therapists who reacted to how well the representation of the personality disorder and therapy sessions f the show went and they did have a very favourable response. If I recall correctly, an actual doctor was consulted before the writers gave her the diagnosis Bpd to see if the symptoms and portrayal was correct. And personally, I had never heard of Bpd before this show and felt like a gained a new understanding as to why Rebecca acts the way she does. Basically at the heart of it all, the show is about a woman who based her identity on having the surface level perfect life and realizes that it's eating at her. She's not perfect, far from it and sometimes downright unlikeable and this is her journey recognizing that and finally learning to like herself.

[@InfiniteAnvil]

I can't vouch for the accuracy, but I felt like they treated the diagnosis and the character with kindness, but without kid gloves. Like, we see her do genuinely selfless things, but we also see what she's like when she's spiraling.

[@lisisttan]

Thank you for talking about CXG! It's honestly my favourite, I think we all can relate to Rebecca at some point of the show... Lovely video!

[@stellablake6200]

It might have been interesting if the show had just been called Rebecca. I haven't read the novel Rebecca, but my understanding is that it's about a woman who married a widower whose first wife was named Rebecca, and at first it seems like Rebecca was this wonderful person who the narrator feels like she can never live up to but then eventually it comes out that Rebecca wasn't really the person most people thought she was and their marriage was actually kind of a sham. It might have been weird to draw that connection when I don't think the show is at all based on the novel, but there are definitely parallels with both Rebeccas being manipulative and invested in convincing everyone around them that they're good people

[@wlk3607]

i seriously loved this show! so glad to see you talk about it

[@chadluetje989]

It's always a blast to see more Crazy Ex Girlfriend content

[@corinnelucy8165]

This was a great video and I'm commenting for the algorithm but also it really made me laugh that you said "a song with George" and the song is "tell me I'm okay Patrick"

[@valentinagrazulevicius6058]

thank you so much for this! going to rewatch asap

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Have fun!

[@mariellanylund4939]

Yes yes yes, my fave show!!!

[@lori1069]

Thank you for this! My favorite show of all time, i am always trying to get everyone I know to watch it.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@kelleynele]

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO ❤ i’m always saying how this show is criminally underrated

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Yeah I agree and it’s sad how no one I know has seen it

[@amarijackson9270]

i swear you make a video about every single one of my faves!!!!!!!!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

It’s like telepathy at this point

[@alejandraramirez8894]

we seriously need to talk more about this show

[@kaotaja_jess]

I have never clicked a video so quickly

[@AlvaSudden]

I am subscribing after less than a minute into the video. Thanks for doing this.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

damn thats so cool! I've got another video in this series coming this week

[@melvasaiel]

Every week or so I do a specific search to see if there's any new Crazy Ex-Girlfriend content. I don't know why KZbin doesn't just show them to me....but anyway, I just found your video and I'm excited to dive in! Subscribed!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

omg welcome to the fam and I can't wait to share the rest of this series! another video coming in 1 week

[@luisgerardonolascolopez7615]

my favorite number in all the show is the math of love triangles ,because you get to see her own self loathing in an interesting way, shes smart, all the puns and facts in the song she knows herself but she dumbs herself, demeaning her own intelligence to be likeable to men, how the backdancers react to her is also herself noting her own selfishness and them being gay hammers on how she feels incompatible and rejected by men through and through

[@xpa-beads501]

This was such a great analysis! Also you look gorgeous, the outfit is so cute :)

[@SerenaSkybourne]

thankyou perfecttt

[@aljosathewise]

great analysis. i love the show. def my favorite show ever. wrote my thesis on it

[@SerenaSkybourne]

That's awesome!

[@brittnis7294]

This show is a masterpiece and so necessary but it doesn't surprise me that its underrated / only found a niche audience. I am surprised, and grateful that it got as many seasons as it did and was able to tell a complete story. It is interesting to compare this to something like Bojack with a male protagonist antihero that also suffered from mental illness. Cxgf definitely did not get as much appreciation or recognition/ mainstream success as Bojack did unfortunately.

[@jx-x3326]

ive been waiting so long for crazy ex-girlfiend deep dives!! THANK YOU

[@SerenaSkybourne]

theres a real shortage

[@peacockin1]

Looking forward to more cxg vids 😊. Theres so much to dissect in this show its not suprising. I do think that unfortunately the title maybe put people off from watching it initially. But the songs theyll stay in my head forever 🎶

[@SerenaSkybourne]

i acc love the title, it's a shame it got misinterpreted

[@joelpartee594]

@@SerenaSkybourne I think I was put off by the combination of the title and it being on The CW. I now give The CW enormous props for renewing the show through its fourth season, despite the low ratings.

[@fad23]

I feel the need to rewatch the whole series. In any case, I'm stoked that on Saturday i will finally get to see Rachel Bloom in concert!

[@dilfpickler]

THANK YOU for this CEGF content!! Theres so little content for this masterpiece of a show, i clicked Immediately and i had a great time!! You brought up so many of the points that my fiance and I do when we talk aboit this show, and some new points I havent thought about before! Subscribing immediately 🥰

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Can’t believe so many people don’t talk about this show now, we need to stop sleeping on it haha

[@dancincoolkid]

I started watching because of the musical theatre in me, but then I realized there was more going on. Great (1st video) analysis!

[@Cas0669]

Excellent video :)

[@toric6005]

6:18 It’s like the line in A Boy Band Made Up of Four Joshes, 🎶Every man you date is just a stand in for your dad!🎶

[@kalystaortiz3701]

i love the way you explain it and quote her because while i was aware of the show and it’s message, this really made me relate to it even more and it’s something about myself i never fully understood and i love your analysis with your mentions of male centered -ness and limerence

[@SerenaSkybourne]

I'm so glad!

[@felixpelayo3268]

I misjudged the show when it aired and didn't watch until I saw discussions on it, and watched on Netflix. I loved it until the last season and the jail arc, got too out there for me. But it is a perfect name for the show...?! Great video!

[@liisaky]

I really love this show!!

[@strawbyarts]

always so so happy to see crazy ex gf videos!! i loved this and enjoyed a lot of the things you said! i absolutely love this show so i can't wait for the other videos you have planned :)

[@SerenaSkybourne]

omg so happy you're here

[@Danielle-zq7kb]

I misjudged the show based on the name, but it is perfect. Embarrassingly, Netflix kept telling me I would like it, so I finally gave the pilot a shot and really liked the music and the premise. Rachel Bloom did a fantastic job.

[@PrincessSybilla77]

I love this series so much

[@smsgrl]

i can't wait to hear your thoughts on paula! love u xx

[@SerenaSkybourne]

omg you guys are gonna be shocked

[@bonjoon]

oh YES, finally someone talking about this show!!!!!!!

[@Danielle-zq7kb]

I want to see this show as a Broadway musical! Really I want to see Rachel Bloom create something for Broadway.

[@bambida1st]

So this is a great video. Just one note: George works with her at the law firm and she can never remember his name, Patrick is the poor delivery man who she trauma dumps on begs to tell her she’s ok in song.

[@catalinacalico]

Liked and subscribed to see part two! This show was both amazing and scary. Scary because I couldn't believe how much I related to Rebecca. It was challenging to see just how many parallels I could draw between her and I, even down to being in a shitty high school production of South Pacific XD But it is also kind of freeing to know that the struggles that I've silently dealt with aren't actually that unique, and that someone in my position can turn their life around.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

part two is coming in a few days!

[@lindseycassella3015]

Crazy ex girlfriend analysis from Serena Skybourne??! I'm so here for this!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

😍😍😍😘

[@guerrazun]

i hate that every time people talk about her relationship with the professor as "obsessive" and not about the obvious grooming.

[@carolinamoraes193]

Loved your video!! Crazy ex girlfriend is such a brilliant show, it should be more recognised. I think one thing that its super important in the building of Rebecca as a chracter is her internalized sexism. We see how she is a feminist and know how sexism are terrible for women, but still wants to absorve those roles in her life. She is a strong, intelligente woman, but in "The Math of Love Triangle" she depicts herself as a cute-dumb woman, cause the sexism creates this idea the for a woman to be loveble she has to be like that.

[@jahipalmer8782]

I accidentally started watching Crazy Ex Girlfriend and OMG! I had no idea that something so interesting and well-written could exist. I freaking loved it so hardcore.

[@Jae_Cee]

SUBSCRIBED - CexG needs more analysis

[@DNLALSA34]

Thank you for making a video on CXGF!! I know the fandom is starved for content lmao

[@thetova6232]

This is my favourite show ever and I love that you are talking about it please help me convince my bf to whach it