Valencia: The Other Woman | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Analysis

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Twitter: / harrisonchute
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One of the great things about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is how it surprises you, setting you up for one thing and then giving you the ol’ shim-sham, beginning with the title. You have a character like Valencia, who you might think you’ll hate or have to hate, and that’s proven false over the course of the season.

[@gabrielleruizofficial]

Harrison, This video is so incredibly thought through and well said. WOW! Thanks for detangling Valencia's pysche even more than I already attempted to do. SO well done! I'm even more flattered that Valencia is compared to Robocop and Star Wars. Makes complete sense. Gratitude also is given to the creators and writers of CXGF. They're so brilliant, ten steps ahead and are ready to take on Season 3. I hope you're just as excited as I am to see what's in store! xoGabrielle

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Thank you so much for watching! :0 :0 :0

[@rainy905]

Bagels After Midnight can you do an analysis of Greg

[@gjssub]

Gabrielle Ruiz I'll finish reading your comment, just give me a second, I saw your name and had a heart attack and then fell in to a short coma 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@gjssub]

Gabrielle Ruiz I'll finish reading your comment, just give me a second, I saw your name and had a heart attack and then fell in to a short coma 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@MrSamMaloney]

I am legitimately impressed that an actor would take the time to watch fan's videos. That is really cool.

[@viovenda8922]

Honestly Valencia would have been valid if she got a restraining order against Rebecca like a month after she started stalking them. Valencia is the most forgiving and understanding person on this show. Every character's tolerance of Rebecca is unrealistic but Valencia's is the most wild imo.

[@alyssapinon9670]

Yeah White Josh’s reaction to Rebecca was the most realistic tbh

[@pussydestroyer69285]

as a fan of this show i agree. i think even though becca got consequences for her actions, people were still so easily forgiving and loving

[@Cowardlantis1]

Spinoff Valencia show. Where they refilm all the events from the show but from valencias perspective and narrative. I'd be interesting

[@matthewwalker3131]

lycraboy76 i eouldnt watch it as a full show, but a community style clipshow could work

[@angeliquemariel2916]

I would totally freaking watch that!!!!😃😃🙌🙌🙌

[@amber3574]

Hell YES. I’m here for it.

[@indigoziona]

"I'm not afraid of clowns and trains... My father didn't leave me" One of my favourite early insights into Rebecca's mind!

[@thanatos101b]

Oh, and it should be acknowledged that, at the end of season two, Valencia is the most overtly and traditionally heroic character on the show, by all sorts of definitions. Rebecca betrays her in a deep, primal, visceral way. Every time Rebecca and Valencia attempt to become close (in the second episode, as bridesmaids, and then after the music festival) Rebecca betrays that closeness by her feelings for Josh. Valencia is sadly stuck in a cycle of getting sucked into friendship with Rebecca and then getting betrayed. Her only way to break the cycle was, essentially, to get over Josh. But that still doesn't mean it didn't hurt when Rebecca chose Josh over her (which is exactly what she did). Rebecca and Valencia had a few gruff conversations, but mostly Valencia expressed ambivalent and ambiguous feelings and wanted space from Rebecca. However, Rebecca completely falls apart during wedding planning and Valencia, seeing it, rides into the rescue. Not only is she the hero who quite literally saves Rebecca... but, if you read Lev Grossman's "The Magician King" the protagonist, Quentin, desperately wants to be the hero of the story, imagining heroism is grand and glorious and ends in a parade and true love with the girl. Sadly for him, the book deconstructs all his notions of heroism revealing that the hero is the person who sacrifices everything so no one else has to. Essentially, the hero is the person who winds up eating all the shit. And that's also what Valencia does. It isn't simply that she's saving Rebecca from her impossible ideals of wedding planning, but she sacrificing decades of her life in order to do it. She's handing Rebecca her own fantasy wedding (including being married to Josh). The end product of all those years pushing Josh to get married and planning what that wedding would be like were wasted, only to be handed over to the woman who consistently had dubious intentions in their friendship. She is a frickin' superhero.

[@GoddessLuna23]

Yes!

[@omg9261]

Such a great insight. Thank you!

[@lettucelive]

Whenever I hug another woman and she smells good I'm ALWAYS tempted to say "you smell like roasted corn!"

[@annieranai2198]

Wouldn't that be a wonderful way to recognise other CXG fans though?

[@thanatos101b]

One of the things I think they did that was fascinating about Valencia is that they introduced her as basically everything that makes Rebecca insecure. They literally had "Rebecca sucks" as a refrain. But really, really, really quickly it was switched to Rebecca making Valencia insecure and Valencia not even particularly bothering Rebecca. This is most obvious when Rebecca pulls up with the party bus. Josh thinks its awesome, which of course triggers Valencia's defensiveness since Rebecca is providing something for Josh that she can't. So she attempts to assert her dominance over Rebecca through her sexuality, first by talking about sitting in Josh's lap and then by stripping off her dress to show off her body. Rebecca's reaction though is to start making fun of her for owning a rip offable dress, rather than being made insecure because of Valencia's beauty. Valencia sees Rebecca as cool, funny, and smart, all qualities she doesn't believe she possesses. For all of Rebecca's manipulative and controlling nature... she does go with the flow in a way Valencia can't. Valencia demands perfection in everything around her (remember the table she rejected) as an outgrowth of her obsessive demands of perfection for herself. While Rebecca is a giant mess and ever her delusional perspective on herself can't overcome that obvious of a trait, but it allows her to have fun and be fun in a way Valencia is blocked from (in, at least, season one). The perfect example being when Josh invites her to come over the empty apartment and slide around in their socks, it's the kind of simple fun that Valencia simply can't have. Further more Rebecca is funny. Her quick wit and general willingness to be self-deprecating and weird allows her to engage with people in a way (season one) Valencia simply can't. She doesn't consider herself witty enough to make jokes, nor smart enough to get them. And she just shoves all of that anxiety into "I don't like humor." Rebecca's not afraid to be weird (see everything she does in the first scene where she meets Valencia), but even flopped jokes are disarming and allow her to connect to people around her. Remember Valencia was watching youtube videos to try to learn how to make jokes, seemingly entirely out of her insecurity over Rebecca. And lastly, Rebecca is smart. In the entire show only Paula might be capable of keeping up with Rebecca's intelligence. She has an absurdly high IQ, she has the highest possible levels of educational credentials, and she can do things for people that seem basically magical (look at how she got Valencia a yoga studio). Valencia considers herself smarter than Josh, but she doesn't consider herself particularly smart. Rebecca's very basic qualities more or less quickly resolve her insecurities over Valencia, but ultimately hit Valencia in all of her most vulnerable psychological areas. Valencia's ultimate tragedy is that she has to keep herself looking perfect, because she doesn't believe she has any other quality anyone would find worth in. The show even pokes fun at this in season two where whatever weight she gained during her post-Josh depression is gone in a day or so without her even trying, subtly making a joke about how she puts work into something she doesn't actually have to put work into.

[@Tozzie50]

Yes, I agree, very interesting. Though I do think Valencia's insecurity about her weight isn't something to be taken lightly: Rebecca even attempted to start a conversation about body dysmorphia with her right before they hit Josh's girlfriend's cat.

[@GoddessLuna23]

Yes!

[@themanagement69]

Spot on

[@angeliquemariel2916]

ifuckinghate cantaloupe That’s so totally true!!

[@krischealgomez9806]

"A good villan is a hero I'm their own story" really deep

[@Tozzie50]

Once again, I love this. It's interesting how women are forced to go to two extremes: complete "obedience" to the male gaze, or the entire opposite, but still catering to what men want in a different sense. Both of these lack empowerment since they reject one another and use sexism as a defense. But in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, not only is it highlighted that these women can in fact be friends, it's made clear that their empowerment can manifest in basically anything they want, no matter how feminist or unfeminist it may seem. Valencia becomes a wedding planner and comes to terms with the fact that Josh may have never loved her, Rebecca becomes Paula's "wife", stands up to her boss by basically doing what he asked and rejects her father, Paula decides to forgive her husband, Heather moves out of her parents house and becomes the face of Miss Douche. Hell, ms Hernandez finally talks and teaches Rebecca a lesson. In the context of the show all of that can be considered empowerment, but within the confines of our current reality, a lot of them can be seen as the complete opposite. But in this show, it's made clear that empowerment has nothing to do with how it's perceived by the public, but what it means to you and in what way it brings you to respecting yourself. It means different things to different people, both in the context of their lives and what makes them feel good about themselves. And I think with Valencia it's made abundantly clear: she's the typical "girl" or woman, and the epitome of everything Rebecca is not. But her feminist revelation is triggered by talking about men and going back to the person she was before. Being very feminine isn't unfeminist, in fact, to bash femininity is sexist. And whereas Valencia's femininity was in fact toxic, many aspects of it weren't inherently wrong, and her continuing her life after Josh meant only changing the aspects of herself that led to her insecurities and the insecurities she purposely triggered in other women, changing them and using them in a positive way. For example, her perfectionism and focus on the male gaze worked very well when she became a wedding planner and bride "groomer", as did her strictness.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

That's such a great point; I didn't realize. Even two years ago, I would've been too young to appreciate that part of the show. To me, empowerment meant physical strength primarily, because that was so rare and so unpopular, so my fictional heroes were the Major from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Balsa from Moribito, two very powerful warriors. I don't know that I could've accepted 'wedding planner' in that pantheon because it's been so coded by society as 'frilly and feminine.' But what exactly about femininity is weak? Trevor Noah just did a bit about that on his comedy special, trying to reclaim the term 'pussy,' or at least demote the term 'penis.'

[@vincentlee8787]

This is such wonderful insight, Tosca, thanks for this. I want to be a better, more understanding ally and there is a lot in what you wrote that I want to take to heart. This show really demonstrates what a painfully unfair, incomplete depiction of femininity and empowerment we've been in exposed to in so much other media.

[@Shadow-zf5uc]

@@BagelsAfterMidnight Yes, and to define empowerment primarily through physical strength can also miss how important that a character's or person's mental and emotional strength is. To get back up after being beaten in a fight isn't just dependent on one's physical strength it also requires a strong and emotionally determined mind. On a more personal note, I am a fairly physically strong woman but I also have severe depressive episodes. For me, sometimes empowerment does look like going to the gym and lifting weights. However, some days empowerment for me looks like getting out of bed just barely long enough to make myself lunch.

[@manonklatt]

Valencia is such an interesting character she went from my least favourite character to probably my favourite character to the point where I cried tears of happiness during last night's episode just because I saw her finally being so happy

[@jessicab.8168]

These analyses are so well made. I'm glad you made one for Valencia. Despite her breakdown, she is seemingly the most rational character on the show. Her decisions and her reasoning make sense, and she is correct the entire season on Rebecca's motivations. Essentially, she's NOT wrong. She's right!

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

She was gonna blow the case wide open but then Trent turned out to be such a good liar (and a passionate kisser)

[@jessicab.8168]

Bagels After Midnight He's like if two Kennedy cousins mated. Do you think Trent has a role to play moving forward with Rebecca's development?

[@ra7271]

She is sympathetic to me because of how Josh's family assumed she was as deep as her facade. And then they loved Rebecca. That probably wore down her conceit and her more authentic sense of self started to shine through.

[@aquariusliu24]

I agree, it will be interesting to see paula and valencia do things together. To me paula is a mature woman, maybe a too mature too realistic woman who's always wanting to get her 'childhood dream' back (her romance with husband, her legal dream etc), and valencia is a girl who stuck in a high school mean girl mentality and struggle to grow up. They are the polar opposite. Now with rebecca, paula and valencia are both evolving towards the women they always wanted to be, it's interesting to see what they can see in each other in a new perspective.

[@kimberleyberg3593]

Analyzing Crazy Ex-Girlfriend by referencing robocop and Star Wars? This channel is everything ❤️

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

WOOT!

[@Fruitkiwi]

omg!!! gabrielle ruiz liked this!!

[@aady1209]

This video was made before s3 and 4 happened, but I just want to point out that Valencia getting together with Beth was so important for her development! She had finally grown out of the mean hot girl image she had forced herself to be and had healthy relationships with her friends, body and her life. But when she met Beth and Beth called her funny, and didn't immediately point out her that she looks good, it just became clear that she was perfect for her. Valencia has always defined herself as HOT and SEXY, but that's not all she is, and she had to be with someone that appreciates her completely, not just her appearance or her facade. Beth supported her career and her vanity, she helped Valencia find and redefine herself. She told her straight when she was not ready for marriage and made her realise on her own time that forcing marriage is not okay. So Valencia once again unlearned the forced patriarchal custom and proposed to Beth when they both felt ready. This is important not just because she was with a woman, so rules are different, but because she became mature and Beth made her realise she didn't have to manipulate her way into it. Communication was key. I also love that she didn't go all "marriage is not important" bc that would be unrealistic and tad homophobic. She wanted marriage just as much with Beth, as with Josh. So she went for what she wanted, but without manipulation this time. Valencia's arc is one of my favourite on the show! It gives so much insight into the way society forces us to think about ourselves.

[@MusicMeg2012]

This most reminds me of how Jenji Kohan says that the white privileged character of Piper was the trojan horse to tell other stories. It's like Valencia had to be this underdeveloped stereotype of a person in the beginning so there could be a push into a satisfying fully formed character's story. Just like the video says right in the beginning - crazy ex girlfriend is fantastic at flipping the script. They introduce you to one thing so that they can tell a story by making it the other. Which is why it's weirdly complex to try and get people to watch this show!

[@moviesmusicart]

cosmiccrash yes. I was just telling my friend why I love the show so much cuz every trope, every angle that's classic to storyline THEY SMASH to oblivion. nothing is really as it seems. love the analysis! please do more!

[@moviesmusicart]

oh she is :)

[@boricuabinks217]

I am so glad you chose to discuss Valencia so in depth. I definitely have to step back and take a good look at my female friendships now hahaha. I hope to see more of these videos from you (fingers crossed for a Dr. Akopian discussion such as her true role in the series and in Rebecca's life). but honestly I would be happy to see analysis of all the side characters.

[@phoebezimmerer7572]

Love Valencia! Please do another video about with the last two seasons of information and character development! Personally, it was a huge bomb for me to learn about her past relationship with Father Brah, and one that I felt, whether it was planned or not, shed a lot of light on the kind of person she became over the course of her relationship with Josh. Brah's rejection and her subsequent feelings of resentment towards Josh because of it leading her into a desperate attempt to mold Josh into someone he wasn't, because if this was what she lost the love of her life for, then dammit she was going to make it work. That tiny piece of information just recontextualized so much of how I understood the character and I'd love to see your take on it.

[@lorcannagle]

The article you cite being from the Daily mail is actually quite ironic in and of itself. The mail is an utter rag, and its women's pages are about an even mix of articles decrying the awful way women are treated, and articles that do the exact things that the other articles descry.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Ahh, I didn't know that. Unfortunate

[@lorcannagle]

I think in a lot of ways the fact that the article came from the Mail helps reinforce the points you raise about Valencia and her behaviour in the clip. The environment that newspapers like the Mail and various women's magazines foster is all about that dichotomy.

[@vincentlee8787]

Another brilliant video. You are doing incredible work with these videos. I really like how you point out that Valencia, in the process of self-actualization, didn't need to change the person she was. (15:36) CEG (CXGF?) has consistently risen above the facile "lessons" of other entertainment; in a lesser work, a repudiation of Valencia's lifestyle could have been the character throughline. But here, Rebecca herself says "she's back," and it's framed as something that we, as the audience, root for. I had been a little less in love with this particular part of Season 2, but like your Nathaniel video, you show the method behind the seeming meandering. Also, I was actually talking about CXGF today in relation to another great show, The Wire. (Fun fact, David Simon praised CXGF on Twitter.) I think you could make a comparison that CXGF critiques patriarchy and corrosive cultural norms in much the same way that The Wire critiques institutional failure. It's less about beating the bad guys (or romantic rivals) and more about understanding the ways in which people sometimes make self-destructive decisions in their struggle to exist within these flawed systems.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

There's a lot of surprising common ground between the two shows, but I will say that The Wire often explicitly speaks to those issues ("Follow the money" / "Juke the stats" / "Shine shit") where a lot of what's compelling about CXG (CExGf?) goes implicitly. Which is weird because there's a lot of telling and not showing ("[Audra] looks like you used to" / cut to: Rebecca in New York) In both shows, there's definitely a larger antagonistic element which isn't necessarily contained in any one person. Cop shows where the good guys shoot the bad guys are to The Wire what most sitcoms are to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, for sure. The latter two are actual blueprints for how to solve real problems humanely

[@ErikaHernandez-cy8lq]

I didn't got the title of this channel until I re-watach season 1, thumps ups on that. I think your analysis of valencia was on point. But i also kind of feel everyone (excep white josh) has been able to express the type of crazy ex they can be, and valencia was another aproximation.

[@MiracleWinchester]

"... giving her a fully realized self with a greater sense of agency and little diminishment of her personality beforehand..." brought tears honestly

[@BoneyGaf]

Great channel, and this video especially really nails the different subtexts the show operates on and how it wears them. The scene where Valencia exposes her insecurities towards Rebecca after the cheating her earlier exasperation in the party bus at what "being normal" elucidates how subversive the show can be. Really enjoyed your take on things and you not shying away from tackling complex conflicts. Keep it up!

[@sarahshaffer6593]

honestly man every time i see somebody associated with the show has watched your videos and liked them my heart warms right up. your analysis is considered, well-constructed, and fun to watch and your love for the show shines through every time you talk about it. tl;dr you deserve the all the love and recognition you're getting. congrats:)

[@4dultw1thj0b]

I don't think Rebecca is straight and we know Valencia isn't now, but other than that I really appreciate this analysis!

[@alight9781]

I love all of your CXG analysis. I haven't watched all of your videos yet but I love how much thought you put into these videos and how thorough they are. I'm a new fan of the show.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Thank you!

[@Diego-ur3cd]

I keep coming back to your Analysis Videos of CXG all the time. Thank you so much!! You did great.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Thank you!!

[@kiracarver988]

Great, thoughtful content. Very abrupt ending, though, it took me a minute to realise there was a second part.

[@s_tia_v]

great video! I love how the show is more than what it seems

[@SusySEGA]

Wowzers... I'm not the only one totally obsessed with this show! Keep it coming.

[@EternalYorkieMom]

I gotta say I love that you are a guy who loves Crazy Ex Gf. Also AMAZING ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT REFERENCE!!

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

A few days ago 2-3 guys launched a CXG podcast, something I've been waiting on forever -- "Crazy Ex-Boyfriends," on iTunes. They only have one episode, but it's always nice to hear enthusiasm about the show

[@rubysapphire14]

Really love these breakdowns

[@rockinhamburger6934]

Another great video! Thanks so much :) And oh my gosh, congrats on the response from Gabrielle Ruiz!!

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Haha I couldn't believe that!

[@obi-dawnpenobi1510]

What a great analysis! I'm about to watch it a second time.

[@ryr1974]

I was so not expecting this video to be so incredibly insightful and rich. I will look forward to more.

[@youmakemeblah]

Your videos are a fantastic analysis of this show! Please let me know of there is any way I can support you or help. This is the subscription I look forward to the most!

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Wow! Thank you! :D

[@tuamigajordana]

You both used Robocop and General Grievous in your analysis. My day cant get any better than that!

[@angiepants88]

I love your videos so much and I really appreciate the AD reference here. That's exactly how I am about CEG. I tell everyone I know about it.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

I worried about annoying people so much about the show I decided to just make these videos instead :/

[@justthecoolestdudeyo9446]

Fascinating analysis, thanks for the great work Bagels!

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Thank you for watching, Mr. Dude Yo!

[@justthecoolestdudeyo9446]

Bagels After Midnight It was my pleasure!

[@kiapet286]

This is the video that made me watch Crazy Ex Girlfriend.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Wow! Very glad to hear that

[@Unhappytimeaper]

I think what I like about Valencia is that she, despite being a more of side character is that she is easily one of the most dimensional. She is a villain at times- controlling, mean, and harsh to many people in her life. I don’t think it’s fair to wipe away negative actions as we begin to understand her more but she isn’t just that. Yes, insecurities and own fears are important to account for without being an excuse to how she can be down right nasty to people including Josh or Rebecca, even when we begin to see her as an outside perspective of being happy/sad as instead of “the other girl”. Of course it’s more as she learns it and steps outside of herself, which is something we all hope for people. She moves on from what could have beens into doing things for her as as she does the majority of the time her villainous traits go away (tho not always). We all will have villains in our lives and be villains in others because we are the other person in different peoples narratives. It really sucks at times we didn’t get more about how Valencia should have felt about how much Rebecca & Paula did hurt Valencia in season 1 continuing to treat it as a normal friendship but I do really like how mutlifaced this character is if you try to look at it from each characters point of view to come back and see her as a whole being, even more as she grows from someone who feels they have to compete with others to gain validation and love to someone who is equal.

[@chrissidimartino6110]

Your comments about satire are spot on!!! I love these deep analyses.

[@sofiaabrantes5862]

I really love Valencia, one of my fav characters Awesome video !

[@aniwhitetree3543]

"Research done by the Daily Mail" - all you need to know.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

This was a good lesson for me -- always check your sources, kids, though I don't remember what information I was citing here

[@kaylinthurber7912]

Hi, I found your videos recently and love them! Really appreciate how you approach and analyze Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Are you familiar with Passion of the Nerd? He does a similar thing on his channel with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (video essays that analyze themes and metaphors of the show), and he's done a video for each show describing why people should watch it. Could you do that for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? It would be helpful to show to my friends who think it's just a quirky musical about a crazy or unlikeable character and don't see all the commentary it makes on social issues.

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

I'm glad you mention that, and you're not alone there with a recommendation video -- that would be the most important thing to come out of this channel, so I need to get it right. And it's been tough to write. I should take a look at Passion of the Nerd -- I haven't heard of that, thank you

[@supinearcanum]

For a better look at that characterization of General Grevious you might want to check out Tartakofsky's interpretation of the character in the animated Star War: Clone Wars. The one done in the very early 00's around the release of Attack of the Clones rather than the CGI one produced later.

[@YamLapin]

Your videos are super smart ! I love them !

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Thanks!

[@bleachdragon88]

Valencia is a true testament to the writers of this show and their ability to create characters and develop them. I really didn’t like her! The “burning man” episode was the turning point and I was pleasantly surprised when I realized how my perspective on her changed.

[@EllieBobbit]

This is so fantastic

[@ra7271]

Bagels after midnight. Amazing name!

[@datroy3647]

This reminds me of the guy my ex boyfriend tried to leave me for. My friend was dating this girl who apparently treated him bad and cheated on him, and was some online dominatrix. He broke up with her and started dating me. He then left me to get back with his ex. I was really upset, but instead of being mad at him I was just mad and taking it out on who I thought she was. Like oh I hate that slut dominatrix e-girl who stole my man. Then she wants to talk to me. She says she’d never cheated on him he treated her like crap and fucked us both over. We actually kinda had a heart to heart. She was nice. Huh

[@PigGirl97]

you talk about "overdoing the fake tan" as if it's an odd thing because youre from the states and not the uk where that article was written hahaha it's a big thing over there and here in ireland

[@LS-sg8rb]

Rebecca's relationship with Valencia is informed by her undiagnosed BPD. She can't allow herself to acknowledge how messed up her own behavior is. Rebecca puts all of her happiness and mental health on Josh (and then Greg, and Nathaniel), and Rebecca uses everyone in Josh's vicinity - Valencia and Greg especially - in her obsession. There're definitely elements of feminism and the Male Gaze and patriarchy in this relationship - the brilliance of the writing in this show, there are so many layers - but once we see the whole arc, it always comes back to the BPD.

[@weldsj8847]

Got to find out what episode Valencia finds about the wedding. I somehow missed it.

[@CanaAlyce]

I love your videos. I think like Buffy crazy ex girlfriend should be studied in colleges.

[@sarahlemmon8401]

Love these videos

[@isa0ber]

this one is perfect

[@ellacope2509]

Rebecca is also extremely relatable to people with bpd ! 😅❤️

[@83croissant]

I was completely unaware that general grievous was a cyborg! wha?? I've seen that film a couple of times as a child and as an adult. All that ever stuck with me was a coughing robot that fights Obi-wan for some reason. Also I get his name mixed up with Reince Priebus now

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Grievous and I go WAY back. Yeah, I mean he gets taken out because Obi Wan shoots him in his heart. He was an alien before cyberization though, not a human being

[@valdoxtheunmerciful]

Yas, I love my Tsar of Torture

[@bk138gt6]

Check out the red letter media review of episode 3 for some great content on Greivous

[@brittneypeoples223]

Ahem...I find a flaw in your argument....the only Fallacy I see here is that it is completely biased because in the episode you’re describing woman cannot be friends when one is blatantly on a mission to steal the others boyfriend.....

[@camellias.7106]

You see, the thing is... Women CAN NOT "steal" each other's boyfriends and husbands. It's just misplaycing the blame of a cheating boy. If you are faithful to your partner you can have the most beautiful and charming person in the world naked in your bed or trying to kiss you and you will still resist and walk out. If you choose to cheat it is your own fault. There is a strong tendency with women and some men to blame some other person they got cheated with for the cheating. But it doesn't make sense at all. If you wouldn't cheat if opportunity arise then he shouldn't either. Everything else is illusions. There are no army of evil women wanting to "steal" other human beings.

[@jenniefeyen544]

@@camellias.7106 That's not necessarily true. Yes, men and women who cheat on their partners are 100% responsible for their actions, however it's unfair to deny the discomfort and strain a third party can put a relationship under if his / her intentions are selfish and bad. Your view is interesting but too black and white.

[@Svengali764]

I mean, just a guy. They come and go. Friends are forever. A good woman doesn't come at the price of putting down other woman.

[@Nomstrosity]

u have done it again

[@Nomstrosity]

I really like your point that her having an 'interesting' personality would undermine the message they're trying to send that you need to make sacrifices to fit into this patriarchal standard

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

That's really good to hear. It's a point I had to make sure to explain sufficiently, and really it's not my place to go there regardless. Not asking for permission, just saying

[@Nomstrosity]

Bagels After Midnight yeah, you don't want to be saying "you're living your life wrong/shallow". Then you go into "selfies are dummbb" territory which I hate (and makes me a solid defender of women like Kim Kardashian problematic as she may be), like you can't set up these standards and then demonise women for trying to adhere to them for acceptance. But I guess you have to look at why you're doing what you're doing, and if it's for other people's approval then you might not be fulfilled as your motivations aren't your own and were ingrained in you long ago (as 'rules' basically). ITS TOUGH and I guess giving people compassion and encouragement to venture outside of those walls is the answer to that one. Oh boy this show

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

I know right? And that's a message they play so subtle I had to actually 'figure it out.' I guess CXG is not a show we're meant to watch in the usual manner of watching a TV show, or we'll miss things

[@etherealintoxicatedcanary9296]

rebecca's season 1 hair is so beautiful. sorry for being a bimbo with my commentary.

[@rkgk1517]

It is really interesting how her hair changes per season to represent her mindset. Season 1: straight and flat/polished in New York, free and bubbly and curly in West Covina Season 2: similar, grown out a little; Season 3: dark for the "revenge" fantasy but soon kind of limp and unwashed; Season 4: back to a lighter color, often half-up/half down or in updos, showing more restraint and individuality

[@indanzdocumentary]

she looks like my ex not so crazy gf, the face, tattoos places, a yoga teacher, but she refuses to get a mental treatment, and getting worsen everyday

[@qmechanic]

Nice analysis! Did you take a media studies class in college? I've tried to write analyses before but my writing style is very clumsy and ugly. For analyses like these, I actually prefer to read it; I'm more of a visual learner for complex information. Maybe you can also provide a written copy?

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Ahh that's a very good suggestion. I took media studies classes as part of a film major, but listening to podcasts and reading blogs helped me considerably more. In my unsolicited opinion, the weight of your ideas are so much more important than their presentation -- I think that's what ultimately counts :|

[@imaniislander755]

Geez people gotta learn how to be nicer to other people

[@murk1e]

“Study by the daily mail”….. that’s hilarious. That’s like Fox News having a motto of “Real News”

[@Tremeishere]

great video! are you in Twitter ?

[@BagelsAfterMidnight]

Thanks! You can find me @harrisonchute !

[@calamaria9221]

To be fair, I'd judge anyone who overdones a fake tan.

[@blancokitty89]

It’s funny your name is bagels after midnight because Valencia makes a comment about Rebecca eating late night bagels.

[@toddbeaton1512]

my crazy ex girlfriend is so amazing

[@valdoxtheunmerciful]

Nothing good happens at Spiders's's'.

[@fishy658]

!!!

[@peacheguts2483]

Ohh please do a video on satire

[@BiteSizedCrafter]

I only judge other women cause I’m bi.. lol

[@ra7271]

I only care what God thinks but other women can bring out the side of me that I must be ignorant of.

[@ra7271]

I panic over things tho

[@weldsj8847]

Valencia is terrific but not really a victim. She gains power socially by being gorgeous. A type of "Genetic celebrity." or a concept called "do me" Feminism in attactiveness creates power over those attracted to her. But the empty pursuit of power, by itself is destructive. In later episodes, even if she could have kept up a totalitarian gender power bullying Josh, she would have found that unsatisfying. Loved your video though: think about the dynamics brought on between her and the CEG. Fascinating when you do not just accept her as a villain.

[@elizabethbennet4791]

Ok so if women + women can't be friends and men + women can't be friends, then WHO THE FUCK ARE ALL THESE FRIENDS THAT EXIST?

[@BiteSizedCrafter]

God am I glad that I was mostly raised by my dad.. I don't do the judging of women.

[@elenachristian9860]

You do irony very well, though.