Okay I wasn't even going to watch this show because the title sort of offended my feminist sensibilities, but I am a sucker for a musical. Then I read an interview with Rachel Bloom (lead) and she explained its not called MY CXGF its not a man saying it about her, its the things we say about ourselves.
After watching this episode I liked it so much I watched it again to do this recap. It's unique and funny and it has some powerful messages & themes subtly (and often humorously) woven in without feeling like it's hammering you over the head with them (looking at you all Ryan Murphy shows). If you like weird quirky different shows and/or musicals do yourself a favor and watch this and then come back here and discuss it with me!
Camp Canyon Grove, 2005
A group of girls is singing, "I'm in love with a wonderful guy." One of the girls is a young Rebecca (Rachel Bloom).
Young Rebecca & young Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) are walking toward the parking lot to leave camp. Rebecca is going on about her performance, she mentions her mom not showing up and that her mom wanted her to be doing mock trial instead. She tells Josh her mom wasn't even going to let her come, but then she called her dad on his honeymoon and told him she was 'having suicidal thoughts' and here she is! While she says this in a joking off-the cuff way trying to imply she manipulated her parents I got the feeling that perhaps she wasn't and that she had actually been having those thoughts, which is what makes the comment not offensive.
Meanwhile Josh looks bored and awkward. His family is waiting for him, waving.
Rebecca gushes. She implies he took her virginity and tells him how connected they are and this has been the best summer ever.
Her mom shows up and honks.
He tells her he will be busy and then he tells her she is dramatic and weird and they need a break.
Her mom honks some more. "But I love you!." Rebecca explains. He thanks her and leaves. His family hugs him and he is gone.
Rebecca yells and looks sad and gets in the care with her mother who comments on a hickey and then tells her if anything happened she would go right to the abortionist. Her future is all that matters!
When was the last time you were truly happy?
Rebecca is listening to a voicemail from her mom. She is talking about a corporate case and the promotion 'they' have been working so hard for. The voicemail is short, but the mom manages to insult her dad's 'whore' and throw out she is being tested for cancer. Her mom is terrible.
Rebecca looks unhappy.
She sees a commercial for butter that asks, "When was the last time you were truly happy?" which causes her to tilt her head to the side with a quizzical expression like she has no idea what the answer is to that.
She is at her office and asks a woman about the corporate case. The woman is grinning huge at her. Laura wants to see her because she is being promoted. Now?! It was a surprise. Surprise! The smiling girl is obviously way happier. Rebecca looks like that girl just told her she was going to be beheaded. Rebecca spirals. "This is 'objectively fantastic, right? This is on paper fantastic." She says to the girl, more questioning than statement. She looks down and sees an ad for the butter again. "When was the last time you were truly happy?" She says she is going out for a smoothie. Other girl looks shocked. Rebecca leaves.
Outside she spirals more. "This is great! I'm so happy! This is what happy feels like! Mom's gonna be so happy." She is saying it in a panicked definitely not happy voice. She leans against a wall and pulls out an 'in case of emergency' bottle of pills and spills them. She prays, "dear god I don't pray to you because I believe in science...but I don't know what to do" HA!
She looks up and the butter ad is a billboard. I guess god speaks through marketing. It would be efficient I suppose. The billboard provider arrow at the bottom breaks at that moment and the arrow drops down pointing to the street corner below and she looks down and who is walking up, but Josh. He looks glowy. Rebecca hears a choir, literally, "I'm in love!"
She chases him down. He finally turns around and it takes him a few seconds to remember her.
He mentions she didn't go back the next summer and she explains - mock trial.
He says he always hoped he would run into her and says they had a good time that summer.
He is moving. He's been trying to make it work in the Big Apple, but why get stuck in a rat race? Everyone is happy where he is from. This is a line anyone who ever moves somewhere and hates it/can't make it/is home sick uses. Rebecca doesn't see it. She clings to the thought of being happy.
"Where are you from again?"
"West Covina, California." 2 hours from the beach, 4 with traffic!
He says if he had known to turn out to be so successful and hot, he let a good one get away! I hate him. He is a tool.
She hears the choir again. He glows again. He leaves. She glows.
She is back in her office in a meeting. A woman tells her she is the hardest worker, the job is her world. They offer her junior partner.
Rebecca says no. They look confused and think she is being stolen by another firm. Rebecca says it's not New York. Laura says Boston? then with a scowl Chicago? Then more confusion on her face as if she had just named all the cities!
"It's where dreams live." Rebecca whispers and leaves looking very happy.
She is on the street and breaks into the 1st song (not counting the camp jingle)
Musical # 1 - West Covina, California
It's a super cute song and dance number. It's silly in all the right ways and her dress is super cute and sort of Disney princess-esque, but not over the top. It shows her move to West Covina and buying a town house. She sings she is definitely not having a nervous breakdown and it's so 'random' Josh just happens to be there.
Title Screen
Live, Work, Play
Rebecca is in her new home pouring 5 bottles of pills in her sink. I am not sure this is a great idea, but clean slate right? Perhaps it would have been a better idea to taper off her meds with the help of a therapist because cold turkey is not usually a good idea. I hope the writers address this because there is already a lot of negative and misinformation about medication for mental illness this isn't helping. Her mom calls and is freaking out about her not accepting partner and moving to California. Her mom found out from her Facebook page. She hopes its not a stunt like her suicide attempt in law school. Not helping the argument in favor of dumping her meds. Did I mention her mom is terrible? She is. Rebecca hangs up on her.
Rebecca sits on her couch and txts Josh. Then she waits and waits and waits by her phone for a response.....
In the morning she is walking into Whitefeather & Associates. Darryl Whitefeather (Pete Gardner), or Chief, as he wants to be called is gushing over her and her credentials.
She asks if there is a problem with cell phone service. She is still watching her phone. At this point I wanted to break her stupid phone. I really don't think she should have disposed of all those meds. Sometimes medication is necessary. Chief mentions he is getting divorced. He introduces her around the office.
The head paralegal, Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin), is super confused about her resume. Harvard, Yale, Mandarin! She doesn't think it makes sense why she is here.
Rebecca mistakes her for her assistant. Paula is not amused.
Mrs. Hernandez (Gina Gallego) is the communication director, but says nothing.
Chief takes her in his office and tells her he is in the middle of a divorce and his wife has an amazing 'real smart jewish guy' attorney. Rebecca says she is Jewish. He says her nose is small so he had no idea. Wow! He cries. He says he wants Rebecca to represent him because his wife is trying to take their daughter away from him. Her specialty is real estate law. She says she will think about it.
Her phone dings. - Josh Chan has checked in nearby - She leaves quickly.
She goes into a concession restaurant at a baseball field and is looking around. Bartender asks if she is lost. The bartender is funny and cute. She doesn't notice at all. His buddy just moved back from New York and who is his buddy? Josh Chan. He just left, she just missed him.
She tells the bartender, Greg (Santino Fontana - Hans from Frozen!), her version of the truth, I like this because she plays it perfectly so that you aren't quite sure if she realizes she is lying and twisting it or if she is that delusional and has convinced herself this is the real story. Her story - she was looking to relocate to LA because she is a beach gal, but then Chan tells her West Covina is great and that same day she gets a job offer from Chief. crazy right?
Greg says moving there to be near the beach is crazy because they are four hours from the beach, people say two, but those people are dumb. HAHAHA I love this guy!
He tells her Josh will be at a party tomorrow night. He invites her to go with him, like a date. She agrees.
Back at work Paula and Rebecca discuss a case. Rebecca is happy and dance-y.
Paula isn't buying any of her. Paula says she has something fun to do, figuring out Rebecca.
Musical # 2 - Sexy Getting Read Song
OMG this song is hilarious! We see Paula snoop on Rebecca's computer while Rebecca is getting ready for her date with awesome Greg (although she is singing about Josh). The song is about everything women go through to get ready to go out. It's spot on and so funny, especially the break away - let's see how the guys get ready - and Greg is asleep on his couch. ha! So good.
Rap part, featuring Nipsey Huddle, and then he stops and looks at her bathroom counter and is shocked at the 'nasty ass patriarchal bullshit' then he leaves saying he has to go 'apologize to some bitches' lol.
Rebecca comes out to meet the bartender who says she looks amazing.
"Oh I totally just woke up from a nap." Suuuuurrre lol
At the party Greg said he was accepted to Emory, but his dad got sick. Aww. His parents are divorced, Rebecca says hers are too. She is not really in the conversation, she is looking for Josh. Greg thinks maybe she is into Josh. She kisses him. She is still looking for Josh while kissing him. She changes their venue, outside, inside, kitchen, they move around making out while she looks for Josh. They find a bedroom. He gets a txt, Josh isn't coming, he is going to his girlfriends ciencienara.
Rebecca is confused because facebook said he was single. She keeps making out with Greg, but asking about Joshs girlfriend. Bartender is increasingly awkward. She is kissing lower and lower asking questions the whole time.
Josh dated this girl in high school and he moved back to be with her.
She is crying, but about to go down. He stops her and says it's not good to hook up with a crying girl. He says she shouldn't be there and he will drive her home.
Rebecca & Greg are leaving, but then Rebecca looks up and sees that Paula is there.
Paula came to chat with Rebecca and pulls her aside.
Paula thinks Rebecca thinks she is smarter than her. Rebecca looks confused.
Paula calls her out on checking Josh's FB and Instagram a lot and says she is obsessed with him!
Paula tells her she moved here for him and is in denial.
Rebecca says she barely knows him and only dated him for 2 months at summer camp when she was 16 and that she left behind a job that would have paid her 545,000 a year (holy shit) for a guy she barely knows?
She ran into Josh and then moved here, she is not crazy.
Paula arches an eyebrow.
Rebecca becomes self aware. She spirals about being crazy.
Paula is her friend now, because she sacrificed for love and she is brave. Paula tells her she is not alone and they can win this!!
Josh txts asking if she wants to grab dinner?
Musical # 3 West Covina - Reprise
Paula and Rebecca sing together. Paula asks if Rebecca wants to go drive by his house. Rebecca confusingly asks, "You know where he lives?" lol
At the end you see the rapper, Nipsey Hussle calling a variety of exs and backup dancers apologizing for making them wear certain things and behaving in certain ways with a list of a lot more to call entitled "Bitches to Apologize to" hahahaha
Review - This show could be annoying and offensive, but it isn't because unlike Rebecca it is totally self aware. It is clever, silly, and funny, but the premise of the show is about patriarchy and mental illness which are some very serious topics. It walks the line really well.
Is Rebecca actually crazy? I think this is the ultimate question this show is exploring, along with what is crazy? Five medications is a lot to be on for someone who doesn't actually have a mental disorder, but this could be her terrible mothers doing also (who mentioned possible having cancer and an aunt being sick). Was she miserable because her parents are terrible and she was leading a life for her mom and not herself or was that only a part of it and she actually has some real issues?
I think the answer isn't one or the other. I think it is nuanced like Rebecca. I love how upbeat and silly the show is, but I hope it won't shy away from more serious moments in the future, like say a crash/spin-out from dumping her meds.
Did anyone else watch this? What did you think? Comment below!
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