Why ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ fans deserve another season

Logline: Manic-depressive ex-New York lawyer Rebecca Bunch struggles with love in West Covina, California.

Verdict: The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has never been a ratings smash hit, but Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – in its third season – has become one of the most important and ambitious shows on television. From Rachel Bloom (BoJack Horseman) and Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada), the show blends musical comedy with rom-com to smash myths about modern romance. It’s a laugh riot peppered with ballads and wonder, whilst also managing to delve deep into the examination of its principal characters.

The third season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend opened with Rebecca Bunch (Bloom) being jilted at the altar, while an all-time fave song – “Where’s Rebecca Bunch?” – played in the background. The first half of the season dealt with Bunch struggling to find a way to move past Josh’s (Vincent Rodriguez III) jilting, and as the episodes progressed, emotions ran high due to a feeling that something was coming on the horizon. Meanwhile, Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) and Nathaniel (Scott Michael Foster), Bunch’s mother-figure and her amoral wicked hottie boss, were thrown off as the series darted in tone.

The culmination in the fourth episode – “Josh’s Ex-Girlfriend Is Crazy” – was for Bloom and company to meld their show with the likes of Fatal Attraction, in an episode that visually mimicked the classic 80s erotic thriller films. Viewers were thrown a curveball with a totally brutal twist and some utterly heart-wrenching scenes, as Bunch tried to come to terms with her own responsibilities. She was lost, and not even the all-time best “End of the Movie” song sung by Josh Grooooobaaaaaaaan (as it’s pronounced) could soothe the soul.

In the very next episode, wrapped by emotional guilt and thrown away by her own mother, Bunch attempts suicide. It’s one of the most difficult scenes in television over the last year, and it didn’t appropriate or swear it off like any other soap opera would. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is self-aware enough to treat such issues in a serious manner.

From this grand juncture point, the third season wavered back and forth on Bunch’s road to recovery. There was a focus on Nathaniel, whose evolution from amoral a-hole to warm to compassionate loverboy has been amazing. We also got a finale featuring Trent (Paul Welsh) – the weird guy who used rom-com stalker tactics to prey on Bunch. Some might argue the show meandered a little too much, lacked focus, and didn’t resolve any of its threads in a neat way. However, the show headed towards a reckoning with Rebecca’s responsibility, coupled with her road to mental recovery.

The final episode of the third season culminated in a baby being born, Nathaniel finally admitting his love, and Bunch giving a grand monologue in which she finally admitted (literally ) her guilt to a judge, stating how she wishes to “take responsibility for my actions”. In complete stark contrast to the second season’s theme song, it’s evident Bunch is a different person now.

Bloom is an absolute national treasure, and her show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend deserves a fourth season. With low ratings, but some great international success, hopefully we’ll see Bunch finally feeling comfortable as a more responsible person. We simply cannot wait to see this oddball show get the ending it so completely deserves.

On a final note, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fans and non-fans alike will enjoy this episode’s song about buying a fuckton of cats. It’s the best thing ever.