crazy ex gf – Question of Smoke

dearestderek:

I was watching an interview with Rachel Bloom recently about how they wrote “I’m Going On a Date with Josh’s Friend!” and Rachel was saying how she was relying on this clean, mathematical way of writing that she’d learned. In the “clean” way of writing, Rebecca would’ve had a great time with Greg and then sabotaged the date because she’s afraid of happiness.

But Aline Brosh Mckenna, who has been screenwriting for a long time now and is very good at what she does, said that didn’t work because Rebecca wasn’t afraid of being happy, but rather growing up and being brought down from the clouds. Rachel was a little nervous, but she trusted Aline and we got the episode we have today.

And I realized this is something that they do a lot. Initially, watching Crazy Ex Girlfriend can be almost uncomfortable, and you’re not sure why. But knowing this, I see that it’s because they often stray from the mathematical, clean story structure and instead go with what actually makes sense for the character.

When you’re someone who has watched a lot of TV you learn the basic structure and format of an episode, especially with comedy series. So when a show ignores that basic, expected structure you can sense it. And because you’re used to it, this is sort of unsettling.

While I think this is one of the many things that makes Crazy Ex Girlfriend one of the most unique and well made shows on television in recent history, I think it may also be part of the reason why its ratings are so low. A lot of people don’t want to be challenged. They want to be given a simple A+B=C story that has a clear structure and lesson.

But Crazy Ex Girlfriend, in all its genius, is never going to make it that easy on you. They want you to think. They want you to see the nuance in the situation. If you ever feel like the lesson to be learned from an episode is simple and clear, you probably need to think about it a little more. Rachel and Aline want you to question the content. This is a show where nothing is to be taken at face value.

And I think that is absolutely genius. True fans of television need a show like this. A show to keep them guessing, keep them thinking and questioning. I wish more people realized that and gave Crazy Ex Girlfriend more than a shot- but the critical thinking it not only deserves, but requires.