So What Is It About? And That Title's Supposed To Be Ironic, Right?
Yes, the title's ironic. Even the theme song points out it's a "sexist term". That theme song (embedded above) probably does the best job of summing up the premise, while also showing off a bit of the show's tongue-in-cheek tone, female perspective, and musical ambitions, but I'll give it a shot. Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom, who also co-created the show) is a hardworking New York lawyer who is very accomplished, but very miserable and depressed. One day she runs into Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), her one-time boyfriend from summer camp 10 years ago, which was maybe the last time she was truly happy. She learns he's about to move back from New York to his hometown of West Covina, California but he tells her to hit him up if she's ever in SoCal. Following this encounter, she impulsively quits her job, moves to West Covina, and gets a new job at a small, local law firm. But she didn't move there for Josh, as she repeatedly attests in West Covina, the first of many musical numbers on the show.
From this starting point, a lot of things happen. Rebecca befriends Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin), a paralegal at her firm who becomes Rebecca's confidante, champion, and enabler in her pursuit of Josh (not that Rebecca will admit a pursuit), living vicariously through Rebecca to avoid confronting how dissatisfying her home life has become. She connects with Josh and they become friends, despite the disapproval of Josh's long time girlfriend Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz). Inserting herself into Josh's life also leads her to meet and bond with Josh's best friend Greg (Santino Fontana), an embittered bartender who can't help but fall for Rebecca, even as he becomes increasingly wary of her and her intentions. Also pulled into Rebecca's orbit are Darryl (Pete Gardner), her affable boss who is going through a divorce, and Heather (Vella Lovell), her cool, young, apathetic neighbour who can't help but be fascinated by Rebecca and her erratic behaviour.
So Why Do You Like This Show So Much?
Well for starters, it's surprisingly deep and complex. A musical comedy about a woman who follows her old ex-boyfriend across the country in an attempt to be happy doesn't seem like a sustainable premise for a ongoing TV show beyond a few episodes but the show makes it work by not being afraid to explore the full implications of that premise. What Rebecca's doing isn't healthy human behaviour and the show knows it, and isn't afraid to have people (including Dr. Phil at one point in a surprisingly great guest spot) call her on it, but it also doesn't judge her and has total empathy for why she's the way she is and why she does the things she does. Rebecca isn't just some wacky one-dimensional cartoon person. She has real issues in her past thanks to her overbearing, overcritical mother and her father walking out on her when she was young. She struggles with depression (continuing a nice trend right now of interesting and nuanced portrayals of depression on television) and self-hatred, among other things and you can see why a remembrance from a time when she was happy might cause her to take such drastic action.
The supporting characters also aren't just props solely around to bolster Rebecca's story. They all have real depth (even Valencia eventually) and lives of their own. Greg wants to go back to school but feels obliged to take care of his sick father. Paula has her marriage problems and is tempted by one of the firm's clients. Darryl starts to discover new things about himself following his divorce. Heather dates Greg for a bit, opening herself up. Even Josh, who initially seems like just a nice guy who's not too bright or ambitious and not right for Rebecca, starts to gain more depth and shading as we start to realize why he actually might be what Rebecca needs right now.
The music is super great too. Every episode feature around 2-3 songs, of a full variety of musical styles, Broadway and otherwise (I'll share some of my faves in a separate section.). The songs, depicted as taking place in the heads of the characters (usually Rebecca, but also the other characters from time to time) rarely advance the plot, but will usually either provide great insight into the characters or provide great satirical commentary on society, the style of song getting spoofed, or both. "The Sexy Getting Ready Song", for instance is a club song that depicts the great lengths women go to to get ready in full, unglamorous detail. "I Love My Daughter (But Not In A Creepy Way)" looks at those Country songs about fathers and daughters and how weird they can get. "Put Yourself First" is a Pussycat Dolls or Fifth Harmony style number about the mixed messaging those groups can have about being empowered, while still trying to get the guys attention. On the character and plot side of things though, "Settle For Me", is an old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-style musical number where Rebecca envisions Greg imploring her to settle. "Cold Showers" is a Music Man-style number where Rebecca manipulates people and sensationalizes a small issue as part of a scheme to spend time with Josh. And "You Stupid Bitch" is a heart-wrenching ballad as Rebecca sings about the depths of her self-hatred to an imaginary audience, who happily cheers it on and sings along. In true musical style, songs will also reprise themselves too, some in the episode they first appeared, but some several episodes later when you least expect it.
Lastly, the show is incredibly well-written and super funny in all aspects. Even at it's most heart-breaking (You Stupid Bitch), there's a clever line that'll have you smiling. The world of West Covina is a heightened place and there's a bunch of great minor and one-off characters from White Josh (a friend of Josh and Greg's who becomes more complex than he first appeared), to mute paralegal Mrs. Hernandez, to the rapper from the Sexy Getting Ready Song, who is so traumatized from what he saw, he decides to go "apologize to some bitches". The theme song is often expertly deployed after a character wonders why Rebecca is there or where she came from. The post-episode tags often take some throwaway joke from the episode (wondering what a Vampire Weekend is, a probate judge calling for a wildly inappropriate police escort) into comedy gold. Even the butter slogan that plays a part in Rebecca's move to West Covina (When Was The Last Time You Were Truly Happy?) turns into an incredible joke when you discover what motivated the copywriter to come up with that slogan (that in itself has become a running gag that becomes funnier every time it comes up).
So in the end, all of those elements I've mentioned above (and plenty I probably haven't. I don't think I even mentioned how Rachel Bloom won a Golden Globe for her performance as Rebecca) all add up to create a uniquely delightful television experience that engages and amuses me every week. If any of what I have written above appeals to you at all, you should definitely check it out. And if you need more convincing...
Obligatory Song Section
Sometimes seeing is believing. I was going to seed these songs throughout my post more organically but I decided saving most of them for the end is best. This is a selection of songs I think help capture the show's appeal. So here we go:
First is "Feeling Kinda Naughty", a song from early on when Rebecca is trying to befriend Valencia. It starts as a pop song in the vein of "I Kissed A Girl" or "Cool For The Summer", before taking on a much more sinister turn as Rebecca's obsession takes a dark turn.
Next is the aforementioned Settle For Me, presented in black and white for that authentic touch.
Then there's "Textmergency", a hair band number from a group of people who get caught up in Rebecca's drama when she sends Josh an incredibly compromising text message in a later episode.
Lastly, there's "You Stupid Bitch", which is definitely one of the most heart-wrenching things I've seen on television this year so far.
So that's just a taste. This show just keeps getting better and better with every episode and with luck, it'll hopefully be around for a while at least. So check it out, yo!
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