I actually loved the last season, to me it really felt like how getting better and recovery is for me, not really linear, full of ups and downs and with answers and realizations in odd and unexpected places or situations
Exactly. He said there felt like there was no direction, and well that is really how recovery is. It is experimentation. It not really knowing what is going on. And I feel like it was intentional because they could clearly do a grand purpose if they wanted to. But that is not really how life goes.
The final season was basically like the final chapters of a book. They wrapped up quite a few story and character arcs. And the ending was pretty surprising. To use a now loaded turn of phrase, it "subverted expectations" in the sense that it didn't go for a typical romcom type ending. Bittersweet, but also hopeful.
I mean, the show does tell you, "life doesn't make narrative sense." Season 4 is about life, real life, authentic life, and also mental health recovery absolutely isn't driven by a sense of "mission" or purpose. Oftentimes in reality, most people struggling with mental health I've spoken to about it (including myself) is that recovery is filled with doubt, with stumbling, with small and big relapses that are still victories because we recognize them for what they are, rather than giving in without our eyes open. As someone with mental illness, and with friends who have mental illness, season 4 was really gratifying to me to watch because everyone was on an upward trajectory of self discovery and recovery, not just Rebecca.
As someone who has gone through and still goes through mental health recovery, season 4 is very realistic and it's true to most people's recovery. Recovery isn't so much A to B to C etc. It's a bunch of ups and downs, one week you have a breakthrough and the next week you can fall again. It's slow and difficult and bumbling but the key is never to give up, and revelations come often times very late. Recovery takes a long time and it's never really easily wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow. But that's life in general. That's why I believe season 4 is true to life.
i know cxg has been over for a couple years, but i just wanna say that i miss this creator, was very happy that a man (beyond my friend group) watched this show, and i had so much fun watching all of these videos. I hope you're well Mr. Bagels After Midnight
I know a lot of people are mad that her not getting a love interest almost seems like getting better and finding love are incompatible, but the point of the story is a focus on Rebecca. Not EVERY person recovering and dealing with mental illness. The show helped me in many ways as someone who had also been in the psych ward, med ups and downs, several relationships, and the one person that stayed in spite of it all, that life just happens to you, and that's why season 4 feels like a lot of it "just happens" instead of feeling structured. This ending for Rebecca feels very hopeful, and I don't doubt she will find love, but what's most important to her character arc is that to a girl who was unable to find meaning in life unless she was in love, found one.
I think that this finale was the one we needed but not the one we "wanted". I am sure Rebecca will find love one day but she had to work on herself first
To be honest, though I get what you mean, I enjoyed this kind of stumbling that the final season had. Though I predicted the ending, the fact that Rebecca had so many false starts about what she wanted in life, it was, relatable. Life doesn't make narrative sense if you saw a movie that was about real life, you'd be like what the hell was that movie about. It's probably that I'm a graduate searching for a doctorate position having trouble finding one bc of my country's crisis, the world crisis and ADHD. So many times it feels like I'm finally there, I'm finally having the breakthrough I need to end up falling back into my old patterns *again*. Joke's on you, bitch, you'll never be free. So I feel like yes, this season had many directions at once (though I always knew what the final direction would be). But for me, they felt real. It was frustrating, yes, but it was as frustrating as real life feels like for me right now. Until we get to her Eleventh Hour and wow now I'm thinking about how the show ended and that last scene and I'm crying. So goodbye for now.
Honestly, I understand season 4 after my mental breakdown. I ended up in mental facility, and had a similar reaction to that that Rebecca had about prison. My doctors said that I'm most likely in BPD spectrum (jury is still out) . After that, my life has been just that; trying to find a purpose or a mission even though it takes time and practice to find one. Learn how to not be defined by a relationship, whether it's romantic or platonic. One of BPD symptoms are feelings of emptiness, and it has been so easy to fill that void with what other people think I am. It's a struggle to actively move away from that.
Honestly, I gotta disagree with most of the comments here. I'm currently rewatching the entirety of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and I'm at S4E12 right now, and I absolutely love it. It doesn't have a concrete sense of direction, but that's because that's what recovery is like. And even though there's more fourth-wall breaks in this season, it somehow feels closer to real life, at least to me. Life doesn't always have a clear direction and isn't always a 100% cohesive narrative. There's ups and downs and walking on the same spot for a while. I feel like this season accomplishes wrapping this show up pretty well. There's a satisfying "ending" for everybody, but it doesn't treat those "endings" as actual endings, if you know what I mean. Like Heather and Valencia essentially get their "happy ending" pretty early on, but life goes on, and it goes on for them and with them. And God, I can relate to Rebecca so much this season. There's something scary about that phase in life where everybody around you seems to be figuring out their life while you're still trying to figure out yourself, and this season portrays that beautifully. And yeah, the love quadrangle. I know what people mean when they say they felt like too much time was spent on it, but to me, it actually did feel somewhat cohesive to the narrative of the show. Rebecca spent three seasons on these three relationships, and even though they all ended at some point, none of them were really wrapped up neatly, if you get me. For me, they were all kinda unresolved, which was why Rebecca couldn't really move past them. I felt reminded of Paula's adventures with Jeff Channington, where she needed to be able to reject him (make her own decision about the relationship) in order to move past him. I felt like that's what Rebecca needed: Being able to once in her life make an active choice about her relationships. All three relationships were suddenly viable, largely due to Rebecca's influence on their lives, and I feel like that needed to happen so that Rebecca can finally make the active choice to actually focus on herself instead of her relationships. That, for me, was kind of the theme for the entire four seasons. Whenever Rebecca seemed to be making progress, these three relationships pulled her back into her old patterns. And even when she was making progress, her relationships were still her main focus in life. I felt like it was necessary to spend so much time on the love quadrangle to give Rebecca's decision the power it had in the end. It was important to establish that these three are all equally viable options to show that she's not rejecting them because there's something wrong with them or anything, but because that's what Rebecca needs and wants. All in all, while I do understand why some people weren't big fans of the final season, and I do understand the criticisms people have, I felt like they couldn't have done a much better job at wrapping up this show, at least in my opinion.
Read this long comment and I cannot be more happy that I did! God it’s so satisfying to know people are also rewatching crazy ex girlfriend, and is making on point analysis on the finale. Hope it’s not weird that I would like to follow you on Twitter if you use the app, I’m also a SU/AT sucker 😭
This show was during my four years of college. It ended shortly before I graduated, so all of the changes in career path, her friends' lives changing, and of course the end of the show ending hit me. I love how much we can learn from the characters. This will always be one of my favorite shows, and I will recommend it for years to come.
I loved the 4th season. Rachel's journey is real and raw, not always linear but with ups and downs but with a clear positive development at the end. The final explanation of the musical numbers (i already understood it but the way they explained it was new) made me tear up because that's me. I do that! I see my life the way she does and always thought it was dumb and silly how I needed music and to imagine myself in musical numbers to process life. This show allowed me to express this reality of mine to my mother and grandmother in a way they'd understand and love. I can't explain how much I sobbed at the end. Rebecca's journey is far from over as a human, but the story felt complete and loved.
Of course there is no strong sense of purpose or mission. That is how life is. When you try to get better with the help of therapy, there is no clear path to take, every decision is an unsure step you take because of how vulnerable you feel. It's like you know what you don't want, but have no idea what you want
This show will become the Mean girls of the 2010s, which is ironic, because it does the exact opposite thing. I feel like the reason it doesn't get enough attention is that we supposedly live in a time of change and speaking out on all issues, but people feel uncomfortable to admit that the show feels ahead of its time for them and is too real. It really hits differently than any other show I've seen. It's just spectacular.
I'm clinically diagnosed with BPD in June but honestly I have already known for years ever since I do research in order to diagnose what Rebecca had and by the middle of Season 2 I had figured that she had BPD and then I realized:"Fuck! I have BPD." And that one scene where Dr. Akopian go through the check list off symptoms I was like:"Fuckkkk! No dodging it now." Then I got into therapy and when the doctor told me I was like:"Bitch! I've known it for months." What a god damn rollercoaster of emotion. Well the also thanks mostly to my first heartbreak anyway. It was like real life mirroring fantasy. It was not good. Suicidal attempts were not a joke man.
can i just say, and this doesn’t have much to do with like the events of season 4 but. seeing diverse women on this show who occasionally appear without makeup means.... wow..... SO much to me
I actually would have been really disappointed if if had ended with a 'work really hard and you'll earn your happy ending' type of progression. The quintessential symptom of BPD is a chronic sense of emptiness. I thought all the futures where she was left staring off into the distance was perfect. It deconstructed the concept of ending satisfaction itself, not just that the man isn't the ending but that, there isn't an ending, all we can do is pursue the things we value. The thing a we find meaningful in life. It might not make us happy as in constantly bubbling joy or consistent ease and contentment . But it will make our story worth telling. One we wouldn't set on fire even with all of its lose ends and pain because its important to us.
Honestly your critique about how this season felt like there wasn’t a clear mission or cohesive storyline just reminds me of the josh Groban song in season 3 where Rebecca says if you were to watch a show about what really goes on and happens in every day life you would not find it entertaining bc quote “life doesn’t make a narrative sense” which I feel like was foreshadowing to this season. Not to say that they threw out structure all together but that they were toying with portraying the real directionless sense of finding yourself and recovery IMO
I've always wondered if anything got resolved between Rebecca and her mom before she returned to West Covina. Their last conversation just left everyone at a cliffhanger; was her mother about to conform to her daughter's happiness and start respecting her daughter not being a lawyer anymore, or did she not accept it and decided to cut off ties? After this cliffhanger, Rebecca returns back to West Covina, she started getting 'love vibes' again from Josh and Nathaniel which she got worried over because of her awareness of her condition. I've wondered then if this was triggerred from a possible unfavourable result from dealing with her mom. I guess we are meant to believe that neither Rebecca's parents or her upbringing bears no significance since they were both part of her problem in the first place and both genuinely did not care for her. Also, Paula was more like her adopted mother anyway who was more loving and maternal and something that Rebecca lacked growing up.
sorry to comment on ur years old post, ive just been thinking abt this show again. my impression was that rebecca’s mom truly loved her. like her daughter, she was selfish and toxic towards those she loved. (but rebecca was able to change.) i think that rebecca’s story with her mother wasn’t left unresolved. what she needed with her mother was to set a boundary and stick to it, and doing that was a huge moment for rebecca. her success in setting the boundary is not determined by how her mother reacts. she did what she needed to do and she’ll be ok, with or without her mother’s approval. however, i do wish we’d seen naomi’s reaction for the sake of resolving that character’s story.
the fact that Rebecca doesn't feel like she has a purpose driving her in this season was actually interesting, and I'd argue (if I was less stoned) part of the deconstructionnist intent. Until then she'd been on some kind of mission all the time, and only when she begins to tolerate herself enough to relax that pressure, and accept that her success or failure in everything she attempts do not need to define her, does she stumble on something that really matters to her. I think that's a powerful idea, one that's worth the aimlessness of this season afaic. Now, my personal grouch with this season is the emphasis and unanimity surrounding this idiotic triple-date thing and the drawn-out attention it commands. There's several issues here, one of which is it undermines the subtle but persistent point that I felt was being made throughout, that everything's not always about Rebecca, that other people are never quite as invested in her life story as she believes they are. This is a multi-layered thing, on the one hand there's a lesson in humility, but the more uplifting message is about liberating oneself from projected outside scrutiny and judgment. But I felt especially cheated by White Josh's number, all the more since it started off seeming consistent with his annoying yet useful righteousness, and with his own irritation with other people's gossiping about him and Darryl; but then he turns around and leads the chorus into this (thus at least somewhat lampshaded) festival of moral indignity and insensitivity on everybody's part... So, I get the thematic, as opposed to psychological, relevance of this whole subplot (a conceptual distinction I must thank you for ;) but it felt so contrived and over the top that the twist-the revelation that she ended up choosing none of her suitors, an obviously likely outcome which, carelessly, no one had thought of betting on in-show-didn't really make up for it. I mean, ritually speaking of course the writers were expected to drum up some kind of tension to deliver a memorable final... But either they should've tried to somehow deconstruct that expectation as well (???), or, well, I wish they'd've come up with a better idea, I'm sorry to say. There's a lot of good stuff happening within that whole conceit, but it still felt like a ridiculous plot device, and coming so far into the show, a disappointingly low bar for deconstructivist storytelling. That being said, I loved this season for many, many other reasons: for AJ, for "Nobody is singing my song", for the homely pleasure of seeing Rebecca staying over at Valencia & Beth's in NYC, for Darryl's moment in episode 6 (the "Beach Boys" episode ;), for Burl Moseley's frivolous yet unforgettable number, for the heavily-predictable yet still massively satisfying epilogue, for the show's ever-more earnest engagement with social themes such as the justice system and mental health, and obviously-OBVIOUSLY-the gorgeous, amazing "episode 18" live show, OHMYGOD great video btw, thank you for your insane work :)
I think Naomi and Rebecca did come to a understanding that they would still gossip and Naomi wouldn’t tell her what to do. I found it a good open ending. I like to think that while they’ll never have a perfect relationship it has boundaries. I am rewatching favorite episodes from each season and Paula really grew as a character from a enabler to a healthy supportive friend. I am team Nathaniel in the future and I think the open ending did work
I too have been confused about my feelings on Season 4. I would say I liked or loved most episodes a lot and there wasn't really much I disliked it but I'm still left feeling like the season wasn't cohesive in the way the first 3 seasons were. It will require future rewatches (once a lot more time has passed) to smooth it all out.
this season was super rough for me cos i suffer badly with depression and still don't know what the eff i'm doing with my life (not to mention, um, pandemic and looming economic collapse), but i still enjoyed it a lot. i do wish they had at least mentioned polyamory when they were focusing heavily on the love quadrangle. not that it was necessarily the right thing for rebecca et. al., but it is a viable option that is hardly touched on in media. like, it's cool that they wanted to portray rebecca rejecting a romantic relationship in order to focus on herself, but the show doesn't really question monogamy as the default.
I agree that the last season felt less cohesive. But overall I still really enjoyed it. There was no happy ending. Just trying to figure out how you want to walk through life. As someone with emotionally abusive parents myself I also really enjoyed Rebecca's final scene with Naomi. Especially w/ Valencia and her girlfriends commentary in the back. That was hilarious and just generally really affirming.
Thanks for another great video! Don't worry about having a negative opinion on the show, it's okay to be confused. We'll be mulling over this show for years to come.
As far as Naomi's mother goes, she's the perfect example of a real life narcissist, as in NPD. She shows a lot of the typical signs and while it comes from a place of "love" it's also notable and important to realize that she doesn't know how to love, so this "love" is different, it's desperate and feels like it should be self-evident, but nothing is that way. She has complexity, but she is in fact ultimately toxic and Rebecca does finally lay down ground rules for her to follow or that she will drop her out of her life for good. We never see what becomes of that, and I think that's intentional. The show does a great job of looking at various disorders, hang-ups and problems. it covers what are called ego-dystonic disorders and ego-syntonic ones and points out that there are some people, like Naomi who just can't change, whose disorder and problems are not changeable because she can't realize that she's the problem in her life. Where as Rebecca does nothing but put herself down in private, a NPD person would more likely do it for show and martyrdom. Another thing I loved about the show which you pointed out was that the people were still who they were. Change and growth doesn't mean indicators of identity and quirks are wrong to have, but that disorders, abuses and problems can exacerbate traits when taken to an extreme can be problematic. And this is actually the crux of what most disorders are. A specific typically human trait, worry, suspicion, emotional volatility, etc up to 11 and to a point where the traits end up taking down the life quality and sometimes longevity of the person suffering from the disorder. A lot of people want to excuse lots of the various things the characters go through because they see those traits in people around them or even themselves, thinking "oh, but everyone is a bit x or y, so it's fine" which just creates a veil over recognizing when there is a real problem. It makes people normalize problems that shouldn't be normal, or dismiss diagnosis in general because if it being common or having a few traits themselves or seeing it in people they know. The check box and levels in which something is presented is a reason it's part of the diagnostic process. Have a few selfish traits and being kind of a crappy friend doesn't make someone a narcissist. Being unable to process others as outside of yourself and never being wrong about anything and everyone else is the problem is absolutely a sign that someone might have NPD. The show is a great character study of only slight hyberbole. It is a show, but it does a great job of keeping people real and understanding that it's goal is to say life is messy, people have reasons they do what they do, no matter how horrible they seem and that what differentiates people to keep in your life or hold hope for all depends on if they can see that maybe they are part of the problem too, that maybe even if say in Josh's case, they are still neurotypical, that doesn't mean that they can't find help in understanding themselves better and finding fulfillment in their life. I've always contested that everyone should go to therapy, that everyone can have a time in their life where they are confused and could use someone trained to understand human psychology work out their problems. The stigma of getting help and getting therapy is a disgusting one that needs to die, because no one should have to suffer alone, especially if they do have an undiagnosed problem that is making their life far harder than it would naturally be otherwise.
Hey bagels after Midnight, I love your videos and I think you have a talent of explaining things clearly and in an entertaining way. I really hope you'll find find another passion to make videos on. I hope your channel isn't done forever. But if it is I just wanted to say thank you for all the content. I looked forward to each video
I'm just sad that this is the last video that's about analysing CXG. All your videos about the show have been so good!!!! I'm blessed to have been on this ride with you!
I feel like everyone had a different take of the final season. For me I watched it out of order so there was no theme for me. But I always enjoy your take and dissection on such an amazing show. Thanks again and many blessing upon Ye!
Thanks for doing this video! I realize it's not easy when everyone is clamoring for a video but you don't feel you're at that point yet. I hope your friend Jojo will get better soon.
i liked the last season overall and i liked how the show wrapped up. my biggest issue is, while the love quadrangle is perfect to show rebecca’s character growth, it sacrifices the guys’ characters a bit to achieve that, especially josh considering she stalked, gaslit and manipulated him for years. i can’t swallow that he wanted to date her again. rebecca truly changed and took responsibility, but that doesn’t undo the trauma she caused. they never really show josh processing that trauma. maybe josh pursued rebecca because he was still in a bad place, but they don’t show that. it just cuts to him happily engaged. im glad they established that joshbecca was impossible, but showing him with some new girl was the wrong way to establish that imo
I disagree pretty heavily with your characterization of Naomi as not a streotype. While Naomi isn't a overt stereotype she is a stereotype of the overbearing Jewish mother. It's what made her character so relatable to me as a Jew becuase it's a pretty common Jewish thing and Rachel dove deeo into that character
Exactly! The real root and arch of this show has been erased by non Jewish people. And I know it’s not intentional but still. Naomi is absolute the Jewish mom archetype blown up and deconstructed. She’s given layers and complexity. The thesis of this show was said during the reprise of JAP Battle. “We’re reclaiming harmful stereotypes about Jewish women.” It’s in the fabric of this show. And obviously there’s a lot more to it. But it can’t be forgotten.
God I love this show, thank you for your analysis! Also, team Nathaniel! I think they will be together eventually because he seems the most healthy choice for her, and Josh already found his love, and Greg said that he wouldn't wait for her.
Good to see this coda on the series, Harrison. I especially like that you felt open to express some misgivings about the final season even though I know you're such a huge fan. Though I also liked parts of it and found the ending to be quietly satisfying, I also found the last season to be a bit of a mess and unfortunately have subsequently forgotten much of it. In general, despite my deep respect and affection for the show, CEGF was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I LOVED the first season (some of the best television I've ever seen, including "The Wire", "Breaking Bad" and "Sopranos") and each of the subsequent seasons had some major powerful moments. However, as the series went on it did seem to get bogged down in a lot of false plot twists and distracting aimless narratives. At its weakest it seemed to be stretching itself too thin, trying to be too many things to too many people and definitely put off the occasional "woker than thou" vibe. I understand that the zig-zagging was part of the point, showing the complexity and development of the characters while dissembling tired old sitcom clichés, roles and tropes, especially in female and minority characters, but sometimes it just seemed to get in its own way. I was ready for the show to be over. In fact, it probably could've ended a couple of seasons earlier. Still, this show broke so much new ground and will have such a significant place in media of this era. It's one of those shows that will likely age well because it was brave enough to have heart and intelligence instead of hiding behind smarminess, sarcasm and cynicism. Your deep analysis of this unique and often brilliant show has been one of the most satisfying corners of TH-cam I've ever come across. It's really been a pleasure. Thank you!
Thank you so much, as always for putting all your effort and love into these videos I am really going to miss your analyses, I hope you get to continue into other media There is no comparison with Crazy Ex, but I am interested in your thoughts in other things Thanks so much, you are great
I saw this ending coming a mile away, and by the time they got to the "dating game," I was like yep, this is the beginning of the end I envisioned. The whole drama and theater thing was also something I was waiting for. I'm glad she got there, but it was a little anticlimactic for me. Still love it, though. Journey not the destination and whatnot...
I do enjoy the ending but I feel like the whole dating game thing (all of her friends getting together to bet on it and hype on it) feels so forced... It makes all their friends seem like cartoonish characters rather than real humans whom we've come to know and love, with genuine care towards their friend's happiness
@Rebekah Westrum okay seriously though. And actually that's also a problem I had with new Greg. They ran into each other episode 8 and then fell back into dating episode 10 and then that was dropped in episode 12?? They would never have handled old Greg's storyline that carelessly. Greg, albeit the new one, would still never.
@@lorenabencosme8995 It did though. Greg has changed. He went away to change. He realised that his whole life, he has blamed West covina and its inhabitants for his own problems, so he left to make something of himself. When he returns two seasons later, he can't be the same person. It would totally destroy the shows sense of developement and would just seem like fan-service. Changing the actor isn't only a funny meta-joke, but also helps us see the character as a different person. This is explained very nicely in the song "Hello, Nice to meet you".
@@Caio0_057 Mild dissent that bringing back Santino Fontana would have destroyed the show's sense of development and seemed like fan-service - he's a good enough actor to play that development and not be the same person, the same way Donna Lynn Champlain isn't playing Paula S4 the same way she played Paula S1. There were good reasons in real life for Fontana not to be brought back, and good reasons in the resolution of the story to bring Greg back, so I think they handled the recasting as well as possible and S4 Greg works for me, but I certainly would not have minded the alternate reality where Fontana played the role and things would have been different but also very very good.
I would argue that there is a direction to this season. The direction being Rebecca's journey upwards. And I think it is symbolized by season 3's ending. Everything Rebecca has done comes forward and the show ends with Rebecca finally take that step to improve. Season 4's main direction where does that leads her. Where does Rebecca's acceptance of her mistakes and responsibility for her own life lead her? And that's the answer that season 4 is meant to provide.
"but it wasn't always the dream team" -cut to image of them turning black and white- You go fast so sometimes I think your editing genius gets lost but damn did I do a spit take there!
I was very disappointed by season 4. I thought the love quad could have come early and the back half would have been about moving past relationships and finding yourself. The whole I choose myself plot line made sense on paper but was disappointing because romantic love and finding yourself are not mutually exclusive.
Okay I'm gonna put my feelings on season 4 down before I watch this (condensed, of course) and then I can truly compare it with yours. I was a bit disappointed by season 4. I sort of like how they / that they didn't properly resolve things and would have been shocked if the ending had it nfsct been 'she is now happy because she is with the right guy', so that was good. But for me, a lot of the songs didn't work nearly as well as one from previous seasons, they were too on-the-nose and not very catchy either. So that was one big bummer. And then a lof of its time felt wasted to me on stupid things I felt added nothing, like the whole 'let' s try and be a rom-com and make our exes jealous' thing. The show is too good in its own right to waste its time merely satirizing one specific other genre for one full episode, it just annoyed me more than anything. There were definitely some plots and songs that totally worked for me, like the antidepressants song and the fact that Heather and Valencia moved on and away, though I would have liked to see more of the very real pain and impact this would have had. Now it has been while since I watched so I don't remember it all, but I feel like I really liked the first couple of episodes but slowly started feeling disappointed because it was all less subtle, less real and less deep and story-telling to me. I am glad I watched it and I liked the ending they found, but the journeys for me was plastered with some very good moments and some not-so great stretches. Edit: Watched it now. And it actually reminded of all the things I did love about season 4 - can't believe I became so jaded over time only remembering the things I didn't.
My biggest criticism of the show, last season more so, is that they seemed to not want to know what to do with Valencia. After season two they seemed to just drop her arc. Also as a lesbian her arc in season 4 felt really off to me at best.
@@DiihMota97 Probably, but I think they meant more that Valencia's process of realizing she likes girls and untangling that from her internalized misogyny was underexplored and that the framing felt inauthentic.
I loved her arc. I loved that she let go of the obsession of needing to get married, got some power back when she realised she could be the one to propose, and then eventually did it for the right reasons but still in a very ‘Valencia’ way. I thought it was perfect
I found season 4 fairly disappointing. The love quadrangle felt like a waste of time, they could've focused on other things instead. I get that they were going with the "Rebecca is fine alone right now" ending and I have no problem with that. But why are you wasting so much time on nathianel, grec and josh when you could've shown more of Rebecca prepping her songs and so on idk. They shouldn't have brought Greg back, Rebecca could've dated another guy instead (the stranger for ex.) and get to the same conclusion that she did here. Idk I had to force myself to watch most of the episodes... I was still glad to see Rebecca happy in the end
![[กูเพิ่งซื้อมึงปิดหนี] 20 นาที ผมรีวิวเกมที่แย่ที่สุดในโลก CONCORD](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XhC-3q3Ii7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I actually loved the last season, to me it really felt like how getting better and recovery is for me, not really linear, full of ups and downs and with answers and realizations in odd and unexpected places or situations
Exactly. He said there felt like there was no direction, and well that is really how recovery is. It is experimentation. It not really knowing what is going on. And I feel like it was intentional because they could clearly do a grand purpose if they wanted to. But that is not really how life goes.
The final season was basically like the final chapters of a book. They wrapped up quite a few story and character arcs. And the ending was pretty surprising. To use a now loaded turn of phrase, it "subverted expectations" in the sense that it didn't go for a typical romcom type ending. Bittersweet, but also hopeful.
@@birdiewolf3497 cause life is aseries of revelations that occur over aperiod of time
Yes. Life doesn't make narrative sense.
I mean, the show does tell you, "life doesn't make narrative sense." Season 4 is about life, real life, authentic life, and also mental health recovery absolutely isn't driven by a sense of "mission" or purpose. Oftentimes in reality, most people struggling with mental health I've spoken to about it (including myself) is that recovery is filled with doubt, with stumbling, with small and big relapses that are still victories because we recognize them for what they are, rather than giving in without our eyes open. As someone with mental illness, and with friends who have mental illness, season 4 was really gratifying to me to watch because everyone was on an upward trajectory of self discovery and recovery, not just Rebecca.
As someone who has gone through and still goes through mental health recovery, season 4 is very realistic and it's true to most people's recovery. Recovery isn't so much A to B to C etc. It's a bunch of ups and downs, one week you have a breakthrough and the next week you can fall again. It's slow and difficult and bumbling but the key is never to give up, and revelations come often times very late. Recovery takes a long time and it's never really easily wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow. But that's life in general. That's why I believe season 4 is true to life.
i know cxg has been over for a couple years, but i just wanna say that i miss this creator, was very happy that a man (beyond my friend group) watched this show, and i had so much fun watching all of these videos. I hope you're well Mr. Bagels After Midnight
Thank you! I hope you're well, too
I’m gonna miss this show so much
I know a lot of people are mad that her not getting a love interest almost seems like getting better and finding love are incompatible, but the point of the story is a focus on Rebecca. Not EVERY person recovering and dealing with mental illness. The show helped me in many ways as someone who had also been in the psych ward, med ups and downs, several relationships, and the one person that stayed in spite of it all, that life just happens to you, and that's why season 4 feels like a lot of it "just happens" instead of feeling structured. This ending for Rebecca feels very hopeful, and I don't doubt she will find love, but what's most important to her character arc is that to a girl who was unable to find meaning in life unless she was in love, found one.
I think that this finale was the one we needed but not the one we "wanted". I am sure Rebecca will find love one day but she had to work on herself first
To be honest, though I get what you mean, I enjoyed this kind of stumbling that the final season had. Though I predicted the ending, the fact that Rebecca had so many false starts about what she wanted in life, it was, relatable. Life doesn't make narrative sense if you saw a movie that was about real life, you'd be like what the hell was that movie about.
It's probably that I'm a graduate searching for a doctorate position having trouble finding one bc of my country's crisis, the world crisis and ADHD. So many times it feels like I'm finally there, I'm finally having the breakthrough I need to end up falling back into my old patterns *again*. Joke's on you, bitch, you'll never be free.
So I feel like yes, this season had many directions at once (though I always knew what the final direction would be). But for me, they felt real. It was frustrating, yes, but it was as frustrating as real life feels like for me right now. Until we get to her Eleventh Hour and wow now I'm thinking about how the show ended and that last scene and I'm crying. So goodbye for now.
Very relatable. How's that trajectory going? Still up or plateauing somewhers higher I hope?
Honestly, I understand season 4 after my mental breakdown. I ended up in mental facility, and had a similar reaction to that that Rebecca had about prison. My doctors said that I'm most likely in BPD spectrum (jury is still out) . After that, my life has been just that; trying to find a purpose or a mission even though it takes time and practice to find one. Learn how to not be defined by a relationship, whether it's romantic or platonic. One of BPD symptoms are feelings of emptiness, and it has been so easy to fill that void with what other people think I am. It's a struggle to actively move away from that.
Do you have Instagram? I struggled with the same thing and would love to talk to someone who understands me!
Honestly, I gotta disagree with most of the comments here. I'm currently rewatching the entirety of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and I'm at S4E12 right now, and I absolutely love it. It doesn't have a concrete sense of direction, but that's because that's what recovery is like. And even though there's more fourth-wall breaks in this season, it somehow feels closer to real life, at least to me. Life doesn't always have a clear direction and isn't always a 100% cohesive narrative. There's ups and downs and walking on the same spot for a while. I feel like this season accomplishes wrapping this show up pretty well. There's a satisfying "ending" for everybody, but it doesn't treat those "endings" as actual endings, if you know what I mean. Like Heather and Valencia essentially get their "happy ending" pretty early on, but life goes on, and it goes on for them and with them.
And God, I can relate to Rebecca so much this season. There's something scary about that phase in life where everybody around you seems to be figuring out their life while you're still trying to figure out yourself, and this season portrays that beautifully.
And yeah, the love quadrangle. I know what people mean when they say they felt like too much time was spent on it, but to me, it actually did feel somewhat cohesive to the narrative of the show. Rebecca spent three seasons on these three relationships, and even though they all ended at some point, none of them were really wrapped up neatly, if you get me. For me, they were all kinda unresolved, which was why Rebecca couldn't really move past them. I felt reminded of Paula's adventures with Jeff Channington, where she needed to be able to reject him (make her own decision about the relationship) in order to move past him. I felt like that's what Rebecca needed: Being able to once in her life make an active choice about her relationships.
All three relationships were suddenly viable, largely due to Rebecca's influence on their lives, and I feel like that needed to happen so that Rebecca can finally make the active choice to actually focus on herself instead of her relationships. That, for me, was kind of the theme for the entire four seasons. Whenever Rebecca seemed to be making progress, these three relationships pulled her back into her old patterns. And even when she was making progress, her relationships were still her main focus in life.
I felt like it was necessary to spend so much time on the love quadrangle to give Rebecca's decision the power it had in the end. It was important to establish that these three are all equally viable options to show that she's not rejecting them because there's something wrong with them or anything, but because that's what Rebecca needs and wants.
All in all, while I do understand why some people weren't big fans of the final season, and I do understand the criticisms people have, I felt like they couldn't have done a much better job at wrapping up this show, at least in my opinion.
Read this long comment and I cannot be more happy that I did! God it’s so satisfying to know people are also rewatching crazy ex girlfriend, and is making on point analysis on the finale. Hope it’s not weird that I would like to follow you on Twitter if you use the app, I’m also a SU/AT sucker 😭
@@66BBEN66 Oh, thank you! Unfortunately I don't use Twitter, I'm sorry, I'm not very good with social media :(
engelstraene3 that’s okay, still very nice to talk with you !
After reading so many of the other negative comments, I feel like you actually got it. You said everything I also thought.
This show was during my four years of college. It ended shortly before I graduated, so all of the changes in career path, her friends' lives changing, and of course the end of the show ending hit me. I love how much we can learn from the characters. This will always be one of my favorite shows, and I will recommend it for years to come.
I loved the 4th season. Rachel's journey is real and raw, not always linear but with ups and downs but with a clear positive development at the end. The final explanation of the musical numbers (i already understood it but the way they explained it was new) made me tear up because that's me. I do that! I see my life the way she does and always thought it was dumb and silly how I needed music and to imagine myself in musical numbers to process life. This show allowed me to express this reality of mine to my mother and grandmother in a way they'd understand and love.
I can't explain how much I sobbed at the end. Rebecca's journey is far from over as a human, but the story felt complete and loved.
Its so nice to see one of these videos in my notifications again, but i got sad because i got reminded of how much i miss this show :(
I don’t understand how you can hate cantaloupe enough for that to be your user name. 🤷♀️
@Aima Fotógrafa its not the same when youve already seen all of it
as soon as the finale reprise started playing i hardcore cried
Same here❤️
Of course there is no strong sense of purpose or mission. That is how life is. When you try to get better with the help of therapy, there is no clear path to take, every decision is an unsure step you take because of how vulnerable you feel. It's like you know what you don't want, but have no idea what you want
This show will become the Mean girls of the 2010s, which is ironic, because it does the exact opposite thing. I feel like the reason it doesn't get enough attention is that we supposedly live in a time of change and speaking out on all issues, but people feel uncomfortable to admit that the show feels ahead of its time for them and is too real. It really hits differently than any other show I've seen. It's just spectacular.
I'm clinically diagnosed with BPD in June but honestly I have already known for years ever since I do research in order to diagnose what Rebecca had and by the middle of Season 2 I had figured that she had BPD and then I realized:"Fuck! I have BPD." And that one scene where Dr. Akopian go through the check list off symptoms I was like:"Fuckkkk! No dodging it now." Then I got into therapy and when the doctor told me I was like:"Bitch! I've known it for months." What a god damn rollercoaster of emotion. Well the also thanks mostly to my first heartbreak anyway. It was like real life mirroring fantasy. It was not good. Suicidal attempts were not a joke man.
can i just say, and this doesn’t have much to do with like the events of season 4 but. seeing diverse women on this show who occasionally appear without makeup means.... wow..... SO much to me
I actually would have been really disappointed if if had ended with a 'work really hard and you'll earn your happy ending' type of progression. The quintessential symptom of BPD is a chronic sense of emptiness. I thought all the futures where she was left staring off into the distance was perfect. It deconstructed the concept of ending satisfaction itself, not just that the man isn't the ending but that, there isn't an ending, all we can do is pursue the things we value. The thing a we find meaningful in life. It might not make us happy as in constantly bubbling joy or consistent ease and contentment . But it will make our story worth telling. One we wouldn't set on fire even with all of its lose ends and pain because its important to us.
Honestly your critique about how this season felt like there wasn’t a clear mission or cohesive storyline just reminds me of the josh Groban song in season 3 where Rebecca says if you were to watch a show about what really goes on and happens in every day life you would not find it entertaining bc quote “life doesn’t make a narrative sense” which I feel like was foreshadowing to this season. Not to say that they threw out structure all together but that they were toying with portraying the real directionless sense of finding yourself and recovery IMO
I've always wondered if anything got resolved between Rebecca and her mom before she returned to West Covina. Their last conversation just left everyone at a cliffhanger; was her mother about to conform to her daughter's happiness and start respecting her daughter not being a lawyer anymore, or did she not accept it and decided to cut off ties? After this cliffhanger, Rebecca returns back to West Covina, she started getting 'love vibes' again from Josh and Nathaniel which she got worried over because of her awareness of her condition. I've wondered then if this was triggerred from a possible unfavourable result from dealing with her mom.
I guess we are meant to believe that neither Rebecca's parents or her upbringing bears no significance since they were both part of her problem in the first place and both genuinely did not care for her. Also, Paula was more like her adopted mother anyway who was more loving and maternal and something that Rebecca lacked growing up.
sorry to comment on ur years old post, ive just been thinking abt this show again. my impression was that rebecca’s mom truly loved her. like her daughter, she was selfish and toxic towards those she loved. (but rebecca was able to change.) i think that rebecca’s story with her mother wasn’t left unresolved. what she needed with her mother was to set a boundary and stick to it, and doing that was a huge moment for rebecca. her success in setting the boundary is not determined by how her mother reacts. she did what she needed to do and she’ll be ok, with or without her mother’s approval. however, i do wish we’d seen naomi’s reaction for the sake of resolving that character’s story.
the fact that Rebecca doesn't feel like she has a purpose driving her in this season was actually interesting, and I'd argue (if I was less stoned) part of the deconstructionnist intent. Until then she'd been on some kind of mission all the time, and only when she begins to tolerate herself enough to relax that pressure, and accept that her success or failure in everything she attempts do not need to define her, does she stumble on something that really matters to her. I think that's a powerful idea, one that's worth the aimlessness of this season afaic.
Now, my personal grouch with this season is the emphasis and unanimity surrounding this idiotic triple-date thing and the drawn-out attention it commands. There's several issues here, one of which is it undermines the subtle but persistent point that I felt was being made throughout, that everything's not always about Rebecca, that other people are never quite as invested in her life story as she believes they are. This is a multi-layered thing, on the one hand there's a lesson in humility, but the more uplifting message is about liberating oneself from projected outside scrutiny and judgment.
But I felt especially cheated by White Josh's number, all the more since it started off seeming consistent with his annoying yet useful righteousness, and with his own irritation with other people's gossiping about him and Darryl; but then he turns around and leads the chorus into this (thus at least somewhat lampshaded) festival of moral indignity and insensitivity on everybody's part...
So, I get the thematic, as opposed to psychological, relevance of this whole subplot (a conceptual distinction I must thank you for ;) but it felt so contrived and over the top that the twist-the revelation that she ended up choosing none of her suitors, an obviously likely outcome which, carelessly, no one had thought of betting on in-show-didn't really make up for it. I mean, ritually speaking of course the writers were expected to drum up some kind of tension to deliver a memorable final... But either they should've tried to somehow deconstruct that expectation as well (???), or, well, I wish they'd've come up with a better idea, I'm sorry to say. There's a lot of good stuff happening within that whole conceit, but it still felt like a ridiculous plot device, and coming so far into the show, a disappointingly low bar for deconstructivist storytelling.
That being said, I loved this season for many, many other reasons: for AJ, for "Nobody is singing my song", for the homely pleasure of seeing Rebecca staying over at Valencia & Beth's in NYC, for Darryl's moment in episode 6 (the "Beach Boys" episode ;), for Burl Moseley's frivolous yet unforgettable number, for the heavily-predictable yet still massively satisfying epilogue, for the show's ever-more earnest engagement with social themes such as the justice system and mental health, and obviously-OBVIOUSLY-the gorgeous, amazing "episode 18" live show, OHMYGOD
great video btw, thank you for your insane work :)
I think Naomi and Rebecca did come to a understanding that they would still gossip and Naomi wouldn’t tell her what to do. I found it a good open ending. I like to think that while they’ll never have a perfect relationship it has boundaries.
I am rewatching favorite episodes from each season and Paula really grew as a character from a enabler to a healthy supportive friend. I am team Nathaniel in the future and I think the open ending did work
I too have been confused about my feelings on Season 4. I would say I liked or loved most episodes a lot and there wasn't really much I disliked it but I'm still left feeling like the season wasn't cohesive in the way the first 3 seasons were. It will require future rewatches (once a lot more time has passed) to smooth it all out.
this season was super rough for me cos i suffer badly with depression and still don't know what the eff i'm doing with my life (not to mention, um, pandemic and looming economic collapse), but i still enjoyed it a lot.
i do wish they had at least mentioned polyamory when they were focusing heavily on the love quadrangle. not that it was necessarily the right thing for rebecca et. al., but it is a viable option that is hardly touched on in media. like, it's cool that they wanted to portray rebecca rejecting a romantic relationship in order to focus on herself, but the show doesn't really question monogamy as the default.
I agree that the last season felt less cohesive. But overall I still really enjoyed it. There was no happy ending. Just trying to figure out how you want to walk through life. As someone with emotionally abusive parents myself I also really enjoyed Rebecca's final scene with Naomi. Especially w/ Valencia and her girlfriends commentary in the back. That was hilarious and just generally really affirming.
I've waited for more content from you for so long 🤗
Wow. You're amazing! I am totally binge watching your Crazy Ex-girlfriend videos. Love your point of view and how you analyze them!!
Thanks for another great video! Don't worry about having a negative opinion on the show, it's okay to be confused. We'll be mulling over this show for years to come.
As far as Naomi's mother goes, she's the perfect example of a real life narcissist, as in NPD. She shows a lot of the typical signs and while it comes from a place of "love" it's also notable and important to realize that she doesn't know how to love, so this "love" is different, it's desperate and feels like it should be self-evident, but nothing is that way. She has complexity, but she is in fact ultimately toxic and Rebecca does finally lay down ground rules for her to follow or that she will drop her out of her life for good. We never see what becomes of that, and I think that's intentional.
The show does a great job of looking at various disorders, hang-ups and problems. it covers what are called ego-dystonic disorders and ego-syntonic ones and points out that there are some people, like Naomi who just can't change, whose disorder and problems are not changeable because she can't realize that she's the problem in her life. Where as Rebecca does nothing but put herself down in private, a NPD person would more likely do it for show and martyrdom.
Another thing I loved about the show which you pointed out was that the people were still who they were. Change and growth doesn't mean indicators of identity and quirks are wrong to have, but that disorders, abuses and problems can exacerbate traits when taken to an extreme can be problematic.
And this is actually the crux of what most disorders are. A specific typically human trait, worry, suspicion, emotional volatility, etc up to 11 and to a point where the traits end up taking down the life quality and sometimes longevity of the person suffering from the disorder.
A lot of people want to excuse lots of the various things the characters go through because they see those traits in people around them or even themselves, thinking "oh, but everyone is a bit x or y, so it's fine" which just creates a veil over recognizing when there is a real problem. It makes people normalize problems that shouldn't be normal, or dismiss diagnosis in general because if it being common or having a few traits themselves or seeing it in people they know. The check box and levels in which something is presented is a reason it's part of the diagnostic process. Have a few selfish traits and being kind of a crappy friend doesn't make someone a narcissist. Being unable to process others as outside of yourself and never being wrong about anything and everyone else is the problem is absolutely a sign that someone might have NPD.
The show is a great character study of only slight hyberbole. It is a show, but it does a great job of keeping people real and understanding that it's goal is to say life is messy, people have reasons they do what they do, no matter how horrible they seem and that what differentiates people to keep in your life or hold hope for all depends on if they can see that maybe they are part of the problem too, that maybe even if say in Josh's case, they are still neurotypical, that doesn't mean that they can't find help in understanding themselves better and finding fulfillment in their life.
I've always contested that everyone should go to therapy, that everyone can have a time in their life where they are confused and could use someone trained to understand human psychology work out their problems. The stigma of getting help and getting therapy is a disgusting one that needs to die, because no one should have to suffer alone, especially if they do have an undiagnosed problem that is making their life far harder than it would naturally be otherwise.
Hey bagels after Midnight, I love your videos and I think you have a talent of explaining things clearly and in an entertaining way. I really hope you'll find find another passion to make videos on. I hope your channel isn't done forever. But if it is I just wanted to say thank you for all the content. I looked forward to each video
I was definitely disappointed with season four but you helped me see some awesome themes that I missed
you're right tho the horror movie fandom is pretty weirdly non problematic from what i've seen
Been waiting for this as soon as it finished
Thank you for posting. Don't worry I cry a lot too. I cried through most of this video. I loved it though, you did a great job.
I really enjoyed your videos. it's great knowing there is someone who loves the show as much as me:)
I'm just sad that this is the last video that's about analysing CXG. All your videos about the show have been so good!!!! I'm blessed to have been on this ride with you!
I feel like everyone had a different take of the final season. For me I watched it out of order so there was no theme for me. But I always enjoy your take and dissection on such an amazing show. Thanks again and many blessing upon Ye!
Thanks for doing this video! I realize it's not easy when everyone is clamoring for a video but you don't feel you're at that point yet. I hope your friend Jojo will get better soon.
i liked the last season overall and i liked how the show wrapped up. my biggest issue is, while the love quadrangle is perfect to show rebecca’s character growth, it sacrifices the guys’ characters a bit to achieve that, especially josh considering she stalked, gaslit and manipulated him for years. i can’t swallow that he wanted to date her again. rebecca truly changed and took responsibility, but that doesn’t undo the trauma she caused. they never really show josh processing that trauma. maybe josh pursued rebecca because he was still in a bad place, but they don’t show that. it just cuts to him happily engaged. im glad they established that joshbecca was impossible, but showing him with some new girl was the wrong way to establish that imo
I disagree pretty heavily with your characterization of Naomi as not a streotype. While Naomi isn't a overt stereotype she is a stereotype of the overbearing Jewish mother. It's what made her character so relatable to me as a Jew becuase it's a pretty common Jewish thing and Rachel dove deeo into that character
Exactly! The real root and arch of this show has been erased by non Jewish people. And I know it’s not intentional but still. Naomi is absolute the Jewish mom archetype blown up and deconstructed. She’s given layers and complexity. The thesis of this show was said during the reprise of JAP Battle. “We’re reclaiming harmful stereotypes about Jewish women.” It’s in the fabric of this show. And obviously there’s a lot more to it. But it can’t be forgotten.
I love this show and the community around it os definitely a huge part of that enjoyment. It's sad that this is your last video on cxg.
Audra was the true end game cmv
In an alternate universe, Paula could've been a CIA agent.
God I love this show, thank you for your analysis!
Also, team Nathaniel! I think they will be together eventually because he seems the most healthy choice for her, and Josh already found his love, and Greg said that he wouldn't wait for her.
Good to see this coda on the series, Harrison. I especially like that you felt open to express some misgivings about the final season even though I know you're such a huge fan. Though I also liked parts of it and found the ending to be quietly satisfying, I also found the last season to be a bit of a mess and unfortunately have subsequently forgotten much of it. In general, despite my deep respect and affection for the show, CEGF was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I LOVED the first season (some of the best television I've ever seen, including "The Wire", "Breaking Bad" and "Sopranos") and each of the subsequent seasons had some major powerful moments. However, as the series went on it did seem to get bogged down in a lot of false plot twists and distracting aimless narratives. At its weakest it seemed to be stretching itself too thin, trying to be too many things to too many people and definitely put off the occasional "woker than thou" vibe. I understand that the zig-zagging was part of the point, showing the complexity and development of the characters while dissembling tired old sitcom clichés, roles and tropes, especially in female and minority characters, but sometimes it just seemed to get in its own way. I was ready for the show to be over. In fact, it probably could've ended a couple of seasons earlier. Still, this show broke so much new ground and will have such a significant place in media of this era. It's one of those shows that will likely age well because it was brave enough to have heart and intelligence instead of hiding behind smarminess, sarcasm and cynicism. Your deep analysis of this unique and often brilliant show has been one of the most satisfying corners of TH-cam I've ever come across. It's really been a pleasure. Thank you!
Thank you so much, as always for putting all your effort and love into these videos
I am really going to miss your analyses, I hope you get to continue into other media
There is no comparison with Crazy Ex, but I am interested in your thoughts in other things
Thanks so much, you are great
I saw this ending coming a mile away, and by the time they got to the "dating game," I was like yep, this is the beginning of the end I envisioned. The whole drama and theater thing was also something I was waiting for. I'm glad she got there, but it was a little anticlimactic for me. Still love it, though. Journey not the destination and whatnot...
I do enjoy the ending but I feel like the whole dating game thing (all of her friends getting together to bet on it and hype on it) feels so forced... It makes all their friends seem like cartoonish characters rather than real humans whom we've come to know and love, with genuine care towards their friend's happiness
@Rebekah Westrum You said it, Rebekah! XD
@Rebekah Westrum okay seriously though. And actually that's also a problem I had with new Greg. They ran into each other episode 8 and then fell back into dating episode 10 and then that was dropped in episode 12?? They would never have handled old Greg's storyline that carelessly. Greg, albeit the new one, would still never.
Welcome back you beautiful bastard!! So glad to see a new video from you!!
I have binge-watched all of your videos. I wish I could have written as well as you speak throughout my film degree.
Aww. that's really nice to say! Now if only you could see the horrendous writing I did for my film degree
I didn't expect you would make another video on this! Eeep!
Hey bro you just put my thought about the show into words and that's crazy dog
the only thing i kinda dislike is the recasting of greg
Yeah that didnt make sense at all
@@lorenabencosme8995 It did though. Greg has changed. He went away to change. He realised that his whole life, he has blamed West covina and its inhabitants for his own problems, so he left to make something of himself.
When he returns two seasons later, he can't be the same person. It would totally destroy the shows sense of developement and would just seem like fan-service. Changing the actor isn't only a funny meta-joke, but also helps us see the character as a different person. This is explained very nicely in the song "Hello, Nice to meet you".
@@Caio0_057 well, guess i didnt get that meta joke lol, but i see your point! :)
@@Caio0_057 Mild dissent that bringing back Santino Fontana would have destroyed the show's sense of development and seemed like fan-service - he's a good enough actor to play that development and not be the same person, the same way Donna Lynn Champlain isn't playing Paula S4 the same way she played Paula S1. There were good reasons in real life for Fontana not to be brought back, and good reasons in the resolution of the story to bring Greg back, so I think they handled the recasting as well as possible and S4 Greg works for me, but I certainly would not have minded the alternate reality where Fontana played the role and things would have been different but also very very good.
I would argue that there is a direction to this season. The direction being Rebecca's journey upwards. And I think it is symbolized by season 3's ending. Everything Rebecca has done comes forward and the show ends with Rebecca finally take that step to improve. Season 4's main direction where does that leads her. Where does Rebecca's acceptance of her mistakes and responsibility for her own life lead her? And that's the answer that season 4 is meant to provide.
jojo i'm too poor to fix your car but i will pray 4 youuu
"but it wasn't always the dream team" -cut to image of them turning black and white-
You go fast so sometimes I think your editing genius gets lost but damn did I do a spit take there!
Still hoping for more analyses of this season AND of the show as a whole, now that you've for the whole thing to pick apart. Come back!
I was very disappointed by season 4. I thought the love quad could have come early and the back half would have been about moving past relationships and finding yourself. The whole I choose myself plot line made sense on paper but was disappointing because romantic love and finding yourself are not mutually exclusive.
It's allowed in this case. We know from the very beginning that the true love story is Rebecca herself, not Josh.
Omfg, I get that she wants to find herself but I don't really care. She should've chosen Greg. I call BS.
Do you think that choosing Greg would have led to her happiness rather than choosing herself first?
man where have you been????
A non-toxic fandom: "Nerdfighteria" (vlogbrothers channel)
Our literal motto is "Don't forget to be awesome" so we're a pretty solid fandom
Okay I'm gonna put my feelings on season 4 down before I watch this (condensed, of course) and then I can truly compare it with yours.
I was a bit disappointed by season 4. I sort of like how they / that they didn't properly resolve things and would have been shocked if the ending had it nfsct been 'she is now happy because she is with the right guy', so that was good.
But for me, a lot of the songs didn't work nearly as well as one from previous seasons, they were too on-the-nose and not very catchy either. So that was one big bummer.
And then a lof of its time felt wasted to me on stupid things I felt added nothing, like the whole 'let' s try and be a rom-com and make our exes jealous' thing.
The show is too good in its own right to waste its time merely satirizing one specific other genre for one full episode, it just annoyed me more than anything.
There were definitely some plots and songs that totally worked for me, like the antidepressants song and the fact that Heather and Valencia moved on and away, though I would have liked to see more of the very real pain and impact this would have had.
Now it has been while since I watched so I don't remember it all, but I feel like I really liked the first couple of episodes but slowly started feeling disappointed because it was all less subtle, less real and less deep and story-telling to me.
I am glad I watched it and I liked the ending they found, but the journeys for me was plastered with some very good moments and some not-so great stretches.
Edit: Watched it now. And it actually reminded of all the things I did love about season 4 - can't believe I became so jaded over time only remembering the things I didn't.
Waiting for your overview 😊
Is it me or is the woman in the AA group in season 4 Episode 10 looking a lot like Tanya? Could that be Scott's baby? Just wondering...
Season 4 really ended strong after I got concerned around the mid-point.
I miss this show
Im with others here. The lack of direction of season 4 compared to the others feels very much like the point.
Nathaniel is still in West Covina he's at the zoo that he visits at night
My biggest criticism of the show, last season more so, is that they seemed to not want to know what to do with Valencia. After season two they seemed to just drop her arc. Also as a lesbian her arc in season 4 felt really off to me at best.
I realize he really likes her arc now I feel like kinda a douche, sorry if I came off douchey
she's probably bissexual, not a lesbian
@@DiihMota97 Probably, but I think they meant more that Valencia's process of realizing she likes girls and untangling that from her internalized misogyny was underexplored and that the framing felt inauthentic.
I always got the feeling that Valencia already knew she liked women as well, and that was why it was not a big deal for her.
I loved her arc. I loved that she let go of the obsession of needing to get married, got some power back when she realised she could be the one to propose, and then eventually did it for the right reasons but still in a very ‘Valencia’ way. I thought it was perfect
I found season 4 fairly disappointing. The love quadrangle felt like a waste of time, they could've focused on other things instead. I get that they were going with the "Rebecca is fine alone right now" ending and I have no problem with that. But why are you wasting so much time on nathianel, grec and josh when you could've shown more of Rebecca prepping her songs and so on idk. They shouldn't have brought Greg back, Rebecca could've dated another guy instead (the stranger for ex.) and get to the same conclusion that she did here. Idk I had to force myself to watch most of the episodes... I was still glad to see Rebecca happy in the end
You have a podcast?! How did I not know this? Does anyone know the name of it?
It's called Questions: We Don't Have Answers. You can find it here: qnoanswers.com/
Thanks for asking! I wasn't fishing for it, but, well, here we are
oH MY GOSH YESSSSS
You’re talking for 20 minutes but not really saying anything
That seems like a little bit of an overstatement but I get what you mean.
"guilt is the only thing that motivates me to do nice things" yikes that's one way to turn people off to your videos in record time 😬
I feel like it was just kinda tongue in cheek
@@stephanyol agree. I think that’s apart of his dry humor. There’s a lot of cool dissection. It’s weird the op judges the entire video on this.
Can we talk about how AWFUL that final concert was tho yikes
I thought it was good 🤷🏻♂️