Lead Blog Post: "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (links in comments)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a show I came across randomly one day a few years back, and I had no idea what to expect from it. The show follows a girl named Rebecca, who at the beginning of the show is a troubled lawyer who is up for a cushy promotion at a law firm in New York when she runs into her old boyfriend from summer camp years ago, Josh Chan. When she runs into him, he talks about his hometown in California and tells Rebecca about how amazing and happy a place it is, and that day, Rebecca, who is extremely unhappy in her job and life in general, turns down the promotion and moves promptly to West Covina. Oh, and did I mention that this show is also a musical that has won Emmys for its score?

The first song I'm focusing on is "Face Your Fears", sung by the character Paula, who is one of Rebecca's first and closest friends in West Covina, to Rebecca who is nervous about hosting a house warming party because her last party was a total disaster. This song starts out as a typical motivational song but then Paula's examples of being brave get more and more crazy and simply ridiculous, such as telling Rebecca she can literally fly and that she should run with scissors. This song utilizes incongruity humor because when it begins, it sounds like a typical motivational song, but it takes a turn that turns that motivational song into a parody of a motivational song. As well, Rebecca's comments about the ridiculousness of the song while it's being sung add relief theory because it points out the flaws in the logic of the song, which causes a comedic effect.
The second song I’m focusing on in this post is “Settle for me". The song is sung by the character Greg, who is a friend of Josh who likes Rebecca. He knows that Josh is her first choice, but since Josh is dating someone else, Greg sings this song to try to convince Rebecca to "settle" for him since Josh is taken. This song utilizes the incongruity theory by using a song that sounds like it's a romantic duet from an old Hollywood musical like "Singing in the Rain" even though what is happening is actually not very romantic, which Greg admits throughout that song. This incongruity also has an element of superiority humor, as Greg talks about what a hit against his pride the whole situation is. As well, using the old Hollywood feel helps show the expectations, which we see, and the reality, which we hear from the lyrics, of what romance is like, which is an incongruity in its self.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend looked at through the lens of incongruity theory shows why what could be a tragic story is made funny. Although the show does get more and more serious as it goes along (season 3 is intense you guys), it shows how context and perspective can change something from tragic to hilarious. As well, using this helps give insight into Rebecca’s perspective on the world because in her head, what’s happening isn’t tragic, so by using songs, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend helps the audience see how Rebecca sees the world around her to hilarious effect. If you like these songs, go watch this simultaneously hilarious and depressing show on Netflix!