Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 17 Review: I'm In Love
Yana Grebenyuk
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The end is never easy to reach, especially when it is so well written.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend approached their series finale with just as much care and thoughtfulness as they have the whole season. Their lead character's happiness becomes a priority, and in a way teaches the audience about putting themselves first.
Self-reflection and self-care play a significant role in why this finale is the essence of what made the show so wonderful.
During Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 17, Rebecca was faced with her future, and she couldn't make a proper decision because something was holding her back.
After taking a look at her subconscious, she sees that she doesn't know who she is. She is so focused on choosing a guy that in a way she risks herself in the process.
So her last musical number alerts Paula to this pattern that she has, which convinces Rebecca to invest in it instead of ignoring it.
Rebecca leans into the music she sees in her mind and starts to write down those lyrics. That becomes her transition one year later to a place where she is truly happy with herself and the people around her.
"I'm In Love," written by the lovely Aline Brosh McKenna & Rachel Bloom, allowed Rebecca to find the happiness she was looking for when she came out to West Covina.
It was a love letter to their lead and the journey she went through, with all of it having value as she moved to the next stage of her life.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 16 Review: I Have a Date Tonight
Rebecca found love with herself, and that serves as an inspiration for many of the people watching that are on a similar path.
That was so fitting for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend because it felt like the journey Rebecca was always destined to make, and the ending she deserved to have.
Rebecca Bunch's Happily Ever After
When it came down to it, it was all about Rebecca's story.
It felt for a while like her romantic life was what mattered most leading up to the finale, it was that last puzzle left to solve.
There was this moment where it became overwhelming, and the show took that on and allowed Rebecca to see it too.
Because while the guys were all looking to be with Rebecca, there were signs that she wasn't ready to be with herself.
I love every person in this room.
Rebecca
She opened up the pretzel place but that wasn't it, it was always music for us, and it had to be music for her.
But the way the show waited was also the best way to create a conversation about something that went unsaid for the whole series run.
The audience was privy to the musical numbers that Rebecca took on in her mind, and yet those around her didn't.
Since they were in them most of the time, if not in them without Rebecca even, it was hard to gauge what they saw.
They weren't singing and dancing, but Rebecca saw it that way and so did we.
Now the finale let that curtain open itself up a little more, with Paula pointing out that Rebecca drifted off somewhere else as she often does.
It is a part of her in her real world too; it just didn't have the time to be discussed until now.
There were hints that theater was it for Rebecca, it had to be under her terms though if it was ever going to work for her.
So allowing her to go back into her mind for one last number, then that nostalgic look at all her different stages and the clothes that went with that was a touch of an ending without weighing down on that fact too much.
It was all full circle for Rebecca now; she went through all those dresses and personas to find herself exactly where she was.
This is a song I wrote.
Rebecca
It was slightly disappointing that the audience didn't get to see that one year that she spent learning to sing and play piano, yet in a way, it was all for herself.
That talk she had with everyone in the room was her telling her story the way she wanted to, and maybe the way she got there was time she needed for herself.
And it wasn't only about Greg, Nathaniel, and Josh giving her space to get to do that.
Rebecca needed that time away from even the audience; it was all about how she ended up at her finish line.
In a way, we were all just as invested in who Rebecca would end up with, which is why it was meant to blow us out of the water when her happiness was far from that.
Oh good, an abstract theatrical space, now I can actually think …
Rebecca
But it isn't without romance, which Rebecca served in a beautiful reminder to everyone who wanted her to choose.
In a perfect world with subtle hints, Rebecca and Greg find their way back to one another.
It could be that perfect world, but it is Rebecca's happiness to find, and it isn't about an endgame.
All along Rebecca was searching for a romantic comedy ending, not noticing along the way that she was creating her own unique and fitting one.
It was beautiful the way she described that she wasn't going to end up with anyone; it wasn't the way love was meant to be.
That was growth that was offered both to the lead and the audience tuning in for an ending to their interpretation.
The only regret to have with this finale was the time of it all. It would have been great to spend even more time in this finale, getting to spend those few more minutes with Rebecca and with everyone else that found their version of an ending.
Not everyone ended up with someone, like Nathaniel and his new job at the zoo. But that doesn't mean the door is closed on that, a fantastic reminder that this is just the beginning.
Rebecca playing her song doesn't close her story, it opens up a new the same goes for everyone there.
Sadly the audience won't see her beyond this, yet we know that she will always be growing and will continue to find what makes her completely happy with her life.
Related: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 13 Review
The blessing is also there for the fans of the show to take that with them, to not stick to the idea of what happiness must look like for them. Instead, they shouldn't fear the unexpected; they should never lose sight of themselves.
Love will find them if they want it, but at the end of the day, it is all about the love you have for yourself.
What did you think of that ending?
What is everything you had hoped?
Were you surprised by anything?
If you had to pick someone for Rebecca to one day find herself with, who in your mind would it be?
Are you happy with the way the other characters got their wrap up stories?
Is there anything you didn't see coming?
Where do you see everyone end up even further down the line?
How soon will you be watching the show over again?
Let us know below.
Don't forget that you watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend online if you miss it already, right here on TV Fanatic.
It has been an incredible journey with this show, and it leaves behind a legacy deserving of the praise it got all these years.
Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.
