The Pitch: At the end of season three, Rebecca Bunch( Rachel Bloom) ultimately made a decision to take responsibility for years of passive-aggressive, unscrupulous behavior by alleging guilty to the attempted slaughter of the psychopathic Trent( Paul Welsh ). Now in jail, Rebecca tries to do penance, but notices it harder than she contemplated- specially when “shes trying to” take control of the prison’s theater tasks. Meanwhile, Nathaniel( Scott Michael Foster) tries to deaden his own shame at Rachel’s incarceration by going on a manly “death wish escapade, ” and Josh( Vincent Rodriguez III) goes on a self-diagnosis celebration, trying to find the mental disorder that excuses his flightiness and shortcoming of responsibility.

Rebecca is the New Bunch: It’s nothing short of miraculous that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend crawled its way out of the cancellation bubble for an 18 -episode final season to wrap the substantiate, and Rebecca Bunch’s final submit is off to a great start with the season premiere, “I Want to Be Here”. Most Crazy Ex-Girlfriend episodes focus on the object of Rebecca’s outward attention, but the fourth season’s names mark an in-depth focus on Rebecca herself.

That certainly holds out here, as much of the episode is spent on Rebecca’s newfound attempts to atone for what she’s done, a technique of self-punishment that is, paradoxically, as self-serving as the mistakes she has already spawned. Discover, for example, her attention-grabbing takeover of the jail’s theater platform, ensuing in a riotous play on “Cell Block Tango” featuring women around filigree bras and panties over chunky orange confinement jumpsuits. It’s such a Rebecca move, her wide-eyed warmth for the performing arts dazing her to the fact that her cellmates don’t have the charmingly melodramatic life she’s so carefully curated. She may be trying to face reality, but her self-perception is still securely are enshrined in nostalgic fiction.( It’s likewise funny be noted that real-life Rebecca has more of a tin hearing than musical-sequence Rebecca; she should have asserted guilty to the violation she committed against Rodgers& Hammerstein .)

“I Deserve This”: Sure, it’s disappointing that we won’t get a full Orange is the New Black/ Prison Break-esque’ Rebecca in prison’ season( the magistrate points out that her guilty request was “more of a speech” and merely affords her six weeks in county prison ), “I deserve this” is her restraint through the doldrums of prison life, punishing herself for everything from her direct actions to her incidental grey liberty. It’s a familiar white-guilt compulsion, her suffers with the beleaguered women of color in jail acquiring her remember just how good she has it. But thank God for Valencia talking some impression into Rebecca, manufacturing her realize that she can either really talk about having advantage, or she can do something about it.

This theme of self-flagellation extends to the other subplots in the chapter- Nathaniel’s Bear Grylls cosplay is a classic uber-masculine attempt to regain some semblance of manhood by devouring faults and brandishing an over-designed machete. His posturing is deliciously upset by the illusion of George( Danny Jolles ), a great foil for Nathaniel procreated even better by the fact that he adores ska. Meanwhile, Josh Chan is in his own tailspin, vanishing “identity shopping” for mental disorders that would allow him to explain his own mistakes instead of addressing them chief on. All three of these emotionally adrift personas are looking for something to make their recollection off their aching, whether it’s punishment, posturing or the comforting explanation of persecuted victimhood.

The Verdict: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has always dipped in a delicious gumbo of flavors- melodic, sitcom, psychological theatre, love story, Brechtian metatext on its own quaint sort- and this season opener offers a shiny portent of things to come. As the expedition of people who keep trying to become themselves better, exclusively to fall into familiar structures again and again, it’s a compelling microcosm for the substantiate at large. While Rebecca’s questions are surely more pronounced than the reinforcing shoot, every major company member is united in their lust for associate. The hour’s final number, “No One Else is Singing My Song”, lays this out wonderfully, with Rebecca/ Nathaniel/ Josh deploring that they’re all alone while divide screens( and their pitch-perfect three-part unison) demonstrate that they’re each going through the same event. “There wasnt” easy reacts for this ensembles’ ongoing quest for responsibility, love and peace, but at least they’re going down sift superhighways together.

When’s It Frisking ?: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend sings its behavior onto your television screens every Friday at 9/8 cs on The CW.

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