The holidays should be as the song goes “The most wonderful time of the year” but for Rebecca, they came with an extra problem, namely a visit from her hard to please mother. And Rebecca is a proclaimed (well according to Paula) “level five mom pleaser”.
Mrs. Bunch is a great character. She depicts all the traits of the stereotypical overbearing Jewish mother but the writing and Tovah Feldshuh’s added nuances made her memorable. Additionally, she and Rachel Bloom had amazing chemistry which made it convincing to see them as mother and daughter.
On first watch of the episode, it’s easy to see Rebecca’s view of her mother as the complainer who resents her daughter for being born. But if you watch it again, this time concentrating on Mrs. Bunch as though she is the title character, you might just side with her. She is a woman desperately seeking male attention, probably due to her husband walking out on her. Mrs. Bunch comes with her own set of insecurities, making her more like Rebecca. She’s just better at masking them than her daughter.
Although Mrs. Bunch’s soul bearing speech confessing her love for her daughter was touching, I think I’d prefer not to have heard it. Their estranged relationship makes for a more interesting storyline. But it’s the holidays so I guess the writers decided to wrap their conflict up in a bow and gift it to Rebecca. Maybe Mrs. Bunch will drink a lot of spiked egg nog and forget her words when she visits again.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend offered a character study of the parent/child relationship that was entertaining. Although not a traditional Hallmark holiday, this show did Christmas right in another enjoyable outing.
“My Mom, Greg’s Mom and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves” was the Winter Finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The show returns with new episodes on January 25.