In season one of ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’, the theme song lyrics proclaim the main character, Rebecca Bunch, as “broken inside” and “crazy.” She responds with “wait, no I’m not,” “that’s a sexist term,” and “the situation is a lot more nuanced than that.” The writers of the series create a spectacle out of Rebecca’s behaviors—dismissing her obsessive behaviors and her need for love through music and comedy. Using Procter (1990) and Kellner’s (1995) research on spectacle, the authors seek to understand the construction of Rebecca’s behaviors as a dynamic spectacle through seasons one and two of the series. In season three, the authors argue the narrative moves from spectacle to education. In season three, the writers deal with Rebecca’s behaviors through exploring her mental health—eventually receiving a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (Bloom, et al., 2017).
In this paper, the authors scrutinize the shift from spectacle to education in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The authors analyze the textual transitions and representations as well as audience reactions to the narrative shift through social media posts (Twitter and Facebook) to understand how media narratives can be used to educate audiences about mental health. The authors also explore how the use of media narratives may fall short in offering an accurate representation of a specific diagnosis given the need for spectacle to maintain audience engagement.
Bloom, R., McKenna, A.B., & Pena, I. (Writers) & Winkler, M. (Director). (2017). Josh is irrelevant. [Television series]. In A. Schlesinger & S.M. Gold (Producers), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Los Angeles, CA: CBS Studios.
Kellner, D. (1995). Media culture and the triumph of the spectacle. Douglas Kellner: Essays. Accessed July 10, 2016. https://gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kelln...
Proctor, D. (1990). The dynamic spectacle: Transforming experience into social forms of community. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 76, 2. 117-133.
About the presentersAndi M. McClanahan
Professor, Communication; Coordinator of Women & Gender Studies East Stroudsburg University of PA
Kelly Lynch Mckenzie
Kelly McKenzie is an Assistant Professor at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU). She teaches First Year Experience courses, coordinates the University-Wide tutorial program, and supervises research projects related to gender,communication and leadership. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences, and has taught in France and Mexico. Her most recent publications focus on women leaders communication practices and on organizational communication and its relationship to campus climate as an indicator of organizational effectiveness.