Entertainment

Greg Is Staying Positive On 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'

by Allie Gemmill

For most of the Season 2 premiere, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 's resident "other boyfriend," Greg, was absent. Where the heck was Greg and why, oh Lord, why was he steering clear of all of his friends? Well, for those who were blithely unaware (myself included), our first major Greg moment came as a bit of a surprise: he was at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Say what? Even crazier, he was waxing poetic about how wonderful alcohol made him feel and it wasn't until we had a highlight reel that viewers began to understand that Greg's issues went a lot deeper than we expected. It's been a bumpy road for Greg up to this point and, to a certain extent, it would make sense that Greg is at a kind of rock bottom. Is there hope for him to stay on the straight and narrow in Season 2?

The first true Greg sighting was just after Rebecca came to his father's house to try and find him. Feeling incredibly guilty about not telling Greg that he was sleeping with Rebecca, Josh told Rebecca they had to tell Greg everything. Rebecca, naturally, was a bit reticent but totally on board if it meant she could truly be with Josh. After begging Paula to help her triangulate Greg's cell phone signal, Rebecca tracks him down at the AA meeting. While she resists barging in, the scene unfolds in a characteristically heartfelt, if not slightly sad, fashion.

As Greg gets us to give his testimony on why he is at a meeting, it begins to dawn on Rebecca (and those of us watching) that Greg's issues with alcohol were always present. The trouble is, Rebecca never stopped to give it much thought because she was so deeply focused on her own drama. This idea of resolving unhealthy living patterns and habits will, I believe, become a running theme in Season 2, starting with Greg and then switching over to Rebecca. The moment that Rebecca sees Greg at his own rock bottom, it's as if you can see the wheels of sympathy beginning to really turn in her head. She knows he's got a long journey ahead of him. Luckily, she made the smart choice to not interrupt the meeting. Instead, she chose to quietly leave Greg in peace.

As Greg reveals that he got a DUI the morning after Josh's sister's wedding (where he announced to nobody in particular that he was in love with Rebecca), we see that he is truly a man bent on breaking old habits. Sure, his resolution to not see any of his friends is a bit worrisome. I have no doubt, though, that those reconnections with friends will happen by the next episode. Crucially, Greg is one of the few people at the beginning of this new season that seems to actually be focused on sorting out his problems, overcoming his self-imposed obstacles, and making healthier life choices. While Josh, Rebecca, and Paula seem to keep getting stuck in emotional and psychological traps of their own design, Greg is choosing to take his own issues by the horns and make big changes.

Will Greg stick to sobriety? Will he reconnect with Josh or White Josh? Will he reach out to Rebecca or Heather to talk? While it's Greg's only job to get sober and make those healthy changes, perhaps some of his newfound resolve will rub off on Josh and Rebecca — that is, if they ever reconnect.

Images: Scott Everett White/ The CW; Giphy