Entertainment

‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Praised Feminist Friendships

by Allie Gemmill

There's been nothing hilarious surprises and key dramatic turns in the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend journey thus far. We've had break-ups, makeovers, fresh beginnings, and one very pivotal abortion. In short, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has taken us on a whirlwind ride. We're only now beginning to get into the thick of the drama, despite evidence that things have already been quite intense. On Friday night's episode, there was a comic lift to this season's narrative thanks to Rebecca's attempts to heal her friendship with Valencia and, truthfully, it was a joy watching these two women come together and support one another.

Rebecca recently ran into Valencia at the local donut shop, where Valencia was pile-driving donuts as Rebecca and Heather looked on. Needless to say, both parties were in complete shock. The awkward reconnection came after Valencia unceremoniously broke up with Josh over his feelings for Rebecca and she purposefully distanced herself from Rebecca when the latter's advances towards Josh left her feeling threatened. Needless to say, Valencia wasn't exactly thrilled to see Rebecca again, especially during such a low point in her life. But Rebecca, ever the plucky heroine, convinced herself that she would truly be able to repair things with Valencia now that Josh was out of the picture for good.

After hearing about the Electric Mesa (a stand-in for Burning Man) from Darryl, Rebecca knew this would be the best venue for she and Valencia to reconnect spiritually and emotionally, as well as forge a deep bond of friendship. Anyone with two eyes could see that this would be a very bumpy ride. Unlike a trip to Las Vegas, what happens at Electric Mesa certainly doesn't stay at Electric Mesa. For Rebecca and Valencia, their biggest takeaway — their refreshed friendship — came about through a major feminist moment of transformation.

After desperately trying to connect with Valencia by purging old feelings about Josh, Rebecca was able to finally break through by urging Valencia to get a bit of revenge on him. Their golden opportunity came when the Electric Mesa sound system went down and Josh was sent out to the site to fix it. Rebecca convinced Valencia to urinate all over Josh's electrical equipment. Initially hesitant, Valencia was convinced after realizing that the way Josh treated her was ridiculously unfair. While I don't normally condone vengeful acts, there was something supremely satisfying about watching to women wreak havoc on the belongings of the man who wronged them.

When Josh came into the equipment area and confronted the two women, they didn't hold back in telling Josh just how horribly he had treated them. Quoting Roxane Gay, complimenting one another on their strength, and admiring each other for the positive qualities — all while Josh stood there dumbfounded — we got two watch two former frenemies become actual friends once more. The ability for these women to openly talk about and purge their feelings and simultaneously lift each other up out of their respective break-up funks was as empowering as it was hilarious.

All signs point to exciting things for the future of Rebecca and Valencia's friendship. As many women can attest, there's nothing quite so wonderful as being able to bond over a rotten guy or transformative experience.

Image: Robert Voets/The CW (2)