What I’m Watching: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 1, Episode 8 “My Mom, Greg's Mom and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves!” (B)

It wasn’t in love with this episode because it felt much more gimmicky and over-the-top than previous installments, which is saying something given the nature of this show. Maybe it was that the events of this episode felt contrived and forced to begin with rather than just simply absurd and extravagant. It was strange to see Tovah Feldshuh burst on to the scene as an extreme version of a Jewish mother after watching a different version of maternal instincts this season in her performance on “The Walking Dead.” She was good, to be sure, but things got a bit out of hand when she went from criticizing everything Rebecca did to insisting that she set her up with Calvin, who apparently is a recurring player on this show now. Bonding with Rebecca and affirming her in the end was sweet, and I guess it was necessary for a parent to show up eventually. Greg’s trip home was a bit more lopsided since his family really was nice and he was just picking fights all the time because he didn’t comprehend crucial events from his childhood. Heather coming with him was an unexpected delight, and pretty much all of her comments were the highlight of the visit. Josh getting a glimpse of what his youth used to be like was most worthwhile for watching his reaction to the unfortunate reality of having to be an adult. I’m not concerned that this show is faltering, but I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes when it returns at the end of January.