IPCXG0104 Psychological analysis of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S01E04 “I’m Going on a Date with Josh’s Friend!”

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-injpr-1afca28

Is the fastest way to get over someone really to get under someone else? 
Can a relationship ever be successful if one or both of the people in it feel like one of them is settling for the other? 
And when will “bonker balls” be added to the DSM?

To answer some of these questions, Aurora Brown is joined by healthy choices, Clinical Psychologist Nazneen Firfirey and Biodiversity and Conservation Biologist – and musical theatre extraordinaire – Lyle Wilson. Together they break down the music and mental health themes in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 Episode 4, titled “I’m Going on a Date with Josh’s Friend!” 
That’s right, we’re discussing PAP smears with Mom, sex with a stranger, ideal partner preferences, and fear of intimacy.

Let’s get weird. 

More from the guests

Nazneen Firfirey: nazfirefly@gmail.com
Lyle Wilson on Insta: @lylewilson1

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⏳ Chapter Timestamps

00:00:00 Short introduction to the representation of mental health in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S01E04 
00:01:12 Land acknowledgement 
00:01:40 Title credits: I’m Not Ready for a Health Relationship! 
00:02:20 Guest introductions and their orientation to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CXG) 
00:06:09 Recapping the plot of CXG S01E04 “I’m Going on a Date with Josh’s Friend!” 
00:08:30 “The [kosher] salt in the wound.” Rebecca’s Mommie Dearest 
00:12:45 “Come back to my place and please don’t be a murderer.” Sex with a Stranger & a date with a friend 
00:31:04 “If he’s your broken condom, I’m Plan B.” Settle for Me 
00:45:01 OMG we’re heading for middle age: We all love Greg Serrano 
00:51:12 To diagnose or befriend [Rebecca]? 
01:04:45 “I’M SO CHILL!!!” Josh’s application to Aloha Tech 
01:11:16 Rating CXG S01E04 on the Fanon Test 
01:23:23 “I can hear your face.” Exit stage right 
01:29:27 End credits 

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References 

Bloom, R., & Schlesinger, A. (2015, November 2). Settle for Me (Reprise). MMXV CBS Studios; Warner Bros. Entertainment. 
Bloom, R., Schlesinger, A., & Dolgen, J. (2015, November 3). Settle for Me [Music Video]. YouTube. 
Bloom, R., Schlesinger, A., Dolgen, J., & Patel, S. (2015, November 2). Sex with a Stranger [Music Video]. YouTube. 
Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Joel, S. (2023). Mate evaluation theory. Psychological Review, 130(1), 211–241. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000360 
Eastwick, P. W., Luchies, L. B., Finkel, E. J., & Hunt, L. L. (2014). The predictive validity of ideal partner preferences: A review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140(3), 623–665. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032432 
Ehrlich, E. (Writer), & McDonald, S. (Director). (2015, November 2). I’m Going on a Date with Josh’s Friend! (Season 1, Episode 4) [TV series episode]. In R. Bloom, A. Bosh McKenna, & M. Webb (Executive Producers), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. MMXV CBS Studios; Warner Bros. Entertainment. 
Finkel, E. J. (2025). Romantic relationships. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, E. J. Finkel, & W. B. Mendes (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (6th ed.). Situational Press. https://doi.org/10.70400/NELF6116 
Groves, J. M., & Chan, A. H. (2017). Love in the time of ‘settling’: Forbidden knowledge and modern singles advice. Journal of Sociology, 54(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783317721351 
Spielmann, S. S., MacDonald, G., Maxwell, J. A., Joel, S., Peragine, D., Muise, A., & Impett, E. A. (2013). Settling for less out of fear of being single. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105(6), 1049–1073. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034628 
“Settling for less out of fear of being single”: Correction to Spielmann et al. (2013). (2018). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(5), 804. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000227

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