"Take Me as I Am, Whoever I Am"
"I don't know what kicks it off. Blood sugar? Chemical? Psychological? Who knows? But it comes like a monster from an old black and white movie, walking, and no matter how fast you run, he keeps up with you."
Larger-than-life hotshot lawyer Lexi Donohue (Anne Hathaway) struggles with balancing her personal and work lives with her bipolar disorder.
Tropes in this episode:
- Bittersweet Ending: Lexi and Jeff don't get together, but she finally opens up to a friend about being bipolar, and from there, finally seeks help. She also mends fences with some friends and past partners whom she inadvertently hurt with her mood swings. The episode ends with her making a new account on a dating site, being honest about her struggles and who she is, hopeful that this time, she'll be able to make it work with somebody.
- Book Ends: The episode starts and ends with peaches.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Deconstructed. As a student Lexi would miss school but get killer grades, and as a lawyer she'd be brilliant on cases but have spotty attendance records. However, these are actually the highs and lows of her bipolar disorder and not portrayed as a good thing, and her disappearing from work for large stretches of time leaves her unable to hold down a job.
- Cardboard Box of Unemployment: Lexi's uncontrolled bipolar disorder ends up getting her fired from her job as a lawyer, despite her sympathetic boss. As she walks out of the office, she carries a Bankers Box with her degree, a small globe, and some other personal items
in it. - Celebrity Resemblance: Lexi is compared to Rita Hayworth multiple times.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Lexi and Jeff's romance doesn't work out.
- Homage: Lexi's Imagine Spot is one to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Scenes of her wandering through the big city (including staring at a notable bus) in a retro outfit are shot a way much like that show's opening.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Subverted. Lexi meets Jeff during a high, and he describes her as like a breath of fresh air to his otherwise boring life. However, this relationship deteriorates quickly because he isn't aware of her bipolar disorder.
- Mood-Swinger: Lexi has bipolar disorder, and the episode portrays both her fantastic highs and her depressive lows.
- Spontaneous Choreography: To heighten Lexi's good mood/fantasy, people in the supermarket dance around her. Later a crowd dances in the parking lot.
- Shout-Out: "This isn't La La Land".
