Favorite Characters: White Josh (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

I’ve enjoyed White Josh since he played Rebecca’s unwitting cock-block back at the start of season 1, but as his role has expanded over the years, he’s become one of my favorite supporting characters on the show.  Often a voice of reason in the madness but still very funny, he brings both entertainment and a certain steadiness to the series and the other characters’ lives (a few White Josh-related spoilers.)

Initially a bit player rounding out Josh’s friend group, our earliest exposure to White Josh is mostly through understated (for this show) comic relief.  One running gag throughout the first half of season 1 is that a) White Josh removes his shirt at the drop of a hat and b) Rebecca has absolutely zero interest in him and his muscles.  Of course, at this point, the audience (and presumably Rebecca) doesn’t know he’s gay, but either way, it’s both a funny bit and a good demonstration of Rebecca’s total laser-focus on Josh Chan that, if anything, she’s annoyed at the sight of White Josh’s abs.

Over time, though, we start getting more than sight gags/eye candy and an extra character for Josh and/or Greg to talk to.  I’ve already talked about the gradual roll-out of White Josh’s relationship with Darryl, giving us an in to learn a little more about White Josh while Darryl is simultaneously figuring out a little more about himself.  In addition to being a good outlet for Darryl’s journey of discovering he’s bi, they’re just a fun couple to watch.  Pretty opposites-attract – dad-bod Darryl and “fit hot guy” White Josh, even-keeled White Josh and high-strung Darryl – but even though they don’t feel like they ought to work, they sort of do, and I enjoyed watching their dating life, felt for both of them during their season 3 breakup, and have liked seeing them try to navigate a post-dating friendship more recently.

But even if his relationship with Darryl is a jumping-off point for expanding his screentime, what I really like is the expanded characterization that brought about for White Josh, both with Darryl and within the larger cast.  Some of these traits follow from the thinner character sketch from early on.  He’s in great shape because he’s obsessively into fitness and has been known to work out exhaustively when something’s bothering him.  If Rebecca’s unimpressed with him, he’s not all that taken with her, either, and he can’t figure out why Josh and Greg are so tangled up in her drama.

One of White Josh’s biggest defining traits is probably his pragmatism.  You wouldn’t necessarily think that’d be very entertaining to watch, but his deadpan practicality contrasts well with the schemes, dilemmas, and meltdowns of the other characters.  Whether he’s trying to talk Darryl down from a ridiculous emotional ledge, mediate a dumb fight between Josh and Hector, or just widening his eyes in silent amazement at Rebecca’s latest outrageousness, his mild sarcasm and appeals for logic balance out some of the more over-the-top humor and character reactions.  Even in that unintentional cock-block, while Rebecca uses a conveniently-broken garbage disposal in a bid to spend more time with a sweet but clueless Josh, White Josh simply gets down to the business of looking at the garbage disposal pointing out that it’s stuffed with whole chicken breasts and looks as if she was trying to break it.  Other characters are frequently trying to pull him into whatever insanity they’ve got going on, but if White Josh goes along with it at all, it’s usually to try and talk some sense into them.

It also helps that the other characters think White Josh’s more even personality is as great a character flaw as their own tendencies toward drama and mayhem.  Various members of the friend group frequently scoff at White Josh’s pragmatism and resistance to getting sucked into the madness, and it’s brought up early in season 2 that they sometimes keep big secrets from him because they think he’ll get “judgy” about it.  And we definitely do get a little superiority from White Josh, a sense of “oh my god, these people” head-shaking mixed with a slight Cassandra complex of no one ever listening to his rational advice.  As he attempts to save his friends from themselves and they dive headlong into complications or humiliation anyway, he can’t help but think their lives would be a whole lot easier if they’d all just listen to him.

Of course, White Josh isn’t always a fount of maturity himself, even if it often seems that way in contrast to the other characters.  I like the moments when he too has goofy reactions to things, like doing angry crunches during a fight with Darryl, and for someone who always tends to see the practical response to his friends’ absurd crises, he doesn’t fare as well when the crisis is his.  The most recent episode features him landing himself in something of a farcical situation when Greg and Nathaniel (unbeknownst to each other, both exes of Rebecca) meet and become friends at his gym.  White Josh is horrified and watches them like an impending trainwreck – “They think they’re just regular friends!  Straight people are so tragic” – but as much as he tells himself he has to explain things to them before they find out for themselves, he can’t bring himself to actually do it.  While some of his friends would probably hatch harebrained schemes doomed to just make it worse, White Josh can’t act at all.  Not so easy when he’s the one in the ridiculous pickle.

Relationship Spotlight: Darryl Whitefeather and White Josh (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Darryl’s storyline was such an unexpected treat for me in season 1, a really nice, well-handled exploration.  Not only does it round Darryl out in interesting ways and make for great, nonstereotypical representation, it also helps White Josh move from a bit player to a supporting character and throws a fun new relationship into the mix (Darryl-White Josh spoilers.)

White Josh spends the first half of season 1 as more of a figure than a character.  Like Hector, he fills out Josh’s group of friends, offering good one-liners but remaining firmly at the bottom rung of character importance.  Mostly, I like him here for the wonderful fact that, in a friend group with two Joshes, the white one gets the nickname using his race to distinguish him from the “main” Josh.  Darryl, meanwhile, is a delightful supporting character, Rebecca’s uber-well-meaning and eager but somewhat-clueless boss.  He’s always fun in the work scenes, he and his daughter are adorable together, and I enjoy his hopeful forays into friendship with Rebecca.

It’s that last point that brings Darryl into closer contact with White Josh, who it turns out has served as Darryl’s “fitspiration” at his gym for years.  As they talk workout regimens, Darryl can’t contain his gushing.  This is a smart sideplot because, at first, it seems like it’s all about Rebecca feeling left out as she attempts to get in with Josh’s group; she’s counting on Darryl as a guaranteed friendly face to talk to, but White Josh soon monopolizes all his attention.  However, the plot opens up so much more in the next episode when, after Darryl has invited Josh’s bros to hang out at his place, the night ends with White Josh kissing Darryl goodbye on the cheek.

I’m impressed with how the show handles Darryl’s realization that he’s bi.  For a fast-paced series, the plot takes its time, and it feels right to see Darryl wrestling with his feelings and mentally dissecting the encounter on his own as Rebecca, Paula, and co. wonder what’s “up” with him lately.  When he finally approaches White Josh about the kiss and what it meant, I love White Josh’s nonchalance about his orientation – his and Darryl’s conversation makes the fact that he’s called White Josh (rather than Gay Josh) even more awesome – and the kiss.  “You were being cute, so I kissed you,” he explains.  No agenda, no crazy love strategies, just a gentle demonstration of affection.  It’s unfortunate but understandable that Darryl initially freaks out at the thought of not being straight, but I really appreciate that a) he ultimately figures that he’s bi rather than straight or gay and b) once he does, he’s thrilled to try and go for it with White Josh.

There are missteps along the way, of course.  For Darryl, he’s excited and kind of scared about everything, while White Josh has known who he is for years and is much more chill.  This creates a fantastic mix of energies between the two characters as they navigate a possible relationship.  White Josh is understanding of Darryl’s insecurities and gives him room to come out in his own time but also makes it clear that he isn’t interested in sneaking around.  And later, when Darryl starts feeling brave enough to come out to people in his life, his overwhelming all-in-ness makes things awkward.  It’s adorable, because it’s like he just can’t wait to dive in, but in trying to go too far too fast, he’s kind of manufacturing things, which of course isn’t going to work.  Season 1 ends with the pair more consciously taking things slow and being an all-around terrific, funny, sweet, unlikely couple.  We’ve only seen bits of them in season 2 (mostly as a contrast for Rebecca) – I hope we get more soon, and that it’s not always smooth sailing but they keep figuring it out.