‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend’: Why You Need to Skip the Credits

One of the best parts of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has long been its ear worm of a theme song. Inspired by the “BED INTRUDER SONG!!!”, the Kimmy Schmidt theme song fills the audience in on Kimmy’s harrowing backstory while also proclaiming the central thesis of the show: “Females are strong as hell.” Now the new interactive special Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend is honoring the song with a hidden Easter egg you can only find if you choose to “Skip Credits.”

Yes, you really need to skip the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme song when you watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend on Netflix. Trust us on this.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt first premiered on Netflix back in 2015, a simpler time on the internet where silly memes were king. In the early ’10s, the Gregory Brothers became YouTube sensations with their “Songify This” series where they would take news clips and transform them into synth-driven jams. One of their most famous songs was the “BED INTRUDER SONG!!!,” which as of today has over 146 million views on YouTube.

The “BED INTRUDER SONG!!!” took its inspiration from Antoine Dodson’s viral local news interview in 2010. In case you have forgotten, Dodson was interviewed by a Huntsville, Alabama reporter after foiling the attempted rape of his younger sister, Kelly. A man had used a trash can and an overhang to climb into Kelly Dodson’s window while she slept. He immediately tried to sexually assault her and she fought back. Antoine Dodson heard this altercation and rushed in to save his sister. However, he would not become famous on account of his heroic deeds but his idiosyncratic message to folks: “Well, obviously we have a rapist in Lincoln Park. He’s climbin’ in yo windows, he’s snatchin’ yo people up, tryin’ to rape ’em. So y’all need to hide yo kids, hide yo wife, and hide yo husband cause they rapin’ err’body out here.”

What’s striking about Dodson’s fame and the song’s popularity is that it reframes a traumatizing crime as something both fun and funny. With that in mind, it’s worth remembering that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has its roots in sexual assault. Though it’s never gone into detail, the show repeatedly confirms that the Reverend (Jon Hamm) kidnapped Kimmy and the other women in the bunker to not only serve him as slaves in his cult, but to be sexually abused. It’s a sickening backstory for an otherwise sunny show. One way in which series creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock manage this balance is with the theme song.

The theme song for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a collaboration between the Gregory Brothers and Fey’s husband and long-time collaborator, composer Jeff Richmond. The song takes the in-universe TV interview of Walter Bankston (Mike Britt) and gives it the Gregory Brothers Songify This treatment. Although the theme song only lasts the 30-second-length of the opening credits, the Gregory Brothers did share a longer version for fans on their YouTube page.

So what happens if you decide to “Skip Credits” on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend? Well, Walter Bankston himself comes onscreen and fixes the situation by forcing you to sit through the extended version of the song. He also wanders in and out of frame, dancing along with the music. At the end, he says that it’s a good theme song and wonders aloud why more shows don’t have themes anymore.

However, that’s not the only time you’ll see Walter Bankston. If you make it to Kimmy’s Wedding, he will be in attendance. The camera will linger on him long enough for him to muse, “That was a fascinating transition!” Of course, that’s a reference to his final word in the theme song: “That’s gonna be a fascinating transition.”

Now the Easter egg is a fun treat for viewers who can’t get enough of the song, but it’s also a mild rebuke for folks that might skip past the song. By including the longer version, the Kimmy Schmidt writers are emphasizing how important the music is in setting a tone for the show. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme song prepares us for silly humor that is rooted in a moment of real trauma. Without accepting that, the razor sharp jokes or desperation that Kimmy feels might not land the way they’re meant to.

So, yeah, there’s no way to skip the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme song in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, and with good reason. It’s a banger, but it’s a banger that sets the tone for what the show is about.

Watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend on Netflix