Bye Bye Bojack
When the Netflix exclusive cartoon Bojack Horseman was first announced, many wrote it off as just another cartoon featuring silly characters getting up to silly things. Yet over its incredible 6 season run, Bojack Horseman proved to be so much more than just a silly cartoon with anthropomorphic animal characters. It was a show that was not afraid to tackle some serious issues, from depression, death and struggling with one’s own inner demons, but would also delve into the ridiculous and often hilarious situations. So as we say goodbye to our favorite horse from that famous 90’s TV show, we take a look at some of the best moments from the 6 season run.
Time’s Arrow – Season 4, Episode 11
Synopsis:
In 1963, young socialite Beatrice Sugarman meets the rebellious Butterscotch Horseman at her debutante party.
Mother to our anti-hero Bojack, Beatrice Sugarman was always portrayed as an uncaring, borderline evil mother. This episode, however, delves into the who and why of Beatrice. Haunted by the memory of her lobotomized mother and callous, emotionally dead father, Beatrice’s mental state wafts back and forth between the past and present. The reinforced parallels between her and her son’s torrid upbringings make painfully clear the ways the sins of our fathers, and mothers, repeat themselves; as it turns out, BoJack is more like his mother than he’d want to admit.
Out to Sea – Season 2, Episode 12
Synopsis:
The important things in life become clear to BoJack when Todd moves out to join the improv comedy group on their special cruise ship.
Why it’s amazing:
Coming hot off the heels of the Bojack’s incredibly misjudged trip to New Mexico, Todd moves out for good to join up with his new improv group, a group that is taking full advantage of Todd’s naivety. BoJack realizes that he has to save his best friend, noting in a touching monologue that letting Todd stay with him was the best thing he ever did. It was a wonderful turn from a character that up to this point has done one bad deed after another. Bojack realizing that his best friend was in trouble and for a change decided to a selfless act proved that there are more levels to the self-centered actor. It would also be the last good deed Bojack would commit for a very long time.
Stupid Piece of Sh*t – Season 4, Episode 6
Synopsis:
Surrounded by family, BoJack spirals into self-loathing. Princess Carolyn and Rutabaga Rabitowitz plan Courtney and Todd’s sham wedding.
Why it’s amazing:
Up until now, we’ve seen Bojack do and say horrible things, but for the first time, we get to go inside his head and get a clearer picture into the mind of the self-obsessed actor. We see Bojack do all sorts of usual, normal things; all while a little voice inside his head constantly calls him names and makes out that whatever he does, it’s never good enough. The negative thoughts just keep on coming, and it makes for a no-holds-barred examination of depression. BoJack’s disdain for his life becomes even more apparent when he starts becoming increasingly irritated by the baby doll his elderly mother has taken to looking after and he throws it over his balcony in a rage. His mother is distraught and BoJack’s inner voice can’t agree on whether that fact makes him happy or a terrible person. It’s wonderfully complex and illustrates how people struggling to maintain good mental health can sometimes take things out on those around them.
The Telescope – Season 1, Episode 8
Synopsis:
When he learns that his old friend from Horsin’ Around is dying, BoJack tries to mend fences.
Why it’s amazing:
Halfway through season 1, the writers of Bojack showed off their willingness to take the show into darker places. In “The Telescope”, BoJack attempts to rebuild his friendship with Herb Kazzaz his former best friend who wrote the show that made him famous, Horsin’ Around. Kazzaz is dying, and BoJack, who ended up letting his celebrity status get to his head and treated Kazzaz terribly, is keen to resolve the guilt he still feels. But things don’t quite go the way he wants them to and Kazzaz says he’ll never forgive BoJack’s behavior, calling him “a selfish coward who takes what he wants and doesn’t care who he hurts”. The pair eventually get into a physical altercation and BoJack, along with Diane who accompanied him on the visit, has no choice but to leave. It’s a powerful look into the case that sometimes saying sorry just isn’t good enough.
That’s Too Much, Man! – Season 3, Episode 11
Synopsis:
On a drug-fueled bender, BoJack and Sarah Lynn crash an AA meeting, and BoJack decides to make amends to the people he hurt.
Why it’s amazing:
Bojack Horseman has often focussed on the horror of childhood actors gone wrong, and In season 3 it takes a dark and dramatic look at the life and times of Sarah-Lynn, a former Hollywood child star. In the penultimate episode of Season 3, BoJack goes on a destructive bender with actor friend Sarah Lynn. The results are nothing short of tragic. It starts as uncomfortably as it ends, with BoJack convincing Sarah Lynn to get wasted just days before her nine-month sobriety anniversary. After she downs a bottle of vodka, the pair get up to all sorts including crashing an AA meeting, bothering BoJack’s former publicist Ana Spanakopita, breaking Diane’s wrist and visiting Penny at college. Their activities are punctured by BoJack’s blackouts and it soon becomes apparent that the pair have been intoxicated for several weeks. Before long, Sarah Lynn starts to open up to BoJack about how much she hates her life and how she has always struggled with growing up famous. She claims everything about her feels “fake”. The episode shockingly concludes with the increasingly disheveled duo visiting the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium where Sarah Lynn dies.