BoJack Horseman has ended.
BoJack Horseman’s final episodes are up on Netflix. And I feel okay about that. I am not one to wish a show to go on and on and on forever. I am a huge fan of shows like NBC’s The Good Place, which also ended this winter after only four seasons.
The BoJack Horseman series finale, released on Netflix this month (Feb), brings the anthropomorphic animated show to an end. Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Lisa Hanawalt, what began as an incredibly witty, self-critical look at BoJack’s own selfish celebrity and subsequent spiral into obscurity, concluded as an examination of what it means to struggle to live a good life. Surrounded by friends and enemies alike (sometimes both simultaneously) BoJack wades through tough choices, not always coming out on the side of morality.
If you’ve been wondering if you will like this show, let me give you some reasons you should watch it. “Sometimes you gotta swing for the fences, right?”
Worry not, no spoilers here.
1. The notion that people change
The show opens with an inebriated BoJack on a talk show after he has faded from ubiquity. (The language is not for the faint-hearted.) Appearing without the veil of celebrity perfection, and cascading into rants, he has what we’ve seen so many celebrities have: a public meltdown. The idea that BoJack cannot, will not, and does not want to fundamentally change is his shadow in the first few seasons. BoJack Horseman touts a central theme that there are consequences to our actions, and investigates the journey one must go on to change.
2. Relatability
Bojack could have it all but just can’t quite figure out life’s many quandaries for long enough to reach the pinnacle of his existence. Very relatable. We watch flawed characters because of their struggle. Why? Who can’t relate to the nightmare-strewn path on the search for happiness and peace? It begs us to remember that even when it seems like someone has everything, they probably don’t. It does this by chronicling the show’s main characters’ setbacks in addiction, their (seemingly) fruitless search for love, connection and understanding, meanwhile being haunted by the ghosts of loneliness.
3. Strong female characters
Though the show is called BoJack Horseman it features plenty of strong female characters. Among them are Princess Caroline, voiced by comic veteran Amy Sedaris. PC is BoJack’s tougher-than-nails agent, and sometimes love interest who sticks by his side no matter what. Diane Nguyen, voiced by Alison Brie, is a fearlessly opinionated writer who sets boundaries for herself with BoJack from the inception of their friendship, unlike most women in his life. And then there is BoJack’s mother, Beatrice Elizabeth Horseman, and Hollyhock voiced respectively by Wendie Malick and the brilliant Aparna Nancherla. Both have hold on the opposite ends of BoJack’s life. His mother’s dismissive, cold and judgmental demeanor brought him into this world. Hollyhock’s unfiltered admiration, interest and genuine respect for Bojack encourage him in the end.
4. It’s a (dark) comedy
It’s a show about addiction, loneliness and the search for meaning in life; however, it contains more than its fair share of steady comic relief and witticisms. Most notably, via characters, Todd Chavez, voiced by Aaron Paul, and Mr. Peanutbutter, voiced by Paul F. Tompkins. Todd and Mr. PB are light-hearted, good-natured characters who come in the form of none other than a literal golden retriever and a hoodie-wearing, couch-surfing live-in best friend. While both characters have their own complicated storylines they continuously push positivity and silliness via capers and unbelievable situations.
5. No one knows how to get under your skin like family
Who doesn’t have a love/hate relationship with their family? (Kidding.) Families play a peripheral role in this show, highlighting how important it is to know where and what we came from but focusing more on where we are going. Rather than “family,” as a nuclear unit, the show points out families are made up of infinitely more than just that traditional idea.
6. Clear character development
The writers take time to trace back all of the main characters’ neuroses and backstories. From Mr. PB’s perfect beginning on the Labrador Peninsula to Diane’s difficulty in her immigrant family finding an identity, the show delves into the childhood situations both good and bad which essentially MAKE us.
7. Tackling unpopular opinions
BoJack’s writers’ room took on silly harmless views as well as strongly contested ideologies and moralities, poking fun at celebrity and Hollywood while allowing its characters to use the platform for awareness on corporate greed, abortion, adoption, addiction, sexuality, depression and death.
8. Self-actualization television
The show doesn’t shy away from the problematic intricacies surrounding celebrity and Hollywood lifestyles: Highlighting the importance and dependency on production assistants, and lower-level staff in entertainment jobs, which is still developing in the industry. Tackling the industry’s historical ill-treatment of women and persons of color, and lack of representation.
9. Innovation in storytelling
Great shows should keep you guessing and always be growing. In my opinion, for a show to be memorable, it’s nice when they include divergent storytelling. There are a couple of episodes that trod this territory but none so memorable as the episode with no dialogue. When I first watched this episode I was so taken with the inherent beauty that I immediately watched it again.
10. Redemption songs
At the outset, Bojack says, “At the end of 30 minutes, everything is gonna’ turn out OK,” concerning his show Horsin’ Around. He ruminates that the reason we watch TV is a happy resolution, how television shows, when done properly, can examine and solve the most difficult problems we face in humanity in 30–60-minute increments. BoJack reminds us that sometimes, some problems, just can’t be solved.
The show reconciles: “It’s OK to not know everything (and that) some things ‘take a leap of faith.’”
