Bojack Horseman - The best animated show on Netflix

[Overcast]

How I see it, the original message of the show was about moving forward. Bojack is a has-been that always wanted to return to the golden times where he was famous and everything was simpler and straightforward. That's why making him a sitcom actor was genius, since the whole "genre" is based around a permanent status quo where nothing changes.

But then as the seasons progressed the writers had to justify why Bojack can't move forward despite his attempts and here things went for the worse. The new idea was to portray Bojack a toxic person who's influence ruins the people surrounding him, but this isn't how reality works. An adult is repsonsible for his actions, so people cutting ties with Bojack because he is to blame for them not progressing in life is simply childish. Bojack himself appears more cursed than toxic where some of the events he was part in seem more contrived than a direct responsibility of his own.

In the end, the show became about how you can't escape from your past despite how hard you try to make a change. That runs contrary to the original message and just makes it all seem pointless - Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

To me, it felt like the show probably should have stopped at season 4. By that point, he was able to more or less make peace with his mother, who was the root of all of his problems, and was able to find something new and wonderful with his sister. By that point, he was able to put aside his personal pride and help PC with the new show. Beyond that, they sort of stretched out Bojack's character arc for longer than they should have.

I can understand where they were coming from with the ending, but thinking about it now, it honestly does feel like a bit of a non ending. Like, they couldn't really commit to a substantial ending and instead went with a half measure. Sure, stopping at season 4 would still have an open ended ending, but it would have ended things on at least somewhat of a positive note.

I also didn't care much for how they just sort of glossed over Mr. Peanutbutter and Todd's situations. The fact that they just ended the whole thing with Pickles by having Mr. Peanutbutter casually reading a text from her as he's leaving the room just seems a bit lazy. Like show him reacting to that, show him going through the motions of moving on without her. Show him trying to figure himself out, don't just say he's doing that. I get the show is called Bojack Horseman, but if you're going to give a lot of attention to PC and Diane, why not give the same treatment to everyone else?

 

[Muttnik]

Imo the only part of the show that was dragging was Todd. I wish the character had left around the Season 4 mark. Would have made things a lot stronger. That said, I still really do love the ending and how it's kind of underwhelming. It sort of oddly fits by being sad and melancholy but with just a little of hope. Usually, finales are big and booming and dramatic so I think it's a change of pace to have something take things slow and quiet for once. It's more of a coda/epilogue to episode 15 than anything else. At least for me, it satisfied everything I could have wanted out of the show.

 

[UnKillFill]

Wow, those last 2 episodes went full on up their own assholes, didn't they?

 

[CivilianOfTheFandomWars]

I liked the show, but my God did it love to suck it’s own dick the longer it ran. The last episode especially. If it ended with Bojack actually dying, I would probably have a much more favorable opinion of the shows ending. As it was, the ending was just to happy for a character like Bojack, if that makes sense. It seemed like a cop out.
I did like Diane getting fat, that was funny. And I found her final arc to be interesting, realizing that she wanted to want to write this deep thing but actually didn’t was pretty well done.
The episodes where the animators could have some fun were always some of my favorites, second to last one included. For a show that’s generally toned down, some artistry can help add to the mood.
Speaking of artsy episodes, “Stupid Piece of Shit” and “View From Halfway Down” probably had some of my favorite moments from the show. “Stupid Piece of Shit” did a pretty good job of showing rather than telling what it’s like to have an inner voice like that, and Secretariat gradually becoming more and more afraid and regretful of his suicide was genuinely shaking in how it was delivered.
Sarah Lynn was probably the character that was the most interesting for me. The more we learned about her life from offhand pieces of dialogue the more frighteningly real her story becomes. Bojack’s life story is comical because we see it in flashbacks and it’s a comedy show, Sarah Lynn’s story is told through the background and during the more serious moments, and avoids that issue.
Overall, the show is probably one of the best Netflix original cartoons but still has some glaring issues. I would recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting to you, but it’s not for everyone. And not in a ‘you have to have a very high IQ’ way, the show just has its own sense of how to do things that can either pull you in or push you away, sometimes both.

 

[IamSpechal]

I feel like a lot of elements of the story just stopped in their tracks thanks to the series being cancelled. I know the ending was supposed to be unsatisfying, but I still feel that it was unsatisfying in the way it was unsatisfying, if that makes sence.

I think the departing message of "life goes on" is kind of a cop-out. It's just an excuse for a non-ending. I mean, they could leave some things in the open, but it has at least to have a thematic ending. Bojack's story arc just stopped without resolution. He's basically the same as he was as the beginning with some minor improvements. Again, I think this is because the writers didn't expect the series to be cancelled.

And I always felt that the writers had kinda their head in their own ass, but their writing was good enough for me to ignore it.
Good series without a proper ending.

 

[UnKillFill]

The ending sucked. The fact that they implied that the Bojack/Dianne relationship was the most important (hence why they ended the show on it) fell flat.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

I'm thinking about the characters in the show and it's pretty bad.
Bojack: Like I said earlier his character arc is all over the place. Earlier seasons implied he needs to move on from Hollywood and get a stable life. Afterwards the implication was that he is a bad influence and needs to cut ties with other people for their sake. Now the implication is that he needs to own up to the past. None of this really comes out in the finale. He is still in Hollywood, the people that haven't abandoned him are still around and he doesn't seem particularly remorseful or accepting of his past.

Diane: She probably had the best finale of realizing her past trauma didn't make her worthy of anything and starting something new she enjoys with a family. She cut ties with Bojack but had a good reason to due to the voice message.

Todd: Todd was always a non character and his ending was him maturing into a "normal" person. It's not very interesting and I think he comes out as an ungrateful faggot who's life would have likely been far worse off without Bojack. Yeah Bojack was a shitty friend, but completely cutting ties with him is just assholish.

Princess Caroline: Caroline had a lot of potential but had a confused ending. Her main regret is always holding off making a family to work. Her ending has her adopting a baby, yeeting it off to Todd for entire days and burying herself with more work. Progress? I think in her case it's the problem of her being family oriented would have fans accuse the writers of sexism. In general this makes her look like an incredibly shitty mom. Also her cutting ties with Bojack is weird since her problems doesn't even come from him but her own obsession.

PB: I don't think he even has an ending. The closest thing is the phone call with Diane where he realizes he needs to stop trying to please everyone. I remember his problem being more forcing himself into optimism to hide his depression. At least he is still a total bro.

 

[Dr. Ricearoni]

Todd: Todd was always a non character and his ending was him maturing into a "normal" person. It's not very interesting and I think he comes out as an ungrateful faggot who's life would have likely been far worse off without Bojack. Yeah Bojack was a shitty friend, but completely cutting ties with him is just assholish.

Princess Caroline: Caroline had a lot of potential but had a confused ending. Her main regret is always holding off making a family to work. Her ending has her adopting a baby, yeeting it off to Todd for entire days and burying herself with more work. Progress? I think in her case it's the problem of her being family oriented would have fans accuse the writers of sexism. In general this makes her look like an incredibly shitty mom. Also her cutting ties with Bojack is weird since her problems doesn't even come from him but her own obsession.

I won't touch your other points, but I think the point of the epilogue was that PC and Todd didn't cut ties with Bojack, they've started working out their own problems and, though their relationships with Bojack have changed, they both seem somewhat happy to have Bojack back in their lives in some way or another.

 

[Mola Ram]

Did anyone else think the whole "BoJack waited 17 minutes to call emergency services" thing was a giant cheat? Until now we've never seen any evidence that BoJack waited at all, or that Sarah Lynne died in the hospital rather than slipping away in the planetarium. It felt to me like BoJack's responsibility there was too murky, so they slammed in this giant retcon to make him look way more culpable.

 

[Dr. Ricearoni]

Did anyone else think the whole "BoJack waited 17 minutes to call emergency services" thing was a giant cheat? Until now we've never seen any evidence that BoJack waited at all, or that Sarah Lynne died in the hospital rather than slipping away in the planetarium. It felt to me like BoJack's responsibility there was too murky, so they slammed in this giant retcon to make him look way more culpable.

And then the part where Bojack only ever told Mr. Peanutbutter in a drunken stupor just so the reporters would have a way to know that's what he did. That also felt like a bit of an ass-pull

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

I won't touch your other points, but I think the point of the epilogue was that PC and Todd didn't cut ties with Bojack, they've started working out their own problems and, though their relationships with Bojack have changed, they both seem somewhat happy to have Bojack back in their lives in some way or another.

I don't know, it seemed to me that in both they applied a finality to it. Todd saying it was nice while it lasted and Caroline saying that she'll recommend a different agent.

Did anyone else think the whole "BoJack waited 17 minutes to call emergency services" thing was a giant cheat? Until now we've never seen any evidence that BoJack waited at all, or that Sarah Lynne died in the hospital rather than slipping away in the planetarium. It felt to me like BoJack's responsibility there was too murky, so they slammed in this giant retcon to make him look way more culpable.

Yeah it was bullshit and made me think I misunderstood what happened then or there was some revelation I didn't hear about. I remember him finding out she was dead, if she would have breathed he would have called an ambulance ASAP.

I have some theories about the non ending:
1. The writers planned to leave plot threads hanging hoping public support would net them more seasons/spinoffs (most likely).
2. It's some bullshit post-modern thing.
3. They had a South Park and thought Joker would make an Incel uprising which would be alluded by Bojack's Unicorn film, only for it not to happen so they had to axe a lot of the season.

 

[IamSpechal]

I don't know, it seemed to me that in both they applied a finality to it. Todd saying it was nice while it lasted and Caroline saying that she'll recommend a different agent.


Yeah it was bullshit and made me think I misunderstood what happened then or there was some revelation I didn't hear about. I remember him finding out she was dead, if she would have breathed he would have called an ambulance ASAP.

I have some theories about the non ending:
1. The writers planned to leave plot threads hanging hoping public support would net them more seasons/spinoffs (most likely).
2. It's some bullshit post-modern thing.
3. They had a South Park and thought Joker would make an Incel uprising which would be alluded by Bojack's Unicorn film, only for it not to happen so they had to axe a lot of the season.

What I understood was that PB was being sarcastic when she said that she knew the perfect agent for her. Basically, she was referring to herself.

As for Todd, it was a meta message saying that "well, the show was good while it lasted, but now it has to end".

The non-ending was just because the show was cancelled and they had to rush a lot of things, I think. Not the best working conditions, but they could've done way better.

 

[Someone in a Tree]

The non-ending didn’t really bother me. I was under the impression that they went into this season (which comprised more episodes than they would typically make in a season) knowing it was the last. Though this season and the previous one had some stand out episodes, it kinda felt like they were spinning their wheels a bit after season 4, coming close to feeling like misery porn.

 

[Trans Fat 41g]

Watched the series finale.

All I got was Bojack is less of a retard and is just a more unlikeable cynic who will keep it to himself from now on, only eating humble pie for the hundredth time.

I doubt by cartoon logic applying continuity he'd learn anything.

 

[One Man Bland]

Did anyone else think the whole "BoJack waited 17 minutes to call emergency services" thing was a giant cheat? Until now we've never seen any evidence that BoJack waited at all, or that Sarah Lynne died in the hospital rather than slipping away in the planetarium. It felt to me like BoJack's responsibility there was too murky, so they slammed in this giant retcon to make him look way more culpable.

From what I remember, pre-season 6 the bullet points to Sarah Lynn‘s death were that she OD’d at the planetarium but died in the hospital as there’s a couple references to Bojack being there and holding her hand in the emergency room during her final moments in the episode about the cabin (I think). So there’s at least a plausible timeline for Bojack to forestall calling an ambulance for it to not be a retcon, and I can’t say it’s not out of character for Bojack since he did a similar thing when Penny’s friend got alcohol poisoning.

That being said, the thing I kinda call bullshit on is the reveal that Bojack’s close friends didn‘t figure out where Sarah Lynn got a string of heroin literally called Bojack from, or that that little tidbit of information wouldn’t have been churning around in the Hollywood rumor mill already. And it does still feel like a bit of a swerve mid-season considering the first half seemed to be laying out the ground work for having all of Bojack’s other mistakes to come back all at once. It’s felt like for a a while now the writers have a bit of a snag with Bojack as a character in that created circumstances in which Bojack can make bad decisions that aren’t so despicable that he comes off as malicious or unwatchable, but also mean that they can’t truly hang him for any of it without coming off as massively hypocritical. It’s lead to this paradox where a pillar of Bojack’s arc is about taking responsibility for his actions and choices, but we aren’t supposed to apply that same responsibility to any other character when the show wants Bojack to receive the maximum amount of karma.

That‘s the problem with having your show revolve around themes and questions that don’t have any real answers: there’s so many so times you can shrug your shoulders and go "that’s for you to decide" before people start asking why you even bothered to ask these questions in the first place.

 

[IamSpechal]

I find the opinion in this video intersting. It's here just in case anyone wants to see it.

 

[Miang]

I find the opinion in this video intersting. It's here just in case anyone wants to see it.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7skV41ZKuWY

As much as I enjoyed it, he makes a very good point about the strengths of Episode 15 compared to the weakness of its placement within the show. I really like the second of his "alternate" ideas for the ending, which would have connected more strongly to 15 and that earlier moment with Cuddlywhiskers while still ending things on a bittersweet but hopeful note.

 

[Never Scored]

I finally finished this the other day. I've had very mixed feelings about the show for the last several seasons. On one hand, I like a lot of the high concept episodes such as the underwater one, the one where Bojack delivers a eulogy for his mother and the second last episode of this season. However, it feels like the show wants me to care about these characters on some level and I dunno, they all seem retarded and not very relatable to me? I enjoy bits of the show, but overall it feels like I'm getting frustrated watching stupid big city assholes make stupid decisions and whine about how crappy their lives are and that's like... all there is to their characters?

Dianne is like every girl I ever knew who moved to the big city to make it. You look them up years later and they never have a family and they're all fat and on anti-depressents and living in an apartment on a 10th floor for the rest of their lives, never owning any property, piling on credit card debt eating out every day. No sir mister big city, you can keep that shit. And maybe that's where things break down for me. Maybe when you've never lived anywhere like Chicago or LA or New Jersey and you're not suffering from depression or anxiety these characters just aren't terribly appealing or relatable? They're like people my wife and I would secretly mercilessly make fun of for months after meeting them. They're all the worst stereotypes I have about people from the city. They're like the kind of people who hire carseat installers and have panic attacks over having to do minor household repairs. It's funny but not in the way the show intends.

Anyway, that's my rant about Bojack Horseman. The show's alright overall. I just don't find it as profound as a lot of other people do because I can't relate to a depressed piece of shit from LA, I guess.

 

[L50LasPak]

I'm not a huge follower of this show but I know enough about it to say this.

Watching all of the openings back to back, Season 6's destroys me. Every time Bojack stumbles off his balcony is clearly accidental. Then the sixth hits like a freight train, because its designed to. Now sober, he's reliving everything horrible he's experienced in his entire life. Its only a minute but it feels like it just goes on and on, until you see him find a high place so he can take the plunge for real this time. He still lands in the pool, still narrowly avoids being splattered on the ground, but its brutal all the same. Watch his eyes as he goes through all of his nightmares.

I do really like the theme song and have been thinking about it. The drumbeats are what sells it. They're militaristic. It feels like a deathmarch. Just keep going, until you go right off that cliff.

 

[The Fair Lady]

Finished it a few days ago. The ending was really feels-heavy but I didn't particularly like or dislike it. Some things felt tied up, others felt forced.

Spoiler

I'm still not sure how to feel about Princess Carolyn getting together with Judah. That in particular seemed really rushed to me.

It was just alright.