Summary: BoJack has a rough morning and goes to the supermarket where he enrages Neal McBeal by taking muffins that he wanted. Neal goes on television and trashes BoJack. Meanwhile BoJack struggles to open up to Diane and is distracted by the commotion. He calls in and makes the situation worse until he becomes known for hating the troops. BoJack resolves everything by apologizing to Neal on Mr. Peanutbutter's new reality show. After, he meets with Diane on the roof and opens up about his childhood.
The Good: I did not expect the joke quality problem from the first episode to be improved so substantially after just one episode. Gone are the excessive cut-away gags, and in their place is a focus on animal-based jokes and puns, as well as a plethora of hidden background jokes which are clever and worth going back to the episode to laugh at. I was laughing a lot more at this episode compared to the first, and I had a much better time overall. The main plot of the episode was a blast and it accomplished so many things. BoJack and Neal's conflict is so ridiculous, but it fits with what we know about both characters. Neal was undoubtedly an asshole when he confronted BoJack about the muffins, but BoJack is stubborn, petty, and always in a bad mood, and he somehow manages to escalate things at every turn. It's a hysterical mess watching this small-scale conflict turn into news headlines (and also a brilliant satire of news channels and their inaccuracies). The episode does a terrific job of pointing out how meaningless this conflict really is, especially with the ending where BoJack is arguing points that Neal actually entirely agrees with. This underlines the real message of the episode, about how some of the biggest arguments only come about because of pettiness and stubbornness instead of any concrete disagreements. Hell, this whole conflict came about because of the concept of "dibs", a funny and fitting foundation for this mess. I really laughed at how this episode portrayed news channels. The episode highlights how news channels are more than willing to twist stories and frame them in ways to ensure more viewers, rather than an attempt to educate the public about the complete truth. This episode addresses this idea in a comical way, seamlessly blending the exploration of themes with good comedy, which deserves high praise. In fact, this episode managed to squeeze in a whole lot of serious ideas through its satire (the political idea of all troops being heroes, the toxicity of reality TV, media's tendency to obscure important stories with meaningless ones, etc.), and that is very impressive. Not all of them are successful, but a majority of these ideas are explored in funny, thought-provoking ways. BoJack's trouble opening up to Diane is a good story. In a way it seems like BoJack's exaggerated conflict with Neal was just another way for him to hide from having to open up about his childhood. It's fitting that once the conflict is over, BoJack realizes that he has to face the truth if he expects the rest of the world to do the same. I also really like the way that this story introduces BoJack's horrifying and potentially abusive parents. They are introduced being comically mean, which makes us laugh. This was a perfect way to plant the seeds of a more serious development, allowing us to fill in the blanks about BoJack's difficult childhood without compromising the tone of this comedy-heavy episode. I love detail-oriented stories, and so I am also a huge fan of detail-oriented comedy. I'm also partial to puns and similar jokes, so I really get a laugh out of the animal jokes in this show. Things like the chicken girl laying an egg when scared, and Mr. Peanutbutter, the dog, having tennis balls all over his house amused me a lot. I also have to draw attention to the hilarious news headlines during BoJack and Neal's debate. They are absolutely worth going back to read, with gems like "cute child does things on internet", "scientists discover water on ocean floor", "AIDS still a thing", and "I wanted to write novels, you know" among many others. These little jokes did not need to be here, but I really appreciate that they are. The Bad: The attempts to address Hollywood life are not all successful. There are some more serious ideas that get pushed to the side by the attempts to inject humour into them. The opening scene showcasing BoJack's depression and how his fame plays into that is a prime example of this. The scene may have had some impact if the episode had dwelled on this idea for a bit, but instead it just devolves into another BoJack bad decision as he has sex. There is also a sense that this episode is trying to explore too many serious ideas, and that prevents it from being as meaningful as it tries to be. There are numerous jokes on how Princess Carolyn is urgently calling BoJack, but he gets placed on hold anyways. Clearly this is trying to poke fun at the hypocrisy of agents, but the idea falls flat because it feels tacked on and is overshadowed by the amusing jellicles song. Todd is a perplexing character and I have no idea what to make of him. The first episode suggested that he was a freeloader that lived a more sinister life on the side. But now in this episode he's apparently a total idiot that gets joy from the finer things in life. The character feels so inconsistent and his role in the series is very awkward. The side plot of him being scammed and not knowing it feels at odds with the character we were introduced to, and it doesn't provide laughs either. At the moment, Todd is a negative addition to this show. It's a shame to see Aaron Paul be wasted like this. I feel similarly about Princess Carolyn who also maintains an awkward role in the show. Her relationship with BoJack is in dire need of being more fleshed out because I am struggling to understand who she is and why she is staying in touch with this total loser. The Unknown: No pressing questions. Best Moment: BoJack calling the news channel had me laughing the hardest, but I have to give a special nod to the very existence of the line "stealing a meal from Neal McBeal the Navy Seal". Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: Infancy problems are still hurting this show, but this episode was far funnier than the first and much more focused. I don't know what changed after the first episode, but this was a big step in the right direction. Score: 66
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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