Summary: A flashback shows Secretariat replying to a letter from a young BoJack on TV. Later, he is banned from running and commits suicide. In the present, BoJack has won a Golden Globe for his book but is still unhappy. BoJack gets Princess Carolyn to get him in consideration for a Secretariat movie. He auditions but the role goes to Andrew Garfield instead. Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter start coming up with random ideas to invest in to BoJack's annoyance. But one of their investments (a Halloween in January store) injured Andrew Garfield and BoJack gets the role. Later at a party, BoJack runs into Diane and they reconcile. Diane wants to go to a third world country and make a difference but Mr. Peanutbutter convinces her to stay.
The Good: This was a rock solid finale. It started on the right note with a flashback showing us Secretariat's downfall, which is essential in highlighting the tragedy of BoJack's childhood. Secretariat was his hero, and in the end he was banned for life and committed suicide, which would be hard on any child. There is a really sad irony on juxtaposing Secretariat telling BoJack to keep running to what's ahead no matter what, only for him to kill himself merely a month later. Very evocative stuff. BoJack's personal story in this episode sums up his role in this series. Surprisingly, BoJack gets everything he ever could have wanted in this episode. His book is a raucous success, even winning a Golden Globe... for best comedy/musical? This show is quite good with its absurdist humour. Anyways, BoJack has an award, he's loved by the public now, and he even manages to land the lead role in Secretariat (after Andrew Garfield breaks every bone in his body walking into a floorless Halloween in January store... seriously what the hell?). Despite all of his success, BoJack still feels miserable in this episode. He can't help but dwell on the negative and can't take his mind off of his last interaction with Diane in "Downer Ending". This is a perfect way to summarize the main ideas of this show. This is about a man who is so extremely privileged with luxuries that 90% of people can only dream of, and yet he is eternally unhappy. This episode explores that idea magnificently and it is a good finale because of its dedication to this idea. And of course the comedy is high quality. As indicated by my comments in the above paragraph, t's really impressive how this show manages to weave these hilarious moments of absurdity into an episode which otherwise takes itself seriously. It's amusing and it makes the show feel richer and more entertaining since it doesn't let the bleak tone dominate the show. This makes it more accessible and easier to stomach compared to a show that is relentlessly miserable for its entire run. There are plenty of nice jokes throughout the episode. I already mentioned the hilarious Halloween in January store, with the hilarity of the idea only being surpassed by BoJack's witty remarks responding to it. All of Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter's ideas and interactions are quite funny, and the show is better off for getting these two characters to interact more. And again, there's lots of good animal jokes with my favourite in this episode being Sebastian reacting to the mosquito in his tent. Also, that joke with the armless orphan was delightfully dark. Diane's story feels mostly like set-up for her story in the next season, but it is effective. She clearly wants to do big things with her life, but hasn't found that level of inner satisfaction through writing BoJack's book. It's interesting to see Diane dealing with similar problems of unhappiness to BoJack, making her seem almost like a younger version of BoJack who is in the process of having her dreams ruined by the Hollywoo tar pit and its promises of "later". Her moment with BoJack in this episode is quite good, combining their stories in a melancholy way as they both look into their future with various problems of their own. The Bad: This episode is too focused on set-up and resolving things cleanly. That's not necessarily a problem, but it does make this finale feel surprisingly anticlimactic, and almost weirdly placed. One big reason for this feeling is because the set-up and resolution are happening concurrently, creating a bit of a confusing tone. Is the story ramping up, or is it settling down? I'm not sure, and the episode doesn't feel sure about that either. It's a shame because there isn't anything outright bad in this episode, it just carries a weird tone for a season finale. The montage at the end is pretty cheesy. It doesn't feel earned to see all of these characters happy with each other, and I was confused by the purpose of it. This show hasn't pandered to our emotions like that before, and I'm not sure how this sequence accomplishes anything. It's very forgettable. Princess Carolyn and Vincent's relationship still makes me roll my eyes. The idea of Vincent is funny, but the way that everyone seems to stupidly not realize that he's an adult turns a good joke into a frustrating story. It destroys any sense of reality in this world when the characters behave so stupidly. Especially considering that this show wants us to connect with the plight of these characters. The Unknown: What's going to happen with BoJack's new movie? You can bet that he will find a way to make things messy. Will Diane be satisfied by staying in LA? I think she will want to leave to go with Sebastian in third world countries. How will this affect her relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter, who clearly does not want her to go? Best Moment: I really laughed at the Halloween in January store. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A good episode to close out season 1. There's nothing especially worthwhile in this episode, but it's a solid conclusion to a season that eventually found its footing. Season 1 surprised me in the end. The first half suggested a bland, uninspired animated comedy with limited humour, annoying characters, and an unengaging storyline. But the second half of the season took some surprising risks in maintaining a more serious and emotionally powerful tone, and the result is a fun animated show that somehow captures serious emotion themes perfectly. This is a unique show, the type of which I haven't seen before. This first season was a mixed bag, but there have been signs of greatness, especially in the terrific penultimate episode "Downer Ending". I'm curious to see where the show goes in season 2, and I'm hopeful that the show spends more time on its themes of battling with inner unhappiness, rather than its below average comedy. Score: 65
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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