Summary: BoJack stars on Mr. Peanutbutter's new show "Let's Find Out" but he didn't read the prepared instructions from Wanda. BoJack goes on the show and is upset with how Mr. Peanutbutter is so degrading to him. Daniel Radcliffe is also starring and also behaves poorly towards BoJack, not remembering his name. Eventually BoJack lashes out and he and Mr. Peanutbutter air out their grievances on live TV before making up and kissing for the audience. BoJack is answering the final question with a chance to get lots of money for charity, but he throws the question out of pettiness towards Daniel. Meanwhile, Todd tries to win JD Salinger's pen to prove his life has meaning but ultimately fails.
The Good: This episode is highlighted by its terrific concept and comedy. The setting of a celebrity game-show allows "BoJack Horseman" to unleash all of its best satire by poking fun at game shows, celebrities, and the people who enjoy this type of ridiculous television. This is signature "BoJack Horseman" and for once all of the jokes seem to land. Whether it's Daniel Radcliffe being an over-the-top asshole, the game show having increasingly ludicrous aspects to it, or JD Salinger praising the medium of reality television as "the pinnacle of human drama", every joke landed and made the episode better. I could list out and praise the best jokes, but there is so much to laugh at and appreciate here that it would take forever. It's hard to find any aspect of the humour that didn't work in this episode. I will point out some of the highlights however. I thoroughly enjoyed Daniel Radcliffe's presence. His snobbish personality came as a surprise and it contrasted nicely with BoJack, who was driven insane by Daniel's sheer disrespect to not even remember his name. This paid off spectacularly by the end of the episode as BoJack did perhaps the most BoJack thing we have seen him do as he lets a petty grudge against Daniel overpower his desire to provide for charity, letting $500,000 burn just to prove a point. BoJack was correct that Daniel was being an asshole, but as ever, he took things way too far. The game show is such an absurdly funny concept. The name itself is a masterpiece. "Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things? Let's Find Out!" is hilariously perfect, and every time the show has joked about this name has been really funny, from the silly abbreviation on the cards Mr. Peanutbutter was reading to JD Salinger quoting the show's title in reference to BoJack. I appreciate that this show highlights how scripted these "reality" shows can be. This show had a pre-determined outcome to promote Secretariat and Daniel's new movie, but of course it all went wrong with BoJack not receiving any instructions. The show is so phony, biased, and stupid, and scathingly accurate in its criticism of reality shows, though it does take things to an extreme of course. As someone who has significant issues with reality TV, I loved seeing these criticisms of shows that everyone enjoys. Outside of the comedy, this episode had a surprising emotional edge with Mr. Peanutbutter. Mr. Peanutbutter was so one-dimensional back in season 1, but he was a funny character. This season has impressively maintained his comedy while also bringing so much depth to this character by exploring his character strengths and weaknesses, and his relationships with those around him. He feels less like a cartoon dog character, and feels more like a fleshed out human. This episode does a masterful job of this by letting us know that Mr. Peanutbutter is not stupid. He knows that BoJack is annoyed by him, he knows that BoJack has made plays on his wife, and rather than be bogged down by this, he simply tries to overcome it and continue to be positive. But that frustration builds up of course, and while Mr. Peanutbutter is doing his shtick in the show, it draws out some hostility within him, and when BoJack calls it out, the comedy show turns into a genuine drama as Mr. Peanutbutter lets out that emotion and BoJack gets to apologize and explain why it is that he is unable to connect with Mr. Peanutbutter, who is a perfect foil for BoJack. As he says in the episode, BoJack is jealous of Mr. Peanutbutter because he can always be happy, something that BoJack desperately struggles with. It's great storytelling, and a surprising moment of heaviness in an otherwise hilarious episode. So of course it's fitting that the whole thing ends in a scene where they both kiss on the kisscam. When this show clicks, it clicks so well. That balance between comedy and drama is so delicate and hard to hit, but this episode nailed it, and the kisscam is the perfect way to end this conflict. Todd's side story is fine fluff that adds a lot of comedic value. The writers have a much better handle on who Todd is as a character now, and that shows in stories like this. The idea that Todd would completely miss the deeper meaning of the pen and thinks that just having the pen gives him worth is amusing and it fits with the character. Todd is good for several laughs in this episode with his make-up shenanigans, and the definite highlight is the "how I met your mother" joke that plays on our expectations wonderfully. Mia is fun as an academic hard-worker in contrast to Todd, and it is sweet that she tries to help him only for him to completely miss the point. Lots of nice little things as always. There aren't as many animal jokes this time around, but we do get some good stuff like the chicken getting a door slammed in its face and losing a lot of feathers, Mr. Peanutbutter shaking water off like a dog, and a couple others. I appreciate Princess Carolyn's needlessly long-winded story as a unique joke in this episode, and Wanda's inability to grasp current technology was used to its fullest in this episode. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: Wanda found out that BoJack kissed Diane. Will this cause problems between them? Best Moment: We are spoilt for choice. I'll go with the hilarious ending as BoJack lets his pettiness get the best of him. Character of the Episode: Mr. Peanutbutter. He's been excellent this season. Conclusion: This was unexpectedly excellent. "BoJack Horseman" has often been at its best when it takes itself seriously, but this time we got a genuinely great comedy experience. There is still some welcome emotion and thematic exploration that gave this story some substance, but for the most part this episode was a winner because of how creative and funny it was. It looks like season 2 is hitting its stride in its second half just like season 1 did. Score: 75
2 Comments
Joe Y
1/23/2023 09:05:56 pm
This is the season's comedic peak for me, and maybe the peak of the series as a whole in terms of comedy. Only Season 6's "Surprise!" comes close, and maybe Season 4's "Underground". The show's insistence on throwing in random celebrities like Jessica Biel, Zach Braff, Andrew Garfield, and Daniel Radcliffe is un-endingly funny to me. And Daniel's interactions with Bojack in this episode are so funny because it's exactly what BoJack would do as a self-absorbed petty Horse Man, so it's not just throwing whacky humor at the wall for the sake of it.
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Aaronic
1/25/2023 02:54:20 pm
Oh yeah that's a great joke there! This episode was filled with fun moments like that. Definitely one of my favourites in the whole show from a purely comedic perspective.
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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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