Summary: Princess Carolyn meets with BoJack in Elefante. BoJack is trying to fire her, but Princess Carolyn keeps trying to find loopholes. They end up fighting, the restaurant chef Sandro is accidentally fired, and the restaurant becomes a total mess. Princess Carolyn leaves, but ultimately decides to go back and help BoJack. They reminisce on their past and connect, but BoJack still decides to fire her.
The Good: This was a fantastic concept episode. Instead of relying on a neat gimmick like "Fish Out of Water" and "Stop the Presses", this episode fixates on a single moment in a single storyline, exploring the BoJack/Princess Carolyn relationship with all of its intricacies. I've always been vocal about my love for episodes that tunnel vision into a single story, creating a hyper-immersive episode that is capable of reaching enormous heights. This was that type of episode, and the complexity of everything that was explored in this story turned this into must-watch television. The exploration of BoJack and Princess Carolyn's long, complicated relationship was layered and fascinating. The history between them is quite sad, and the opening flashback illustrates that perfectly. Princess Carolyn wanted to believe that BoJack was somebody worth loving, but ultimately he wasn't. She did everything from him and backed him in every situation whether it was good for her or not. She stood by him, and now she faces the most unfair of treatments as BoJack prepares to cut her out for purely business reasons. It's sad, and you completely understand both sides. Princess Carolyn did monumentally badly and anyone in her shoes would be fired for this. But after all she has done for BoJack, this feels outrageously unfair and if anyone deserves some leeway, it's Princess Carolyn. But that leeway is not given, and so it's totally understandable when Princess Carolyn snaps at BoJack for siding with Ana over her. Their argument and fight is intense and full of emotion. This feels like it was a long-time coming as both characters go to such extreme scathing places to hurt the other in order to downplay the pain they are feeling. Princess Carolyn admitting that she should have dropped BoJack ages ago because all he does is waste her time is a sad way for her to turn his departure into a positive. Meanwhile BoJack admitting that Princess Carolyn makes him feel bad about himself is such a sad reality that BoJack uses to justify his own actions. They both have justifiable reasons to feel wronged in this scenario, and the reasons behind their intense arguing gives this conflict depth. But it's what comes after that is truly special. Despite everything, the conflict, the anger, the unfairness, the two of them ultimately end up making up and reminiscing over their past, reminded of the good qualities in their relationship. We aren't only shown why they are arguing, but we get a deep and impactful understanding of why they have such a close bond to begin with. Hearing both BoJack and Princess Carolyn appreciate each other after arguing for so long is touching, and it's especially great after Princess Carolyn makes the decision to return to the restaurant. Princess Carolyn thought she had washed her hands of Bojack, but she still turns around to help him. BoJack thought he finally got Princess Carolyn off of his back, yet he welcomes her back when she wants to help. They both have this inherent need for the other, and it's sweet to see them band together to resolve the problem of the destroyed restaurant. A lesser show would have had BoJack and Princess Carolyn work together, remember their positives, and then make up without issue. But not "BoJack Horseman". The ending of this episode is superb because it goes through the motions and subverts everything at the very end. After such intense arguing, it's immensely cathartic to see BoJack and Princess Carolyn open up further to each other as they finish the meal to please the food critic. But it's not enough. Even though they have such positive memories, it still does not change BoJack's mind and he's still forced to cut off Princess Carolyn. This ending is a complete subversion made even more impactful because now we fully understand what BoJack is giving up by refusing to give Princess Carolyn her job back, and it is devastatingly sad. What a way to seemingly end one of the show's longest-running relationships. All of this wonderful storytelling makes for a special character drama. But this is still a comedy, and incredibly this episode has some of the best comedy in the series with the side characters introduced in Elefante. Everyone here is memorable, and it's amusing to see that an entire restaurant practically burns down and goes out of business while BoJack and Princess Carolyn argue. All of this is so much fun to watch. Sandro is such a blast with his malapropisms, and I love that the show points out his value as an Italian with a stereotypical accent. Sandro is so funny every time he's on screen, and BoJack accidentally firing him is the comedic highlight of the episode. Such good comedy. The other side characters are also great. The judgemental food critic is hilarious and utilized perfectly. The waiter with a singing dream is a lot of fun, and always seems to have impeccable timing (him returning to grab his jacket at the very end is absolute gold). I got a chuckle out of the donkey family, with the mother becoming a temporary waiter on a whim, forcing her son to take over her job. I also really liked the dog valet who got such joy out of fetching the keys after they were thrown with the most endearing "I'll get it" you can ever imagine. All of these elements combined to make such a charming and entertaining backdrop for the BoJack/Princess Carolyn fight, making Elefante feel completely fleshed out in this world. Not many episodes of this show have perfectly balanced the comedy with the drama; usually an episode favours one over the other. But with how effective the comedy was here alongside the multifaceted character exploration, I can safely say that "Best Thing That Ever Happened" absolutely nailed this balance better than any other episode. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Princess Carolyn was a daughter of a maid before. How did she end up in Hollywoo? What happened to her alcoholic mother? Is this the end of the BoJack/Princess Carolyn relationship? It's hard to see things coming back from this. Will Elefante be closed down after this absolute disaster? That seems like the kind of continuity move that this show would pull off. Best Moment: Lots of moments stand out, but nothing hit harder than seeing BoJack and Princess Carolyn show their appreciation for each other after they saved the day in the restaurant. This sweet moment made it that much more devastating when BoJack decided to fire Princess Carolyn anyways. Character of the Episode: Princess Carolyn. Conclusion: A magnificent episode. This is a bottle episode of sorts, but it succeeds at telling a focused, emotional, and layered story about the relationship between BoJack and Princess Carolyn, providing great drama, emotional and touching scenes, excellent comedy, and a heartbreaking conclusion. Easily one of the show's best and most memorable episodes. Score: 84
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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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