Summary: BoJack returns home and tracks down Hollyhock's mother. He visits her fathers in Wichita and gives them the number to Hollyhock's mother. BoJack agrees to do the Philbert show for Princess Carolyn. Hollyhock calls BoJack and is happy for him to be her brother. Todd takes Princess Carolyn into to woods to give her a pep talk. He sees the clown dentists have become rabid and turns them into a business with Yolanda's help. Yolanda asks him out, revealing she is also asexual. Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter buy a new house and take an impromptu trip to Hawaii. They don't make it there, but have a nice night together. Mr. Peanubutter gives Diane a Belle-room like she wanted but Diane is upset by it.
The Good: This was a surprisingly uplifting finale for BoJack. Every other season of the show ended with BoJack doing something terrible, with the finale ending with a slightly optimistic message promoting the possibility of change and moving forwards. But this season was different. BoJack did not do anything appalling to conclude this season, and instead he did everything right to prove that he has changed to a degree, and because of this, the tone for the final scene isn't just hopeful for the future, it's celebrating actual change and success for BoJack. That's so refreshing, and it makes the end of this season feel very memorable. BoJack's story is very strong. He is clearly pained by losing Hollyhock, and he struggles to move forward in life without resolving what happened with her. It's so sweet to see him hunting down Hollyhock's mother and getting the information to her, even if he doesn't get to see her himself. He's clearly not doing this because of selfish reasons, he genuinely wants to help her and that is refreshing to see. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the animation style from "Stupid Piece of Sh*t" return. Having this animation in a scene where BoJack recounts the good that he's done shows great character development from before, when the animation only happened when BoJack was destroying himself with his thoughts. The final scene is, of course, terrific. BoJack was suitably rewarded for the good that he did with Hollyhock's phone call, and hearing her accept BoJack as an older brother, and seeing BoJack genuinely smile at this was so heartwarming and cathartic. Sometimes the simple facial animations in this show can be so powerful, and this is a perfect example of that. In contrast to BoJack who has finally figured it all out, Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter fall apart in the most tragic fashion in this episode. At the start of the episode, this story looked like it was going to be a way to reignite their love and move forwards with confidence. There's some wackiness as they look for a new house together, the impromptu trip to Hawaii to help organize their fears for the future was very in-line with how they do things, and that sweet night at the motel told us exactly what it is they enjoy about each other. These two can be so good as a couple, and the past couple seasons have done a wonderful job of making us care about these two. This makes the story's conclusion so sad and tragic. In spite of all the good that happened, the problems still remain. Mr. Peanutbutter is insecure with Diane, and Diane is consistently frustrated by how Mr. Peanutbutter listens but never truly understands how she lives and what she wants. The Belle-room going so wrong was very sad to see, considering how much work both of them had put into the relationship. But saddest of all was certainly Diane's final line, which spells doom for their marriage. Hearing her choke out "I'm so tired of squinting" was a brutal moment, and it's a tragic culmination of the conflict between Diane and Mr. Peanutbuuter that has gone on for a few seasons. They have their moments, but sometimes it's just too much work for them to keep it together. The election was a bad time for them, but their problems persisted even without the election. In the end, it looks like it has become too much for Diane to put up with. Todd and Princess Carolyn don't get as much focus, but their story is solid enough. Todd's story is packed with the usual silliness, though not to the best results this time (see: The Bad). However, things ended in a surprisingly sweet way for him. After finally solving the clown dentist problem, Yolanda asks Todd out, and it's clear that Todd is trying to take himself out of the reckoning because he is asexual and thinks that will be an issue. But Yolanda is also asexual, so Todd has an opportunity here. The final shot is beautiful as we pan out to see everyone around Todd dressed up in his same clothes. On the surface, it's a gag based on the joke earlier in the season where Todd's clothes become trendy, but the deeper meaning is clearly to show that Todd is noticing that there are people like him out there in the world and that it's not as lonely as it initially seemed for him. That's a very positive message. Meanwhile, Princess Carolyn looks to have finally reestablished herself. Todd giving Princess Carolyn her own speech is a fun moment, and I like that his intervention finally allowed her to see the way forward again. The scene between BoJack and Princess Carolyn is sweet as they look to have left their problems behind them to move forwards. BoJack is finally able to treat her the way she deserves, and he is happy to help her out and encourage her on her way to making a new family, with adoption looking like the likely way forwards. This scene is excellent, giving Princess Carolyn some closure with BoJack, and further highlighting the genuine change within BoJack as he is able to treat Princess Carolyn much better than he did last season or any other time in this season. A few little things amused me in this episode. The VR housing is a fun idea for a scene, and I liked Mr. Peanutbutter heading to the VR bathroom to end off that joke. As a "Friends" fan, I had fun with Hollyhock's jokes about Chandler. The gas station that Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane went to had a fun sale for beef jerky and "beef friendly" which made me smile. I also had to laugh at the accuracy of the new bridge to Hawaii immediately becoming clogged by traffic. Lastly, I like that Hollyhock also hates honeydew, and calling it "the Jared Leto of fruit" was pretty funny. The Bad: The clown dentists in the woods strays a little bit too far into absurdity for my liking. Absurdity is funny in this show when it comes to decisions that characters make, and stupid things that they say. But when it comes to sheer ridiculous ideas like the clown dentists being randomly left in the woods (they don't have lives to return to?) where they contract rabies and become zombies, that's a step too far. Furthermore, Yolanda as a character is damaged by going along with Todd's dumb business scheme. Her dynamic with him worked because she was logical, and that clashed with Todd's stupid ideas. They don't have that dynamic anymore with Yolanda actively helping him with one of his dumb ideas. The Unknown: Will BoJack be happy in his new TV show? Will he see it through? What drama will happen on this show? Is Hollyhock going to stay in BoJack's life? Will this be the end of Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's marriage? Best Moment: It's tough to choose between Diane and BoJack, but I'll give it to the feel-good ending scene as BoJack can finally smile happily now that he's saved his relationship with Hollyhock and earned some respectability. Character of the Episode: Everyone had a good episode, but I'll give it to BoJack for finally changing for the better to some degree. Conclusion: This episode ended season 4 on a very strong note. This concluded storylines satisfyingly, and it feels more effective than most of the previous finales because it spends more times concluding stories than setting up new ones. Season 4 was the best season so far. It may not have been the most consistent, but there were so many standout episodes that provided the very best we have seen from this show. "The Old Sugarman Place", "Ruthie", and "Time's Arrow" alone are fantastic enough to make this season worth it, but there are plenty of other fun experiences throughout like "Stupid Piece of Sh*t", "Hooray! Todd Episode", and "Underground" to name a few. Overall, I liked a lot of the stories that were told this season. After three seasons of BoJack doing bad things, it felt refreshing to see season 4 go in a different direction, and the result is the most unique and memorable season so far. I enjoyed almost every new thing that was introduced, including BoJack's relationship with Hollyhock, the new direction of Todd's character, the election storyline, and the time spent exploring Beatrice and her story. Overall, this season encompasses the best I've seen from this show so far, and it will probably be tough to top the quality that we saw here. Score: 69
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Summary: Beatrice recalls her past in her head. As a child, she caught scarlet fever and was traumatized by her father ripping away her doll from her and burning it. As she grew up, she got an education but Joseph tried to force her to marry Corbin Creamerman. In protest, she has a lovely night with Butterscotch, who crashed her party. Beatrice gets pregnant and tracks down Butterscotch who decides that they can start a family together. Over the years, they grow bitter. At an old age, Butterscotch admits he got Henrietta, their maid, pregnant. Beatrice convinces her to give up the baby for adoption. In the present, Beatrice recognizes BoJack. BoJack shares a nice moment with her, telling her she is back in Michigan.
The Good: This is a special episode, and you can tell from the very first scene when the point of view stylishly switches to Beatrice, entering the complete blank slate that is her mind. I've never seen a TV episode tackle the effects of Alzheimer's on such a personal and creative level before, making this a unique experience. The visual style is masterful, and you are constantly reminded that you're watching memories inside of a person's mind. The scribbled out and blank faces all over this episode are deeply unsettling, and it's creepy seeing pieces of different memories popping up briefly throughout the episode with occasional connections to the present day reminding us that Beatrice is living her current life while her brain is trapped in the past. Little details like the childhood slide being exaggerated in size to represent child Beatrice's fear of the height, and Honey's presence always being a frightening shadow do a great job of representing that we are watching events in the way that Beatrice perceives them. These are brilliant stylistic choices. The style only works if there is substance, and there is plenty of it in this episode. This episode is an in-depth portrayal of generational trauma, exploring how the struggle and suffering that Beatrice went through was passed down to BoJack and Henrietta. In doing this, "Time's Arrow" manages to make us sympathize with a total monster, making us understand the source of Beatrice's pain and why she ended up becoming such a miserable figure in BoJack's life. Her life with her father is absolutely awful. Back in "The Old Sugarman Place", much of Joseph's horrible fathering was played for laughs, but here there is no disguising how monstrous he is towards Beatrice. It's no wonder that Beatrice was so desperate for an escape, and it's sad to see how she was tempted by Butterscotch, who comes off as a charming knight in shining armour to sweep Beatrice away from her bland life and save her. But life is not a fairy tale, and ultimately Butterscotch doesn't offer the solace that Beatrice needed. Tragically, right when it looked like Beatrice may have found something in Corbin Creamerman, her pregnancy takes her back to Butterscotch, and into a terrible life. Beatrice's new life started off with such hope and it is sad to see Beatrice's optimism ground out by financial pressures, Butterscotch's stubborn pride and general awfulness, and an inability for Beatrice to give up her baby due to unresolved trauma with her childhood doll. The passion goes out from her, and all Beatrice is left with is her own wit, which she promptly uses to destroy everyone and everything that she thinks is contributing to her misery. It's an awful thing for her to do, but we can understand how she ended up here, and I sympathize with her for being a victim of bad life decisions that she will never be able to undo. The generational trauma idea is portrayed in some really brilliant ways. It's so sad to learn why Beatrice was always so degrading to BoJack. Beatrice chose this life with Butterscotch over the life her father wanted for her, so she put an unfair amount of pressure onto BoJack to be worth it to justify her decision. But Beatrice's expectations were unrealistic, and combined with Butterscotch being a constant source of frustration, she was never going to be able to provide a good home to raise BoJack in. Furthermore, the trauma goes back deeper as we eventually learn that Beatrice was traumatized at an early age by her father forcefully burning her doll in such a cold and callous manner, and this resulted in Beatrice being unable to give up BoJack due to her trauma, condemning BoJack to growing up in an abusive household. Even more tragic is that Beatrice ultimately becomes her father as she traumatizes Henrietta in a similar way by not allowing her to hold the baby she's giving up for adoption. The climactic scene intercutting Beatrice's burning doll, Henrietta giving birth, and Beatrice giving birth is phenomenally edited and executed, offering some big moments and providing a huge catharsis that sums up the main ideas of Beatrice's story perfectly. I was surprised and impressed by the Hollyhock twist. Hollyhock being BoJack's daughter felt so obvious and logical that I never even considered another possibility, but this reveal makes a ton of sense. I also have to applaud the show for demonstrating restraint. We are never told that this baby is Hollyhock, but the show trusts that we will know anyways. A lot of other moments throughout Beatrice's story had emotional resonance. Beatrice trying to convince Henrietta not to throw her dreams away for a future with Butterscotch that looked too good to be true was a fantastic moment. Poor Beatrice had the root of all of her suffering exposed again, and it's no wonder that she sounded so desperate to help Henrietta as this is the closest she can ever come to correcting the mistakes she made in her life. The detail that Butterscotch uses the same connection to his dead mother to win over Henrietta is deeply sad, a sad moment of acceptance for Beatrice as she faces yet another reminder that nothing about Butterscotch was real and that she was essentially scammed into this marriage. Lastly, I really want to call attention to Joseph's horrifying demeanour as he burns Beatrice's doll. Instead of allowing her to process her feelings, Joseph tells her that things need to happen with such a neutral unsympathetic voice, and forcibly burns Beatrice's doll so suddenly without allowing Beatrice time to process what is happening. It's heartbreaking how little he cared, and that final line of "one day this will all be a pleasant memory" is so painfully false, and you can tell that it stuck with Beatrice throughout her life. At the end of the exploration of Beatrice's mind, the episode has one last incredible gutpunch to throw our way as we resume in the present day with Beatrice finally recognizing BoJack. Earlier in the season BoJack had expressed his desire to rage at his mother once she recognized him, and after Beatrice drugged Hollyhock, I'm sure that most viewers would have wanted to see this happen. But following this episode's horrifying experience in Beatrice's mind, the tone has changed a lot, and there's a greater sense of tragedy in Beatrice's confusion. I think it's absolutely sweet that the show chose to give this character a somewhat positive moment at the end of the episode as BoJack describes a childhood memory of Beatrice at the lakeside cabin before all of the trauma and pain entered her life. This is also an extremely powerful moment for BoJack, who had every reason to not care about his mother and allow her to feel pain. But he chooses to share a moment with her, which is indicative of how no matter what Beatrice does, BoJack deep down just wants to have a mother who he can share a nice moment with. This scene has such a sad undertone, and it ends with a fascinating final line as BoJack asks Beatrice if she can taste ice cream. But as we learned in "The Old Sugarman Place", Beatrice was not allowed to have ice cream, so the illusion was ruined in this moment. But Beatrice, like BoJack, is content to let the illusion play out because it is better than the reality that she and her son have to face, and the episode ends with mother and son tragically sitting in a fake reality where they are both happy, just wishing that this illusion will last for longer than just a few moments. This scene is a perfect conclusion to the most emotionally complex, devastating, and thought-provoking episode yet. There are a couple funny details that I appreciated in this episode. Corbin's goat scream after Beatrice vomits on his is completely unexpected and really funny. Butterscotch giving Beatrice a number to a pizza parlour in Brownsburg is very similar to BoJack giving random women a number to a sandwich shop in Temecula. I guess being an asshole is genetic. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Will this be the last time BoJack ever talks to Beatrice? Best Moment: In an episode chock full of excellent moments, that sweet final moment between BoJack and Beatrice managed to stick with me the most. Character of the Episode: Beatrice. Conclusion: This was an experience unlike anything else I've watched. A beautiful look into the fraying mind of Beatrice, showing us what made her into the monster she is and how she transferred her traumatic experiences to the next generation. This episode is a masterpiece and hits like a truck when you watch it. Another absolute winner from season 4. Score: 89 Summary: Hollyhock passes out in BoJack's bathroom during a game of uno. She is taken to a hospital and BoJack can't get an update until her eight dads arrive. He learns she overdosed on amphetamines and is not allowed to see her. BoJack discovers Beatrice had been spiking Hollyhock's coffee. Angrily, BoJack takes her to a bad retirement home to leave her there, but she says his name. Woodchuck and Jessica Biel continue to have a ridiculous political battle, but Diane seals Woodchuck's victory by publishing an article on how Jessica Biel hates avocados. Todd's clown dentist venture comes under fire and he has to perform a show to keep it alive. Todd helps Princess Carolyn secure a job opportunity by meeting with Turteltaub to propose a TV show. She forges a signature to attach BoJack to the project. Todd's show is not good enough and he has to shut down his business.
The Good: The structure of this episode is really unique as we get to see three separate storylines told in their entirety back to back to back. All three storylines are fun, with the tone becoming more and more serious with each storyline. The first storyline shows the conclusion to the political storyline that's been going all season, and it more than delivers a satisfying conclusion. The political angle has been ridiculous since minute one, and it ends on a suitably stupid note. The montage of Woodchuck's hand-related rivalry with Jessica Biel is quite funny with a lot of amusing little details. Could there have been more thematic relevance and seriousness to this political storyline? Maybe. But the show chose not to do that and was very consistent with the ridiculousness, so it worked overall. The story also had the underlying role of creating more distance between Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane. Even in this episode, Diane comes up with such a stupid plan to ruin Jessica Biel, and it worked spectacularly well, but she has to put up with Mr. Peanutbutter acting like this was a team effort. Tensions between them have been set up well throughout the season. The second storyline features Todd and Princess Carolyn. Princess Carolyn is obviously in a bad place right now after all that happened, but she finds a calling in making this new TV show that personally appeals to her by being called "Philbert". Even still, she's in no fit state to pull this off herself, so Todd has to help her make this a reality, once more showing his giving side. The ridiculous caper with the clowns setting up a meeting with Turteltaub is pretty funny, and I love that earlier in the episode we inexplicably see Princess Carolyn flying through the sky in the background, setting up this moment. Todd's clown dentists look like they have run their course after the performance failed, but they brought a lot of levity to this show and were a joke that worked exceptionally well. Lastly, we get to the BoJack storyline which is far more serious as Hollyhock gets sent to the hospital. Perhaps the most painful thing about this fall for BoJack is that he doesn't know what he did wrong this time. Sure, he didn't notice Hollyhock's appearance changing because he's ignorant when it comes to these things, but outside of that, he didn't do anything outrageously wrong like trying to have sex with Penny or leading Sarah Lynn to her death. That makes this loss so much more painful for him, and it gets worse when he discovers the true culprit: Beatrice. Ultimately he believes his mistake was bringing Beatrice into his house, and watching him lash out at her was sad and affecting. The episode ends on a curious cliffhanger with Beatrice finally recognizing him, and I'm interested to see what happens next (see: The Unknown). Lots of little things in this episode. I enjoyed BoJack playing uno like he was playing poker. The story of Woodchuck's hands was really funny, and there are so many funny newspaper clippings that are absolutely worth pausing to read. My favourite aspect of them is the recurring "Baby Billy the Balloon Man", a 17 year old with dwarfism giving his opinions on hands. Tom gets a great line here after Jessica Biel accuses Woodchuck of taking hands from a pedophile/murderer, saying "well if you have to murder somebody". The saga of Mr. Peanutbutter's banners continues with the latest entry "hooray for Woodchuck and if he doesn't win write I'm sorry Woodchuck". The Bad: Nothing I'd call bad. The side stories aren't nearly as interesting as what's going on with BoJack and Hollyhock, but I would not call them bad by any means. The Unknown: Will BoJack be okay with working on Philbert? How will he react to Princess Carolyn forging his signature? Will this new TV show get Princess Carolyn back on her feet? Will BoJack ever see Hollyhock again? Is there any way that he can make up for what he did? How will BoJack react to Beatrice finally recognizing him? What's next for Todd after his latest business venture failed? Best Moment: BoJack's terror after realizing he was responsible for what happened to Hollyhock was sad and painful to watch, but even better was the immediate realization we saw afterwards that Beatrice was the one spiking the coffee. BoJack's rage and frustration was very real, and seeing him unleash it against Beatrice who no longer understands anything in her current state is really sad. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: This episode had a weirdly fun structure featuring three easy to enjoy stories while setting up the season's endgame. Not one of the show's best episodes, but a very easy one to enjoy. Score: 68 Summary: In a future world, Princess Carolyn's descendant Ruthie tells the story of Princess Carolyn's bad day. In the present, Princess Carolyn is fired by Courtney Portnoy and finds out her family heirloom necklace was fake all along. She learns from Charlie that he gave an offer to Judah that she never learned about. She goes to a doctor's appointment and learns she miscarried. She can't bring herself to tell Ralph and goes to the office. She fires Judah and gets drunk in her other apartment. Ralph goes to see her and finds out. They get into an argument and break up. Princess Carolyn returns to her office and is called by BoJack, who had a bad day failing to get adoption information for Hollyhock.
The Good: This episode did a magnificent job of portraying the worst possible day for Princess Carolyn. The writing here was brilliant as the episode gradually escalated the stakes for Princess Carolyn as she goes from career setback, to family setback, to personal setback, to losing the most important relationships in her life, leaving her with absolutely nothing by the end. It can be tough to create that feeling of pure despair and emptiness that accompanies a character losing everything, but this episode nails that feeling, turning this into quite a sad and memorable experience. We have seen nothing but good things in her relationship with Ralph, so seeing Princess Carolyn's inability to process her miscarriage destroy that relationship is heartbreaking, especially knowing that she has essentially lost her dream of a perfect family life with this break-up. Just as heartbreaking is Judah being fired. We've seen Judah be an ideal employee that genuinely cares for a long while now, and it's very sad to see him get abruptly fired, leaving Princess Carolyn without one of her most dependent and reliable confidants. These two scenes work very well because I understand why Princess Carolyn felt the need to cut off these relationships even if she did not want to. The presence of Ruthie in this crazy alternative world is a fun idea that brilliantly sets up a sad twist ending. The final moments where it becomes clear that this happy ending we were promised by Ruthie was fake and Princess Carolyn just has to deal with her life crumbling around her is devastating. I went through the episode believing that there would be a happy ending, and revealing the sad reality was tremendously effective. On a lighter note, the alternate universe had some fun jokes too, including the weird bean system, and the teacher bot getting frustrated by the BoJack and Diane B-story. BoJck's side story is effective too. Not only does it offer some much needed levity, but it intersects with Princess Carolyn's story in a meaningful way to end the episode (see: Best Moment). There's some lovely irony in contrasting BoJack's "worst day ever" with Princess Carolyn's, while also showing us why Princess Carolyn has kept in touch with BoJack for so long since he does offer something of a safe space for her when she has had an awful day. Lots of fun little things. The biggest laugh of the episode was Princess Carolyn returning to her apartment to see Todd's horrific clown dentist business getting underway. I loved Ralph's business ideas written on the board, with the most amusing being a crossed off "Halloween in January" idea because it has "already been done". Princess Carolyn's cat ancestors being portrayed as real-life cut-outs was creative and funny, and it made for a memorable sequence. I liked the George Clooney/Jurj Clooners line which highlighted how self-aware this show can be sometimes. Lastly, I was amused by BoJack getting Diane to come alogn with him by saying there was a "feminism-related emergency". The Bad: Nothing outright bad, but if that was the end of Princess Carolyn's relationship with Ralph, then that was surprisingly abrupt. Most break-ups would not happen so quickly and definitively in these circumstances. I hope there is more to their story. The Unknown: Are these decisions going to be permanent? Is Princess Carolyn and Ralph's relationship over? Is Judah gone for good? Will Princess Carolyn keep trying to get pregnant or is she going to end up adopting? Is Todd's clown dentist venture legal? It seems like this is going in the wrong direction. Best Moment: BoJack calls Princess Carolyn and for once she seems like she could use his company. As BoJack obliviously prattles on about his "horrible" day, Princess Carolyn gives us the sad reveal that all of those promises from Ruthie that told us there would be a happy ending were false, just something in her imagination to help her process everything that she has lost. This was a real shock to me, and the moment was so real and relatable (we've all had those days) so it works tremendously well. Character of the Episode: Princess Carolyn. Conclusion: What a sad, powerful episode. I think just about everyone can relate to having those truly awful days, and seeing Princess Carolyn go through setback after setback until she had nothing was absolutely heartbreaking. Score: 80 Summary: BoJack goes to his new job on FHBA and Hollyhock connects to an intern, Miles, on set. BoJack believes Miles is no good and tries to set him up by getting him to sleep with a contestant. It backfires and he is fired, but Miles cuts a deal with him to never talk to Hollyhock again in exchange for a career favour. BoJack does it and Hollyhock is saddened. Princess Carolyn goes to meet Ralph's parents but Ralph doesn't want to mention that she's pregnant. Eventually Ralph tells off his parents for being rude to Princess Carolyn. Mr. Peanutbutter resigns from running for governor but Woodchuck is contested by Jessica Biel. Mr. Peanutbutter joins the cause to help him overcome her. Todd starts a new business venture for dentists that are also clowns.
The Good: BoJack making awful decisions is always amusing. He's clearly jealous thta Hollyhock is spending time with others throughout the episode, and in typical BoJack fashion, he comes up with a hilarious scheme that completely blows up in his face spectacularly. It's funny to see BoJack's plan to get Miles to sleep with a contestant gets totally derailed due to him continuing to mistake Miles as a PA. The side stories tell a decent enough story. Princess Carolyn visiting Ralph's family is okay stuff, with the highlight being Ralph's parents offering Princess Carolyn things that pregnant women should never bother with, with the requests getting comically more obscene as the scene goes on. Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter coming up with another side venture is the type of silly fun that I love from this show. The clown/dentist combination is quite funny and the show does a lot with this idea in the episode. It's funny to see these clown/dentists intersect with Woodchuck's story. Also poor Woodchuck's hands are a good source of humour throughout the episode. The episode is full of fun jokes. I was happy to see Randy back in action on the news. Mr. Peanutbutter screwing Katrina over with the lease is so wonderfully funny because Mr. Peanutbutter has always been this irritatingly ignorant about things. Animal jokes are prevalent again with highlights being Hotel Kangaroosevelt and a lobster gardener accidentally destroying a hedge. The episode makes a fun Frogger reference as well with a frog trying to cross a road. Lastly, I got a chuckle out of Hollyhock's absurdly long initials written on her tote bag. The Bad: Much of this episode feels like filler and it never feels like this is a story that is worth telling. Let's take BoJack's story to start with. The Felicity Huffman show feels like a retread of similar previous storylines, and it predictably goes nowhere of note making it a waste of time. The joke about her show feels redundant and doesn't offer enough comedy to make it a worthwhile storyline. The episode tries to make it feel substantial by adding in a story between BoJack and Hollyhock, but it doesn't work at all. The storyline is just BoJack being BoJack; we don't learn anything we didn't already know about him, and nothing about what he does in this episode is surprising. The episode tries to have a dark and sad ending moment, the type that the show usually tends to do really well, but it fails here too. Hollyhock's insecurity gets preyed on by BoJack ultimately, and even though he makes it up to her, he still can't fix the pain she feels in the moment. This would be more impactful if I connected more with Hollyhock's pain, but I just didn't. Her relationship with Miles is rushed and off-screen, so I am unabel to connect with her emotions like I usually can in the very best episodes of "BoJack Horseman". The side stories are bland. Princess Carolyn having problems with Ralph's family is predictable and nothing interesting is done with this. The prejudice against cats isn't interesting to explore, and things ultimately go nowhere with Ralph predictably standing up for his girlfriend. I felt like I was watching a subpar melodramatic soap opera at times in this storyline. Mr. Peanutbutter dropping out of the race ended up being a bit of an anticlimax. It looks like something else is being set up, but this episode failed to make the transition from Woodchuck and Mr. Peanutbutter as enemies to allies feel interesting and exciting. The Unknown: Where is the clown dentist storyline going? Best Moment: Oxnard being the poor straight-man dealing with Mr. Peanutbutter and Todd's shenanigans will never not be funny. In a weaker episode like this, it steals the show. Character of the Episode: Mr. Peanutbutter. Conclusion: Honestly, this is quite an underwhelming episode. It never feels like a purposeful and important episode, and nothing stands out whatsoever. For a season with some brilliant high points, there have been a couple of lows as well. Score: 56 Summary: BoJack goes to a fundraiser at Mr. Peanutbutter's place to see Diane but she's frustrated with him. The fracking under the house causes it to fall into the underground and get buried. Everyone is trapped and looks to Mr. Peanutbutter to lead, but the result is total chaos. Woodchuck comes to save them but nobody listens to him. As the chaos continues, BoJack and Diane drink together and open up to each other about their problems. Princess Carolyn and Todd meet with an ant colony and convince them to move Mr. Peanutbutter's house back aboveground. Everybody leaves and gets back to their normal life.
The Good: This is a fantastic concept episode. The idea is so stupidly absurd that it would never work in any other medium, or really in any other fictional universe. Mr. Peanutbutter's house gets buried underground, leading to a group of hilarious gimmick characters going "Lord of the Flies" in an effort to survive. The escalation into pure chaos is so much fun to watch, and makes this such a unique episode of the show with a good mix of comedy and drama. The sheer ridiculousness of the whole scenario makes it difficult to take your eyes off of the screen, and the situation is tailor-made for a better examination of why Mr. Peanutbutter would be an abysmal politician and an even worse leader as he eggs on the mob and defies all logic in every scene and every decision. It's no wonder that Diane is frustrated with him, and we see the danger of his influence unleashed in the most comical of ways. BoJack and Diane's story anchors the emotional side of this episode. The episode opens with Bojack finally reaching out to Diane, but because he waited so long, there is some hostility between them again. The rest of the episode sees them get stuck getting drunk together ranting about their problems (as they do), working out their individual conflicts in a meaningful way. These two have an interesting relationship, and I enjoyed their scenes quite a bit. BoJack wanted to be better before seeing Diane again, which is understandable but also a sad indicator of his failures that he was unable to connect with her in a situation where he did not need her help. Naturally, Diane immediately offers BoJack a solution to help him with his Hollyhock problem, indicating that BoJack really should have opened up to her immediately as a friend. Meanwhile Diane is fittingly enraged with Mr. Peanutbutter as his actions have directly (fracking) and indirectly (bridge to Hawaii) resulted in them all being trapped underground. Diane's fury is fun to watch because here it is absolutely earned. This is a step too far, and seeing her lash out to everyone is amusing. Of course, she drinks a bit too much and ends up having another mental crisis (see: Best Moment), and it's nice to see BoJack help her get through this and reconnect with Mr. Peanutbutter, once more reaffirming the value that they both get from this relationship. This episode did well to utilize this relationship by having each character's story reach a turning point as a result of the help they received. Todd and Princess Carolyn have a side story here, and it's decent enough. It doesn't have much storytelling meat (see: The Bad), but it offers some substance. I like that the show has addressed the presence of ants, and the take on an ant colony living underground is creative and fun. I especially liked the drones, who were such over-the-top hunks, fitting for an ant colony. Seeing Princess Carolyn negotiate with them is fun, and I always get a kick out of how she insists that being a manager is completely different from being an agent. She's said it so much and it has somehow worked out for her enough times that I can almost believe it. This episode is bursting with little things that made me really laugh. Mr. Peanutbutter sensing an earthquake like a dog at the episode's start was really funny, and I loved how everyone panicked tot he extreme once things starting shaking. The side characters stuck underground were all fantastic and added something to the story. Jessica Biel being obsessed with burning people alive, while constantly being dissed for being a B-list celebrity is really funny, and knowing that Jessica Biel herself plays the role makes this even better. Poor Zach Braff begging to go home before being burned to death and cannibalized is a horrifically hilarious death that I absolutely love. The cherry on top is in the final scene where we can see "wish I wasn't here, ZB '17" engraved on the wall in the backgound. The parrot character is really fun as she repeats everything and contributes to the always-amusing mob mentality that develops. Woodchuck is perfect as the voice of reason as he continues to make the best solutions, only to be overrun by the crowd of idiots around him. Pinky making a return is very welcome, and hearing of his failed TV exploits is a blast. Lastly, the guy who has an orgasm whenever there is a shift in power dynamics was funny every single time. Outside of the colourful characters trapped in the house, I also got a laugh out of the continuity of the rescue budget being low because of the sheer expense of the farcical bridge to Hawaii. The Bad: This episode feels similar to "Best Thing That Ever Happened" in a lot of ways, but I don't think that it tastes the same success. The comedy is quality, but where this episode is lacking is in its emotional edge. BoJack and Diane's relationship is the emotional centerpiece, but both characters are often left on the sidelines while the underground situation escalates, and that makes this episode a less compelling story than what it should have been. I wish that BoJack and Diane were incorporated into the main story with more of a major role instead of being simple bystanders. Princess Carolyn and Todd's story doesn't have much substance to it either, it's just another mildly amusing Todd side-venture with Princess Carolyn tagging along this time. "Best Thing That Ever Happened" benefited from not having to spend time on a side story, and I wish that this episode was given the same luxury, but unfortunately it was not. The Unknown: Will Diane's adoption paper solution help BoJack find Hollyhock's mother? Will Mr. Peanutbutter drop out of the running now? It seems like he's willing to let go of this needless desire to be governor to fix his relationship with Diane. Best Moment: Diane crying about how she is a pit that is never happy. On the surface, this is a sad moment where Diane takes stock of her unhappiness and is overcome by it. But on the other hand, she's also extremely drunk and woefully overdramatic, making this sad moment surprisingly funny to watch at the same time without ever losing the importance of its meaning. It's a nice scene that offers both laughs and feels. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: I may have criticized this episode for a couple of things, but overall I love this creative departure from the main story and got a lot of laughs out of this episode. This isn't one of the show's best episodes, but it's memorable and fun, and sometimes that is all you need. Score: 69 Summary: BoJack is struggling to stay at home with his mother. When he sees her babying a doll, he spitefully throws it off of his deck and has to go get it back. He recruits Mr. Peanutbutter and together they bring it back. He has a talk with Hollyhock about how he struggles and helps her with her struggles. Princess Carolyn joins with Rutabaga to book a wedding for Courtney Portnoy to set up a new project. But Todd backs out of the wedding after speaking out at his aces meeting and talking with Diane. Rutabaga gives up and plans fall through.
The Good: Diving into BoJack's thoughts to better paint a picture of his depression was a masterful decision. From the first second, I could tell that this episode was going to be special and different, and it provided exactly that by giving us a look into BoJack's thoughts. This perfectly blended maturity and comedy as BoJack's thoughts are a painstakingly accurate portrayal of depression (the sheer amount of self-hate), and anxiety (he stresses himself out about literally everything), and yet they are comically fun to watch as BoJack makes amusingly bad decision after amusingly bad decision before reprimanding himself in over-the-top ways. For people who have never experienced this, it is funny to see such a ridiculous thought process, and for those who have, its heart-wrenchingly relatable. The episode manages to make this idea entertaining for everyone. On top of that, we got some terrific animation sequences painting out the thoughts in BoJack's head in a unique and memorable fashion. I enjoyed these sequences every time, and they worked well to paint how overwhelming BoJack's thoughts are. For those who condemn BoJack for what he does, this episode does a great job in making him more human because we can clearly see how his mental health issues are a significant barrier that blocks him from doing the right thing, even when he knows what the right thing is. The main plot of the episode has some lovely moments too. We can see how BoJack has been perturbed by his mother's presence, and that reflects in him no longer staying at home, trying to spend as much time as possible away from her. Sadly, that distances him from Hollyhock, and we see the effects on that relationship by the episode's end. BoJack had been awful throughout the episode, running away to drink whenever possible, and the only times he interacts with Bea is always brutally negative, like when he throws her doll off of the deck, something that may be justified in his head, but is ultimately entirely unnecessary and it did not improve the situation for anybody at all. By the end of the episode, BoJack does what he can to repair the damage done to Hollyhock, and surprisingly, he even gets a chance to give some fatherly advice to her about that same mental health issue that is cropping up for her. BoJack telling her that the voice will go away eventually is the best thing he's done all episode because while it is not true for him, it gives Hollyhock a chance to overcome her issues and remain hopeful and optimistic about her life. But it's a sad reflection for BoJack who has to lie to her to give good advice, not being able to share that he does have this same struggle eternally happening within his mind. The side stories in this episode offer some good bits of storytelling, even if they are not perfect (see: The Bad). Todd as a developing asexual gets some further exploration into his feelings as he dives into marriage and what that means to him, leading to him opting out of being used in a fake marriage. I liked that Todd got a chance to stand up for himself, learning more about being asexual in the process. I quite liked how he took advice from both the asexual meeting and from Diane (who comically got way too personal with her advice) before making his decision. Princess Carolyn working with Rutabaga had some fun moments, and their plan to kidnap Meryl Streep is pretty funny. The end of the episode delivers that unexpected relatable moment as Rutabaga goes back home to his family, something that Princess Carolyn dismisses, throwing a hint at how Princess Carolyn's difficulties in managing a work-life balance could disrupt her abilities as a mother. The rest of the episode does offer a lot of fun little things. We get to see an elderly slug using multiple walkers to walk around. Diane's still being a horrible friend to Roxie which is really amusing. I liked Todd's awful tootsie pop analogy, and then the call ending with him about to fall into the hole. Mr. Peanutbutter using his sense of smell was funny. I enjoyed the continuity with Felicity complaining about the regurgitated cotton candy from the show's first episode. Lastly, I enjoyed Judah constantly surprising everyone, and Rutabaga's question of "do you go through the walls" was a comic highlight. Judah has been one of the show's best side characters. The Bad: The side stories do not live up to the greatness of the BoJack story. While they have admirable aspects, the plot is uninteresting and there isn't enough personal drama to make them interesting to me. Todd's story is a neat exploration into his continuing development as an asexual, but it never feels significant or emotionally important. Part of that is because Todd always seems to casually meander into ridiculous stuff all the time, so this fake marriage doesn't seem like as big of a deal as the show wants it to be. Meanwhile I have absolutely zero investment in Princess Carolyn's career. Her interesting and relatable story aspects come from her personal life and her inability to manage that alongside her career, and her career was only interesting when BoJack was involved. This lengthy story with Courtney Portnoy is bland because the character offers nothing more than a few chuckles, and I have no reason to be invested with Princess Carolyn remaining her manager. Rutabaga's presence doesn't add much since the character has at best only ever been mildly entertaining, and his relationship with Princess Carolyn is much less compelling than her relationship with Ralph. I've long since grown tired of the tongue twisters since they aren't funny to me and they take up far too much screentime within a scene, destroying the scene's pacing, drama, and emotional stakes in the process for nothing. The Unknown: Will Princess Carolyn have a successful pregnancy this time? What is going to happen with Meryl Streep? Will Princess Carolyn find something with her? Is Courtney going to stay with Princess Carolyn? What's next for Todd now that he's gotten out of this fake wedding business? Will BoJack be able to reconnect with Hollyhock in spite of his mother's presence? When will he reconnect with Diane? Best Moment: The opening sequence was entirely out of left field and thoroughly fascinating to watch, a great mix of comedy, relatable storytelling, and tragedy as we get to see how BoJack's self-destructive thoughts affect his behaviour. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: The concept behind this episode was phenomenal, and everything spent focusing on BoJack's mental state was superb television. It's a shame that the rest of the episode isn't quite as good or this could have been something genuinely special. Score: 78 Summary: BoJack confesses to Hollyhock that Carla Mercedes Benzbrown doesn't exist. Hollyhock convinces BoJack to take her to meet Beatrice. When they arrive, Beatrice has dementia and can't remember BoJack. BoJack tries to make her remember but fails and Beatrice has a violent breakdown, getting kicked out of the retirement home. BoJack decides to take her in since she has very little time left. Princess Carolyn's Ms. Taken project is in danger with the prevalence of real life mass shootings. Diane writes an article on Courtney's use of guns and gains a lot of popularity. Women start walking around with guns, causing guns to be banned in California. The Ms. Taken project ultimately gets cancelled.
The Good: Here's the seasonal political-themed episode, and this one has a lot of fun with taking a stance on gun laws and exploring the inherent hypocrisy within society when it comes to this issue. Diane is a great viewpoint for this issue, and it's fun how she goes from anti-gun to writing a great article on how she came to love guns and felt safer with them. There's a lot that's correct and a lot that's wrong with this idea, and I like how the episode points out the issue here and then promptly has the American society ignore the main issue and simply ban guns because of the ridiculous idea that one woman doing a mass shooting is one too many, while men are seemingly allowed to do it as much as ever without major consequences. It's a funny bit of storytelling and it works really well. I also liked the cruel view on mass shootings that Hollywood execs have, as they only fret on how these shootings affect their movie productions. Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's relationship gets a little bit of progress in this episode, and I enjoy it. The way they have compartmentalized their lives by arguing viciously on the news before having angry, aggressive sex later in the day. That scene was fun. BoJack's story is a central part of the episode, and it's pretty solid. I'm pleased to see his relationship with his mother come under deep focus, and his antics are amusing. Of course Hollyhock is horrified by BoJack's horrific treatment of Beatrice, but our prior knowledge combined with the flashbacks in this episode remind us of how terrible Beatrice has been to BoJack since the very beginning. She has earned this resentment, and even if BoJack does sometimes go too far, you can understand why. The episode strikes a good balance by having BoJack's cruelty reduced to extreme pettiness, making it quite funny to see him lash out at his mother in subtle ways. The episode has some surprisingly profound moments too with BoJack expressing frustration at his mother's condition, and his momentary confusion when Beatrice praised him on Horsin' Around, something he never expected her to do. Lastly, I loved BoJack's interactions with Princess Carolyn as he gives her a genuinely profound apology before completely undoing it by revealing that he's only calling her to find out where his mother is. This was simultaneously sad and hilarious. Lots of little things as always. The movie posters were fun with "Americanine Shooter" being my personal favourite. Other great animal jokes include "Chelsea Parrotti", and an old cat playing with the ball of yarn used for knitting at the senior's home. Mr. Peanutbutter's banner woes continue as his latest attempt says "PB for Governor, is Governor spelled with an e or an o". Todd gets in a nice pumped up kicks reference as he tries to explain the shootings in his own dumb way. The news headlines tell a very fun story about the president's obsession with a ball and cup game. The many article titles in this episode are brilliant with my favourite appearing on Princess Carolyn's computer saying "owning a gun may increase female fertility". Stuart being scared by two women walking around sporting half a dozen guns was amusing. Lastly, A Ryan Seacrest Type gets one of the episode's best lines by saying "as a straight white male I will plow forwards with confidence and assume I'm doing fine". The Bad: The political aspect of this episode was not as good as in previous seasons. This is because the gun story is shallower than the topics explored in previous seasons, and the plot feels like it has been manufactured specifically for this episode, whereas in previous seasons the story has naturally fit in with existing character arcs. Diane, Princess Carolyn, and Todd's main storylines are put on hold to have this episode, and it's noticeable with how out-of-nowhere this episode is. The Unknown: When will Beatrice die? How will BoJack react? How will the changed gun laws affect the show? I feel like this is the kind of story to have some role in continuity later in the season. Best Moment: Diane saying "I can't believe this country hates women more than it loves gun" was the perfect punchline in the gun laws storyline. Character of the Episode: Hollyhock. I really like her. Conclusion: A solid episode with good storytelling progression, though the comparatively shallow political exploration let this episode down a little bit. Score: 66 Summary: BoJack helps Hollyhock as she attempts to find her mother. They have an argument but BoJack apologizes and makes it up to Hollyhock. He says she can stick around for longer until they find her mother. Princess Carolyn and Ralph work hard to get Princess Carolyn pregnant. Diane speaks out against Mr. Peanutbutter's stance on fracking, and the result is Mr. Peanutbutter fracking in their yard. They argue and fight, but end up having sex.
The Good: This episode has three solid, but unspectacular stories. The strongest sees BoJack grow closer with Hollyhock. These two develop a great dynamic with BoJack being jaded and sarcastic, while Hollyhock is sweet and innocent, but still has some of BoJack's wit and laziness. This story is a little bit by-the-numbers with the attempt to find Hollyhock's mother, but it is kept fresh and enjoyable by the interactions between the two. It's hard not to feel for Diane this season. She's trying her best to be supportive, but nobody is ever there for her to vent, and she struggles so much with being belittled and overlooked by everyone else in and around her house. Mr. Peanutbutter has seemingly forgot all about her in his enjoyment of the campaign, and there's nothing Diane can do to change this. Then, when she finally gets to act out in some way, things get infinitely worse and everyone blames her for it. I can't blame her for giving Mr. Peanutbutter an ultimatum considering all that she's going through, and seeing them break out in a vicious, hateful fight at the end was depressing, even if it did result in temporary elation when they finally had good sex. Katrina is playing a key role in this and she is absolutely despicable as she relishes in the destruction of Mr. Peanutbutter's marriage. Having her subjected to their sex at the episode's end is a nice bit of karma. Princess Carolyn's story isn't the most interesting either, but it is a good way to highlight the desperation in her attempts to get pregnant since she doesn't have many more chances left. The albino rhino gyno got to make a fun cameo reappearance, and so did the reliably over-the-top Meow Meow Fuzzyface. Lots of little things in this episode. The news headlines have returned, and again we have some great stuff. Highlights include "country puts forth plan to continue to ignore Flint water crisis", "hero celebrity wears ribbon on red carpet", and "bloated corpse found in White House discovered to be bleated alive person". Girl Croosh is a lovely new environment for background jokes, and there are lots of hilarious statements in the background. Stefani continues to be great, and Diane remarking "you said offices have corners and corners are the patriarchy" is really funny. Diane having a picture of her "messily eating a sandwich" is a great joke, clearly a parallel of BoJack's sneezing picture that he just can't escape. Lastly, the "DiCapriCorn Flakes" is a clever branding. The Bad: This episode just isn't that interesting. This show usually tackles some engaging ideas, but this episode is devoid of that, consisting of fairly simple stories that I have very little to say about because they are all quite shallow. The comedy is also fairly unspectacular, with limited jokes compared to what we get from "BoJack Horseman" at its best. This episode doesn't do much outright bad, it's just underwhelming from both a dramatic and comedic perspective. The Unknown: How will BoJack and Hollyhock's relationship go? Will they grow close, or will BoJack drive her away like everybody else? Will Princess Carolyn successfully get pregnant? Will there be consequences to her and Ralph having sex in a cop car? Will Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's marriage last? How are they going to compromise with this campaign that is clearly dividing them? No Todd in this episode. What's he up to? Best Moment: Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's big fight turning into sex was amusing, and a unique escalation of their conflict. Character of the Episode: Hollyhock. Conclusion: This episode was decent enough, with the highlight being the start of a new character relationship between BoJack and Hollyhock and the escalating conflict between Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter. Other than that, there is not much to dive into here. Score: 59 Summary: Todd gets caught trying to help everyone in one day. He is sent to get Mr. Peanutbutter's glasses back but along the way is given a job to pose with Courtney Portnoy by Princess Carolyn. After returning the glasses, Todd signs off on a contract for Mr. Peanutbutter and forces him to take a stance on the fracking issue. Mr. Peanutbutter tells him to make sure Diane doesn't find out, so Todd distracts her. Todd is also met by Hollyhock who thinks she is BoJack's daughter. He tests her hair with BoJack's hair and ultimately finds out that it is a match. Todd ends up inspiring Diane while pretending to be Channing Tatum. At the end, Todd clears the air with BoJack regarding their friendship and goes to an asexual meeting.
The Good: This episode is absolute chaos and it is meant to be. Todd's story ended up being a wonderfully accurate look into the life of a habitual people-pleaser, showing how Todd is often consumed by the lives of those around him and ultimately is believed to be lazy and always free because very few are able to see all of the little things that he does for everyone. This episode is intentionally made to be all over the place to simulate how overwhelming this feels for Todd, and makes us better understand his plight. The way that Todd is always playing a background role in each individual character's story gives off the impression that Todd has always been doing this in the background of previous seasons, and it recontextualizes our views of him. Sure, he's still slightly incompetent and gets himself in ridiculous scenarios, but he's also been massively helpful and caring for all of those around him. This is a nice story to tell, and it makes it so much more satisfying when we see Todd finally take some time to explore himself by the episode's end, going to an aces meeting and finally making some peace with who he is. This story was very well told and is by far the best we have seen from Todd in the whole show. The lion summing up the story of Todd in a heavy-handed way at the start and end of the episode is really cheesy, but it fits with the comedic nature of the show so it actually ends up working a lot better than you would expect. The comedy and drama combines nicely to create such a compelling story for Todd. Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter are being nicely set up for a big argument after this episode. Mr. Peanutbutter is going too far in this election due to Katrina's influence, and we see things hit a real snag as the overwhelming nature of an election results in Mr. Peanutbutter accidentally taking a stance as pro-fracking, which is inevitably going to raise an issue with Diane. This episode sees Diane reaffirm her morality and her stance as an honest journalist who only writes about what she feels is the truth. That's a problem when Mr. Peanutbutter actively goes against her desires in the same episode, and the stage is most definitely set for Diane to write a scathing article against Mr. Peanutbutter and fracking. This story was set up nicely, and the show found clever ways to integrate Todd into the story of both characters in amusing ways. We are also introduced to Hollyhock this episode, and she thinks that she is BoJack's daughter. This storyline is a lot of fun to develop, primarily because Hollyhock is such a sweet and fun personality. Her dynamic with Todd is really fun, almost like a version of the Todd/BoJack relationship if it was healthier. I really like how Hollyhock is given a lot of BoJack's traits including her spy gear, laziness, her sleeping position, her slight chubbiness, and her tendency to insist upon if people understand her jokes. Todd has some great reactions to her too, with the highlight line being "that's a horrible thing to say to a baby!". I am intrigued by this new character, and her dynamic with BoJack is something that I'm very excited to see unfold. Todd has a sizeable story with BoJack in this episode too. The episode nicely updates us on how their relationship stands, with Todd being given plenty of reasons to remain outside of BoJack's life even though BoJack is once more seeming remorseful and appreciative of what Todd brings to the table. Seeing BoJack from Todd's perspective really hammers home how even when BoJack is trying to be better, he's still not a great friend to him. Their story closes with a beautiful scene that examines both the best and the worst of their relationship in a poignant way (see: Best Moment). Lots of little things of course. Todd using a massive egg that likely came from a human-sized chicken at the start of the episode is funny. I like that FedEx has become "FedOx". It was nice to see that Sandro's restaurant successfully opened. Courtney's reactions to Todd and her complete inability to understand the life of a lower class person is quite funny. What a great way to highlight the effects of privilege and ignorance of people living outside of your own world. Todd taking over the fashion show with his dumb philosophy was quite funny, and I loved seeing Courtney dressed up in his outfit by the end of the episode. I was laughing at the usual Tom scene only to be horrified by Randy's health scare. This show succeeded so much at making Randy's antics such a regular bit of fun that I was genuinely saddened by him passing out, and both amused and gladdened by Tom's reaction to it. Lastly, the several Channing Tatum jokes throughout the episode are really funny. The Bad: Despite the episode trying to make you think that Todd has been a people-pleaser in the background this whole time, that obviously just isn't true. This aspect of Todd's character feels like a retcon because we have never seen Todd be so thoughtful and caring before, and there's always been a bit of a confusion in what defines the character since the start of the series. The show has found a better feel of Todd as it went on, and the character is being used in some fantastic storytelling right now, but it's clear to me that Todd being asexual and a people-pleaser was never considered before the story of this season. It's okay to have this retcon, but it does break the immersion a bit when you realize during the episode that much of what we are seeing is not consistent with what we have seen from Todd in prior seasons. Princess Carolyn's story is the only one that doesn't fit too well in this episode. This Courtney Portnoy project is right out of nowhere, and we aren't given any reason to care about what happens with her. Furthermore, the tongue twister sayings are a joke that I don't find very funny, and I was more annoyed by their constant presence than amused. The Unknown: How will BoJack react to Hollyhock? What will their dynamic be? What is going to happen when Diane finds out about what Mr. Peanutbutter has done? Will their marriage be able to survive what might be their biggest conflict yet? How long will it be until BoJack and Todd become friends again? Will they ever become close friends again? Is Randy going to be okay? I really need to know. Best Moment: Todd making peace with BoJack was a sweet moment. It was nice to see Todd be honest to BoJack, finally admitting to someone he feels comfortable with about his sexuality. But crucially, Todd is not simply going to repair their friendship and forgive BoJack entirely. A year has passed, and Todd is ready to move on, but he hasn't forgotten the awful influence that BoJack had on him. Even though Todd is able to forgive BoJack and not despise him, he's not ready to be friends, and that's a very real take on how forgiving friends who broke your trust works. The hatred is gone, but amiability has not replaced it. This show has always been stunningly accurate to real life with its character conflicts, and this is no exception. Character of the Episode: Todd. Conclusion: Todd finally got some time to shine, and the result is a light-hearted episode that gives the character unexpected depth, putting us through an uplifting story of a people-pleaser finally taking some time for himself. This isn't as impactful as the outstanding previous episode, but it's another gem of a story that leaves a great impression. Score: 74 Summary: Flashbacks focus on Beatrice's mother Honey, who falls into grief after losing her son Crackerjack in war. Honey has a meltdown at a party to celebrate the end of the war, and her husband, Joseph, has her lobotomized to help with her grief, horrifying young Beatrice. BoJack returns to his familial cottage where he stays to process his grief. He befriends Eddie, a dragonfly who helps him rebuild the cottage. BoJack helps Eddie fly again but Eddie is distraught, wracked with guilt over how he killed his wife by flying. Not wanting to be consumed by grief, BoJack decides to return to LA, destroying the old cottage.
The Good: This episode was a powerful and comprehensive exploration of grief through numerous unique case studies. The addition of this theme takes an already powerful and affecting episode, and elevates it to something genuinely special. The first study of grief is BoJack's grief in the wake of Sarah Lynn's death. BoJack's story is fantastic as he escapes back to Michigan in order to get away from the awful things he has done. The episode opens with a terrific, atmospheric sequence with a melancholy rendition of "A Horse With No Name", a perfectly fitting song that exemplifies BoJack's feelings and dissociation with himself. Once he gets to Michigan he lives a miserable lifestyle, sitting in a broken wreck of a house while denying to everyone that he is BoJack (but of course he still craves attention and fame so he does a crappy job of it). BoJack's existence here is sad and isolated, and he can't seem to do anything right. The story of BoJack struggling to fix his house is a perfect symbol of his grief and his fraying mental state. He is sitting in a broken wreck, symbolic of how his mental health is in shambles after losing Sarah Lynn, and he has no clue how to fix anything in this house, so he continues to suffer. It's not until he forms a genuine bond with Eddie, who offers to help him out, that the house (and BoJack's mind) is finally fixed. It's notable that BoJack is often seen breaking parts of the house even while Eddie is fixing it, exemplifying how BoJack feels like he doesn't deserve to move on from Sarah Lynn and that he belongs in emotional turmoil. But the care and effort of a stranger is what ultimately pulls him back, and it helps him make a crucial decision by the episode's end (more on that in a bit). Eddie's story is the second case study on grief. In this episode, Eddie functions as an example of what BoJack will become if he never moves on from grieving. Where BoJack punishes himself by living in a wrecked house, Eddie punishes himself with his refusal to fly, a small mystery that ultimately culminates in a heartwrenching reveal of how Eddie's actions directly resulted in the death of his wife. Throughout the episode, Eddie is the epitome of the "angry old man" character, and he's a lot of fun to watch in the role. But when we finally take a peek into his house, we realize that he's still unable to move on from his wife's death. We see his wife's stuff all over Eddie's room, still untouched after all this time. Eddie is still holding onto the past and is unable to let go of it, living in pain and grief seemingly until the end of time. This is genuinely sad, and it serves as a wake-up call for Bojack who learns that he needs to get out of this so that he doesn't waste away the rest of his life in pain and grief. One sweet phone call with Diane highlights that BoJack still has something to live for in this friendship that seems to survive even the hardest of times. As such, BoJack makes his choice. He tears down the house that he and Eddie spent so much time rebuilding, symbolically moving on from all of the grief and pain that he has been surviving in. This is BoJack's big choice, and it is a healthy decision to move forwards and stop dwelling in the pain that dominates his past. It's a powerful message that perfectly ends a heavy, emotional episode on a hopeful and optimistic note. A lot of great TV shows out there can deliver crushing, devastating moments, but "BoJack Horseman" stands out for its ability to always follow up devastation with moments of hope. The final case study of grief goes way into the past, and is the boldest choice made in the creation of this episode. The final study is of Honey Sugarman, Beatrice's mother who goes through grief when her son Crackerjack dies during World War II. Honey's story is meant to show a horrific end to grief, where it can consume someone permanently to the point where they are no longer themselves and can never come back. It's a horrifying and sad story that better illuminates Beatrice's story through a showcase of her awful upbringing. At the beginning we get to see how happy this family was in the cottage, but by the end, they are all a broken mess living in a husk of a house with no happiness inside the walls. The comparisons between the first scene in the cottage with the entire family and the ending scene is downright horrifying as Honey has given herself into grief, Joseph has used his terrifyingly limited understanding of the world to "cure her" via a lobotomy, and Beatrice is left all alone with nothing and no one to help her grow up. This entire sequence is terrifyingly devastating, and shows us the "bad ending" to grief that results in lasting emotional damage across generations. As a final aside to Beatrice and Honey's story, I adore the addition of Beatrice's flashback form roaming around alone outside the cottage as BoJack destroys it, a ghostly reminder of another life that was ruined by grieving in this cottage. I appreciate that an episode with such heavy subject matter still included plenty of humour to keep things watchable. Tamera and Tamara are really funny, and I enjoy BoJack and Eddie's distaste for them and their attitude. BoJack's futile attempts to fix his house go amusingly badly, and it's fun to see him try to fix one problem and cause several new ones. BoJack's interactions with Eddie humanize this episode nicely, and their wit clashing against each other makes for a really fun dynamic with some great lines ("how about you fix your door instead of my metaphor?"). Joseph Sugarman is a monstrous man, but a lot of the things he says are so outrageous that they end up being funny. Beatrice not being allowed to eat ice cream and being given a lemon with sugar on top is darkly funny, as is Joseph saying hilariously out of touch statements like "it'll always be here just like polio and blackface" and "if anyone's to blame it's the jews for peeving Hitler off so much". The animal jokes here are quite good too. I enjoyed seeing a fossil in the desert having a watch and shoes, consistent with the world in this show. I got a laugh out of the termites gnawing on BoJack's house, and a squirrel digging up a bag full of nuts in the yard. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Beatrice growing up with a lobotomized Honey for a mother, and a sexist, absentee father paints a very different picture about who she is. Perhaps there is more to her story than what we have seen so far. Has BoJack processed his grief now? What will he be like when he returns to LA? What is he going to do? Will Eddie ever be able to move on from his grief? Or is it too late for him to move on? Will we see him again? Best Moment: The "I will always think of you" duet across generations between Honey and Eddie was incredibly powerful. The moment is so haunting and painful, highlighting the pain and emptiness of grief and how seemingly impossible it is to escape the loss of a loved one. The best of many outstanding moments in this episode. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A masterful showcase of grief that ended up being one of the most emotional, well-made, and memorable stories in the whole show. This told a complete story with such heavy emotional weight throughout, resulting in the show's best episode yet. Score: 87 Summary: Mr. Peanutbutter is running for governor and Diane is supporting him but clearly just wants it to be over. However, his campaign continues and he challenges the current governor Woodchuck to a ski race. Woodchuck refuses saying he will only accept if it's in the constitution, which Katrina makes happen. The ski race happens and Mr. Peanutbutter gets destroyed, but Todd, who started riding around in a drone throne earlier, falls into the race and wins, becoming governor. He immediately resigns and starts an election. Princess Carolyn is pregnant but she miscarries. She accepts Ralph's invitation to move in and they decide to try to conceive.
The Good: It was neat to get an episode where BoJack was entirely absent, and I appreciate how the episode poked fun at this in numerous ways. The episode opens with Mr. Peanutbutter getting his sitcom role in hilarious fashion, where the executives are talking about "doing the show about the horse without the horse". The episode then closes with a unique version of "Back in the 90s" where the lyrics instead describe Mr. Peanutbutter. I liked the idea behind this, and it resulted in a unique and fun episode. We get to see the extent of Mr. Peanutbutter's charm and charisma on display in this episode. Considering the time period that this episode was released, I'm sure that this is meant to be a satire of politicians like Donald Trump, highlighting how having the "it" factor can lead to entirely uneducated politicians seizing control of the masses using their people powers. It was amusing to see Mr. Peanutbutter's energy completely block out the will of Woodchuck, who is obviously a well-trained politician. Mr. Peanutbutter's ski race idea is laughably horrible, and it's amusing to see Katrina make it officially become part of the constitution in such a stupid way, culminating in the building of a bridge to Hawaii, perhaps the stupidest political decision that anyone could ever make. The cherry on top is the sheer ridiculousness that comes from the ski race. We have fantastic laughs throughout from Mr. Peanutbutter going to ski school with the most intentionally cliched training arc imaginable, to Todd somehow becoming governor of California in his subplot, but giving it up because he's "not into labels right now". I enjoyed Diane's role in the episode as well. With such absurdity going on around her, she needs an outlet for these emotions that she's not allowed to let out under the guise of being a supportive wife. So she calls BoJack to let out her real thoughts, creating a unique narration aspect in this episode. But Diane unintentionally makes things worse and ultimately drives Mr. Peanutbutter further into this election as a result of her hiding her true feelings. Lots of little things of course. The waitress being dressed in royal garb and saying "this cow loves getting tipped" is pretty funny. We get more amusing news headlines including an update on Margo Martindale being presumed dead (noo!), a "lobster mobster caught red-handed", and "study finds news ticker headlines to be more distracting than informative". I really enjoyed Andre Braugher's role as Woodchuck and I think he is perfectly cast for this role. I was happy to see that A Ryan Seacrest Type survived BoJack smashing into him last season. Lastly, I was amused by the presence of a polar bear in a t-shirt during the ski race. The Bad: This episode feels like it is missing something. There's lots of goofiness and fun, and decent satire of the 2016 election, but the heart to this episode seems to be missing. Most episodes of "BoJack Horseman" manage to tell an additional story on top of the comedy, but this episode left a lot to be desired in that regard. I suspect that BoJack's absence contributes a lot to this. He is usually the center of the show's most compelling storytelling, and his absence is felt with nobody else stepping up with compelling internal conflict to anchor the episode. As a result, this episode is fine comedy, but it fails to nail that balance between comedy and heavy storytelling that "BoJack Horseman" has done so well in the past two seasons. The Unknown: What's the significance of Princess Carolyn's miscarriage? Will this be a recurring problem for her? She is over 40 now, so her fertility will have gone down. Will Mr. Peanutbutter actually become governor? His campaign has finally tasted some success. Where is BoJack? Why has he gone missing for so long? Why isn't he responding to Diane's calls? Best Moment: Todd becoming governor over the stupidest of rules and giving it up immediately. A perfect Todd moment if I've ever seen one. Character of the Episode: Mr. Peanutbutter. Conclusion: "BoJack Horseman" made a bold move to have an episode without BoJack, and unfortunately his presence was missed. While I appreciate the ambition, it didn't pay off because the compelling emotional drama brought on by BoJack's presence was sorely missed in this episode. The result is a decent enough comedy episode, but unfortunately it's still one of the weakest episodes since the first season. Score: 60 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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