Summary: BoJack calls Sarah Lynn and they go on a long bender. After crashing Sarah Lynn's AA meeting, BoJack decides he wants to do "amends" and completely fails at amends with Diane, Todd, Princess Carolyn, and Ana. He then drives to Ohio to check on Penny and accidentally scars her again. He continues the bender with Sarah Lynn who has a crisis over who she has become. BoJack takes her to the planetarium to help her feel better but she overdoses and dies.
The Good: This is BoJack at his absolute worst. The point of this episode is to paint an image of BoJack in the most negative light possible as he gives into every one of his weaknesses, makes everything worse, and proves to be entirely incapable of introspection and change. BoJack lost everything last episode so naturally his first move is to return into Sarah Lynn's life like a torrent, selfishly destroying her sobriety and dragging her into a bender all because he wants to feel better. He shows no regard for her or her life at all, constantly doing his own selfish desires and dragging Sarah Lynn into it. Following this, BoJack decides he has to make amends and does it in the worst way possible. He feels bad and so he goes to everyone he has to "make amends" with and does the most selfish things. He breaks into Diane's house and ends up breaking her arm as he pretends to apologize to her. He goes to Ana demanding answers and doesn't care enough to listen to her or even understand what she's talking about. He goes to a random kid and makes the most self-absorbed, shitty apology ever that was meant for Todd. He makes a scenes outside Princess Carolyn's house as he always does. And finally he drives all the way to Ohio to scar Penny once again, successfully completing his adventure of making each and every one of his relationships worse. Poor Sarah Lynn gets dragged into this mess and she pays the price. She seemed happy and genuine at the start of the episode, and once more it's the horrible influence of irresponsible, immature BoJack that drags her into this bender. As the episode goes on, Sarah Lynn's tragedy becomes clearer than ever. She didn't even want this life, and it's clear that the decisions of her parents forcing her into acting are the only reasons why she is here. She didn't want this life, she wanted to be a simple architect, living a quieter life. Her sad monologue near the end of the episode finally makes this clear, and it is tragic. Even sadder is how it took this long for BoJack to finally listen to her and consider what she has to say. All this time BoJack had been talking at her, leading to a horrifically disgusting moment where he "confesses his love" for Sarah Lynn, a scene that made me audibly groan in disappointment. Luckily Sarah Lynn did not hear, and BoJack finally got the chance to listen to her. He takes her to the planetarium finally, and he finally gives her a genuinely good piece of advice about how to cope with the struggles of life. But it was too little and too late from the father figure that let down Sarah Lynn at every turn. She tragically passes away in that planetarium, a death that is clearly BoJack's fault (the show even goes the extra mile to have the "BoJack" brand heroin kill her). This tragedy creates a moment where BoJack's awfulness results in irreparable consequences that will haunt him forever, a massive moment that is perfect to build the climax of a season around. I thoroughly enjoyed how this episode told its story. The blackouts allowed time to pass organically, making it clear that this is an extreme drug trip without copying the approach that was taken in "Downer Ending". It also helped create a feeling of disconnect throughout the episode, which worked very well to acclimate us to how lost and adrift BoJack is after all that just happened to him. Even in a dark episode like this there are still several little jokes that I enjoyed. The slow speaking slug that BoJack tried to salt, as well as the bird that got stuck drinking were amusing gags. I got a chuckle out of the parody of the rock opera incident that the bird discussed. The episode's best callback moment had to be Mr. Peanutbutter's poor accountant getting his family time ruined by BoJack destroying the playhouse he was building with his son. The poor guy can't seem to catch a break. The constant blackouts at Ana's place were amusing as BoJack kept coming back over and over again. Lastly, I got a chuckle out of the horrific parents who tried to use their kid to get fame by giving him to BoJack, which was darkly hilarious, a perfect fit for this episode. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: Is Sarah Lynn dead? I'm quite sure that she is. How will BoJack react in the wake of her death? Was Penny actually okay before BoJack reappeared? How will his reappearance change her life now? Will we ever get to know? Best Moment: Sarah Lynn's tragic death at the end was devastating. Finally BoJack took the time to listen to her wishes, took her to the planetarium, and even gave her some genuinely thoughtful advice on life as a whole. But it was too little, too late as Sarah Lynn dies without us even realizing it. Sad stuff that gives some real consequences to BoJack's actions. Character of the Episode: Sarah Lynn. Conclusion: Perhaps the most bleak and depressing episode yet. This sees BoJack fall to a new low as he drives Sarah Lynn to her death through their unhealthy, irresponsible relationship while simultaneously utterly failing to see his own faults. It's painful to watch, but undeniably effective and masterfully executed. Score: 81
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Summary: BoJack is nominated for an Oscar by Mr. Peanutbutter and throws an excessive party to cope with how he doesn't feel any different. Diane comes to check up on him and they end up arguing, with BoJack telling her that her current life is not who she is. Diane leaves and BoJack drives his new tesla into his pool on accident. Mr. Peanutbutter pulls him out and we get a flashback of what happened with him. He lost the Oscar nominee envelope and made up nominations with Todd. Also, his brother's surgery went well. BoJack is dismayed to learn he wasn't even nominated and the party ends. Todd returns and BoJack ends up admitting that he had sex with Emily.
The Good: This episode is all about BoJack's fall into what seems to be another depressive mess going into what I can only expect will be another soul-crushing penultimate episode. BoJack's fall is established early as he falls back into thoughtless partying to cope with the disappointing lack of clarity he had after being nominated for an Oscar. He's in pain, but pretending he's not, and the result is a toxic party environment where he gets into an intense argument with Diane for absolutely no reason. Their friendship likely isn't burned, but it has been hurt for the moment, and nothing is more telling than BoJack's retort to Diane saying that "there will be plenty of people around when I kill myself". That line is so telling of BoJack's mindset and how adrift he feels. But the one thing keeping him going is his Oscar nomination and his relationship with Ana. And naturally both of those things are taken away from him in one swipe and BoJack faces a reckoning by the end of the episode. It's all gone, and all BoJack has left to turn to is Todd, the friend who he desperately won back last season and yet continued to mistreat as he always does. The episode offers up one final gutpunch as BoJack and Todd's relationship goes up in smoke in a sad final scene (see: Best Moment). The side characters have a decent episode. I briefly touched on Diane earlier, and it looks like her argument with BoJack resulted in her reclaiming her activist personality. Her problems with the water in the restaurant is quite funny, with amusing moments of irony as Diane drops water herself, drinks her friend's water, and then doesn't even care enough to remember her friend's job. Mr. Peanutbutter is given a strangely long sequence in the middle of the episode (see: The Bad), but there are good moments in his story. The humour is particularly good, and I quite liked the insanely unfeasible phone chase scene. I like that Captain Peanutbutter's survival was used to give BoJack some "good news" that he has zero reason to care about. Lastly we come to Princess Carolyn who officially downscales her operation, but it is treated as a positive as we get to see Princess Carolyn reconnect with Ralph, who is prepared with a charming, ridiculous fake story of how he eloped with someone else. I like Ralph so far, and this relationship should be fun. As always, lots of little things made the episode better. I loved that the German Shepherd was given a German accent, such a silly idea that works well. The Jimmy Fallon gag calling back to the Halloween in January store (it's still there!) is unexpectedly hilarious, and the subversion with the bus smashing into him was a terrific gag. The Oscar nomination board is more than worth pausing to read over. There are fantastic jokes everywhere with some of my favourites being "black people" being crossed out from the best actor section, the sound mixing section saying "see sound editing", the silly banana song being nominated for best song, and Jennifer Lawrence being everywhere in the nominations. I liked the background gag during the phone chase scene where we see four turtle electricians in the sewers obviously parodying the teenage mutant ninja turtles. The Bad: This episode has a major structural problem that significantly weakens the BoJack story. This is an episode where BoJack suddenly realizes that he has lost everything, and it's hugely important that we can emotionally connect with the sudden feeling of loss he experiences. But the moment is not realized effectively because the episode has a literal 10-minute long cutaway in the middle of a scene to catch us up on Mr. Peanutbutter's story, effectively ruining the feeling of despair that BoJack feels because we have long since forgotten the state of emotion BoJack was in when Mr. Peanutbutter started telling him the story. The cut is so jarring, and I am perplexed by the decision to structure the show in this way. Having the Mr. Peanutbutter scenes at the start and having some dramatic irony with BoJack thinking he's nominated when we know that he's not would have worked so much better, preserving all of the emotional impact of BoJack's spiral. The Unknown: How long will Judah hide the Vigor deal from Princess Carolyn? Why is he hiding it? Will Princess Carolyn and Ralph's relationship last? Has Ana abandoned BoJack now? It's sad, but I can't say I didn't see it coming. Is this the end of BoJack's friendship with Todd? Best Moment: Todd telling BoJack that he has to be better. Todd hits the nail on the head, and this feels like a moment that's been coming for a long time. BoJack has long since belittled Todd and abused his friendship, and finally Todd reached a breaking point, snapping in such a sad and real way that likely signifies the end of a relationship. The exasperated line delivery of "f*** man, what else is there to say?" to end the episode is near perfect. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A sad episode where everything falls apart for BoJack. Though the episode's structure gets in the way of the story, this is more powerful and affecting stuff as season 3 heads towards its close. Score: 71 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 Summary: BoJack is looking to get a new movie role, but Rutabaga and Vanessa Gekko are also looking to get their client in that same role. Princess Carolyn secures BoJack the role, but BoJack becomes interested in working with Kelsey again, a distraction sent by Rutabaga and Gekko. Princess Carolyn tries to get both deals but they both fall apart. BoJack leads on Ethan to make a new Horsin Around sequel, but he doesn't want to do it. Ana has to tell Ethan off since BoJack doesn't want to. Todd turns Cabracadabra into a stripper driving service through several bad decisions. Mr. Peanutbutter goes to Labrador Peninsula with Diane and discovers that his brother has a twisted spleen.
The Good: This episode is based on a creative idea where the "good guys" win at the end, only the people viewing themselves as the good guys are actually the ones we are rooting against. Rutabaga and Vanessa Gekko are the villains of this story, but they continuously see themselves as underdogs and the heroes of this story. It's a great reminder that there aren't necessarily good guys and bad guys in real life, and that when someone wins something, there's always a loser who suffers greatly from their failure. Unfortunately for Princess Carolyn, she's the loser who suffers tremendously by the episode's end. BoJack pressures her time after time in this episode, and in her attempts to get him everything, she gets him nothing and loses everything. It's great how the episode gradually shifts to putting Princess Carolyn under the central focus as she hops into action, and it makes her failure hit harder. Furthermore, the show offers up a complex emotional reaction because Princess Carolyn seemingly deserved to fail. She overreached while looking for money from Kelsey, and her toxic career-stifling actions towards Laura, followed by emotional manipulation really came back to bite her. It was horrifying to realize that Princess Carolyn blocked Laura's promotion, seeing that she really does embody some of the worst traits of Hollywoo agents. It's sad to say that she deserves this, but she does for the bad things that she did. I feel sympathy because I want her to succeed, but I also have to condemn her actions. BoJack has a good episode. It's amusing to see him say yes to anything and everything that comes his way, forcing the people around him to clean up his mess. Naturally, he ends up with nothing by the episode's end, upsetting everyone around him in the process, including Ethan and Kelsey, who both now have even more reason to despise him. Combined with Todd now having an extreme reason to dislike BoJack, you can see how BoJack's continued behaviour is what drives people away rather than his one-time actions. Some little things again. The Labrador Peninsula being part of Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada caught me off guard and made perfect sense. I love that the map was changed to make the peninsula shaped like a dog. Todd's cardboard dispatch office is amusing, and it's funny to see him and Mr. Peanutbutter make every wrong decision turning a genuinely motivated women's cab service become a stripper service. Sarah Lynn's car crash is quite funny, particularly BoJack's reaction. He says "well that's troubling", but it turns out that he's just referring to not being called for the Ethan Around show. Typical narrow-minded BoJack. I continue to enjoy how every character makes a different beard reference when they meet Judah. These jokes are simple, but they are funny every time. The Bad: Mr. Peanutbutter's story is hard to care about. There is very little humour, and Captain Peanutbutter comes so far out of left field that it's difficult to invest in the character. Learning that he's dying has very little impact, and the moment falls flat. Maybe this story will go somewhere interesting, but it falls totally flat in this episode. The Labrador Peninsula disappointed me for not having more dog jokes. This season had some excellent background jokes in earlier episodes, but there seems to be less background humour in these past few episodes. This was a perfect opportunity to include many dog jokes, but nothing really made me laugh. The Unknown: What's going to happen with Ethan Around? Will that storyline continue? How will Princess Carolyn handle the Vigor merger? Will she agree to cut her losses and combine with Vigor? Will Judah even tell her about it? He remained silent in this episode. Will Captain Peanutbutter survive? Best Moment: Seeing everything fall apart for Princess Carolyn at the end of the episode is really sad, and yet you can't help but feel that she deserves it for the things that she did and the games that she played. A great moment of complexity to elevate this episode. Character of the Episode: Princess Carolyn. Conclusion: Another solid and entertaining episode utilizing a unique idea. This episode doesn't come close to being anything remarkable, but it's a solid 25 minutes. Score: 66 Summary: The episode is told non-linearly. Todd invites Emily over to help him start the Cabracadabra business at BoJack's house, but she feels awkward because she had sex with BoJack. Todd is happy to have everyone together but Emily ultimately leaves, saying that she and BoJack have been bad friends to him. BoJack discovers Margo Martindale has been living in his boat. She leaves, taking the boat into international waters. BoJack tries calling to cancel his subscription to the LA Gazette, but speaks with "The Closer" who listens to him rant and convinces him to keep the subscription. BoJack launches a new ad for Secretariat.
The Good: This was a massively fun concept episode. "Stop the Presses" breaks the norm by having an entirely non-linear episode, jumping between so many entertaining yet entirely disconnected storylines. This sounds like it could be tedious to watch, but impressively the "BoJack Horseman" team pulls off this concept with panache, making an episode that could have so easily gone wrong into a total delight. The central idea of the episode is genius: BoJack wants to cancel his newspaper subscription and ends up on a lengthy call with The Closer. This episode is almost like "Seinfeld" in how it comes up with such a stupid plot and then manages to make something brilliant out of it. The Closer is built up wonderfully and hearing her function as a surrogate therapist while trying to hunt down an opportunity to keep BoJack's subscription is a total blast. It's a fun critique of how difficult it can be to cancel subscriptions with large companies, and how manipulative business people can be. The Closer's role as a therapist is so much fun because she nails down exactly what is driving BoJack's questionable actions, like him feeling like he doesn't deserve Todd, he does bad things so that he doesn't have to face the fact that he is intrinsically bad, and that he wants to cancel the paper because it reminds him of what he's done. These observations were unexpectedly profound, and a great way to attribute deeper meaning to this conversation as The Closer acts like a therapist for BoJack in order to get closer to him. It feels so real to see BoJack, who desperately could use a therapist, so averse to the idea of speaking to one; he is afraid of what The Closer has to say to him. This show continues to nail down its deeper messages and connections to reality. The side stories in this episode are a blast. It's so fun to see how BoJack's conversation with The Closer led into some totally random and irrelevant side stories that are so much fun to listen to. Diane has a completely random and stupid story that is included for no real reason and I love it, it's stupidly amusing. I feel similarly to Margo Martindale's brilliant and unexpected cameo. Margo gets a great speech as she recounts what happened to her after "The Shot", and the whole sequence is dumb, funny, and entertaining. It all culminates in a great moment as Margo leaves with BoJack's boat, which BoJack carelessly accepts all the while he rants to The Closer about wanting to take control of his life. Brilliant use of irony. I also liked how casually BoJack discusses his relationship with Ana, which neatly plays on his messy mind and also how absolutely weird this relationship is. There are definite red flags in how Ana is treating BoJack, and it's sad to see BoJack spending his time following her to her home because he is so desperately looking for a genuine connection. These stories are so random, but they are entertaining and offered more meaningful storytelling to this episode. Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter have a solid episode. It's nice to see Todd actually start the Cabracadabra business, and it's nice to see him having so much fun doing it with Emily. Their sales pitch to Mr. Peanutbutter who is so uncertain of how he is supposed to act is really funny, and I enjoyed watching it. Of course because this is "BoJack Horseman", the episode has to have a bit of a downer ending as Emily leaves Cabracadabra, forcing Todd to face the reality that BoJack, despite his efforts to be better, is not someone that is good for him to be around. As always, there are little things that add to the episode. BoJack and Emily's horrible lying is really funny. I got a laugh out of Margo having to lay low by doing theatre performances, and the shaved head/wig gag was unexpected and made me smile. The overdramatic theatre performance followed by "she's dead" was clever as well. I like how the smoke bomb being a plum joke paid off by the episode's end. Lastly, the mirror ad being placed on a billboard is exactly the kind of stupid idea that would somehow be implemented in this universe. I liked the episode-ending gag of a bird flying straight into it. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: Seriously, what's going on with the spaghetti strainers? They have been mentioned so often now, so surely there's going to be a pay-off... right?? I wouldn't put it past this show to have the joke be that this goes absolutely nowhere. When will Todd find out about BoJack and Emily? How will he react? Will BoJack be able to cover it up for long? Best Moment: It's tough to decide. I'll go with Margo Martindale's story of what happened to her, a fun sidebar from the main story that offered plenty of laughs and enjoyment. Also, it's just great to see Margo in the show once again. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: This was a creative, funny, meaningful, and entertaining episode. I may be going a bit high on this, but the episode was such a blast and provided an experience totally different from everything else in this show. This season has had some great concept episodes, and I hope we continue to see more throughout the show's run. Score: 72 Summary: Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter decide to get an abortion. While talking with BoJack, Diane accidentally tweets out that Sextina Aquafina is getting an abortion. Sextina rolls with it when she learns that she's trending and Diane is horrified by her actions, including an egregious new single. However, people feel inspired by her so Diane relents. BoJack is frustrated that he isn't winning any other awards, and while trying to prank Jurj Clooners, he sees that Ana represents him. BoJack fires her, but Ana meets with him and tells him she dropped everyone else, wanting to help BoJack win because he's the underdog.
The Good: This feels like a spiritual successor to "Hank After Dark", another highly political episode with lots of creative jokes that amused me to no end. This episode focuses on exploring popstar culture and abortions as the topic of satire and makes fun of these ideas effectively. Sextina is a total parody and is fun to watch. Her behaviour and sense of power and entitlement is so amusing as she goes around demanding everything. The episode does a good job making her amusing to watch as she ends up doing good for people in the most unintentional ways. The abortion topic is addressed with brilliance. Of course Sextina's song is outrageous and fantastic, but I also love the scenes with Tom as the abortion issue is discussed, with the three middle-aged white men speaking on abortion being absolute gold. I particularly loved the headline "has the concept of women having choices gone too far". The episode is packed with good jokes and other little details. I really like how Diane accidentally sends the abortion message, another funny example of Diane messing up in the most innocuous of ways. Tom brings a lot of laughs as always with his segments. I quite liked the "Tom Srant" typo, and the headlines were tons of fun again with some standouts including "Obama declares country simply must see Hamilton", and "US celebrates 3 days without mass shooting - this just in, never mind". The abortion protests have some great signs like "they kill puppies" (written by a human), "babies are fun" (written by a parent with way too many babies), "life begins in the egg", and "what if Jesus was aborted". Some other good jokes include A Ryan Seacrest Type getting hit by BoJack's car, "NBD" being connected to BD Wong (who is considered to be a big deal), Mr. Peanutbutter's balloon saying "it's aborted!" instead of "it's a boy!", and the gift basket for Sextina saying "sowwy" on it. BoJack's story is solid and it adds further depth to Ana than what we had before. The reveal that she represents everyone is exactly the kind of disgusting thing that you would expect from a publicist, and BoJack had a good moment when he fires her. I also quite enjoyed the presence of "Jurj Clooners" (seriously these names are stupid and make no sense but are extremely amusing so they get a pass) as he made stupid prank after stupid prank. I love that BoJack discovering the truth about Ana only happened because he was petty enough to want to hit Jurj in the head with a bat. The final scene between BoJack and Ana was also quite good. I was thoroughly creeped out and horrified by Ana's sexual harassment of BoJack, but it fit the character and showed a seriously darker side to her that I did not expect. Mr. Peanutbutter had a good episode. It was so much fun to see him try his best to be supportive in every scene he was in, and he made me laugh the most. Mr. Peanutbutter is so endearing and funny throughout the episode from his ridiculous sayings ("I'll be with you 24/7, 247%", "there's no I in uterus, but there is an us, and a u") to his panic about frivolous things ("oh no we said different things"), and his random support efforts (trying to watch the baby video instead of Diane). Mr. Peanutbutter was handled perfectly in this episode, and utilizing him as extra comedy in the background worked perfectly. Diane and Princess Carolyn have a decent little conflict. It makes sense that Princess Carolyn would be jealous at Diane for choosing not to have a family when she wants one desperately and doesn't have a chance at one. The Bad: The storytelling here is very shallow compared to "Hank After Dark". This episode has an enormous comedic upside, but it doesn't offer much in terms of character development, emotion, or a greater message. Diane and Princess Carolyn's conflict should have received more screentime. There's a great story idea here with Princess Carolyn's jealousy and Diane's desire for activism clouding her from seeing the bigger picture, but the story is rushed and has very little impact by the end of the episode. The Unknown: Did A Ryan Seacrest Type die after getting hit by BoJack? Will BoJack be able to win the Oscar? Best Moment: The interview with the three white men was hilarious with each one offering a completely different joke that really made me laugh. This show does its satire really well. Character of the Episode: Mr. Peanutbutter. Conclusion: This episode was good fun and had a lot of laughs. I thoroughly enjoyed this even if it didn't hit the usual storytelling highs of "BoJack Horseman". Score: 68 Summary: BoJack is elated after Secretariat is universally praised and he's now a movie star. He celebrates at a bar with Todd, who runs into Emily. Emily wants to hook up with him but Todd is scared to do so, and he gets drunk and falls asleep. BoJack crashes a wedding, and while comforting a fearful bride, realizes how lonely he feels despite being a lauded star. Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter go to counselling but Diane can't get the right words out to describe how much she loves him. She is invited to a party by accident and gets high, she returns to Mr. Peanutbutter and says all that she has meant to. She breaks her arm and goes to the ER where they learn that Diane is pregnant. Princess Carolyn gets a rare night off and goes on three dates.
The Good: This episode had three distinct but solid storylines. BoJack and Todd's story is the standout. I loved the opening scene with how it portrayed BoJack's anxiety at Secretariat's release, culminating in a funny "awesome" as BoJack revels in his success. BoJack spends much of the episode celebrating, but true to form, it's not enough to make him happy. When consoling a fearful Taneisha, BoJack has to explore his real emotions as he realizes how hollow being a movie star is because it has not solved his real problem. I also quite like that we get to see BoJack ruing his decision to not start a family life, following up on his experience with the seahorse baby in the previous episode. Todd gets a solid story as he reunites with Emily but is fearful of having sex with her. It looks like Todd does have a central arc this season, and I appreciate that the writers are utilizing him for more than just background comedy. Diane gets a pretty good story as well. It's amusing that she's struggling to put her emotions into words while being a writer, and I love how the show points out how ridiculous this sounds, but it is still entirely feasible that Diane feels this way. The episode takes a uniquely creative way to have Diane finally become able to say what she needs to Mr. Peanutbutter: having her get crazy high. Diane taking Gush is amusing, and the visual effect of the drugs is fun. I quite like the ending with Diane breaking her arm and ultimately finding out she is pregnant, ending the episode with a perfect jarring cut. Princess Carolyn gets a good episode as she goes on three dates on her one night off. The first two are amusing with how disastrous they are, but the third one actually goes well. Ralph is charming and likeable, and it's sad when you realize that Princess Carolyn's lifestyle may result in her never being able to follow up on this opportunity. Having her pin Ralph's number on her wall, knowing that she won't have much chance to call him was very sad. Judah is starting to shine as a side character. The joke of him being unable to read tones is quite funny, and I love how it's this character trait that led to the unrealistic three-dates scenario. More little things as always. I loved the simplicity of the "how to share" poster in the counselor's office. Mr. Peanutbutter's fridge has some pretty fun sayings on it as well. I got a good laugh out of Emily plainly referencing Uber by saying "I probably shouldn't say for legal reasons but you know who I'm talking about", a funny fourth wall breaking joke. As for animal jokes, I enjoyed the kangaroo valets, the "albino rhino gyno", and Mr. Peanutbutter's excitement while watching "Bones". The Bad: "After the Party" in the last season did a much better job of having three storylines connected in a unique way. The stories were better and more effective, the overarching theme worked better, and there was a fun concept connecting all three stories together. The stories were fine enough, but I felt that there wasn't much of an emotional climax to the episode. All three storylines were fine but did not go far enough to really make me feel something. This episode also failed to explore the love/marriage theme as meaningfully as it could have. It felt like random ideas loosely stringed together, creating an episode that's much messier than what was intended. Lastly, this episode had three entirely separate stories, which was jarring and disappointing. "After the Party" beautifully tied things together with the party, and this episode makes no attempt to tie things together in any way. Season 3 is lacking story momentum after five episodes. "Fish Out of Water" was tremendous, but I'm not at all captivated by the overarching storyline this season. Season 2 was much more interesting and engaging, while this third season is lackadaisically moving into its second half. I suppose a big factor is also that the humour hasn't quite been as strong in this season as the second, and most of the standalone episodes in this first half haven't quite delivered (again, outside of "Fish Out of Water"). I hope that the season's second half can be more impactful and funny. The Unknown: How long will Diane have a broken arm? How will this affect the story? More importantly, what will become of Diane being pregnant? How will this affect her relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter? Will Princess Carolyn call Ralph again? Why is Todd so scared to have sex with Emily? Did BoJack have sex with her at the end of the episode? We know how BoJack can be when he's sad. Will we see Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter going to Labrador Peninsula? Best Moment: I'll go with BoJack's powerful speech to Taneisha. A sad reflection of his life and how he is sorely missing a meaningful relationship to keep him grounded. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: This episode is solid and tells three good stories, but it does absolutely nothing to stand out or be memorable. I enjoyed watching this, but I'm sure that I will have forgotten what happened in this episode by the end of the season. Score: 65 Summary: BoJack goes to POFF in an underwater city and finds that he can't talk underwater. Kelsey is also there and BoJack is scared of interacting with her since he hasn't talked to her after her firing. BoJack is unable to drink or smoke underwater, so he tries to write a message for Kelsey, but before he shows her he is swept up into a bus. BoJack falls asleep and he helps a seahorse deliver babies when he wakes. The seahorse leaves a child behind and BoJack takes the child back with him. After some misadventures, he returns the child to its father but is sad after forming a bit of a bond. He finds the perfect words for Kelsey, but after he gets distracted with underwater nicotine patches and alcohol, the words get smudged and Kelsey leaves. BoJack is sad but learns that he could speak with his helmet the whole time.
The Good: It takes a bold mind to take a show that is so reliant on its clever dialogue and decide to run an episode that is largely wordless, completely removing one of the show's biggest strengths. Incredulously, it paid off in spades and provides a phenomenal formula break. When a TV show gets into a formula, sometimes the absolutely best thing is to completely deviate from the formula, creating an episode that stands out and provides an experience unlike anything else. "Fish Out of Water" accomplishes this in a way where it completely dispenses with such a central aspect of the show, and putting in enough effort to make sure that the dialogue is never missed. Silent media requires outstanding animation, sound design, and music to flourish and this episode more than delivers in that regard. With the dialogue gone, the subtle background humour is given more time to shine, the episode sports a mesmerizing dream-like soundtrack that elevates the experience so much, and the artists work very hard to create some lovely shots that perfectly work around the animation limitations of "BoJack Horseman". Despite the simplistic artstyle, the characters in this show have always been quite expressive, and that is utilized perfectly to tell a compelling story here. BoJack's personal arc in the underwater city is incredible. As ever, he's reminded of his past mistakes with the presence of Kelsey, who he naturally hasn't talked to since he got her fired. Tragically, she seems to be doing pretty poorly at this festival as nobody is talking to her about her film and she has to watch Secretariat get all of the praise instead. BoJack doesn't have the empathy to recognize this and is only afraid of his past mistakes catching up to him. Ordinarily he would drink and smoke his problems away, but here he is unable to rely on his usual coping mechanisms. What results is that we see BoJack actually confront his problems for once as he tries and fails to come up with a good message to tell Kelsey. It's not until BoJack goes through an intensely personal experience that he finally gets the right words. That experience comes from a surprising place: the feeling of fatherhood. BoJack spends much of the episode forming a bond with a seahorse baby as he attempts to bring the baby back to the father after he got accidentally stranded miles away from the city. The story here is simple and fun, and it is surprisingly touching to see BoJack start to enjoy being with this baby. But then there's an unexpectedly sad farewell where BoJack realizes that the baby will never remember this experience that they shared and that it is now gone forever. Having realized how fleeting moments of genuine connection are in life, BoJack is able to draw on this experience to finally find the perfect words to tell Kelsey, genuinely remorseful and genuinely looking to make things right. But in a tragic twist, fame strikes again and BoJack is distracted from doing the right thing by his love for being a celebrity. Rather than give Kelsey his message, BoJack instead gets access to nicotine, alcohol, and girls, and it's clear where his priorities are. He ultimately makes one final hail mary, but it fails, and it deserves to fail. BoJack waited too long and lost what was genuine about his words. When he finally gives Kelsey the letter, the words have been smudged because he took too long while reveling in the fame he has; fame which Kelsey will unfairly never be able to experience now. It's so tragic and sad, and a perfect encapsulation of one of BoJack's biggest obstacles in trying to be a better person. The ending is perfect. It's classic "BoJack Horseman" to marry comedy and profound storytelling so seamlessly, and they managed it masterfully with the final scene. The reveal that BoJack had the ability to talk and solve all of his problems the entire time was hilarious, with the ending cut being timed to perfection. But the ending has so many more layers than that. The idea that BoJack could have talked the entire time is perfectly symbolic of his situation with Kelsey. This entire time, ever since she was fired, BoJack had the ability to talk to her to fix things but he never did. He's frustrated by the end of the episode for sure, but something tells me that even with the knowledge of how the helmet works, BoJack still may not have been able to get those words out. This ending is funny, and tragically symbolic of how BoJack has always had the ability to fix this situation, but he never put in the effort. I also quite liked that "Sea of Dreams" played the outro for the episode, a rare change from the iconic "Back in the 90s" song. This is another great formula break, and is a fantastic use of a profound and beautiful song that fits so well with the story being told. I quite like the world-building that this episode offers. The existence of an underwater city for the fish people to live in makes sense, and I appreciated seeing how this world works as a part of society. Having a thumbs up be offensive, custom vehicles, helmets for the land animals to wear, and underwater nicotine and alcohol devices add so much more depth to the world and make things feel more real. Losing dialogue did not stop the show from still including tons of funny little jokes throughout the episode. In the realm of animal jokes, a camel is filling its hump with excess amounts of water in a bar at the episode's start, an eel tases BoJack on the submarine, a male seahorse gives birth, a pufferfish expands and rips a dress, and many other little things permeate the episode. There are fun background jokes as well like the "Rinse Carlton", "Whales Fargo", "Dugong Donuts", "Master Bait" playboy magazine, and the selling of gill polish and oxygen at the convenience store. Some other fun jokes include BoJack getting ink from a squid, the hilariously unsubtle sign of "do the right thing 2: do the more right thing", the enormous lever at the factory controlling a coffee maker, and a passing news headline of Michael Richards saying "this is worse than what I did" in reference to BoJack's thumbs up incident. I also got a good chuckle out of the show following up on continuity with Mr. Peanutbutter being involved in a seahorse milk commercial, which he mentioned in "The BoJack Horseman Show". The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: So Secretariat was a huge success at release. How likely is it that BoJack actually wins the Oscar? How does Kelsey feel about BoJack after all this time? Is it still possible for BoJack to make amends? Will he get another chance? Best Moment: The beauty of BoJack finally finding the perfect words for Kelsey after his enriching experience with the baby. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A wholly unexpected, brilliant episode. This was a creative concept episode that resulted in a uniquely emotional and memorable experience well above anything that this show has done before. I always loved formula breaks and this was no exception. What an episode. Score: 85 Summary: BoJack takes Diane with him to meet Cuddlywhiskers but finds that he's missing and a dead Orca from Whale World in his pool. They are taken in by the police but Diane is able to get them out and thinks BoJack is being framed. They look into the situation and go to Whale World to learn more where they find out that the Orca likely died from an overdose. They track Cuddlywhiskers to Ojai where he says that he leaves everything behind to be happy. Mr. Peanutbutter accidentally gets sprayed by a skunk and enlists Todd and Princess Carolyn to help him. He is upset when Diane does not come home and stays out with BoJack.
The Good: The heart of this episode comes from BoJack and Diane's relationship, as well as the end of the episode. Diane is bang-on about the two of them being similar. Diane's struggles with depression last season and the poor choices she made to handle it created a parallel with BoJack, and this episode addresses the interesting idea that Diane and BoJack both enable each other to be worse. Even though they are friends and they understand each other, it's not necessarily a good thing when they spend a long time together. Unfortunately for Diane, she gets sucked into more time with him and forgets all about her home life with Mr. Peanutbutter, another bad decision that weakens their relationship further. Lots of fun details again. I enjoyed the Whale World commercial a lot, and I found the concept of the location to be outrageously funny. There's no way that a place like this would ever exist in our world, but in the inherently ridiculous "BoJack Horseman" universe it fits right in. I also really liked the cheesy non-denominational school, and the various jokes about it are amusing. The animal jokes are great here with highlights being a "bat bat mitzvah" ("yes two bats because she is a bat", the banner says), a snake eating an entire cake in one bite, and a mole running rampant in a yard digging holes. Some other jokes are effective. Mr. Peanutbutter forgetting why he bought spaghetti strainers is amusing, as is his inability to control his urge to shake. The senior center has good jokes like a cameo from the in-universe "Mister Ed" horse, a poor elderly turtle being pushed over by BoJack, and a funny sign saying "Why don't your grandkids call? A seminar on being less boring". Lastly, there's some nice continuity in Todd wearing one of the custom shirts Mr. Peanutbutter made back in "After the Party". The Bad: I disliked the mystery parody done in this episode. The issue is that this didn't even work as a parody. The show did not poke fun at mystery tropes at all and instead seemed to copy mystery storytelling into the episode without making any sort of stance or statement about them. Instead of examining the mystery genre, this episode sloppily integrates mystery in a completely uninteresting way without any of the nuance that makes mystery work. We never cared about the mystery, it was not rewarding to figure out, and the episode being a mystery offered absolutely nothing to the story whatsoever. With this being the major gimmick of the episode, it's hard to say that this episode had much success when its main idea is so uninspired and boring. The Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter side story is more filler than I expect from this show. It goes absolutely nowhere, has very little in terms of good jokes, and feels like a sloppy use of both characters. Todd is just high in the background, which is more like the inconsistently written season 1 character than the interesting season 2 character. Mr. Peanutbutter is his usual self until the final scene when he calls Diane, but this makes his disappointment in her feel less impactful since we know that he has been his normal self all episode. Princess Carolyn doesn't even have anything interesting to offer, and this whole story is basically a dud. The Unknown: Is Cuddlywhiskers right? Do BoJack and Diane need to give up everything they currently have to finally be happy? Or is there another way for them? Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter still have plenty of tensions between them. Will Diane's struggles to deal with her own mental health cause the end of this relationship? Best Moment: The final conversation with Cuddlywhiskers is great, offering a bleak and painful possibility for BoJack and Diane that they may never be truly happy if they keep on living their current lifestyle. I love the symbolism of Cuddlywhiskers drinking the tea (symbolizing happiness), while BoJack never even tries to reach it and Diane tries but fails to get anywhere close to it. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: An episode that overall did not work as a mystery parody, even if there were some good moments throughout. Season 3 is off to a bit of a mixed start with the last two concept episodes not living up to their potential. Score: 57 Summary: The episode flashes back to 2007. Princess Carolyn is sleeping with BoJack, and in a bid to help herself become an agent, she gets him a new TV show opportunity with Cuddlywhiskers. BoJack is nervous about this show defining him and he and Cuddlywhiskers devolve the show into nonsense. Mr. Peanutbutter is married to Jessica Biel. They break up and he meets Diane. Todd is dating Emily in high school but appears to be uncomfortable in their relationship.
The Good: The 2007 gimmick is fun and brought to life in so many ways. There is of course that fun sequence with the "generic 2007 pop song" directly parodying a similar sequence in "The Telescope" while blasting us with reference after reference to 2007 (Britney Spears themed sheep shearing business, a Subway where kids eat free in reference to the infamous Jared, a flip phone store, and a Wii remote strap warehouse to name a few). This is far from the only reference to the time period, and the whole episode is packed with little things that make me smile. Some examples include Marv shredding scripts to acclaimed 2007 films, posters that reference animal-ified TV shows (Koalafornication, The Pig Bang Theory, The Drunken Crow Show), the appearance of Jorge Garcia as Hurley talking to BoJack about "Lost", and Todd hilariously destroying the ending of "The Sopranos" in one of the episode's best jokes. The little details don't end there. This episode is perhaps the best example so far of the great attention to detail in "BoJack Horseman" with dozens of great jokes to enjoy in the background. As always, I'll list off some of my favourites. The menu board in the knock-off Starbucks that Diane works in was a blast to read with some comical items including "petrol", "two potatoes", and "croissant juice". I also appreciate the continuity of Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane meeting in this location, which was alluded to back in "After the Party". Jessica Biel is a ton of fun in this episode. I love that the character has been caricaturized into making puns involving her last name, and that the episode directly sets up her relationship with "Justin" who is obviously Justin Timberlake. BoJack gets a great moment here that is perfectly in character as he admonishes Cuddlywhiskers for emphasizing his Harvard background so much only to later tell Princess Carolyn "he's so smart, he must have gone to Yale or something". Classic BoJack. The animal jokes are still excellent. There's a throwaway shot of a lizard lady being robbed with her arm being ripped up and she just regrows it. Mr. Peanutbutter gets more great dog humour with his hate for tennis because nobody ever catches the ball. Princess Carolyn even gets a great moment with her obsession with crinkly tissue paper. Lastly, I'll mention that fantastic customized ending song for this episode with lyrics that reflect on the failure of "The BoJack Horseman Show", which was creative and wildly fun to listen to. The characters are given a decent amount to do. Princess Carolyn is the star as we get to see what made her become an agent to begin with. Marv has always been disgusting, and Princess Carolyn's dissatisfaction with her position lead to her making a huge power move and accepting her new job in delight, totally ignorant of Marv's regrets, regrets that she would soon come to understand in the present day. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane getting a meet cute is quite nice and another effective reminder of why they are so good together. And BoJack's story is another solid example of how in his desperate hunt for success and happiness, he ruined something genuine. The Bad: The biggest issue with this episode is that the little details overpower the main storyline. I didn't have much to say about the characters and their story arcs because, frankly, they didn't interest me at all. Some moments were nice, but this episode had next to no momentum in terms of character progression, and I felt like not enough time was devoted to exploring how these people were different 10 years in the past. This is especially significant because flashback episodes are usually so much fun because we get to explore what was different about the characters in their past. This episode fails in that regard because just about everyone is exactly the same as the present, barring Diane who is only slightly edgier than before without much context being given as to why, and how this affected her life. The character dynamics had so much potential, and they were ignored in favour of shoving as many jokes as possible into the episode. I also have to take issue with pop culture references dominating an episode like this. I enjoy reference humour when I get it, but the problem comes when I don't get it. This is why I prefer for TV shows to avoid referencing real life events, because when people don't understand the reference, the joke is completely lost. This episode is so dependent on people having lived in 2007 to understand the many jokes that are made here. For me, I understood most things, but imagine how somebody born in 2008 who watches the show in 2030 will feel while watching this episode. Sure, they might understand some things, but much of this humour will likely go over their heads, resulting in an episode that feels like it never even attempted to be funny. And considering my complaints about how the episode is lacking in character work, the episode could be a complete dud for those who don't understand the jokes, or don't care much for reference humour like this. I appreciate all of the work that was done to reference 2007 with as much detail as possible, but this doesn't make for an episode that is accessible to everyone. I wasn't a huge fan of the plot in this episode either. BoJack's show isn't very interesting because we know that it's doomed to fail, and there isn't enough interesting or unique storytelling to make this impactful. What we expect to happen is exactly what happens, and it feels like the show is spinning its wheels because BoJack ruining something good is something that he has done many times before. The side stories aren't ideal either. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane meeting is sweet, but ultimately completely inessential. Todd's story may be setting something up down the line (see: The Unknown), but it's not funny outside of the joke on "The Sopranos", and never becomes interesting. The Unknown: What happened to Emily? Why isn't she around in the present? Why was Todd so awkward in his relationship with Emily? Is this setting up further exploration of the character? How did the show's failure affect BoJack? Best Moment: Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane's first conversation is really sweet with some funny moments. I love what this show has done with their relationship. Character of the Episode: Princess Carolyn. Conclusion: This is an episode where its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. The attention to detail is fantastic, but building a whole episode on little things rather than telling a compelling main story leads to this being more unsatisfying than it should be. Score: 58 Summary: BoJack goes to New York during his Oscar campaign and really phones it in for his interviews. Princess Carolyn struggles with opening her new agency. JD Salinger retires his TV show and Mr. Peanutbutter opens up PB Livin' again. Todd ends up in New York with BoJack and gets lost. BoJack accidentally confesses what happened in New Mexico and that he isn't even in Secretariat to a reporter. Ana handled the situation.
The Good: This is a lighthearted episode to kick off season 3 with a lot of levity and fun storylines. BoJack is doing interviews and it is very fun to see him in this situation trying to control his impulses, reducing his sarcasm and defensiveness. Todd being included in the story is fun, and he has a fun little side story as he gets lost in a hotel after being smuggled into a plane in the most absurd way possible - a way that would only ever be plausible in a show like this. Mr. Peanutbutter is as fun as ever, and I thoroughly enjoyed his spontaneity. The conference call that managed to unite all of the characters was a total blast. It's so fun to see Mr. Peanutbutter obliviously interrupting the meeting, and his thrilled interactions with BoJack and Todd are lots of fun, and I loved the brief snippit of tensions in his relationship with Diane stemming from his concern about her leaving to New York. The rest of the episode sees the return of PB Livin' with Mr. Peanutbutter kidnapping Oxnard, his old accountant, against his will. Oxnard is so much fun as he's a normal guy that has to put up with the unreasonable idiocy of Mr. Peanutbutter's ideas, and I love their scenes together. Princess Carolyn has a good episode too as we see the struggles of her new agency. She's overwhelmed, and her stress results in the loss of JD Salinger. I enjoy her new assistant Judah, who has a fun interaction with JD Salinger who likens him to Rasputin. I liked the suggestion of a new Gekko Rabitowitz agency, telling us that Rutabaga still made his new agency, just with someone else, and he is now likely a rival for Princess Carolyn. Of course there has to be some heavy stuff, this is still "BoJack Horseman". The heaviness in this episode comes from BoJack being unable to let go of what happened at the end of season 2, and being continually traumatized by his actions with Penny. It's powerful hearing him recount that night from his perspective, terrified of what he might have done in that situation. It's scary stuff, and BoJack is fittingly frazzled by it. I also really like that BoJack is trying harder now to not put Todd down. He catches himself in this episode, showing that he genuinely is trying to treat his best friend better and appreciate him more than he did before. Many little things as always. Poor Pinky is aboard yet another sinking ship now, and the joke about what happened to Wanda is quite funny. There are plenty of fun animal jokes in this episode. A construction worker tosses some food on the ground, and all of the birds walking by growl at each other, readying up to fight for the leftovers. Some great posters are in the background in this episode, with my favourites being contrasting "lost dog" and "lost human" posters. I loved Geoffrey Lewis becoming "Giraffrey Lewis", and the "Hamilton" play starring a pig. Hearing manatee and narwhal slang for "wet" and "horny" is amusing as well. Lastly, I got a chuckle out of a bird trying to commit suicide but forgetting that she can fly. The Bad: Some things feel superfluous. Todd's story is obviously just wacky filler. The episode is self-aware about it, but it doesn't change that this is an under-developed storyline that offers very little to the episode. Jill Pill's presence feels unimportant as well, and she isn't funny or interesting enough to stand out. She was set up last season, but hasn't made much impact at all here. This episode feels remarkably average. There are no risks taken here and it is such a safe and uneventful episode. is it fun? Yeah, absolutely. But it is very simplistic and unimpressive with its storytelling, which is surprising considering how creative and fun this show was in season 2. The Unknown: How did Ana take care of the problem? Did she kill Heather? Will Mr. Peanutbutter have any significant ventures with the reopening of his company? How are Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter doing? It sounds like there have been tensions between them. Hopefully we get an episode on them soon. Best Moment: BoJack opening up to Heather about the events at the end of season 2, reminding us that even though they aren't the focus anymore, they have not left BoJack's mind. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A funny and solid premiere for season 3, even if it never attempts to be anything more than just solid. Score: 65 Summary: Todd leaves to join Copernicus on the Giggleship and says goodbye to a self-loathing BoJack. Princess Carolyn tells him they finished the movie without him using technology to replace his performance, and that she made an orphanage under his name. None of these things please BoJack. BoJack decides to go after Todd, the one person who sees the good in him. Todd finds out Copernicus is a fraud and is trapped in the Giggleship. BoJack breaks him out and takes him back. Princess Carolyn opens up the new agency, but does so without Rutabaga. She gets Diane a new gig, and when out in public, she runs into Mr. Peanutbutter, but he doesn't ask questions and merely wants her back home.
The Good: BoJack's story in this episode is full of regret and self-loathing, and why wouldn't it be after the events of last episode? This episode sees BoJack at his absolute worst, giving in to despair and no longer making nay attempt to be good. Where "Downer Ending" saw BoJack begging Diane to see the good in him, he is now accepting that he is horrible, and is struggling to handle this fact. His pessimistic speech to the orphans highlights this phenomenally as he highlights how he never seems to do anything good on his own. Then there's his goodbye to Todd, which is a painful scene. Todd is looking for a reason to believe in BoJack again, but BoJack is too caught in his self-loathing to notice, and he ends up unintentionally suggesting to Todd that their friendship meant nothing when in reality he thinks that he has been purely terrible to Todd and doesn't deserve him. It takes BoJack realizing how empty his current life is to make him finally make an effort, and what an effort he makes. BoJack realized that Hollywoo will never see the good side of him and will encourage his awfulness, so he goes to an extreme to get Todd back, the one person who makes him feel like he can be better. His gesture towards Todd is powerful and it feels good to see BoJack trying to be better for once and actually succeeding by saving Todd from this awful cult. All of this builds up to a superb ending scene. This season ends where it began, with BoJack struggling to run up the hill outside his house. But notable, he gets a little farther. Not by much, but it is some progress, and it's a great metaphor for BoJack's inner journey this season. He's had ups and downs, but ultimately he did make some progress towards better understanding himself, his problem, and what he needs to do to be better. I adore the way this episode and this season ends. "Escape From L.A." ended with despair and pain, but the season rehabilitates us with some hope, and chooses to end on an optimistic note rather than a bleak one, something that I applaud the writers for. After collapsing in exhaustion, the running man comes up to BoJack and delivers a phenomenal quote: "Every day it get a little easier. But you have to do it every day. That's the hard part". The line is fantastic because it's the perfect instruction for how BoJack gets better. He made a grand gesture to Todd today, but he has to make sure to maintain this standard every day. That's where the challenge will be for him, but the longer he stays decent, the easier it will be. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane have been compelling all season, and I'm glad to see them have a pair of excellent scenes in this episode to conclude their story for the season. The opening sequence is so sad as we see both Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane living their separate lives, and yet they are unable to escape from their pain. Diane is happily enjoying Mr. Peanutbutter's energy on the TV, but reminders of her failure to change the world is enough to make her run away from him again; she loves him, but is so ashamed and insecure. Meanwhile, Mr. Peanutbutter looks to be living the dream on his own, but it isn't until a final shot of his sadly sitting on his roof alone that we really see how much he misses Diane and wants to have her back. All of this builds to a fantastic scene later where Mr. Peanutbutter spots Diane. This could easily have been grounds for an enormous fight, but their shared feelings of missing each other overcome all negativity here in such a sweet way. Diane is stunned to see him, and she looks like a deer in the headlights, terrified that all of the negativity she has been stewing in will finally come true. But Mr. Peanutbutter doesn't indulge in that. He misses Diane too much, and he makes it clear that he will not judge her, or yell at her, or demand answers; he just wants her to come home. Diane's relief upon hearing this is palpable, and hearing the sweetness in their conversation at the end is delightful. Well done to this season for turning these two into such an engaging pairing that I'm actively rooting for. The continuity in this episode was exceptional, with so many jokes and story beats calling back on events that happened throughout the season. In the very first episode, BoJack had himself scanned in case of an emergency where he did something stupid, and that paid off here when the movie was finished using that scan to create a fully CGI BoJack. The orphanage stuff is pretty funny too because BoJack made this statement all the way back in "Still Broken", and it's nice to see the jar of Herb's ashes (which has appeared consistently all season) finally get some resolution by being used for the orphanage. But only after being comically broken by Stuart of course. I have talked a lot about that ending line already, but it's brilliant to see the running man used in this final moment. He has been running outside BoJack's house in every establishing shot, so it's great to see him finally used for something important. The credits for the Secretariat movie being dedicated to Corduroy and "Debra's Old Face" is really funny, and another great callback to the first episode. Lastly, a very small moment, but that baby bird that hatched in the previous episode takes flight from the stroller in a lovely gag that is a perfect example of how much care this show puts into the smaller details, details that most people likely won't notice on a first watch. Some other little things were amusing. I liked the sea creatures boarding the Giggleship directly out of the water. Rutabaga finally made me laugh with his horrific statement after news of Mr. Witherspoon's condition just broke. The improv security being so easily outsmarted was a pretty funny culmination of the improv idea. The Bad: Again, the side stories did not entirely work for me. The improv story has the occasional fun joke, but I have to question why this was such an important storyline that had multiple episodes dedicated to it. The comedy was lacking, Todd's character journey was almost non-existent, and the side characters were totally forgettable. I got nothing out of this story. Princess Carolyn leaving Rutabaga behind should have felt like a triumph, but since I've found it difficult to invest in this storyline, it had very little impact on me. The season never got me invested in their relationship and the new agency storyline, so this big emotional point fell completely flat. The Unknown: Will Mr. Witherspoon die? What's next for Rutabaga now that Princess Carolyn cut him out? He burned bridges at Vigor, so where will he go now? Who is Jill Pill? What was BoJack's history with her? What was this other show that BoJack was involved with? Best Moment: The unexpected beauty of Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter being reunited and getting back to their usual routine without a hitch because they had missed each other so much. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A touching, and effective season finale that lays down the foundations for season 3. Some of the side stories here did not land for me, but most of the storytelling was great, and the result is a profoundly satisfying end to a profoundly satisfying season. The second season of "BoJack Horseman" was a massive improvement on the first. Season 1 was so rough and unpolished in nearly every aspect, but season 2 took a lot more care in its storytelling, comedy, characters, and style. Every episode was enjoyable, offering a consistency that was not there in season 1. The humour was much improved, with "Let's Find Out" being a prime example of it, though there was still inconsistencies in joke quality. More overtly positive is the handling of the characters, with almost all of them being massively improved from season 1. BoJack continues to be a fascinating lead character, with his personality being fun and charismatic, but his actions and behaviour often being reprehensible. Todd was written with more conviction this time around and ends up being much better as a result. Diane becomes emotionally well-rounded and relatable in a way similar to BoJack, and the same goes for Mr. Peanutbutter who went from being genuinely one-dimensional to providing some of the most emotionally memorable moments this season. The only miss this season was Princess Carolyn, whose story was relegated to the background, and often felt repetitive or underdeveloped. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this season. Like season 1, it got better as it went on, with "Escape From L.A." being a gem of an episode to serve as the climax. This show fulfills a unique itch by combining comedy with some of the most relatable, heavy storytelling I have seen in a TV show, and I'm excited to see what creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has in store for us in season 3. Score: 68 Summary: BoJack meets Charlotte in New Mexico and is introduced to her family. He makes an excuse for why he's there and says he's going to a boat show. He bonds a bit with Charlotte's daughter Penny and brings back a boat. He stays at Charlotte's place for several months, ignoring all other commitments. He goes with Penny to her prom and gets one of her friends very drunk. He leaves her at a hospital when she passes out and goes back with Penny. Penny makes a pass on him but BoJack sends her away. BoJack meets with Charlotte who offers him some advice. They kiss and he says they should stay together but Charlotte tells him he makes her sad and has to leave the next day. BoJack goes back to his boat where Penny is waiting. Charlotte goes to the boat and sees Penny and BoJack together. Outraged, she tells BoJack to leave. BoJack goes back to L.A. where he finds that Diane is still at his place.
The Good: What a sad reflection on the character of BoJack. This episode is sublime because it confirms the worst that we have feared all along about BoJack: that it is himself that is the cause of all of his issues. There has always been hope in previous episodes that BoJack can break out of this rut in his life, and that much of what has gone wrong has been because of his assimilation into Hollywoo(d) culture. But this episode, aptly titled "Escape From L.A." proves the lie in this sentiment. Here, BoJack has left his fame, career, and difficult life behind to find something new with Charlotte's family. And yet it all goes woefully wrong and everything gets ruined - and it's all BoJack's fault with nothing to blame but himself for what happened. It's a bleak reality check for BoJack, but also paints a strong message of how your life is always in your control to a certain degree, and if everything is going wrong, it's likely not society that needs to change, it's you. The episode starts off innocuously enough. The first part of the episode is abotu introducing Charlotte's family and how this throws BoJack off, but he's still putting in the effort to stay here with them; he'll do anything to avoid going back to his old life. It's surprising how well BoJack adjusts. He seems to grow into the role of being the fun "uncle" living in the boat, and develops a good relationship with the kids, especially Penny. It's great to see him start off as ruthlessly uncaring about Penny's high school life, but then later we see him be a certified expert in Penny's social life, showing that he's taken time to grow this relationship. It all seems fun, and it leads to BoJack joining Penny and her friends at the high school prom, which seems to be a harmless night of fun. It feels like BoJack has turned a corner, and as they all form a great memory by releasing glowstick balloons into the night sky, this feels like a fresh start for BoJack. But then, in a brilliantly constructed moment of horror, that all shifts. As he gives Penny the dance she never got, BoJack tells her "you look just like your mother", and suddenly all the red flags have become startlingly clear. You remember that BoJack opened up conversation with Penny by looking to see if he can get rid of Kyle. You remember how creeped out everyone was by BoJack's presence at the prom, and you realize how weird it is that he is here. And with Maddy passing out, you also realize just how irresponsible BoJack is being by not monitoring how much she drinks. It's a horrifying twist that makes you realize that underneath the glamour of BoJack's new life, he is stillt he same as always, and as the episode goes on, this just gets worse and worse. After BoJack rejects Penny's advances, there's a moment of relief where it feels like BoJack is making the mature decision. But all it takes is one negative conversation with Charlotte to bring out the worst in him again. BoJack makes a pass on her as he opens up about his struggles with himself and the choices he makes, but all he faces is an impending return to L.A., and the crushing reality that it's far too late for him to ever live out that dream life with Charlotte that he had back in "Downer Ending". So what does BoJack do? The single worst thing he could have possibly done, and the single worst thing he has ever done in this show so far. While he rejected Penny firmly the first time, the second time he leaves the door open, a brutal indication of how likely he would be to give in to Penny's demands to make himself feel better. And sure enough, that's what he does. There's a terrific moment as Charlotte goes back to the boat, led their by one of the glowstick balloons, a symbol of BoJack's immaturity, inability to grow out of his 20s, and general unawareness of the long-reaching consequences of his actions. With this, Charlotte, and also the audience, is horrified to see that BoJack gave in to his worst instincts once again and was about to sleep with a 17 year old. The aftermath is horrific, and Charlotte's delivery of "if I ever see you again, I will f*cking kill you" is like a knife through the heart. It's not just an awful moment for BoJack, it's an awful moment for the viewer who would have been rooting for BoJack to be better, and seeing him fail so badly is gutwrenchingly disappointing. The episode ends on a fantastic note. This show is typically very dialogue-heavy, so it's very notable that we get a sequence to end things off that's purely visual with little to no dialogue. BoJack returns to L.A. as his theme song plays, and we really get to reflect on who BoJack is and what he's done. I'm sure interpretation on this scene will vary, but for me this moment was an indication that L.A. is the place where BoJack belongs, because it's the location that best embodies the type of person BoJack has become. He can try to escape all he wants, but like Charlotte said earlier, he is now the tar pit. The return to L.A. with nothing having changed is indicative of BoJack's inability to change and grow out of the way of life he has been living for 30 years. And when he's back he's greeted with a funny, yet sad sight. After many months... Diane is still there. These two gave each other great advice at the end of "Yes And" to get their lives back together, and yet after several months, here they are back where they started with nothing having changed at all. Sad. More little things, as always. The "Kyle and the Kids" opening is absolutely fantastic, and I love that it replaced the regular intro, highlighting how this episode was such a departure from the usual format. The song is catchy and a perfect parody of cheesy sitcom intros. The pictures throughout have fun little bits in them as well, with a picture at Todd's doomed Disneyland from "Yesterdayland", an alligator waving at the camera in the Everglades, and a statue of Liberty that is a cat holding a torch made of yarn. I liked the humour that came from BoJack's lame excuses to justify why he's in Santa Fe. The boat show excuse is funny, and his improvised dialogue while on the phone is laughably terrible. Lastly, Pete Repeat actually not repeating a single thing he says is a terrific running joke. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: What's next for BoJack now that any chance of an idyllic family life with Charlotte has vanished? What's his next move? After months, Diane is still at BoJack's place! What has she been doing? What will be the consequences of BoJack leaving his job for months? Will he be able to return after all this time? Best Moment: The horrifying moment that Charlotte finds Penny with BoJack. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A brutally sad, horrifying, and powerful episode. Much like "Downer Ending" last season, "Escape From L.A." provided an emotional climax for the season in a beautiful self-contained episode that told a complete story about BoJack's inner nastiness and how the problem is not rooted in where he is, but who he is. This season has been exceptional with how it has handled its heavier content, and it has especially gotten good at ending episodes on a grim, memorable note without it being overpowering. Fantastic stuff. Score: 80 Summary: Abe, the new director for the Secretariat movie, is ruining the film and BoJack loses his passion. He gets an opportunity to do a play in New York, but Abe screws him out of that. Depressed, BoJack stops working and stays at home with Diane, neglecting Wanda's wishes. Wanda goes to talk to him about it and they break up. BoJack and Diane open up to one another. BoJack decides to visit Charlotte in New Mexico. Diane decides to keep lying to Mr. Peanutbutter and tells him they should stop calling. Todd joins an improv cult and invites BoJack to a rehearsal that means a lot to him, but BoJack doesn't come.
The Good: The structure of this episode is good. It starts off light in tone with a story that makes this seem like another self-contained fun story, but by the episode's end, things take a much darker turn into heavier themes and emotion-oriented storytelling. It's very effective, and the ending stretch of this episode is one of the best parts of the season. Abe is a fun new side character, and his new relationship with BoJack is enjoyable. It's very funny how BoJack misunderstands Abe's horrible saying ("it's not Casablanca"), and how this leads to Abe making BoJack's life miserable on set. Which leads into the more serious aspect of this episode. BoJack is happy to do his job in this movie and then move his acting talents to play acting to seek fulfillment. But Abe's pettiness makes everything worse for BoJack and it ruins both his current job and his future. It's sad to see BoJack fall so sharply after starting this season in a more positive place, but it's brutally effective to see him lose everything going good in his life in this episode. His repeated line of "I'm tired of running in circles" is such a good way to showcase the frustrations he is dealing with. Wanda's relationship with BoJack also comes to an end here in brutal fashion. It's sad to see how BoJack delegates Wanda into the background of his own life, and she feels utterly neglected by BoJack's actions in his depression. It's sad to see, considering how much BoJack loved her before, and it all culminates in an intense argument scene where BoJack reveals a grudge he's held against Wanda and her job all along, perhaps an indication that this relationship was doomed from the start. Wanda gets a good line about red flags too to close things out, a sad ending to a relationship that fizzled out in an all too realistic way. Diane's story is really good too. It's amusing to see her in such an unfiltered slobby way, completely lost in life without a care left in the world. She's given into nihilism, and her only reminders of her old life are periodic phone calls from Mr. Peanutbutter, who is unknowingly making things worse for Diane with his overpowering praise. There's also a nice joke when Diane makes her fake refugee name "Coffee Maker". Anyways, Diane's time with BoJack is quite scary to see. They are both enabling each other's toxicity when faced with depression, giving in to horrible habits that only serve to make their already bad lives worse. But, it's not all bad. After dissociating with one another for days on end, these two show the value in their relationship by talking things out and offering genuine advice. Diane brilliantly dissects the root behind BoJack's depression, getting him to admit that he gets by on temporary satisfaction and that there is nothing that genuinely makes him happy, leading BoJack to make a proactive move by searching out Charlotte in a way to resolve his past regrets. BoJack meanwhile is able to get Diane to open up about why she isn't going home and offers her some good advice to get back to the life that she has abandoned. Unfortunately, Diane doesn't heed this advice and is unable to escape from the guilt and shame she feels. She still loves Mr. Peanutbutter, I genuinely believe her when she says it, but the shame is so significant that she sadly can't take speaking with him anymore. BoJack gave her good help, but it wasn't enough for Diane to make the right decision. A couple of little things again, though not as many as usual. There is a terrific joke squeezed in this episode where Princess Carolyn and BoJack make clothing jokes with each other (are you wearing comfortable shoes, because you walked a long way to get to that punchline). I enjoyed the commentary from BoJack's line about how New York is a perfect place to live in for only six months and if you are wealthy. As for animal jokes, I got a laugh out of the passing shot of a lady with an egg in her stroller, which hatched into a little fledgling bird. The Bad: The ending of this episode had great themes and emotion to it, but the first half was so problematic because it was painfully unfunny and slow-paced. The biggest culprit for this is the Todd storyline, which took up so much screentime and had no good jokes to offer. It's lightly amusing to see Todd accidentally join a cult without knowing, but the joke wears out its welcome rapidly, and there is little to no other comedy available. It's amusing to see Rian Johnson in a cameo role as Bryan, but the improv comedy story has little else to offer that was interesting or funny. These scenes were a slog to get through, and I was disappointed by how flat these scenes felt. Considering that Todd is mainly used for comic relief, this storyline was a total failure because it didn't make me laugh once. Princess Carolyn hasn't had a very good season. She's spent most of it in the background, and her story just isn't that compelling. Rutabaga is an uninteresting character and love interest for her. Sure he's eccentric and has funny ears, but we know so little about the rest of his personality and what it is that Princess Carolyn sees in him. I struggle to care at all about their new agency, and I rapidly lose interest when they are sharing screentime. The only amusing scene with them in this episode was when Mr. Peanutbutter walked in on them, oblivious as always. The Unknown: Will Rutabaga screw over Princess Carolyn if the new business doesn't work out? Where is the Todd story going? Will he stay involved with this cult? What happens now that he is going to meet Copernicus? Will there be a rift between BoJack and Todd? Will we see Wanda again? I doubt she gets back together with BoJack, but she still has a big enough role in the TV industry that I wouldn't be surprised if she returns. What will BoJack do now that he's back with Charlotte? What will she say to him? Where is this story going? When will Diane finally leave BoJack's to get back to Mr. Peanutbutter. Best Moment: BoJack and Diane's conversation was thought-provoking and powerful for both of them. It's sad to see them suffering so much, but it's good that they are able to find solace in each other and talk to each other. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: Everything about that ending was exceptional, but the unimpressive first half of the episode drags this down. "BoJack Horseman" continues to nail the heavy stuff, but the comedy remains hit or miss. Score: 68 Summary: BoJack convinces Kelsey to break into the Nixon library to film a scene for Secretariat that Lennie no longer wants in the movie. Kelsey agrees, and with the help of Todd, Mr. Peanutbutter, Margo Martindale, and others, they get the shot and Kelsey is grateful. However, Lennie is upset and fires her. Princess Carolyn is given a shot to open a new agency with Rutabaga, but she craves a quieter life. She realizes she isn't made for a quiet life and agrees to join Rutabaga. Diane goes to Cordovia but is horrified by Sebastian's ego and his lack of empathy for everyone in Cordovia. She leaves, having failed to make a difference, and goes to stay with BoJack.
The Good: The main heart of this story came from the BoJack and Kelsey dynamic. We have seen these two get to know each other more as the season went on, and this episode is the peak of their relationship. In a Hollywoo that doesn't care at all for art or accuracy, Kelsey and BoJack come together due to their respect for telling the true story. Kelsey is a film director who wants to make a good film, and BoJack just wants to tell the story of his hero as accurately as possible. Their shared passion and growing bond leads to a genuinely heartwarming moment as they get the shot they need (see: Best Moment). For once, BoJack has somebody who has faith in him and believes in him, and it's a great feeling. Especially contrasted with the emotion BoJack taps into to act as well as he does, a moment where his mother humiliated and abused him in the past. It's clear how much Kelsey means to BoJack now, and that makes the episode's ending so devastating when we learn that Kelsey is gone and that BoJack's actions resulted in her getting fired. I thoroughly enjoyed the heist aspects of this episode, as they added some terrific moments of levity throughout the episode. BoJack stealing the Nixon library model for ultimately no reason whatsoever is needlessly funny, and I love that this decision made the heist even harder by raising security. The hiring sequence is hysterical, as it becomes increasingly obvious that the main cast is all going to show up for this heist and the reasons for their inclusion become increasingly ridiculous. Todd is picked because he "can pick locks", but then it ends with Mr. Peanutbutter coming along for literally no reason whatsoever. There's another fantastic laugh as BoJack interrupts Princess Carolyn's one night off in a spectacularly intrusive way. Then of course we get a magnificent Margo Martindale cameo, and I can't help but laugh at how this show portrays such a sweet person as a mass murdering psychopath. Lastly, we have Alan the cable guy who inexplicably gets wrapped up into this in such an organic funny way, and is framed as guaranteed to die from the first second we see him. This is very funny, and it builds up to an amazing moment as we get to cheer Alan's survival. This was a brilliant use of a side character, providing laughs and making us genuinely invested in this literal nobody. Diane's time in Cordovia is quite crazy. The dark humour surrounding Sebastian has been prevalent for a while, and it is dialed up to 11 here with Sebastian's sheer overpowering ego through his pretentious speeches, lack of empathy, and absurd grandiose gestures. The existence of Kinko, an adorable orphan who exists to die without any trouble for Sebastian is so dark, and yet it works brilliantly as both a story beat and as comedy. This episode does a great job of painting Sebastian as a horrifying villain underneath his facade of a hero, and Diane's voiceover does a good job of dissecting the emptiness behind his gestures. Unfortunately, Sebastian being something of a fraud is exactly what Diane doesn't need. She thought she would get to do something genuine and good, but even in Cordovia she was faced with that trademark Hollywood showiness and selfishness, and as a result, she returns back to LA as lost and unfulfilled as ever. Princess Carolyn's side story is very simple, but it works. She thinks she wants a simple, quiet life, but it's abundantly clear that this is not true because of her job and the people she chooses to stay close to (looking at you BoJack). Her moment of clarity while being entranced by the painting works surprisingly well, and sometimes you have to get what you want to realize that you never wanted it all along. Lots of little things again. Alan being an endangered panda is a nice animal joke, and I really liked Mr. Peanutbutter being devastated about not being taken to a park. Nixon's enemy and frenemy list in the museum is amusing. I'm Canadian so I don't know my American history that well, but I imagine that there would be some clever jokes squeezed onto those lists. Sebastian's ego is shown so brilliantly in several ways, from the enormous portraits of himself in his house to the beautiful sign saying "Cordovian refugee camp, improvements by Sebastian St. Clair", making it abundantly clear that the "improvement" is just the fancy sign. Lastly, I liked BoJack causing a cigarette fire, and him being ignorant of Wanda's jealousy towards Diane while on phone with her (also Wanda's enormous "cell phone" is quite funny). The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: What will become of the movie now that Kelsey is fired? How will BoJack feel about this? Will he try to help her? What is Diane's plan now? Why is she staying with BoJack? How long will she stay with him? How will Wanda feel about this? Will Princess Carolyn's new agency be a success? Best Moment: Kelsey directing BoJack to get the shot, and their moment of genuine connection afterwards was sweet. BoJack had spent all season trying to get to know Kelsey, and now they have finally developed a genuine director-actor bond. This beautiful scene made it that much more devastating when Kelsey was fired by the episode's end. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: Another winner of an episode. This episode furthered the stories of the season in a compelling, powerful way while providing some great jokes due to the "heist" sequence. More excellent stuff, and I'm excited to see how this season wraps up. Score: 70 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 Summary: BoJack and Diane go on a promotion tour to Alaska where Diane angers the public by speaking out against Hank Hippopopalous, a popular celebrity currently working with Mr. Peanutbutter. Mr. Peanutbutter asks her to stop but Diane plows ahead and ends up on the news. Diane goes to Manatee Fair to get peopel to speak out, but it doesn't work and Hank continues on with everything normal. BoJack and Diane make amends over the book incident. Diane speaks with Mr. Peanutbutter who suggests that her going to Cordovia may be good. Diane leaves for Cordovia. Meanwhile, Todd takes over for the Prince of Cordovia, who wants to experience American life, and accidentally causes a major genocide to occur.
The Good: This worked unexpectedly well. It's incredible to think that in 25 minutes, "BoJack Horseman" brilliantly explored corruption within Hollywood, the power celebrities hold over people, and the media's tendency to ignore serious issues across the world while simultaneously telling a compelling story with Diane, connecting in with her relationships with BoJack and Mr. Peanutbutter. This episode is doing so many things, and the fact that the episode never feels rushed or overstuffed is a testament to the writing and storytelling. The set-up for this episode is incredibly well done. We get a typical "BoJack Horseman" set up as BoJack goes to Alaska on a promotion tour, and we fully expect him to mess things up for everyone, after all that's what he does. But then we have our expectations subverted beautifully. BoJack being confronted with an intense ethical dilemma because "he likes apple fritters" was hysterical, and his completely sensible and thoughtful response caught me off guard for another good laugh. Even more unexpected though was Diane being the one to stir up trouble by speaking up about something that nobody ever wanted to consider: allegations against a beloved star. The way this drama heats up exponentially without BoJack playing any role was effective and it allowed for a compelling thematic story with Diane. Diane has always held on to activism close to her heart, and it's nice to see the character show her passion in this episode as she commits to trying to get justice against Hank when the general public starts to insult her for having the courage to say her truth. The way this blows up on Diane is outstanding, and perfectly conveys how difficult it is for victims of celebrity actions (particularly women), and why it is so hard for actual change to happen. Diane can't get any support because Hank has the power to shut things done, and nobody seems interested in helping because "that's just how things are". It's a relentless truth about our world with how power dynamics allow injustices and crimes to happen frequently and go unpunished. Hank Hippopopalous is undoubtedly inspired by Bill Cosby and David Letterman, and is a compelling villain due to how openly compassionate yet threatening he is, a great example that people aren't always what they appear to be. Hank seems to believe he is still a good person in spite of all that he has done, and that lack of self-awareness sums up celebrity culture perfectly. Hank has been praised so much that no matter what he does, he will always get away with things and keep believing his truth. True to form, after a day of arguing the news moves on from Hank, and his victims continue to live on without any justice. Obviously, this story shares a lot with the MeToo movement, but it's important to remember that this episode predated that movement. As a result, this episode has aged magnificently and serves as a compelling examination of Hollywood society without ever feeling preachy, pandering, or overly political. This is just a compelling story that examines a harsh truth about this world. Diane gets a lot of great storytelling depth in this episode outside the themes. She gets a shot to mend fences with BoJack after their strife at the end of the last season, and I thought that this was handled very well. These two have not had the healthiest of friendships, but they understand each other, and it's nice to see them move on from past baggage. I also quite like that BoJack put in a lot of effort to get the attention off of Diane to help her out, even if it was primarily motivated by him being uncomfortable not being the center of attention. Diane also gets more progression in her conflict with Mr. Peanutbutter. At the start of the episode, Mr. Peanutbutter politely asks her not to make things blow up, but Diane ignores his wishes in favour of doing a greater good for the world. By the end of the episode, they both seem disappointed in the other, and in need of a break, which is sad. It's easy to relate with both sides, making this so compelling. Mr. Peanutbutter feels dejected since his own wife ignored his wishes and passion for his new TV show and subjected him to the horror of receiving death threats in the mail. Diane comes off as selfish for ignoring her spouse, and shortsighted for not thinking about her reputation or her husband's job, especially considering how afraid she was of losing her house in the previous episode. When it came to her finally "making a difference", nothing else seemed to be important anymore. And yet in spite of this, Diane is doing something that takes an immense amount of courage to try to solve an enormous amount of injustice in society, and she deserves to have some support when trying to make such a major change, yet she has no one to get her back. She came to Hollywood to change the world, as she said back in "Chickens", but she feels that she never managed that. Now, she finally had her chance, and can you really blame her for wanting to put her biggest dreams ahead of everything else? The storytelling is so richly detailed with such real emotions involved, making the Diane/Mr. Peanutbutter relationship continue to fascinate even when it is only given a short amount of time. Behind all of this is a surprisingly great Todd storyline. Gustav, The Prince of Cordovia, trading places with him is mildly amusing, especially with Gustav's interactions with Mr. Peanutbutter and with the fact that this was foreshadowed (Todd remarked in a previous episode that people told him he looked like the prince of Cordovia). Of course this is your typical Todd side story, but I love how this one takes place entirely in the background of the episode. This so perfectly conveyed how people and media in Western society focus on trivial matters, ignoring horrors and injustices across the world. Todd's story is a mere footnote in this episode, but from what we can gather, his actions caused a major genocide in Cordovia and he tries to bring attention to the horrifying thing that just happened, but BoJack and Diane are hilariously too involved with their own problems to spare any thought for the atrocities happening across the world. This teme was handled perfectly, creating some good laughs while also being scathingly accurate in its criticism of Western society. The little things are great again. There are more fun animal jokes with a hammerhead shark hammering a nail with its head, a spider cleaning windows, and Matthew Fox and Scott Wolf being a wolf and fox respectively. The news headlines return in this episode, and they are terrific. Highlights include the manyupdates on Todd's shenanigans as the Prince of Cordovia, a reporting of the "hot new fad" measles, and a fantastic headline reading "take a job at MSNBSea, they said, you can write novels on the weekends, they said". The Bad: The one issue I have with this episode is that several of the jokes don't really land, especially in the episode's first half. The Prince of Cordovia trading lives with Todd is not that funny, Mr. Peanutbutter's adoration of Hank doesn't have much to offer for comedy either, and the tongue twister humour with Hank's name is mildly amusing but overstays its welcome without ever making me laugh. There are more examples of poor jokes, and it felt like there were more misses than usual in this episode. The Unknown: Is the Cordovia plot going somewhere? Will we see Gustav again? Will he play a role when Diane goes to Cordovia? What will happen to Diane in Cordovia? Will Mr. Peanutbutter's show be damaged by what Diane did, or will it survive? Perhaps more importantly, can Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's relationship survive this added stress? Best Moment: The final scene in the airport as Diane sits in abject defeat, having changed absolutely nothing, helped absolutely nobody, and damaged her own life and reputation. Sad. Hearing a stranger tell her to smile just about sums up how painful this all is for her, and how she gained nothing from all of her actions in this episode. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: What a surprisingly mature, tasteful, and impactful episode. This episode tackled several difficult real-life issues with impressive grace, crafting a compelling and emotional story centered around Diane and her inability to make a difference. The comedy took a step back, but this was season 2's first truly great episode following a stretch of solid episodes. Score: 72 Summary: BoJack says "I love you" to Wanda and panics and leaves. He drags out work and talks with Corduroy, who opens up about his addiction to autoerotic asphyxiation. He gives BoJack his kit and BoJack tries to get Wanda to admit she loves him by threatening to use it. PB Livin goes broke and Mr. Peanubutter looks for a job. He lands a gig at a shoe store. Princess Carolyn has a rough day at work but manages to land JD Salinger for a TV show which stars Mr. Peanutbutter. She doesn't get any credit.
The Good: Mr. Peanutbutter is such a fun character and this episode proves his utility as a comedy character. The opening sequence is wonderful and Mr. Peanutbutter's ridiculous ideas and hilarious energy drives his accountant to insanity, setting up a funny story of Mr. Peanutbutter looking for a job in the most backwards way (wandering around until destiny calls him). That Mr. Peanutbutter almost immediately finds multiple opportunities despite doing nothing is pretty funny. Everybody knows that one individual who isn't the smartest but inexplicably has an absurd amount of good fortune, so writing Mr. Peanutbutter like this inherently triggers a reaction in us. BoJack's story is solid. I appreciate how this episode explores his relationship with Wanda and how BoJack is always overcome with insecurity, doing damage to the bonds he has with people. Here, a lack of communication, an instinct to run away, and fear of opening up and being vulnerable is what nearly gets BoJack in trouble. Luckily, Wanda seems to be understanding enough of this, and handles the situation in a very amusing way. This show continues to impress with its comedy, and I enjoyed a lot of the jokes in this episode. BoJack escaping in a baby's stroller rather than going back into his house is a perfect example of over-the-top slapstick, and I appreciate that he enters his next scene in that same stroller. Continuity humour has been excellent in this show so far. Diane doesn't have much to do in this episode, but I'm amused that she has such little faith in Mr. Peanutbutter's method for getting a job, turning to rationing and stealing snacks from her work. J.D. Salinger immediately giving away his cover after Princess Carolyn asks more than a single question is quite funny. The animal humour is great once again. The Lowe's being called "Lowe's but like an animal version" was a funny usage of meta humour, and I laughed hard at the elephant in the room joke (see: Best Moment). The theme of autoerotic asphyxiation is darkly funny, and it's amusing that the episode starts and ends with characters walking in on someone who has died searching for that extra pleasure. The Bad: This episode feels like too much in a few places. I get the story that is being told with BoJack's insecurities surrounding loving and being loved, but he goes to incredulous, unrealistic lengths of anxiety to avoid speaking with Wanda. It's certainly funny, but it doesn't capture that feeling of surprising relatability that is seen in some of the other episodes in this series. There is a strong focus on Princess Carolyn in this episode, but it doesn't really work. This episode tells a story of Princess Carolyn working hard and not being rewarded for all the hard work she put in. Sounds familiar? This is virtually the exact same story as "Say Anything" with the presence of Rutabaga being the only notable difference. I would like to see something more original for Princess Carolyn going forwards. The "movie star speech" is a nice moment, but something about it feels a bit cheesy and unearned when it comes in at the end of the episode. I suspect that this is because the episode isn't built around this speech, and the attempt to wrap things up with a "deep idea" ends up feeling heavy-handed and tacked on, as opposed to being thought-provoking and memorable. The Unknown: What will happen with this new TV show starring Mr. Peanutbutter? How far will BoJack and Wanda's relationship go? Best Moment: The elephant in the room joke really made me laugh. A serious conversation between Wanda and BoJack took such an unexpected turn with this joke, and the elephant's offended reaction and the "woooow" repeatedly said by him was fantastically funny. The capper of BoJack saying "he's never gonna forget that" is the cherry on top. I'm a real sucker for the animal jokes in this show, and this is the funniest yet. Character of the Episode: Mr. Peanutbutter and his uncanny ability to make everything work out. Conclusion: A bit of an uneven episode, but still solidly written, funny, and enjoyable. Score: 64 Summary: BoJack tries to win over Kelsey, and they ultimately end up bonding as the episode foes on. Diane babysits Irving, Kelsey's daughter. Mr. Peanutbutter goes to a spa so Todd looks for something to do. He finds a chicken that escaped from Chicken 4 Dayz and grows attached to her. When the police go looking for her, he ropes in Diane and Irving to help bring her back to Gentle Farms. After doing that, they realize it doesn't feel right so they save all of the chickens and free them. They are arrested, but BoJack has a celebrity connection and frees them.
The Good: I loved the thematic exploration of consumerism throughout the episode. This episode covers the fantastic concept of how eating meat works in this universe, which is detail-work that I really appreciate. The world feels so much more real in all of its absurdity when little things like this are addressed. Anyways, the handling of food-chickens in this world is a brilliant opportunity to explore consumerism problems in this world, and I like that the episode lightly examines how painful and unethical these slaughterhouses are, a problem which is exacerbated by the fact that animals are humanoid beings in this world. We see Diane and Todd realize this and attempt to make a change, celebrating what they have done by the episode's end. But, in a delightful twist, the whole ordeal was used as marketing by Chicken 4 Dayz, who are profiting more than ever from what happened. Diane and Todd may have done what they felt was right, but the real evil still lives on in the world in spite of their efforts. Lovely storytelling. Thematic storytelling is not all that is offered. This episode pushes Mr. Peanubutter and Princess Carolyn to the side (but still incorporates them with two funny jokes) in order to focus on the rest of the cast in meaningful ways. Todd is the star here, and the show does well to acknowledge his wacky hijinks in a way that very nearly breaks the 4th wall. Todd has found his groove in this season as someone who has a good heart and always goes with the flow, often ending up in the most random situations. His personality has been far more consistent than season 1, and he is far easier to enjoy because of that. BoJack isn't as prevalent throughout this episode but he has a love story where he slowly breaks through to Kelsey and ultimately gets her to open up and has a short moment of connection with her. It goes to show that BoJack can be a good and caring person as long as he gets out of his own head. I'm pleased to see that Kelsey is growing as a character. We learn a lot about what makes her tick in this episode. Lastly, there's Diane who sees a bit of herself in young Irving, the sassy rebellious teenager. Diane has grown up, but as we saw in previous episodes, she's terrified of being unhappy and without purpose, so she takes Irving as a personal challenge to prove that she's still young and can change the world. This arc was incorporated nicely in the episode, and even led to some funny jokes ("you wouldn't understand"). Furthermore, Diane has a nice moment with Todd where she gets to see that her inherently negative opinion of herself is not necessarily shared by the others who know her. The police subplot aged brilliantly and has some terrific jokes. Meow Meow Fuzzyface (incredible name) is wonderfully realized as a loose cannon, and the jokes about the incompetence and lack of responsibility in the police department were brilliant ("we'll probably make the right call"). I also very much enjoyed the parodying of police ideas, like the dramatic sunglasses scene, "we know the chicken crossed the road, but the question is why", and Fuzzyface's dramatic realization that Todd's wife was a chicken. The humour was top-notch in this episode overall with several genuinely funny moments throughout. MSNBSea returned from season 1 and was as fun as ever with Tom's feud with Randy, his ex-wife joke followed by a haphazard attempt to not get cancelled, and a hilarious graphic saying "Yolk Go Oh No!". Todd hiding Becca's identity was funny and it led to some cleverly written dialogue to allow for Becca to communicate (almost) naturally. There's even a bit of slapstick here with the hilariously over-the-top racket that Todd causes after sneaking into Gentle Farms. The Bad: This is a cheesy episode at times, and those who are more enthused by the emotional stakes of this series may be more disappointed. It's fun harmless comedy, but not a significant episode by any means. This is much more of a character-centric and comedy-centric experience, which has its downsides. I wish that this episode had gone further in its themes a little bit. There was a golden chance to tie in with vegetarianism which was unfortunately not capitalized on in this episode. It's a shame not to see vegetarians even acknowledged in this episode. The Unknown: Will we hear from Chicken 4 Dayz or Gentle Farms in the future? How was Gentle Farms affected by Todd and Diane's actions? Best Moment: I loved the irony of the ending. Diane saying they really made a difference contrasted with nothing having changed at all. Brilliant comedy that fits with the theme of consumerism. Character of the Episode: Todd. Conclusion: A surprisingly good episode. This was funny, explored the characters and their relationships nicely, and tackled interesting themes through a clever concept. I doubt that this is anyone's favourite episode, but it does enough right to be another quality experience. Score: 68 Summary: Mr. Peanutbutter throws a surprise party for Diane on her birthday, which Diane did not want. They fight and everybody leaves. Todd and Princess Carolyn see a child that looks like Vincent. Pricness Carolyn meets with Vincent in her apartment and they break up. Todd hides in Princess Carolyn's car where his phone falls in love with Princess Carolyn's phone. BoJack and Wanda leave, and BoJack is afraid that he's moving too fast with her. Wanda tells him a long joke, reinforcing that they should just wait and see where things end up. Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter get into a fight, but ultimately open up to each other with Diane telling Mr. Peanutbutter that she is not happy and realizing that he doesn't want her to go to Cordovia.
The Good: I love the idea and structure of this episode. The episode tackles a theme of love and relationships, and the episode's structure makes this feel like a case study of the relationships in the show. There are three distinct thirds to the episode, each one offering its own insight on the theme, with the episode getting progressively more dramatic and emotional with each storyline. I love this idea, and it is executed brilliantly. The episode starts with Todd and Princess Carolyn, who have a very light-hearted, entertaining experience compared to the rest. Princess Carolyn finally breaks up with Vincent, after amusingly still failing to realize the obvious truth that he's just a child. Todd's run-in with love is even sillier as he gets to experience two phones falling in love and being tortured by it, a funny idea. While these stories are quite dumb on the surface, they do offer a unique view of relationships based primarily on lust and thrill-seeking, highlighting how shallow they are and how these types of relationships don't have the strength to last. BoJack and Wanda's story is a good exploration of fear and insecurity in a relationship. Of course BoJack is terrified now that he is committed to living with Wanda, and of course he lets the fear get to him. Wanda is the voice of reason for him, and she provides a terrific demonstration of the value of being patient and waiting to see if things work out or not. Her long-winded joke was good, and it served a great purpose in the story. I also liked the involvement of the deer, which provided some clever symbolism of overcoming fear with how the deer refused to go to the hospital. Lastly, we come to Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter who have the most serious and emotionally intense part of the episode. I was really impressed by the depth that these two received. They were never all that interesting as a couple in season 1, but here they feel frighteningly real. We understand why there is conflict between them, but the episode also takes the time to show why they love each other and why they work to begin with. Seeing such a brutal fight slowly deescalate when Mr. Peanutbutter attempts to communicate with her, allowing Diane to see the intention behind his surprise party felt so real. Just like in real life, it's hard to point out a villain in this argument. Mr. Peanutbutter could have listened and not had a surprise party, but he put in so much effort for Diane and spent the whole day giving her what she wanted. Meanwhile Diane is suitably frustrated with how Mr. Peanutbutter ignored her wishes to throw a party that she explicitly said she did not want, but she can't help but feel ungrateful upon realizing how much effort Mr. Peanutbutter put in and how he genuinely does love her and try to listen to her. Seeing these two argue, reminisce, make up, and resolve the real issue at hand (Diane wanting to go to Cordovia) was written so well. Speaking of the real issue, I appreciate the amount of effort that the show put in to make this argument feel real. Just like in real life, the source of the argument is completely different from what sparked it. This was never about Tony Curtis, or even about the surprise party, but it was about how Diane (reasonably) wanted the freedom to go to Cordovia, and Mr. Peanutbutter (also reasonably) did not want her to go. There are many layers of frustration that sparked this argument, and I appreciate that the episode showed all of this to us. But to do this while still putting in effort to make us understand why these two are together is high quality storytelling. In just one episode, Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter went from a couple that I felt indifferent about and even disliked at times, into a couple that I genuinely care about, and I now want to see them put things together and stay together. As always, there were nice little details that amused me. Mr. Peanutbutter continues to have problems with his banners, as the birthday banner says "Happy birthday Diane use a pretty font". Todd got the episode's best laugh when he finds Herb's ashes and thinks that it's a jar full of weed, an excellent continuity joke. Mr. Peanutbutter gets more fun dog jokes when he mixes up what a ballroom is and when he explains how Dian coming home is the most exciting part of his day. The deer getting hit by the car was a clever idea, and I liked that Wanda being an owl came into play with her night vision. The Bad: Todd and Princess Carolyn's story is quite silly compared to everything else, and as such, it is the least interesting to watch. While I find Vincent to be amusing, the joke about him is only funny for a little while. Vincent was given far too much screentime in this episode, so the comedy got stale relatively quickly. The comedy in this episode overall is not anything special. There are a few chuckles here and there, but I found most of the jokes to be lacking, only providing a mild chuckle at best. This episode has some terrific storytelling, but it doesn't offer much for comedy, which is important to still include because this is still an animated comedy. The Unknown: So is Tony Curtis dead? Best Moment: Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter in the jelly pool finally being open and honest with each other. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: This was a fantastic concept episode which offered a surprising amount of storytelling depth. It's not the funniest episode, but it's still a very good one, the best of the season so far. Score: 69 Summary: Herb died and BoJack goes to the funeral. He briefly meets with Charlotte and then reunites with the Horsin' Around cast. They get sent on a "treasure hunt" for Herb's gold and discover that he might have been murdered by Henry Winkler. When BoJack confronts him, and Henry reveals that he stole the book Herb was writing because it was terrible and he didn't want to damage Herb's legacy. Meanwhile, flashbacks show the connections Herb made with the cast members. Todd goes on a side adventure where he learns to be confident and cool.
The Good: I always enjoy stand-alone episodes, and having an episode dedicated to Herb's death was a great utilization of the idea, even if it didn't quite live up to my expectations (see: The Bad). Regardless, I enjoyed what this episode had to offer. The cast reunion is fun to see, especially with how everyone has changed and gone through vastly different lives from when they were all together. I quite liked the flashbacks with Herb, which offered some insight into Herb's values and how each of the cast members failed to respect the idea of family that Herb tried to instill within them. These four were supposed to have each other's backs, but they have all gone in wildly different directions and there is always tension between them. The show conveys this sad idea in a typically light-hearted way and it works well. All of the flashbacks have character-specific jokes, and this episode never tries to take itself too seriously. Herb's death itself is treated as a joke and a damn good one at that as Henry Winkler reads out Herb's brilliant final tweets. The light-heartedness is an asset of this episode, and it makes the treasure hunt for Herb's gold into a more enjoyable storyline. I think that the side stories were a highlight of this episode and both were fairly effective at creating some extra laughs. Princess Carolyn is quite disgusting at the funeral as she looks for business, and I loved how she ended up getting punished for this by having to make such extreme lies about her friendship with Herb, hilariously spurred on by Mr. Peanutbutter, who acknowledges his true motives for being there unlike Princess Carolyn. Todd's story is a lot of fun. It's sort of filler, but seeing Todd going around like such a badass is charming and effective. What Todd brings to the table is becoming clearer this season. He's the guy that has these fun side plots, and they work because Todd has a good heart that we can connect with. I love the way that Todd loses the money BoJack gave him (picked up by a mouse, who is grabbed by a hawk and then hit by a plane), which is the most comically absurd thing imaginable. There are a few little funny bits as always. I enjoyed the Steve Urkel jokes in the Todd story, and Maggie Gyllenhaal being turned into Maggot Gyllenhaal is a fantastic idea. The Bad: The mystery parody doesn't work well. There aren't enough creative jokes to make this parody feel worthwhile, and shoehorning a mystery into this episode detracted from its more emotional qualities without any upside. I wish that more time was spent on the idea of BoJack looking to put some meaning on Herb's death. So much of this idea is told through a cheesy and heavy-handed speech by Henry Winkler at the end, and it isn't an effective way to get me thinking about the idea. "Brand New Couch" did a far better job of emotionally engaging me into an idea because it took more effort to explore its central themes. I wish that this episode had done the same. I expected more from Herb's death, especially considering how BoJack and Herb's last scene went. I expected that Herb's death could have been pivotal for BoJack's character and could have led to another fascinating character introspection. Instead, Herb's death feels quite insignificant because it's in an episode that is otherwise entirely disconnected from what season 2 has been about so far, and it doesn't seem to have affected BoJack in any meaningful way. Perhaps I will be proven wrong in upcoming episodes, but this didn't feel as emotionally significant as it should have been. The Unknown: No real questions after this episode. Best Moment: The ending scene of Herb saying "the future is bright" as he and BoJack look at a fake horizon was surprisingly melancholy and effective. Beautiful imagery to have a bright blue scene covering up a sad purple sunset. Character of the Episode: Herb. Conclusion: This episode didn't go as far as I expected with Herb's death and it had some cheesy bits. Still, it told an overall effective story that created some funny moments and a burst of emotional resonance by the end. Score: 64 Summary: BoJack is frustrated that everyone he hooks up with knows everything about him because of his book. He's delighted when he meets Wanda who was in a coma for 30 years, and they get together. Wanda meets Alex and BoJack gets jealous. Meanwhile, Todd opens up his own Disneyland and Mr. Peanutbutter shoehorns himself into the business, creating problems until Todd kicks him out. BoJack apologizes to Wanda and asks for her to move in with him and she agrees. Todd's Disneyland burns down and he makes up with Mr. Peanutbutter.
The Good: I enjoy the commentary of how fame makes it tougher to live a normal life. Now that BoJack has had a book written about him, his whole life is on display for the world and he finds it to be highly discomforting for him. It's funny to see that his desire to escape from this immediately gets him to appreciate Wanda, setting up a relationship between them. And of course BoJack's self-sabotage comes into play as he nearly crashes his new relationship through the habits we saw him display in season 1: jealousy, poor communication, and inability to let things go. This story was decent, and I appreciate the consistent writing of BoJack's character. Todd's Disneyland story is amusing, and it's a good use of the character. I hope that this is an indication that the show will be writing Todd more consistently this season with a more defined character. This episode paints him as a free spirit who does what his heart wants him to do. The conflict with Mr. Peanutbutter is very phoned in, but it feels like an attempted parody of characters coming into conflict with each other. There is mild success with this idea. The little jokes are great as always. The background jokes remain excellent with some creative posters in the doctor's office when Mr. Peanutbutter was getting the cone removed, and the banners at BoJack's party are good for a quick chuckle. The animal jokes are still utilized well with Mr. Peanutbutter "barking" at the fire trucks, the judge being called "your otter", and BoJack saying "you vultures are killing me" being taken too literally. Some other moments offered good laughs. Everyone's shared love for communist Alex is funny, and BoJack gets the episode's funniest line involving Alex (see: Best Moment). I also laughed at BoJack insisting that he never heard of Todd's Disneyland, and the Diisneyland typo in court. The Bad: This episode feels almost like filler with the exception of BoJack's new relationship. Coming off of how the previous episode focused so heavily on BoJack's misguided effort to change, it was jarring to see this idea not even addressed. It's good that this episode focused on its own story, but it didn't flow smoothly with what we saw in the last episode. There is a sense of simplicity in the thematic exploration in this episode which wasn't present in the previous episode. BoJack's self-sabotage in relationships was not given the same level of depth that his brand new attitude was in the last episode, and that made this a less interesting experience. Furthermore, the Disneyland side story had its amusing moments, but was ultimately extended filler with very little substance to offer outside of comedy. While the parody conflict between Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter can be fun, it ultimately makes it harder to take the BoJack/Wanda conflict seriously since we are being told not to take things seriously in the other storyline. The Unknown: Where will BoJack's relationship with Wanda go? Best Moment: "Slap my salami, the guy's a commie". Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A fine enough episode that does well to entertain me, but offers nothing particularly memorable in terms of drama or jokes. Score: 60 Summary: In flashbacks, BoJack is belittled by his mother in childhood and adulthood. In the present, BoJack adopts a new attitude so that he can be a better person. He has thrown out the couch, so Todd is looking for a new place to sleep. BoJack picks up Diane and goes to work for the new movie, but his new attitude prevents him from performing well, unsettling him. BoJack talks to Diane about it. At the set, BoJack answers his mother's phone call and is disheartened by her words. He gives up on his new regime and is able to act properly again. Princess Carolyn works on a new project but it ends up as another failure.
The Good: This show still maintains its ability to hit your emotions, and early into season 2, it seems like this will be tapped into more often than it was in season 1. Despite this being a season premiere, it tackles some heavy moments, and they work really well in crafting a story. This is especially notable in the episode's examination of BoJack's relationship with his mother and that damage that did to him. The episode starts brutally as Secretariat's encouraging words to BoJack are barely even legible to him because his parents are too busy fighting in the background, and the follow-up for BoJack is more belittling from Beatrice. It paints a powerful picture of a traumatic childhood, and I appreciate that the cruelty wasn't played for jokes like it was in season 1, highlighting that this show is learning to take its mental health themes more seriously. BoJack's trauma doesn't end in childhood though, and a follow-up scene shows that this same unbearable belittling continued well into BoJack's career and has cemented itself in his psyche. This builds up to a ruthless climax as Beatrice calls BoJack in the present, and following a surprising apology, she bleakly tells him of the hopelessness of recovering from such a dark upbringing, a powerful bit of dialogue to base the episode on. The thematic core of this episode explores how it's unfeasible to restart your life with a new personality, and it explores this idea masterfully. The aforementioned Beatrice scene is so effective because it also serves as the centerpiece for the exploration of this theme, affirming that no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to escape your past and the person you have become. Throughout the episode we see that BoJack has taken lessons from last season and is actively trying to change, and for a bit it seems to be working. But it only seems to last a day, and BoJack's new attitude has immediate detriments on his career, highlighting how trying to make such an extreme change will never work because it will affect other aspects of your life that you value. In this case, BoJack's new attitude destroyed his ability to act, and he had to give up on making this enormous change to be able to continue his career. This serves as a perfect indicator of how hard it is to manifest true change, and that these silly audiobooks are not the solution to being a better person. Furthermore, I enjoy how one bad day for BoJack was enough to send him on a backward spiral, and it's likely now that he will give up on his new regime just because of this one failure. There are some other interesting themes skimmed over in this episode. I love that the show acknowledges how a "character consultant" like Diane would go underappreciated due to the vanity of directors, and she's immediately sidelined. I got a good laugh at the scan done on BoJack's head, which is a joke that aged magnificently since we now see major companies like Disney digitally inserting deceased/aged actors into movies. The jokes are pretty good, and there's lots of things I laughed at. I really laughed at Debra tripping over the cable and destroying everything, with a follow-up memorial being created for her "destroyed" face. Lennie being stuck on his back during this sequence is another great animal joke. On the topic of these animal jokes, I really liked the presence of "ewe haul", and Mr. Peanutbutter's cone as a result of him attacking his own reflection. The Bad: This episode goes a bit too hard into poking fun at encouraging audiobooks. There are so many metaphor jokes and jokes about BoJack's new attitude, and they are more irritating than funny. This show is usually more clever than this; these jokes are so simplistic that they carry no comedy with them. Rutabaga is a curious new character (see: The Unknown), but I'm not pleased with how this character has started off. He did not make an impression at all and offered no real comedy. His presence padded out this episode with an ultimately unnecessary side story for Princess Carolyn that treaded on familiar ground (Princess Carolyn working hard and failing was thoroughly explored back in "Say Anything"). The only thing amusing about Rutabaga is his ears, but that is only entertaining once. Todd doesn't get much in this episode with his side story about accepting BoJack's new couch. At least the writers had the decency to put much of his storyline in the background of other scenes, but it was entirely superfluous and uninteresting. The Unknown: Did BoJack hear Secretariat's words for him, or was it totally drowned out by his parents' fighting? Who exactly is Rutabaga and what is his purpose? Will he be a potential romantic interest for Princess Carolyn? Is this it for BoJack's brand new attitude? Will he find other ways to become a better person? Best Moment: Beatrice telling BoJack the hard truth that he will never be happy because he can't escape his past and who he is like he has been trying to. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: Season 2 has started strong with a profound theme study mixed in with some fun style and humour. It's not perfect, but this was a great start to the second season. Score: 68 Summary: A flashback shows Secretariat replying to a letter from a young BoJack on TV. Later, he is banned from running and commits suicide. In the present, BoJack has won a Golden Globe for his book but is still unhappy. BoJack gets Princess Carolyn to get him in consideration for a Secretariat movie. He auditions but the role goes to Andrew Garfield instead. Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter start coming up with random ideas to invest in to BoJack's annoyance. But one of their investments (a Halloween in January store) injured Andrew Garfield and BoJack gets the role. Later at a party, BoJack runs into Diane and they reconcile. Diane wants to go to a third world country and make a difference but Mr. Peanutbutter convinces her to stay.
The Good: This was a rock solid finale. It started on the right note with a flashback showing us Secretariat's downfall, which is essential in highlighting the tragedy of BoJack's childhood. Secretariat was his hero, and in the end he was banned for life and committed suicide, which would be hard on any child. There is a really sad irony on juxtaposing Secretariat telling BoJack to keep running to what's ahead no matter what, only for him to kill himself merely a month later. Very evocative stuff. BoJack's personal story in this episode sums up his role in this series. Surprisingly, BoJack gets everything he ever could have wanted in this episode. His book is a raucous success, even winning a Golden Globe... for best comedy/musical? This show is quite good with its absurdist humour. Anyways, BoJack has an award, he's loved by the public now, and he even manages to land the lead role in Secretariat (after Andrew Garfield breaks every bone in his body walking into a floorless Halloween in January store... seriously what the hell?). Despite all of his success, BoJack still feels miserable in this episode. He can't help but dwell on the negative and can't take his mind off of his last interaction with Diane in "Downer Ending". This is a perfect way to summarize the main ideas of this show. This is about a man who is so extremely privileged with luxuries that 90% of people can only dream of, and yet he is eternally unhappy. This episode explores that idea magnificently and it is a good finale because of its dedication to this idea. And of course the comedy is high quality. As indicated by my comments in the above paragraph, t's really impressive how this show manages to weave these hilarious moments of absurdity into an episode which otherwise takes itself seriously. It's amusing and it makes the show feel richer and more entertaining since it doesn't let the bleak tone dominate the show. This makes it more accessible and easier to stomach compared to a show that is relentlessly miserable for its entire run. There are plenty of nice jokes throughout the episode. I already mentioned the hilarious Halloween in January store, with the hilarity of the idea only being surpassed by BoJack's witty remarks responding to it. All of Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter's ideas and interactions are quite funny, and the show is better off for getting these two characters to interact more. And again, there's lots of good animal jokes with my favourite in this episode being Sebastian reacting to the mosquito in his tent. Also, that joke with the armless orphan was delightfully dark. Diane's story feels mostly like set-up for her story in the next season, but it is effective. She clearly wants to do big things with her life, but hasn't found that level of inner satisfaction through writing BoJack's book. It's interesting to see Diane dealing with similar problems of unhappiness to BoJack, making her seem almost like a younger version of BoJack who is in the process of having her dreams ruined by the Hollywoo tar pit and its promises of "later". Her moment with BoJack in this episode is quite good, combining their stories in a melancholy way as they both look into their future with various problems of their own. The Bad: This episode is too focused on set-up and resolving things cleanly. That's not necessarily a problem, but it does make this finale feel surprisingly anticlimactic, and almost weirdly placed. One big reason for this feeling is because the set-up and resolution are happening concurrently, creating a bit of a confusing tone. Is the story ramping up, or is it settling down? I'm not sure, and the episode doesn't feel sure about that either. It's a shame because there isn't anything outright bad in this episode, it just carries a weird tone for a season finale. The montage at the end is pretty cheesy. It doesn't feel earned to see all of these characters happy with each other, and I was confused by the purpose of it. This show hasn't pandered to our emotions like that before, and I'm not sure how this sequence accomplishes anything. It's very forgettable. Princess Carolyn and Vincent's relationship still makes me roll my eyes. The idea of Vincent is funny, but the way that everyone seems to stupidly not realize that he's an adult turns a good joke into a frustrating story. It destroys any sense of reality in this world when the characters behave so stupidly. Especially considering that this show wants us to connect with the plight of these characters. The Unknown: What's going to happen with BoJack's new movie? You can bet that he will find a way to make things messy. Will Diane be satisfied by staying in LA? I think she will want to leave to go with Sebastian in third world countries. How will this affect her relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter, who clearly does not want her to go? Best Moment: I really laughed at the Halloween in January store. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A good episode to close out season 1. There's nothing especially worthwhile in this episode, but it's a solid conclusion to a season that eventually found its footing. Season 1 surprised me in the end. The first half suggested a bland, uninspired animated comedy with limited humour, annoying characters, and an unengaging storyline. But the second half of the season took some surprising risks in maintaining a more serious and emotionally powerful tone, and the result is a fun animated show that somehow captures serious emotion themes perfectly. This is a unique show, the type of which I haven't seen before. This first season was a mixed bag, but there have been signs of greatness, especially in the terrific penultimate episode "Downer Ending". I'm curious to see where the show goes in season 2, and I'm hopeful that the show spends more time on its themes of battling with inner unhappiness, rather than its below average comedy. Score: 65 Summary: BoJack decides he will write a better book within a week. He struggles to focus and ends up doing drugs with Todd and Sarah Lynn, getting them to help him. He ends up on a drug trip where he faces his own insecurity and regrets with where his life has gone. He has a vision where he lives with Charlotte in an alternate life, but is forced back to reality. Upon waking up, he learns he submitted the book to Princess Carolyn who says it was gibberish. BoJack visits Diane at a ghostwriter convention, apologizes to her and asks if she thinks he is a good person. She doesn't respond.
The Good: This was a strong immersive experience that got to the heart of who BoJack is. The episode is interested in telling this story from the very first scene. We open with immediate follow-up of the events in the last episode. BoJack is still furious about Diane's book, and the scene does a great job of exploring why BoJack is so angry. This opening scene tells us that BoJack's big issue is that he wants his book to reflect the person he wants to be, rather than the person he actually is. Diane is too good of a writer to spin such lies, so she paints an honest picture of who BoJack is, and BoJack detests her for being astute enough to see who he really is. It's a bit tragic since BoJack's mean-spirited words towards Diane in this first scene come as a result of him wanting her to like him, but he's hurt by the realization that she perceives him in the same way that he perceives himself. And this is problematic because BoJack hates who he is, so he feels that Diane must hate him too. There's a lot of depth here, and I really appreciate that. The rest of the episode commits to exploring BoJack's inner dilemma and it does that in a compelling way. It doesn't take long before the episode turns BoJack's attempts to write a book into an excessive drug sequence. At first, this sequence is just amusing fun, and it does that well. The editing is clever, there are some signature witty jokes, and Todd and Sarah Lynn are typically fun characters which give this sequence a lighter tone. But then BoJack's inability to accept who he is starts to rear its head when he asks Todd if they are cool, and Todd says that he no longer expects anything from BoJack other than the worst. It's a damning moment for BoJack because Todd is essentially admitting that BoJack is a bad person and it isn't realistic to expect him to be anything but a bad person. Following this, BoJack's drug trip gets worse and worse and he gets stuck reliving some of his worst memories, biggest insecurities, and biggest regrets. This is such a powerful experience that makes you understand the depth of BoJack's pain, and how much regret and sadness he carries in his daily life. His life is built on mistake after mistake, and it's so sad to see him dreaming of a life where he could have avoided the Hollywoo tar pits and instead lived a quiet family life with Charlotte. But it's far too late for that, and Charlotte telling BoJack "I wish you had chosen this life" was a brutal way to end that sequence. Horrified and unsettled by his experience, BoJack goes to make things right with Diane and hope for the validation that he can change things around because he's still a good person. What follows is the season's crowning moment, a real downer ending where BoJack essentially begs to Diane and bares his soul, but still does not get the answer that he was hoping for (see: Best Moment). This scene is absolutely brutal. It's such an accurate portrayal of depression with BoJack's desperation for external validation that he's good and that he isn't doomed to be the awful person that he thinks he is. BoJack's words to Diane here go from an introspective apology, to begging real quick, and it's brutal to see Diane unable to confirm that BoJack is a good person after all that he has done. Her silence speaks volumes, and it is especially impactful in a series with so much dialogue that it rarely pauses for long enough for there to be silence. It's a dagger into BoJack's heart, made even worse with the random guy shouting "hey aren't you the horse from Horsin' Around", a gutwrenching reminder that this is likely all that he will ever amount to being. Absolutely brutal storytelling. Emotionally, the episode was terrific. But let's not take anything away from the terrific production that went into the drug sequence. The art and animation in this sequence was outstanding, and it captured the feeling of a trippy fever dream to perfection. I loved the way that BoJack's past memories were integrated into this sequence, as well as his relationships with other characters. The show does a good job of making everything come full circle. The season started with BoJack struggling to write his book, and now it comes back to him in the same position. The writers have fun with some procrastination jokes, and they throw in some other good laughs in the episode. The reveal of "Doctor Who" actually being "Dr. Hu" was really funny, and I love what was done with the character. I also quite liked the brief moment where BoJack tries to burn Diane's book, fails, and simply kicks it over instead. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. This was easily the most consistent episode of the show. The Unknown: Is it too late for BoJack? Is it possible for him to change his ways after so many years of being the same? Best Moment: The ending of the episode was really something. Who would have ever expected this show to have a moment that was so emotionally resonant? BoJack's begging to be validated as a good person is the type of ugly emotion that TV shows very rarely portray. I was surprised to see an animated TV show paint such a realistic and meaningful portrayal of mental health struggles and inner conflict within a character. Just a stunning scene overall. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: This was unexpectedly fantastic. "BoJack Horseman" has struggled for consistency up until now, and with average comedy and some good ideas, I expected that the show would not be able to hit that next level. Shockingly, this episode took an evocative turn to give us a very real and impactful look at how BoJack views himself and his life, and that made for a vivid and harrowing experience that was far better than anything else the show has attempted thus far. Who would have thought that this animated comedy would find something special in an exploration of mental health? Well done. Score: 76 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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