Summary: A flashback shows BoJack being helped to start his career by Herb. In the present, Diane questions BoJack always putting Todd down. BoJack tries to prove to her that he wants to help Todd and helps him make a great rock opera. But when Todd says he could move out with his success, BoJack sabotages his opportunity. Diane's ex-boyfriend Wayne writes a Buzzfeed article about Mr. Peanutbutter, but in reality he wants to get back with Diane since she doesn't belong with Mr. Peanutbutter.
The Good: The opening scene is pretty good. The episode starts up with a fun Seinfeld parody which got a chuckle out of me. Story-wise, this scene answers last episode's mystery of who Herb was as we learn that he helped BoJack start up his career. There's a nice line where Herb says "it's the job of big shots like me to help the little guys like you", which BoJack then reverses hilariously in the present. The main story of this episode had its heart in the right place. This episode served to deepen the BoJack/Todd relationship, making it clear what Todd means to BoJack. BoJack always puts him down and is mean to him, but it isn't because he doesn't like him. Rather, it's because BoJack wants Todd to remain a bum so that he won't leave him alone. But Diane is smart enough to see through this, so BoJack attempts to prove her wrong by helping Todd with his rock opera. It seems to actually further their friendship significantly too, and they look to be reaching a healthier place. But when faced with the realistic possibility of Todd leaving, BoJack finds that he can't be the bigger man, and sabotages Todd's shot at success to keep him close. It's a sad betrayal of trust that further encapsulates how BoJack is not a good person. He is easy to understand and deals with relatable problems, but he always makes poor decisions. Some jokes here were decent. I especially liked the subversion of Decapathon being a Tetris-based game. The animal jokes are still my favourites in the show. This episode had some good highlights, like the beaver being used as a saw, the jogging rooster shouting "wake up!", and the cow waitress being displeased bringing someone a steak. The Bad: The episode is again light on humour. This episode takes itself a bit too seriously and it doesn't include many good jokes. All of the rock opera-related jokes weren't funny at all. I didn't get much out of seeing BoJack and Todd working together on the rock opera. Their connection as characters also doesn't quite feel fleshed out yet. The only reason I liked their story was because the ideas behind it were good. Diane and Wayne's story was unremarkable, and honestly pretty bad. We hardly know Diane or her relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter, so to have this new character Wayne come in and make some profound speech about Diane's life falls woefully flat. Instead of being impactful, it feels pretentious and I had zero emotional connection with this story. Add on the fact that this side story was devoid of humour and I found it to be a massive disappointment. This episode is titled on the concept that everyone is separated into Zoes and Zeldas. The idea isn't very interesting (it's just introvert or extrovert, go figure) and it isn't funny either. Another uninspired joke in a show that hasn't figured out how to be funny just yet. The Unknown: Will Todd find out about what BoJack did? How will he react to this? Is Diane's relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter doomed? Best Moment: The reveal that BoJack sabotaged Todd was sad. Character of the Episode: Todd. Conclusion: This episode had some good ideas, but infancy problems continue to plague the show. Score: 55
3 Comments
Joe Y
11/14/2022 08:17:59 pm
I remember really disliking this episode, and the first 5 episodes as a whole when I first watched it. The jokes are unfunny, the animation is unappealing, and the characters seem like they're paper thin. It's a very rough start. On re-watch, it's still not that great, but I did notice that some episodes were better than I remembered. The conflict here still feels so forced and manufactured, though. I don't think Todd ever entirely clicks as a character, as much I enjoy Aaron Paul's performance and think he's giving it his all. I think Todd works best in small doses.
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Aaronic
11/20/2022 10:39:22 am
I definitely agree. The early episodes didn't do much for me, and while I can appreciate aspects of them more on re-watch, they are still clearly missing something. I also have mixed feelings on Todd, I'll definitely be elaborating more on him as I go through the series.
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Joe Y
11/20/2022 12:04:05 pm
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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