Summary: BoJack goes to a fundraiser at Mr. Peanutbutter's place to see Diane but she's frustrated with him. The fracking under the house causes it to fall into the underground and get buried. Everyone is trapped and looks to Mr. Peanutbutter to lead, but the result is total chaos. Woodchuck comes to save them but nobody listens to him. As the chaos continues, BoJack and Diane drink together and open up to each other about their problems. Princess Carolyn and Todd meet with an ant colony and convince them to move Mr. Peanutbutter's house back aboveground. Everybody leaves and gets back to their normal life.
The Good: This is a fantastic concept episode. The idea is so stupidly absurd that it would never work in any other medium, or really in any other fictional universe. Mr. Peanutbutter's house gets buried underground, leading to a group of hilarious gimmick characters going "Lord of the Flies" in an effort to survive. The escalation into pure chaos is so much fun to watch, and makes this such a unique episode of the show with a good mix of comedy and drama. The sheer ridiculousness of the whole scenario makes it difficult to take your eyes off of the screen, and the situation is tailor-made for a better examination of why Mr. Peanutbutter would be an abysmal politician and an even worse leader as he eggs on the mob and defies all logic in every scene and every decision. It's no wonder that Diane is frustrated with him, and we see the danger of his influence unleashed in the most comical of ways. BoJack and Diane's story anchors the emotional side of this episode. The episode opens with Bojack finally reaching out to Diane, but because he waited so long, there is some hostility between them again. The rest of the episode sees them get stuck getting drunk together ranting about their problems (as they do), working out their individual conflicts in a meaningful way. These two have an interesting relationship, and I enjoyed their scenes quite a bit. BoJack wanted to be better before seeing Diane again, which is understandable but also a sad indicator of his failures that he was unable to connect with her in a situation where he did not need her help. Naturally, Diane immediately offers BoJack a solution to help him with his Hollyhock problem, indicating that BoJack really should have opened up to her immediately as a friend. Meanwhile Diane is fittingly enraged with Mr. Peanutbutter as his actions have directly (fracking) and indirectly (bridge to Hawaii) resulted in them all being trapped underground. Diane's fury is fun to watch because here it is absolutely earned. This is a step too far, and seeing her lash out to everyone is amusing. Of course, she drinks a bit too much and ends up having another mental crisis (see: Best Moment), and it's nice to see BoJack help her get through this and reconnect with Mr. Peanutbutter, once more reaffirming the value that they both get from this relationship. This episode did well to utilize this relationship by having each character's story reach a turning point as a result of the help they received. Todd and Princess Carolyn have a side story here, and it's decent enough. It doesn't have much storytelling meat (see: The Bad), but it offers some substance. I like that the show has addressed the presence of ants, and the take on an ant colony living underground is creative and fun. I especially liked the drones, who were such over-the-top hunks, fitting for an ant colony. Seeing Princess Carolyn negotiate with them is fun, and I always get a kick out of how she insists that being a manager is completely different from being an agent. She's said it so much and it has somehow worked out for her enough times that I can almost believe it. This episode is bursting with little things that made me really laugh. Mr. Peanutbutter sensing an earthquake like a dog at the episode's start was really funny, and I loved how everyone panicked tot he extreme once things starting shaking. The side characters stuck underground were all fantastic and added something to the story. Jessica Biel being obsessed with burning people alive, while constantly being dissed for being a B-list celebrity is really funny, and knowing that Jessica Biel herself plays the role makes this even better. Poor Zach Braff begging to go home before being burned to death and cannibalized is a horrifically hilarious death that I absolutely love. The cherry on top is in the final scene where we can see "wish I wasn't here, ZB '17" engraved on the wall in the backgound. The parrot character is really fun as she repeats everything and contributes to the always-amusing mob mentality that develops. Woodchuck is perfect as the voice of reason as he continues to make the best solutions, only to be overrun by the crowd of idiots around him. Pinky making a return is very welcome, and hearing of his failed TV exploits is a blast. Lastly, the guy who has an orgasm whenever there is a shift in power dynamics was funny every single time. Outside of the colourful characters trapped in the house, I also got a laugh out of the continuity of the rescue budget being low because of the sheer expense of the farcical bridge to Hawaii. The Bad: This episode feels similar to "Best Thing That Ever Happened" in a lot of ways, but I don't think that it tastes the same success. The comedy is quality, but where this episode is lacking is in its emotional edge. BoJack and Diane's relationship is the emotional centerpiece, but both characters are often left on the sidelines while the underground situation escalates, and that makes this episode a less compelling story than what it should have been. I wish that BoJack and Diane were incorporated into the main story with more of a major role instead of being simple bystanders. Princess Carolyn and Todd's story doesn't have much substance to it either, it's just another mildly amusing Todd side-venture with Princess Carolyn tagging along this time. "Best Thing That Ever Happened" benefited from not having to spend time on a side story, and I wish that this episode was given the same luxury, but unfortunately it was not. The Unknown: Will Diane's adoption paper solution help BoJack find Hollyhock's mother? Will Mr. Peanutbutter drop out of the running now? It seems like he's willing to let go of this needless desire to be governor to fix his relationship with Diane. Best Moment: Diane crying about how she is a pit that is never happy. On the surface, this is a sad moment where Diane takes stock of her unhappiness and is overcome by it. But on the other hand, she's also extremely drunk and woefully overdramatic, making this sad moment surprisingly funny to watch at the same time without ever losing the importance of its meaning. It's a nice scene that offers both laughs and feels. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: I may have criticized this episode for a couple of things, but overall I love this creative departure from the main story and got a lot of laughs out of this episode. This isn't one of the show's best episodes, but it's memorable and fun, and sometimes that is all you need. Score: 69
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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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