Summary: BoJack's reality gets confused as he takes more and more drugs and struggles to separate his personal life from his job. He begins to believe that there is a conspiracy against him and Gina and he takes measures to discover who is coming after him, confronting Diane and Todd, and also calling Kyle. Eventually Gina discovers his drugs and leaves him. Later, BoJack and Gina act out a scene where the characters fight, but BoJack goes too far and strangles Gina in real life.
The Good: The biggest strength of this episode is how brilliantly it captures BoJack's fraying mental state through unexpected cuts, hallucinogenic experiences, and repeated confusion of whether BoJack is at home or on set. These aspects of the episode show us how BoJack is growing increasingly manic and dissociated from reality, building up tension and suspense as the episode goes on. Further tension comes when we see little things eating at him, like his obsession with Flip's "popsicle guys" (a nice reference to last episode's storyline), and the sense that somebody is coming after him. I got a chuckle out of seeing his insane board of connections between people, but it was also sad to see BoJack becoming so delusional as he believes everyone is out to get him. The episode goes the expected route with BoJack's fall, and it maintains tension through the mounting feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong. It all comes to a head when BoJack argues with Gina and she abandons him after realizing that he's a junkie who is endangering her newfound career. It's tragic that BoJack spent the entire episode trying to protect her, not realizing that he was the bigger threat to her the entire time. Unfortunately, this also means that Gina's departure has left him with resentment, especially after he hyperfixates on Gina being afraid for her career instead of being afraid for him. This leads to the episode's shocking climax when BoJack strangles Gina on set, letting his emotions get the better of him in a horrifying and deeply uncomfortable way (also, it's a remarkably ironic callback to BoJack saying "obviously choking women is bad" back in "BoJack the Feminist"). It's a perfect place for the season's f-bomb, and the culmination of BoJack's fall from grace in this season. While it may feel repetitive for BoJack to do something awful in the penultimate episode again after all of his recovery, I feel that it was necessary and helps to tell a more realistic story of recovery. Nobody gets it right on their first try, and this season has been explicit in showing us that BoJack is not strong enough to change on his own. He has spent the season mostly isolated from his friends, refusing to get any extra help from places like rehab or therapy. His stubborn refusal to do this is what leads to him relapsing and once more doing something terrible. Nobody has the strength to change on their own, and the message that this season is telling us is that we have to be open to outside help or we will never be able to achieve true permanent change. BoJack, being stubborn and short-sighted, is somebody who needs to learn this the hard way, and now by reflecting on the awful things he has done in this season, he realizes that he is not strong enough to change on his own. Season 5 has told this story of relapse superbly and subtly (I didn't start connecting the dots of this story until "Ancient History"), and I think that it is a remarkable exploration of how and why people can relapse in spite of all they have accomplished. I also found this episode to use symbolism in a superb way. The episode consistently shows visuals of BoJack seeing the giant balloon version of himself floating around, and a heavenly staircase appearing in backgrounds. By the episode's end, BoJack ascends these stairs only to find the balloon staring down at him from above. This is a memorable and evocative image, made better by the fact that we have to interpret what this means on our own. To me, the staircase symbolizes truth, and BoJack finally climbing it is him finally seeing reality after he spent the entire episode distracting himself with drugs and false conspiracies. But all that awaits him is the balloon, a symbol of his own true nature and the terrible things that he does to those around him. The balloon is crucially dressed up in the Philbert costume, highlighting that when he truly looks at himself, BoJack can only ever be the worst aspects of Philbert that are explored in the show he is making. It's a crushing realization for BoJack to make, and it makes us wonder if true change is really possible in a world where BoJack refuses to get help and repeatedly has his actions glorified by the red carpet of Hollywood. As always, there are plenty of little things I enjoyed. the Philbert intro sequence is an inspired choice, and I love how well it parodied real life TV show intros. The cheesy dialogue in Philbert is always entertaining, and provides some chuckles throughout the episode. I thoroughly enjoyed the "ad break" as Todd practically begs everyone to give him money so he can sponsor them. I was amused by BoJack's "let's find out!" reference, which he seemed to do unconsciously. BoJack's call to Kyle and his terrible telemarketer accent was really funny, easily the comedic highlight of the episode. Lastly, Mr. Peanutbutter's obvious guilt over having sex with Diane is pretty funny and a clever way to confirm our suspicions about what happened between them after the previous episode. The Bad: I understand people who criticize this episode for being too similar to seasons 2 and 3 with BoJack once more doing a terrible thing as the climax of the season. Though as I outlined above, it doesn't bother me and I think this was the logical next step for the show to explore relapsing. The Unknown: What's next for BoJack? Is this the end of his career? Is this the end for Philbert? Best Moment: The don't stop dancing musical performance is creepy, unsettling, and a fantastic exploration of the trauma that BoJack has buried deep inside of him. The song is well performed, but the visuals clearly reference multiple images from BoJack's past, like the dead Sarah Lynn, his dead mother dancing into a coffin, and the Old Sugarman Place where he stayed for so long. The sequence is masterful, and a memorable exploration of the fear and trauma that BoJack carries deep within him. The abstract nature of the sequence only makes it more captivating and more interesting to rewatch. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A magnificent episode that captures BoJack's dissociative episode beautifully. It's heartbreaking to see BoJack fall in this season after coming so close to recovery, and this episode serves as a somber, painful reminder of the nature of this character. Score: 81
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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