Summary: BoJack has no memory of what he has done while the Philbert crew try to clean up the mess. Princess Carolyn talks to him and gets him to do an interview with Gina so that things can continue normally. However, Henry Fondle is ousted as a sexual predator and is forced to resign in shame. Todd kills him and leaves his position. This results in Philbert being cancelled anyways. Princess Carolyn is called by Sadie, who wants to give up her baby again and Princess Carolyn immediately goes to her after Philbert's cancellation, finally becoming a mother. Mr. Peanutbutter is conflicted by his feelings for Diane and they have sex again. He wants to get back together but Diane says she doesn't want to and that he should tell Pickles what happened. However, he's unable to and asks her to marry him instead. BoJack goes to Diane and wants to be held accountable for what he's done but Diane tells him that it won't help anyone. Instead, she takes him to a rehab centre so that he can truly recover.
The Good: The fallout from BoJack strangling Gina was beautifully told. BoJack didn't even remember what he did, but everyone went in complete damage control mode, an indicator of how justice is often pushed aside to protect the bigger picture; it wouldn't do for the company to have controversy surrounding Philbert so they would rather hide it away instead of doing something about it. The most heartbreaking aspect is that Gina is also complicit with it since she doesn't want to see her newfound career go up in flames because of what BoJack did. In the end, BoJack gets a free pass despite doing something absolutely awful, and it's horrifying and sad to see that there is no way for him to atone or be punished because it would just make things worse for the victim. Wanting help with the situation, BoJack goes to Diane because he knows her as someone moral enough to let him be punished. But even Diane is jaded enough by society to understand that BoJack being ousted will not help anyone. But Diane is still able to do some good, and she is able to capitalize on BoJack's shame to get him to go into rehab and put his trust in someone else to guide his recovery. Their final scene together as BoJack heads to rehab is brilliant, an exploration of their friendship which BoJack knows he does not deserve, but Diane finds herself incapable of letting go of. The animators do a great job showing Diane in this scene and they are able to portray her complex emotions towards BoJack in a compelling way. Speaking of Diane, her story with Mr. Peanutbutter is also very well done. I'm glad that she is still firm on not getting back together with him, but the complexity of her emotions leads to her making repeated bad decisions as they hook up multiple times. Mr. Peanutbutter knows he wants to get back together because he still has feeling for her, but Diane's situation is more complicated and her inability to deal with her negative emotions puts her back with Mr. Peanutbutter repeatedly. But she is firm about not wanting to be with him, leaving Mr. Peanutbutter with a real problem now that he has cheated on his current girlfriend. The fall of Henry Fondle has its problems (see: The Bad), but it does offer some good entertainment. After repeated sexual comments, it is amusing that it's a "low battery" warning that gets him in trouble. I was entertained by how Fondle's fall parallels the MeToo movement, and Todd's interview about him is pretty amusing. I got a good laugh out of the line "this is a great day for the women of this company, many of whom will be laid off". I liked the little things as well. Henry Fondle's death being an homage to Of Mice and Men was a clever reference. Tracy and Stuart have to be the most annoyingly incompetent characters in this show, and seeing them be too incompetent to realize that they are each other's long lost twin is a fantastic payoff. There are a few nice animal jokes in here, like a couch with a bed bug hiding in it, and Mr. Peanutbutter referring to the "humany style" sex position. We also get more amusing headlines with my favourite being "US military solves refugee crisis by bombing all refugees". Lastly, I like how Flip's story concluded with him getting lost in the themes of his own show ("I was Princess Carolyn the whole time"), which is also a nice reference to "Mr. Robot" with Rami Malek voicing Flip. The Bad: Henry Fondle was certainly funny, but I think the show went too far with it by making Fondle such a significant plot point in this season finale. It was tough enough to stomach Fondle becoming the CEO to begin with, but now we have people finally feeling offended by him, leading to a forced resignation, the fall of What Time Is It Right Now, and the cancellation of Philbert. Considering how serious the show has treated BoJack strangling Gina and how realistic the fallout from it has been, it is a slap in the face to have the Philbert storyline ended by something so absurd and stupid. It's a step too far in suspending my disbelief, and I'm not happy with the decision to have Henry Fondle be the reason that the Philbert storyline ends. This episode drives home how underutilized Todd and Princess Carolyn were in this season. Todd had a huge new role in What Time Is It Right Now, but he never did anything meaningful or substantial with his new role, barring a few jokes. But now Todd has lost his position and has reverted to the exact same place he was in at the start of the season, making the whole ordeal feel pointless. I wish that Todd had more to do in season 5 so that this did not feel like such a waste of the character. Princess Carolyn's story was similarly underwhelming. She doesn't undergo any significant growth after "The Amelia Earhart Story", but she's rewarded with a baby anyways, which feels like an anticlimax to her adoption story arc. Much like with Todd, I wish this season had done more with her. Because she was so underutilized, the ending of her season 5 story falls flat. The Unknown: Will rehab be able to help BoJack? Is it still possible for him to change and become a better person? How will Princess Carolyn handle being a single mother? What's next for Todd now that he's quit his new position? He can pretty much do whatever he wants. Will Mr. Peanutbutter tell Pickles the truth, or is he going to continue to string her along? Best Moment: The ending scene with Diane sending BoJack away to rehab is heartfelt and beautiful. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: Barring some disappointing conclusions for Todd and Princess Carolyn, I thought that this episode had some of the strongest storytelling we have seen in a "BoJack Horseman" season finale, especially when it came to the stuff with BoJack and Diane. In the end, season 5 was another great season of "BoJack Horseman". The season's biggest strength came from its creativity with there being a large number of unique gimmick episodes, all of which are the best episodes of the season ("Free Churro", "The Showstopper", "The Dog Days Are Over", "INT. Sub", etc.). This resulted in a number of great standalone episodes that I will remember for a long time. I also have to praise this season's story of relapsing, which was told with realistic depth and subtlety, and becomes a more complete story by the end of the season with BoJack finally deciding to go to rehab. However, I don't enjoy season 5 as much as I enjoyed seasons 3 and 4, and that's likely because of how poorly the season utilized its side characters. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane had good stuff, but Princess Carolyn and Todd had forgettable stories. The minor characters also felt like a step back as Gina, Flip, and Pickles weren't nearly as interesting or funny as other characters like Hollyhock, Sarah Lynn, Ralph, and Kelsey from previous seasons. Despite this problem, I still found season 5 to be an entertaining and compelling watch, and another strong addition to the show. Score: 70
0 Comments
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 Summary: Philbert's first season receives great reviews from critics, and the crew go to the red carpet screening. BoJack makes a brief speech about how Philbert makes it feel like it's okay to be awful, which horrifies Diane who doesn't want this to be the show's message. Diane and BoJack have a long and tense argument afterwards. Diane storms out and is driven home by Mr. Peanutbutter, who was abandoned by Pickles at the screening, and she invites him inside. BoJack kisses Gina publicly. Todd's sex robot Henry Fondle ends up becoming the next CEO of What Time is it Right Now. Princess Carolyn resolves a dispute between two comedians who Flip plagiarized.
The Good: The Philbert premier story is superbly executed. The event takes over the episode, and it's engaging to find out what exactly is going to happen here. The centerpiece ends up becoming the pay-off for the tensions that BoJack and Diane have had all season. After their latest arguments and a long break where they did not talk with each other, the blowout finally comes and it is glorious. Diane's respect for BoJack has dropped massively, and hearing him use Philbert to excuse his own actions is horrifying for her. Diane has always wanted to make positive change in the world, so it's very fitting that she would go into crisis mode upon realizing that awful people may be getting a pass because of their show, and this leads to her heated confrontation with BoJack where she finally dives into the problem she has with him: what happened in New Mexico? The ensuing scene is absolutely fantastic. We've seen heartbreaking dissolutions of relationships in this show before, but none have been as messy as this with BoJack and Diane venting at each other about BoJack's actions and if they can be justified. Diane's approach may not be the best, but she absolutely has a point in that BoJack should be seeking help and needs to be held accountable for what he's done. Horrifyingly, BoJack seems to be blissfully ignorant of all of this, hammering in that he really hasn't changed like we thought he did. Hearing him argue that he is the biggest victim of his own actions is disgusting, and while you can see how he may think that, it requires a devilishly narrow mind to completely ignore the effects he has had on the lives of others. This scene ended up being fantastic, and I enjoyed everything that it had to offer. The brutality of the sequence also made it far easier to accept BoJack and Diane both turning to sexual acts to feel better with BoJack going public with Gina and Diane inviting Mr. Peanutbutter into her studio. The side stories in this episode had problems (see: The Bad), but they had aspects I enjoyed. The popsicle guys were neatly set up as we did see Flip eating these popsicles in previous episodes. It's no surprise that he blatantly plagiarized. Watching Todd's sex robot take over a company through innuendos is so stupid, but also quite amusing. The storyline didn't add much, but it made me chuckle at a few points.\ There are lots of little bits I enjoyed in this one. The "sixty days earlier" followed by "fifty seven days later (three days before the thing with the nuns)" transition was fantastic. It was a great example of subversive humour as I started to grow excited by the prospect of an episode that would take place across sixty days, only to have that completely nullified literally five seconds later. Hilarious. I got a chuckle out of Princess Carolyn's coffee having her name spelled as "Pringles Cartilage". Flip had a good episode as he said some absolutely outrageous things that neatly highlighted the flaws within the film industry (especially how one person often ends up with full credit for a team's performance). I was entertained by the dark joke with Flip saying "well who's hung now mom". The Bad: Side stories have been an issue throughout season 5. So many of these storylines have not been memorable, have felt like filler, and haven't developed characters in interesting ways. This trend continues in this episode, and the side stories were underwhelming. Princess Carolyn dealing with the two comedians was a poor story. The characters weren't funny or interesting, and Princess Carolyn didn't add anything to that story either. It felt like a waste of time by the time it was over, especially since nothing became of the copyright story in the end anyways. Todd's sex robot taking over as CEO is mildly amusing, but it feels too ridiculous for me to fully believe it. It's also disappointing that we spend so much time with a robot instead of with Todd. I appreciate that the show tried to keep the Diane/BoJack argument light by having some light comedic moments where they get interrupted. But I can't help but wonder if these interruptions ultimately detracted from the sequence by breaking our immersion at key thematic points in the argument. I almost wish that "BoJack Horseman" had fully committed to serious storytelling just for this sequence. The Unknown: Are Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter about to get back together? What happens when Pickles finds out? BoJack has rashly decided to make his relationship with Gina public. Where is this going to go? I don't imagine this will have a happy ending for both of them. So Margo Martindale is alive on some island. Is this the last we will see of her? Best Moment: The argument between Diane and BoJack is tremendous. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: A couple of underwhelming B-stories prevent "Head in the Clouds" from being one of the show's best efforts, but the main story, especially the argument between Diane and BoJack, is fantastic and ensures that this episode is still high quality. Score: 70 Summary: Hollyhock stops in LA to visit BoJack. She gets nervous in his house and ends up dumping all of his pain meds. BoJack can't go without them and tries numerous methods to get more pills, accidentally continuing his relationship with Gina in the process. Hollyhock realizes BoJack isn't in much pain and is likely abusing drugs. BoJack drops her off at the airport, and then intentionally crashes his car to get more drugs. Princess Carolyn meets with Ralph to get rights for a movie Mr. Peanutbutter wants to make. She is called by her adoption agent to get a baby and Ralph comes with her. Ralph wants them to get together again but Princess Carolyn doesn't want to. She doesn't end up getting the baby. Emily returns to Todd and Todd builds a sex robot to fulfill her needs so they can be together, but it doesn't work out in the end.
The Good: I really like the idea behind this episode. "Ancient History" is not only a line that BoJack says, but it ties into the fact that BoJack, Princess Carolyn, and Todd all end up meeting with characters who used to be prominent parts of their lives. This gives the episode a slightly nostalgic feel, and highlighted the theme of moving forward, especially in the Princess Carolyn/Todd stories. Diving into the individual storylines, it is BoJack's that is the most effective. Having Hollyhock back is a treat, and her presence immediately leads to several fun capers, like their trip to Gina's house, and the drug deal gone wrong. It's a blast to see these two together, and you can tell that it's good for BoJack to have her in his life again. But it's not necessarily a good thing for Hollyhock, and while she cares for BoJack, it's clear that she is unsettled by his apparent drug abuse. This reveal came as a surprise, but it has been quietly built up in previous episodes. BoJack appears to be falling off the wagon, and I thought that the show highlighted this admirably well, with the intentional car crash at the end being the final step for BoJack. This episode has a few lovely details, like the reveal that BoJack has a bottle of alcohol for each day of the week (in the season premier he has one bottle for the week), and the increasing evidence that BoJack's drug use is not for his pain. BoJack's angry rant when Hollyhock suggests that he doesn't need the drugs is exactly what you would hear from a junkie, and it's sad to hear him claim that he's been in pain his whole life as if that justifies him abusing drugs and making his life worse. It's sad that he's quietly relapsed in the background, and this episode excels in how it makes you realize the reality of BoJack's situation. The Todd and Princess Carolyn stories are quite good too. Princess Carolyn ends up face to face with Ralph again, and the story they have is quite sad. We are quickly reminded of how well they work with each other and how much they still do care for each other, but things just didn't work out. The episode does a good job of exploring how two people who loved each other ended up falling apart permanently. Todd's story is a bit sillier, especially with that obscene and ridiculous sex robot, but it contains the sad reality of Emily and Todd trying to find a solution to be with each other since they don't feel like they connect with anyone else. But because their needs are different, it was never going to work. A few little things and jokes throughout the episode amused me, as ever. I laughed at Flip telling everyone "I'm proud of what I've done here". The character's ridiculous ego is amusing to watch. BoJack wearing his Philbert costume everywhere has been pointed out a few times (see: The Unknown), and I appreciate how the show handles it. The drug deal scene is especially funny with Meow Meow Fuzzyface making a fantastic cameo return as the most blatant undercover cop imaginable. Princess Carolyn having a "La-Z-Baby" car seat is pretty funny. Dr. Hu's return is also quite fun, and it's amusing that he doesn't believe the completely true story BoJack tells him about how he lost his pills. I also quite liked how Dr. Hu threw Sarah Lynn back in BoJack's face, highlighting that BoJack's personal plan for improvement hasn't worked perfectly and that he would do well to seek outside help. But of course, BoJack can't admit that he needs help and he won't see that he's relapsing again in spite of his personal plan. The Bad: Nothing bad about this one. The Unknown: Why is BoJack in his costume all the time? This is the second episode in a row where he has been wearing it, and even the show's intro has BoJack in his costume now. Is BoJack relapsing? He is drinking more alcohol and is clearly dealing with substance abuse issues. Will he be able to get back on track, or is he on a downward spiral again? Is this the end for Princess Carolyn's relationship with Ralph? I can't see her getting back with him. Best Moment: BoJack's goodbye to Hollyhock is very well done. Hollyhock is feeling a bit upset by how things went, but she still cares for BoJack, and is happy when she hears him admit that he might have been abusing his pain medications, and she gives him some advice. This seems like a good moment for BoJack, but based on what happens right after, it's clear that the pain of Hollyhock going back is enough to prevent him from taking her advice to heart. It's also sad to see Hollyhock express her love to him, but he's still so tragically unfamiliar with wholesome interactions that he doesn't know how to respond, even though it's clear that he wants to express back. Great stuff here. Character of the Episode: Hollyhock. It was great to have her back for an episode. Conclusion: A solid episode with three good storylines and a nice overarching theme of characters interacting with other characters from their past. Another good effort from this fifth season. Score: 68 Summary: The episode takes place across four different Halloween parties at BoJack's house. In 1993, Mr. Peanutbutter takes Katrina to BoJack's house for his first Halloween party. Mr. Peanutbutter gets caught up in the excitement and leaves Katrina alone, causing her to freak out and angrily leave. In 2004, Mr. Peanutbutter takes Jessica Biel to the Halloween party, but she freaks out after seeing a mummy and angrily storms out. In 2009, Mr. Peanutbutter takes a nervous Diane to the party. She meets BoJack but ends up being very awkward. She runs out of the house, feeling uncomfortable in the party. In the present, Mr. Peanutbutter takes Pickles to the party but she ends up drinking and gets upset with Mr. Peanutbutter, especially when Diane gets stuck at the party as well. Mr. Peanutbutter is confused by why he makes women less fun but Diane explains that they are just maturing while he does not mature. Diane talks to Pickles and gets them to reconcile. Everyone goes home as the party ends.
The Good: Once more, we get an excellent concept episode. Season 5 has been very creative so far, with an episode where Diane writes a blog post detailing the episode's events, an episode that's a 20 minute monologue, an episode told by a random couple who interacted with the main characters, and now an episode split across four different timelines that tells a cohesive story. These episodes have used their gimmicks very well to be highlights of the season. This episode is no exception as its exceedingly fun to see 4 different time periods in one episode, and the transitions between the time periods are consistently delightful. The comedy is a standout in this episode. The amount of cut away gags referencing events in other time periods are terrific, and they all pretty consistently made me laugh. Mr. Peanutbutter's costumes are a blast as well, and there are plenty of tongue-in-cheek jokes about what will become of his relationships. I also enjoyed how the supporting cast were handled. BoJack growing frustrated by the parties, drinking heavily, and demanding they do another one by the end is quite funny. Diane having her car boxed in, making her unable to leave is also really funny. Princess Carolyn being stuck on door duty is a funny twist, and it's amusing that she gets to interact with kid Todd, telling him to come back when he's older (the cut to an older Todd arriving is a nice touch as well). The star of the show is obviously Mr. Peanutbutter. This episode is all about him, with the show taking some time to critique its (arguably) most lovable character. We've always known that Mr. Peanutbutter gets lost in his love of parties, and that has worked against him in his relationships. We see Katrina getting frustrated by being abandoned by Mr. Peanutbutter as the most direct consequence of his actions, and we also see Diane being extremely uncomfortable in her first party which Mr. Peanutbutter ends up completely forgetting time and time again as he continually arranges parties (as an aside, I got a good laugh out of him saying that it's good they discussed Diane's feelings so they never have to have this argument again). But this aspect of Mr. Peanutbutter's character is something we already knew. The episode needed to go deeper, and thankfully it did. As Mr. Peanutbutter starts to reflect on how the women in his life seem to grow more miserable around him, he makes the connection that he ruins women. But that's not the case at all and Diane hits the nail on its head when talking with him: the reason for Mr. Peanutbutter's failed relationships is his inability to mature as he grows older. He stunted his development in his mid 20s, and now 20+ years later he hasn't changed or grown as all. Meanwhile all the women in his life have matured into fully formed adults, and that's where Mr. Peanutbutter gets left behind. This is a nice bit of character exploration as it informs us more about Mr. Peanutbutter while also providing some humous with how Mr. Peanutbutter completely fails to grasp what is going wrong without Diane's help. The episode also offered some lovely bits of storytelling with the side characters. Diane meeting BoJack awkwardly at the Halloween party is perfect, and it's amusingly fitting that BoJack would forget that he ever met her and Diane would be too embarrassed to ever bring this up. But it's also sad that BoJack was affected at this party by learning about what happened to his dad at the duel, which was heartbreaking and it seemingly got in the way of BoJack connecting with Diane at an earlier point. Another sad moment is BoJack telling Todd he can stay as long as he wants. It was nice to see how Todd originally ended up at BoJack's, but it's also sad considering that Todd has long since moved on and doesn't often interact with BoJack anymore. Princess Carolyn wearing a pilot costume to every party, a reference to her love for Amelia Earhart, is a lovely character detail. The Bad: If there is a major flaw with this episode, it's that there isn't really a standout moment in all of this. The one moment that could have been great was when Diane spoke with Mr. Peanutbutter. Diane explaining to Mr. Peanutbutter why his relationships all fall apart explores the episode's central idea well, but it felt too straightforward and lacked subtlety. Diane just spelled it out for him without any real nuance. I feel like this should have been the episode's big emotional moment, but instead it felt surprisingly simplistic, lacking most emotional resonance. This episode is also very heavy on reference humour. I got most of the jokes, so I got a good laugh out of it. But I understand that these jokes will be a complete miss for some people, and that will weaken this episode for them. The Unknown: Will Mr. Peanutbutter's relationship with Pickles last? Or is this one also doomed to fail, just like his previous ones? Best Moment: I'll go with the cuts between all of the awkward freakouts at the Halloween parties over the years. It's remarkable how Mr. Peanutbutter consistently pushed all of his significant others away at these parties, and I thought that this sequence of repeated arguments showed the flaws in his character far more effectively than Diane's words. Character of the Episode: Mr. Peanutbutter. Conclusion: This is the best character exploration we have ever got for Mr. Peanutbutter. It was fascinating to learn more about how and why his relationships all fall apart, and in typical "BoJack Horseman" fashion, this was all done in an exceedingly funny episode, possibly the funniest of the season. The episode didn't ever threaten any all-time great moments, but it was a fun experience that offered up plenty of entertainment for me. Score: 71 Summary: The story is framed by a married couple telling stories of their clients to each other. BoJack is distressed by his mother's death but is struggling to express it. He wants to talk with Diane, but she needs space from BoJack after hearing the tape. Diane tells BoJack her therapist says she shouldn't talk to him so BoJack storms off to see the therapist and ends up becoming her client unintentionally. Diane is furious and leaves, but BoJack also leaves when he realizes this is therapy and not just a new friend. Diane and BoJack argue and Diane writes a scene into Philbert that mirrors what happened to BoJack in New Mexico. Princess Carolyn and Todd have a disagreement when Todd accuses her of stealing his cheese string. After some drama, they end up working it out and Todd gives Princess Carolyn a new office.
The Good: This episode has such a creative concept behind it that makes it so much more interesting. This could easily just be a normal story exploring two separate conflicts but instead the episode goes the extra mile and tells a vast majority of the story from the perspective of a married couple swapping stories in a restaurant. This is a breath of fresh air, and it leads to several hilarious jokes involving the characters who are now alternate versions of themselves. The new intro with "BoBo the Angsty Zebra" is fantastic, and the rest of the episode is filled with similarly comedic characters. Flippy the dolphin is really funny, Todd being "Emperor Fingerface" for some reason is really amusing, and I got a real laugh out of the simplicity of "Mr. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread". I also like that the character of each of the wives is established with how they name the characters. Indira isn't particularly creative and just makes character names sound laughably similar to what they actually are, while Mary-Beth comes up with outrageously left field ideas to describe everyone. It's consistently entertaining and I got a lot of laughs out of seeing what variations of existing characters we will get. The storytelling is pretty good too. I thought that BoJack and Diane's conflict was very realistic. BoJack's way to handle problems has always been to clamour for attention without outright asking for it, leading to nobody actually caring. So he just ends up complaining to whoever will listen to him, which is usually Diane. However, Diane wants to stay away from him this time and that puts BoJack in an awkward place. He desperately needs to talk to someone but his one friend he usually relies on is unavailable. To make matters worse, Mr. Peanutbutter continues to make him feel bad about himself because of how BoJack is unable to connect with people like he does. It's amusing to see everyone console Mr. Peanutbutter on a loss that doesn't ring true like it does for BoJack, and it's easy to understand his frustration. Meanwhile, Diane just needs some time to process what she heard on the tape and collect her thoughts regarding BoJack. But he doesn't give her the opportunity because he ends up going to her therapist (courtesy of some awful advice from Indira) and even steals her therapist away. Indira is pretty deplorable here to cause all of this chaos, and you can't help but feel bad for Diane who has now lost her safe space to BoJack. Their eventual argument at the end of the episode feels earned, and it makes sense that Diane would lash out angrily at BoJack considering what she knows and how her morality will not let her stand for BoJack's awful behaviour. This was a well written story that perfectly captures how frustrations can lead to a divide in friendships. The end of the episode is a perfect catharsis for everything. Diane is fed up by BoJack relating with her and thinking they are the same because she knows that he crossed a boundary that she never will cross. And his stubborn refusal to do therapy pushes her over the edge, doing something that will most certainly hurt BoJack and could potentially undo all of the progress he has made to become a better person. Diane writes a scene for Flip and makes it so that the character BoJack is playing will be struggling with the very same past mistake that BoJack is dealing with, forcing BoJack to relive his nightmare every single day. It's a cruel and vindictive thing to do, and it's heartbreaking to see BoJack realize what Diane has done and that she knows about what happened. We know BoJack has been trying to get better, and it's sad to see that he is unable to escape from his past mistakes, even if he justifiably should be condemned for what he's done. This is a dark and complicated moment that really made me think about what is justifiable and who is in the right in this fight between BoJack and Diane. Princess Carolyn and Todd's B-story doesn't add much (see: The Bad), but it's a decent way to flesh out their relationship more. I was especially amused by the cheese string reveal at the end of the storyline, which had been subtly set up by some dramatic drumrolls any time Todd reached for his pen earlier in the episode. There are some little things as always. The various iterations of our main characters were quite funny, and I love that the show went all out with making a new intro featuring BoBo instead of BoJack. I enjoyed Mary-Beth quite a bit because her mediation tactics were laughably simplistic. Her flowchart in the background called "Mary-Beth's mediation map" is laughably simplistic and utterly useless. I also quite liked the 4th wall breaking joke as Mary-Beth and Indira talk about how it will be better to intertwine their stories as a tongue-in-cheek reference to how TV shows handle A-stories and B-stories. Lastly, I really liked the jab at cliched action movies with the "barf me a river fartbags" line during the intense submarine shootout. The Bad: The Todd/Princess Carolyn story feels completely pointless. It has been a pattern in this season where the side stories don't go anywhere interesting and only serve to provide a comedic B-story. Previous seasons had more substance to their side stories, but this season has not offered the same storytelling depth. Instead we get what is basically a typical animated comedy storyline that doesn't offer much outside of the novelty of the episode's main premise. The Unknown: I imagine that BoJack will tell Diane the full story of New Mexico at some point. What happens when Diane finds out? Will they reconnect, or will this destroy their friendship? Best Moment: The final scene is done very well as BoJack slowly realizes that this submarine scene has been maliciously inspired by his most shameful moment in real life. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: Another creative episode, this time one that is rooted in the compelling developing conflict between BoJack and Diane. The story was good and I got some of the biggest laughs of the season out of this one. Score: 73 Summary: A flashback shows Butterscotch picking up BoJack late after soccer and ranting to him about Beatrice and life in general. In the present, BoJack gives an extended eulogy for his mother but it turns out he was at the wrong funeral.
The Good: It was a genius idea to have this episode be one long monologue. Well technically two if you count the flashback sequence as well, but it's still the same brilliant idea. A whole episode of listening to BoJack speak and process his mother's death as a way to dive into the character deeper than we have ever gone before. This concept is basically the inverse of season 3's fantastic "Fish Out of Water", and it is every bit as effective. The whole premise is BoJack giving a eulogy, in which he amusingly uses his stand-up comedy skills to make it more entertaining. Throughout this self-indulgent, emotionally messy speech, we get to learn more and more about BoJack's past, unearthing new details we never knew, while also exploring his current mental state and why it has been so hard for him to deal with his parents dying even though he never even liked them. The episode handles this stuff superbly well and I can't wait to dive into what this episode had to offer. First and foremost, BoJack's grief for his mother is crushingly sad. What makes it so impactful is that the episode doesn't outwardly show his pain, instead it subtly reveals it underneath the surface of a man who is trying to stay put together and explain this pain that he can't seem to understand. The loss of an abusive parent is so much more complex than just losing a parent, and I love that this episode cared to address the contradictory feelings that one experiences in this situation. It's the accuracy to reality which makes this so affecting and so painful. So many little things are perfectly accurate. BoJack's jokes about his dead mother scream defence mechanism to save himself from hurting too much. I also absolutely loved seeing BoJack ranting about the bad parts about his mother, and yet still finding solace in one of the few beautiful memories he had: when his father would come out to watch her dance at parties. The only moment when the monologue stopped all episode was for a brief bit of recollection in this moment as BoJack remembers the one hopeful memory he had. And just like in real life, it's gone in a flash and we see him snap back to reality and the eulogy he is giving. Brutal stuff. The obvious highlight of the episode for me is BoJack trying to attribute meaning to his mother's "I See You" (see: Best Moment). He dwells on this for a long period, going through the rational and emotional aspects of his brain in trying to figure out what it all meant, before discovering the truth towards the end of the episode in a heartbreaking moment. This is all outstanding storytelling, and a compelling dive into the character of BoJack and the episode's theme of the complicated grief after losing family members. The episode started away from BoJack's monologue in an interesting flashback sequence where we get another horrifying snapshot of BoJack's life when his father comes to pick him up. The sequence is horrible as Butterscotch rambles on and on, somehow saying worse and worse things every sentence while a hurt and angry BoJack cowers, looking outside the car window. Anyone who has experienced similar ravings from a parent can understand and connect to BoJack, and the scene is fantastically written. It does hold some storytelling weight to it as well since Butterscotch advises BoJack that he can never rely on other people and that he's all alone. It's an awful thing to say to your own kid, but ironically, Butterscotch telling this to BoJack accomplishes the opposite. Instead of believing he is alone, BoJack lived a life in denial of this fact, waiting for it to be proven wrong because he so desperately wanted some sort of affection from his awful parents. But as BoJack repeats Butterscotch's dialogue about how good it is that he learned not to rely on others at Beatrice's funeral, it's clear that BoJack has finally been defeated by this lesson. That's a tragic overarching theme for this episode, and it's told naturally with such great attention to detail to make it all the more devastating. More on Butterscotch, we learned quite a bit about him. We never knew how he passed away, but now we get the half-funny, half-sad reveal that he died after tripping and falling during a duel because people didn't like his novel. It's painfully ironic and exemplifies all of Butterscotch's worst character traits, but you can only imagine how this would have affected BoJack and Beatrice. It also stemmed one of the episode's best lines: "my husband is dead and everything is worse now", a line that is explored in great depth by BoJack throughout the episode. Before I ramble on about every little thing I loved about this episode, I'll go ahead and talk about the ending. After BoJack finally finds some clarity and closure for saying goodbye to his mother, he decides to do an open casket and honour the one thing he knew his mother wanted. It's here that we're given a fantastic gag to close out the episode as BoJack realizes he was in the wrong funeral parlour and gave this heartfelt eulogy to a dozen lizards who don't even know Beatrice. This is a hilarious and excellent closing joke, but it also reflects BoJack's character perfectly. This eulogy is incredibly self-indulgent, which is what we expect of BoJack who has always struggled to see things outside of his point of view. Him not even noticing that he might be in the wrong room is perfectly in-character with someone who is so self-obsessed that he doesn't think a single thought about the audience members, failing to even realize that he's at the wrong funeral. It's fantastic, it's fitting, and it ends the episode on the right note. I've got a few other small bits that I want to touch on before finishing this review. I loved the gag with the musician, who always seemed to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. It was amusing and added to the feeling that BoJack was using his stand-up skills to get by with this eulogy. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing BoJack reference his attempt to save Todd back in "Out to Sea" when he's talking about how a grand gesture of love isn't enough to make up for consistent failings. It's clear that BoJack has taken the incident to heart and regrets what happened with Todd, but he understands that he failed as a friend, which is a beautiful detail to include. The story about how he got a free churro was a good way to kick off the speech since it's BoJack contemplating something odd he couldn't quite explain (getting a free churro because your mother died). It sets the right tone for the contemplative nature of his eulogy, and it also gets called back brilliantly at the end with BoJack referencing the kindness of the stranger giving him a free churro in contrast to his mother's cruelty. Lastly, as a writer I couldn't help but chuckle when Butterscotch talked about his unique sentence that went on for pages and pages. If only we could have a chance to read his novel, I'm sure it was awful. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Will BoJack ever find peace after his mother's passing? How will this affect him going forwards? Best Moment: BoJack's realization that "I see you" was actually "ICU". This is a crushing realization for BoJack who had blissfully tries to use this final line as closure, perhaps just one moment where his mother recognized him. But it was false, and the realization launches BoJack into a heartfelt rant where he gets to address his disappointment and frustration in his mother and why it still hurts to lose her. Consistent with how BoJack learned everything from TV, he compares his feeling for her passing to his feelings for the TV show "Becker", a profound way for him to communicate his feelings in a way we don't usually see from him. In an incredible and profound monologue, this small section stood out the most to me. Character of the Episode: BoJack obviously. Conclusion: One of the best episode's of the show yet, easily. The premise behind this one was creative and unique, and the result was a focused and emotional deep dive into BoJack with some brilliant writing and voice acting. You don't get episodes like these from every TV show. This is a rare gem, and it will go down as one of the most memorable experiences from this show. Score: 86 Summary: Flashbacks show Princess Carolyn living with her mother in North Carolina as a housekeeper. She gets pregnant with the son of the Wallace family, the house they serve. Princess Carolyn's mother is excited but there is a miscarriage. Princess Carolyn gets into UCLA and leaves. In the present, Princess Carolyn goes to North Carolina to meet with Sadie who is looking for someone to adopt her unborn baby. Princess Carolyn tries to win her over, but struggles to balance her conversations with her life as she gets constant calls from L.A., which ultimately leads to BoJack falling off a building and being hospitalized after a dangerous stunt. Sadie notices how manipulative Princess Carolyn is and passes on her. Princess Carolyn returns to LA unsuccessful.
The Good: I appreciate that we got a deeper look into Princess Carolyn's past and what shaped her as a person. Everything didn't quite work perfectly (see: The Bad), but it was a good story that's worth telling. Princess Carolyn's mother is drunk, manipulative, and sometimes abusive in her parenting style. I thought the character was well realized. She seems like she genuinely cares about her children, but her stubborn beliefs that her lifestyle is ideal, and her inability to cope with her kids moving on in their lives made her a bad parent. We also get to see how Princess Carolyn's manipulations manifested from a young age with how she convinces Cooper to convince the coach that he's good enough, even if he's not. This business strategy is something that Princess Carolyn employs time and time again throughout the episode with just about everyone she talks to. It's fun to see the rest of the main cast checking in by phone with her, but Princess Carolyn uses her skillset to get rid of them as quickly as possible, creating red flags for Sadie to notice and ultimately call her out on by the episode's end (see: Best Moment). I appreciate how entertaining it is to watch how things fall apart in LA. Most of the humour in this episode comes from these check-ins, and every character is fun to watch. BoJack's good times on set being disrupted by Mr. Peanutbutter upstaging him is true to what I would expect to happen, and it's amusing to see BoJack's jealousy clash with Mr. Peanutbutter's obliviousness. Todd struggling to answer questions in his new job is an amusing development as well. On the more serious side, Princess Carolyn's advice for Diane is consistent with her manipulative behaviour. Princess Carolyn encourages Diane to manipulate Flip into doing something, and then absolves her of all blame after it led somewhere bad. You get the sense that this is what Princess Carolyn does, she manipulates others to get what she wants, but absolves herself of blame if anything goes wrong. In this case, Princess Carolyn's lack of involvement with her job and her thoughtless encouragement leads to BoJack getting into a horrific accident, but she clearly has absolved herself of any blame for what happened. It is a sad and relatable scenario though, as most people can relate to putting their every effort into getting something done (the adoption), only to get nothing to show for their efforts. Princess Carolyn sacrificed a lot to appeal to Sadie, and ultimately it was all for nothing. There are a few fun jokes that I got a laugh out of. The Wallace family having an empire built on answering machine tapes is quite funny. The flea market has some funny jokes in it, like a sign saying " stuff I stole to make money to buy heroin", and a shirt that says "stop pausing and just watch the show". The Bad: This episode does not go far enough into Princess Carolyn's past to entirely work. We learn about her backstory, but much of it is stuff that we could have already guessed based on what we knew about Princess Carolyn before this episode. "Ruthie" gave several hints about Princess Carolyn's troubled relationship with her mother involving miscarriages, and also told us the truth about Princess Carolyn's necklace. Seeing these scenes actually happen did not feel fascinating, instead it just felt like checking items off a list to show us. This made Princess Carolyn's backstory feel somewhat forgettable and less emotional than I was expecting. I thought this episode was lacking in jokes. We didn't get the usual amount of background humour as I've come to expect, and if there were North Carolina centric jokes, I didn't understand very many of them since I don't know much about North Carolina. "BoJack Horseman" has quite a bit of reference humour, and the negative aspect of this type of humour is that if the viewer is not well versed in the topic being jokes about, the jokes will fall flat. I don't think many people are well versed in North Carolina, so the jokes in this episode won't work very well for a significant portion of the audience. The Unknown: How bad is BoJack's injury? Will this be a key storyline in this season? Will Princess Carolyn find other opportunities for adoption? Best Moment: Princess Carolyn tries to make a big play to convince Sadie that she's the best pick, but Sadie is not falling for it. Sadie has seen Princess Carolyn manipulate just about everyone for her own needs, and is not afraid to call her out on it. In response to this, Princess Carolyn has nothing. Without her selling abilities, she has nothing to offer and has to contend with the fact that she's not the best choice. So in the character's best moment in the episode, Princess Carolyn gives up the facade and gives her genuine advice to Sadie based on her own experiences. Finally, an honest moment. Princess Carolyn gets no reward for it, but it's nice to see her show something genuine. Character of the Episode: Princess Carolyn. Conclusion: An episode that has some good ideas and fills in some solid backstory for Princess Carolyn, but it doesn't quite hit those lofty emotional highs it's aiming for. Score: 67 Summary: Princess Carolyn tries to hire Vance Waggoner, a disgraced celebrity, for Philbert. He gets a Forgivie award and BoJack makes a disgusted face on the TV in response to cheese, making the media think he doesn't approve. As fallout, BoJack becomes a feminist icon and Vance opts not to do the show. Princess Carolyn is annoyed and works with Diane and BoJack to disgrace Vance, but Vance comes out as feminist too. Ultimately Vance gets himself in trouble again, and Ana, his publicist, meets with Diane and shows her the tape recording of BoJack's New Mexico story. BoJack gets Diane a job on his TV show to make a difference, but she still isn't able to do much. Mr. Peanutbutter wants to be tough to be considered for new roles, but every attempt to be tough results in him being loved more. In the end, he's selected for a role on Philbert.
The Good: The concept of this episode is the usual absurd fun. Vance Waggoner is a creative take on toxic celebrities who do terrible things, and it's a lot of fun to watch him and compare how his actions are reminiscent of BoJack in the earlier seasons, just worse and much less sympathetic. Vance is ludicrously awful, and this character allows the episode a fun lens to explore cancel culture and how little damage this actually does to the lives of celebrities who do terrible things. I also quite like how the episode sets up BoJack being a "feminist". BoJack reacting badly to cheese at a bad time is the type of thing that's very consistent with how BoJack is, and it's amusing to see how BoJack, despite trying to correct things, gets sucked into being a feminist after saying simple things that net him a positive public reaction. He's always fallen victim to his own desire to get people to cheer him, and he does the same thing here to become a "feminist". But this is still BoJack 2.0 who is an improved man from who he was before, and BoJack is smart enough to realize that Diane has a point about how inherently sexist his show is, and it's nice to see BoJack helping her and her ideals by getting her a job on his show. Much of this episode is focused on Diane, and her frustration is beautifully realized. Princess Carolyn is the first to frustrate her by hiring Vance Waggoner, and it's totally understandable how angry Diane is about how these awful men do awful things and somehow keep coming back. Diane is sent from infuriating scenario to infuriating scenario first from Princess Carolyn's selfishness ahead of morality when it comes to Vance, then with Ana showing no integrity as she helps Vance, and also with BoJack as he shows absolutely zero interest to learn anything about feminism. Everything Diane experiences frustrates her as the episode goes on and it culminates with her finally getting a good position to make a difference on "Philbert", but she quickly finds that nobody is going to listen with her and she's entirely useless, just like she was on "Secretariat". Then the kicker at the very end: Diane learns what happened with BoJack in New Mexico and has to face the possibility that BoJack isn't just an asshole, he might be as bad as Vance Waggoner. The episode tells Diane's story beautifully from frustration to frustration, making this ending moment where Ana plays the tape feel so impactful for Diane, a boiling point to serve as the episode's climax. Mr. Peanutbutter and Todd take up a lot of the episode on a side story, and luckily it is really funny. The idea of Mr. Peanutbutter trying to be tough and menacing and accidentally helping the people he's trying to act tough to is a hilarious idea, and the episode goes a long way with it. Mr. Peanutbutter's reactions to this increasing absurdity are a lot of fun to watch, and his interactions with Todd are as good as ever. There are plenty of fun jokes in this episode. There's an amusing animal joke as a chameleon girl camouflages with a building to hide from a bad date. GirlCroosh has a funny memorial for the cockroaches who were exterminated a few episodes ago, with the message "they checked in but didn't check out". Diane's computer has an amusing article on it that parodies Buzzfeed ("13 celebs who look exactly like soup"). The news headlines offer some gems as always, such as "Buffalo Buffalo sues Buffalo Buffalo for Buffaloing Buffalo Buffalo", and "victims families breathe sigh of relief as authorities declare mass shooting by white man not terrorism". The Bad: Mr. Peanutbutter's story is entirely superfluous and unnecessary ultimately. It's funny, but a needless distraction without a whole lot of merit. The Unknown: How will Diane react to the tape? How is this going to change her relationship with BoJack? How will Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter handle working together? Best Moment: Ana showing Diane the tape of BoJack's New Mexico story is a big moment, and an exciting cliffhanger. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: We get our seasonal political episode, and this one is another solid and fun experience with lots of laughs. Score: 66 Summary: BoJack grows closer with Gina on set. He learns that she loves musicals and dreams of singing and tries to give her a shot to sing on the show. Gina is upset that he did this, but she gives it a shot and it doesn't go well. BoJack feels bad about it. Mr. Peanutbutter invites Pickles on a date, but Pickles is nervous they are moving too fast. After Mr. Peanutbutter admits he still has feelings for Diane, things get awkward, but they have a romantic night. Yolanda takes Todd to meet her family and they try to hide their asexuality. Eventually it gets out and the family is understanding. However, Todd decides to break up with Yolanda as they have nothing in common.
The Good: Todd meeting Yolanda's parents is a comedic highlight. The entire family is the height of absurdity with how thoroughly associated they are with sex. Every member has something funny to offer, and poor Todd is very relatable as he's put in this highly awkward scenario. The plot is intentionally convoluted with over-the-top characters for comedic purposes, and it works well. The real kicker is that the family was accepting about asexuality all along, and all of this chaos was essentially for nothing. The end of the episode is a bit of a surprise as Todd breaks up with Yolanda. These two never felt like a good fit, so it's sensible that Todd would see this and call things off. This nicely tackles the idea that finding someone else who is the same minority as you is not all that you should base a relationship on. BoJack's story is fun as he continues to bring a positive vibe to set, and gets closer with Gina. BoJack is making a clear effort to be better in this season, and we see him trying to develop a closer relationship with Gina, trying to make a positive impact in her life. Though Gina is happy to stay distant, BoJack wants something more and enjoys learning more about her and teasing her. Unfortunately, while BoJack had good intentions, they backfired on him again. He tries to get closer to Gina and he tries to help her realize her potential, but the result is an embarrassing audition (I love that Gina wasn't comically bad, just painfully average) and a hollow feeling for BoJack when he tried to do something good for someone. This nicely goes to show that sometimes you may try to do good, but it won't always pan out. Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles have a decent episode too. It's nice to get a deeper look into why Mr. Peanutbutter is with her, and how he still hasn't fully been able to move on from Diane. It's a sad situation since Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles contrast each other nicely, but it's poor timing. The end of the episode is sweet as they are able to temporarily get past the situational problems in their relationship. This makes me wonder if Mr. Peanutbutter has finally found the right person for him, even though Pickles is significantly younger than him. A couple little things were amusing. Mr. Peanutbutter's constant pop culture references reached a new absurd high in this episode, and I loved it. Diane's appearance on her podcast is fun, and I chuckled at how she openly trashed Mr. Peanutbutter on it. Even funnier is Mr. Peanubutter's hate for Twenty One Pilots, which makes sense considering how downbeat their music is, not at all Mr. Peanutbutter's type. Todd's story is full of great jokes like Yolanda's mother telling him "asexualize me", everything involving the lube, and Todd being unable to read tone ("riiiiiight...", "right!"). I love that the "cock at midnight" kept being brought up and we actually get to see it crowing in a transition scene. The International Space Station exploding for unknown reasons is very on-brand with this show's sense of humour. The Bad: This episode did not click with me. The three stories are fine, but they have no real emotional resonance and don't offer as much comedy as I would want from fairly uninspired stories. The biggest issue for me is that we are spending a lot of time with characters we just met and don't have much of a connection with. Yolanda has been one of the more forgettable characters on the show, and it looks like her role has finished already. I think she was meant to play the serious role in contrast to Todd's wackiness, but the show failed to extract any comedy from this idea. The only laughs came from her family's weirdness. We have only just met Gina, and I don't think we know enough about her yet to care about her. BoJack clearly likes her and has a desire to build a relationship with her, but it's hard to tell why. I hope she gets more depth going forward. Pickles is the most amusing of the three side characters so far, but we only just met her as well and I don't think she is all that interesting or entertaining. Structuring this episode around these three average side characters was never going to result in great television. This much is clear from the opening scene where all three characters interact in a scene and it falls painfully flat. The Unknown: BoJack's attempt at a good deed backfired here. How will this affect BoJack going forwards? Will this be a setback in his attempts to do good? Will Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles work out together? Best Moment: The sheer insanity that happened once the lube started to spill was the highlight of the episode for me. Todd being told to stick his erect penis to seal the hole in the barrel is something I never thought I would hear in my life. Character of the Episode: Todd. Conclusion: An average episode. This had some decent ideas and was watchable, but the focus on three side characters that I don't have any investment in meant that this was a duller episode than what we usually get. Score: 58 Summary: Diane tries to find the positive in life after breaking up with Mr. Peanutbutter. She has a new apartment, a therapist, and reconnects with BoJack. She goes to a party at Mr. Peanutbutter's and is distraught when she sees him kiss someone else. In pain, she leaves the party and goes to Vietnam. But in Vietnam she doesn't find much to help her and ends up flying back home afterwards. While in Vietnam, she writes a blog for Girl Croosh. Mr. Peanutbutter picks Diane up and tells her he is seeing someone. She says she is happy for him.
The Good: The premise of this episode is perfect, and exactly what we needed to see following Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's break-up. I love that we spent a whole episode focused on the banality of life that you experience after a long relationship, diving into Diane's psyche and the pain she feels. This is a terrific character study that offers a lot of moving moments. But in typical "BoJack Horseman" fashion, the episode does not commit to being purely bleak and miserable with many jokes and stylistic decisions. The art and animation was allowed to flex a little bit with the Vietnam setting, making this episode visually distinct. Also, the episode had a unique gimmick with Diane writing a blog throughout the episode, permitting voiceover narration to further make this feel special and different. These various decisions came together to make a high quality, memorable experience. The episode presents its story almost as a mystery. We open with Diane in a flood of tears, but we don't know why exactly she has broken down like this, and the episode is centered around answering this question. Most of the episode shows Diane in the present looking to find herself in Vietnam, but in the past we get a few flashbacks to show what led Diane to take this trip. The flashbacks are highly effective, as we see Diane desperately trying to spin things in a positive light for herself. She has an awful apartment, she feels lonely, and has many untapped emotions inside her. But she tries to put a coat of paint over all of this, saying that she likes her new life and that this is all going to be good for her. By the end of the flashbacks, we see this all come crumbling down. After some drunken dialogue and a poorly thought-out joke alienates BoJack (who seems to have genuinely become better since he refuses the chance to take advantage of Diane), Diane goes to Mr. Peanutbutter's party feeling empty and alone, and seeing Mr. Peanutbutter move on and find someone else and a new place to belong makes her feel adrift and lost. Hence the breakdown, and the impromptu trip to Vietnam. This reveal is simple, but shockingly effective as it perfectly encapsulates how even the tiniest of things can have a devastating impact on someone who is going through a tough time. Diane's speech at the end of the episode on how hard it is to move forwards after such a big change in your life is phenomenal and embodies these ideas magnificently (see: Best Moment), concluding the episode on an emotional high. The Vietnam part of the story is also highly effective. Seeing Diane venture into her homeland, only to be alienated by it all is quite sad, and the episode includes several nice touches to make this feel like a foreign experience for Diane. Scenes like Diane dressing up in traditional clothing, Diane getting hit by a local for no reason, and others help display how wrong it feels for Diane to be there. Another funny touch is that there is a Hollywoo movie being filmed in Hanoi, so Diane truly is unable to get away from her life by going to Vietnam as parts of it will always be with her. I found Diane's conversation with Laura Linney to be quite fascinating as well. After a trip that was completely useless to her, the fiction in Laura Linney's film is Diane's final chance to get some meaning out of it. And true to form, there's nothing there whatsoever outside of the usual Hollywoo smoke and mirrors, further cementing that Diane failed to find what she was looking for from this desperate trip. If there's one thing that this show does very well, it's showing us the harsh realities of life in a way that's accessible and not too bleak. The way this show avoids being overly bleak is, as always, through its comedy. This episode is particularly rich with funny moments and background details that I enjoyed. I smiled when I noticed that just about every sign in Hanoi had "Nguyen" written on it. The "Americrane Airlines" board also had some fun bits like Iceland being "Miceland" and the plane to Turkey having the status of being "stuffed". There's also a good joke in that scene about how personal customer service is being replaced by screens. There are more funny scenes too. Diane's interactions with the tourists in Vietnam was fantastic (as was the fact that she was eating a human-sized chicken leg), and I enjoyed her dressing down of the grip when she accidentally let it sleep that she speaks English. I got a laugh out of Stefani calling an exterminator to deal with unionizing cockroaches, and BoJack's "that was my Vietnam" line had tremendous comedic timing. The background jokes were terrific too. I especially got a kick out of a pig head being served at Elefante, horrifying an adult pig eating in the background, disturbing her to the point where she stops eating. The boxes in Diane's home are quite funny, especially when you realize that she has entire boxes that just describe the outfit she is wearing (my favourite is realizing that the red arrows on her jacket are apparently something that she puts on separately). The therapist's office has a great poster in the background saying "holding back tears in like spanking your inner child". Todd has a very small role in this episode, but it's amusing to hear about the whole ice sculpture debacle. The Bad: Nothing outright bad, but there was one weird moment in the episode I'll point out. Being Vietnamese, Diane naturally asks her dad why she looks different from everybody else. However, the phrasing of this is very awkward in the context of this world. A sizeable population in this world consists of animals, so this makes Diane saying that she looks different from "everyone else" ring a bit hollow. Thinking about this makes me really want to see how ideas like racism would extend into a world with animal-human hybrids. The Unknown: How will Mr. Peanutbutter's new relationship go? Will he have a better relationship with Pickles? Best Moment: Diane's speech at the end of the episode is fantastic. I couldn't ask for a better exploration of how life changes after a break-up, and I was particularly touched by how Diane knew that she asked for this, and yet now she feels so lost and unsure of where to go or where she even belongs. It's a sad monologue, and it's accompanied by fantastic visuals as we see Diane flashing from location to location, never feeling like herself and never feeling like she belongs. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: An outstanding episode. "BoJack Horseman" strikes the balance between emotional storytelling and amusing comedy so well, and episodes like these perfectly exemplify that. This was a compelling character study for Diane with a unique premise, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Season 5 is up and running. Score: 80 Summary: BoJack works on his new show, but isn't a fan of the show. He has sex with Gina, his co-star, but still feels lonely. BoJack tries to reduce the gratuity in the show by talking to Flip but ends up making it worse. After some arguments with Flip, BoJack talks to Princess Carolyn who helps him make peace with the show and the character he is playing. Afterwards, BoJack is more friendly on set. Todd is dating Yolanda, who is unhappy with his lack of career direction. Todd tries to get a new job, but ends up becoming Chief of Sales and What Time is it Right Now. Diane returns from a trip and is picked up by Mr. Peanutbutter, who is finalizing their divorce. Princess Carolyn goes to an adoption agency.
The Good: BoJack is given an engaging story in this episode. He has changed for the better, and we can see that through how he is limiting the amount of alcohol he has each day. But maintaining this is tricky, and we see that he is crushingly lonely. Doing his job on set leads to many problems, and with Hollyhock gone, he doesn't have anyone to spend his free time with. It's tough going for BoJack, and the result is growing tensions between him and Flip due to BoJack taking issue with the show, primarily because he sees too much of himself in Philbert. BoJack and Flip's rivalry is fun to watch as we get a sense of this new character. Flip doesn't seem like a bad guy by any means, but he's definitely a little misguided and it's amusing to see how he tries to fix the gratuity problem in increasingly dumb ways. His argument with BoJack made sense for the character, and it led to a good scene where BoJack speaks with Princess Carolyn who is able to help him navigate his problems and find some motivation to do this job and do it properly. It's refreshing to see BoJack being so charismatic and friendly by the end of the episode, showing that BoJack has successfully overcome his natural instincts of scheming, causing problems, and running away. At least for now. It was nice to see BoJack and Todd reconnecting for a bit, giving us a bit of a throwback as they try to execute another scheme. We haven't seen them together for a long time, and it's nice to see them at peace with each other. BoJack's scheme to get his way is typical of BoJack, and the way it spins horribly out of control with Todd's promotion is unexpectedly hilarious. BoJack's frustration with it all, and Todd's acceptance of his new role are quite funny. The side stories are set up well enough for the season. Todd and Yolanda already have some friction, which makes me question their future. It was nice to see Emily again, and the confused firefighter Steve is pretty amusing. Princess Carolyn is going for adoption now, and her scenes at the agency are amusing. Tracy is horrible, as you would expect, and it's funny to see her explaining the difference between agent and manager, which is a joke that keeps on giving. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane are firmly in the background, but they have gotten a divorce, confirming the worst from last season's finale. We are misled to think that they are working out their differences with Mr. Peanutbutter picking up Diane, but there is a good reveal shortly after confirming that they are splitting up. I expect that these three storylines will be developed as the season goes on, and they are established in a competent way in this episode. A few little things as always. I like that What Time is it Right Now doesn't want to "remind the audience of the existence of clocks", and it's funny to see Flip pull up the app, which is absolutely useless. BoJack using the turning chair with Princess Carolyn is a funny continuation of a joke from last season where BoJack used the same chair with Hollyhock. He just can't seem to make it work. I liked the callback to David Boreanaz House from the first season, with Philbert's house being modelled to look like BoJack's because of this. The "Warbler Brothers" company name is amusing, and I got a smile out of Flip looking for "hot and haunted" being met by a girl dressing up as a ghost with boobs drawn on. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. This episode definitely feels like one at the start of a season. There's not much in terms of character development, or interesting plot developments. The comedy was surprisingly mundane this time around. There was more of a focus on drama even in this first episode, which is a shame because the comedy is usually what makes these earlier episodes in the season stand out. The Unknown: Where did Diane go for a trip? Will BoJack get through this show, or will he leave this one too? Will Princess Carolyn be able to adopt a baby? Her new manager isn't particularly promising. What will Todd do with his new job? Will Yolanda be happy about this? Will their relationship last? Best Moment: Dramatically, I'll go with Princess Carolyn helping BoJack get to the root of his problem with Flip and Philbert. In terms of comedy, I got a good laugh out of BoJack saying "of Todd, your good-hearted naivete has once again conspired with outrageous happenstance to completely dick me over". Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: This is nothing particularly special, but it's a solid episode to set up the stories being told in season 5. Score: 63 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|