When “BoJack Horseman” first hit the scene on Netflix in 2014, the adult animation psychological comedy-drama opened to mixed reviews. However, from the midway point of Season 1 all the way to the Season 6 series finale, the show’s legacy cemented itself among greatness.
The psychological aspect of the show, especially for an animated series, was shocking to behold. The level of real-life issues that are seen in society and common in our personal lives, coupled with great comedy, were a golden recipe for success.
The show’s titular character, BoJack Horseman, is a self-hating alcoholic who was well known for his starring role in the show “Horsin’ Around” during the prime of his acting career. BoJack’s depressive attitude to fame, his life and the world around him is what transformed the series into what it is recognized as today.
A main character like BoJack, someone who you can’t necessarily root for but can understand their struggles, shows how complex the show is. Every character of the show has their flaws.
The first major theme that was explored in “BoJack Horseman” was the theme of morality, combined with the overall human condition. When BoJack meets Diane Nguyen, a human ghostwriter, he struggles greatly with his morality. His brash persona is a turn-off, and quickly makes Diane’s job as a ghostwriter for his book a challenge. The idea of BoJack’s true self being put out for everyone to read was something he had to get adjusted to.
BoJack’s morality is coupled with his emotion (or rather, lack thereof). He holds it in, not wanting his personal struggles to cloud what the world knew him to be. It was the truth of falling off the face of the earth and spiraling out of control that BoJack tried to avoid admitting to himself.
Perhaps the most impactful theme of the series is its depiction of mental health. Loneliness, addiction, divorce, death and society are the main talking points of this conversation within the show.
The loneliness aspect invades every main character’s line of thinking at some point. For instance, BoJack’s loneliness kicks off a whirlwind of emotions that leads him to discover that he does have issues. His loneliness reaches the point of depression and anxiety and extends his addictive personality into almost everything he touches.
“BoJack Horseman” successfully explores how loneliness can come in many ways, highlighting how age, self-image and even sexuality can play a part in that discovery. The show does a tremendous job of carefully choreographing BoJack as the primary depiction of depression.
A key of the show’s fundamental fabric is Princess Carolyn. The first season for her is all about her age and how she feels like her life has become uninteresting and lacks any real heart because of how dedicated she has been working. For instance, there’s this great and memorable scene where it’s her birthday and she’s not happy or excited. She’s tired because it’s yet another year of her feeling unaccomplished.
Princess Carolyn’s character is one that took time to get into, but once you understood her history and what her role was meant to be, the pink cat is a character that is valuable, to say the least.
The whole point of Princess Carolyn’s story was that no matter how much you care for someone or how much you do for someone, there are just some people who can’t be saved. Her relationship with BoJack is a complicated and messy one since she was previously his agent. But the charm is the fact that despite feeling unfulfilled, she still puts people above herself. It’s what they want, not what she wants.
It’s so relatable that I believe Princess Carolyn’s arc is one of the best told on television. Her story is one that very clearly has a beginning and an ending. She eventually works her way into putting herself first, by wanting to start a family, getting married and leaving the series finale with probably the most well-rounded character development.
Todd Chavez’s character and issues focus more on his sexuality and his estranged relationship with his parents. One of the highlights of “BoJack Horseman” is that it explores the idea of sexuality and makes it a natural thing, not a forced storyline. The series was praised for its depiction of homosexuality, lesbianism and asexuality in particular.
“BoJack Horseman” addresses many hot-button issues that are found in the political and entertainment worlds. One episode in particular, “Hank After Dark,” inspects when prominent figures, particularly men, still receive awards despite past bad behaviors, such as sexual harassment, and follows the #MeToo Movement.
With that story, Diane is the woman who tries to expose Hank for his past actions. Instead of society uplifting Diane and appreciating the due diligence in trying to stand up for women, she receives death threats and hate mail and is specifically told to stop talking about the allegations since a new show is about to come out starring Hank.
This highlights how many media networks and people don’t actually care about solving workplace issues. They want people to “think” they are doing so when in reality, they’re frustrated and trying to figure out any way possible to get out of this situation, all to save face and make money.
Another episode that is most exemplary of the themes of “BoJack Horseman” is “Thoughts and Prayers.” This episode discusses mass shooting and gun violence in the United States. The title puts emphasis on the reactions political figures have when these shootings happen and become regular occurrences in our society.
As it addresses real-life issues while also factoring in the comedy aspect of the show, the episode uses the sexism found in the world to further expand on gun violence. It promotes two causes at once, with the story being about how the government and its people want to ban guns simply because women have access to them.
Finally, it’s important to focus on the theme of addiction in “BoJack Horseman.” BoJack’s addiction to alcohol and drugs leads to overdoses and addiction to painkillers. It leads to the deaths of characters and is the main cause for everything going wrong in BoJack’s life.
When talking about this series, the scene that is most familiar with fans – and even non-fans – is in the second-to-last episode of the show. The episode is called “The View from Halfway Down” and wraps up the main story with a touching yet realistic conclusion. BoJack, who thinks he has just died, is confronted by all the people he’s wronged or lost.
The episode received widespread acclaim and is the culmination of the titular character’s story.
The fact that a show structured like this can do a better job explaining so many issues in the world than live-action shows is extraordinary.
There is no other show quite like “BoJack Horseman,” and I truly believe it is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys shows that make you think, learn and laugh and, most importantly, leave an impact. I know it left one on me.
