If you have ever needed a show that is relatable, current, emotional, and an all-around feel-good party, look no further than the Netflix Original series Bojack Horseman. The show is an adult animated comedy that follows the misadventures of Bojack Horseman: the alcoholic, sardonic, self-absorbed fading 90’s sitcom star who is an anthropomorphic cross between a horse and human in the fictionalized version of Hollywood called Hollywood.
The series stars Will Arnett as Bojack Horseman and includes an ensemble cast playing a variety of colorful characters. These actors include Allison Brie as Diane Nguyen, Bojack’s self-doubting bookish best friend, Aaron Paul who plays Todd Chavez Bojacks laid back, childish, idiot savant, stoner friend, and Amy Sedaris who plays Princess Carolyn Bojacks wise-cracking workaholic agent who Bojack shares and close bond and relationship with.
Each cast member brings their character to life not just using their voices, but also with their talents as actors. If you were a fan of any of the actors prior to this you see a lot of themselves in each character as if they wrote and made for them specifically.
Each season’s premise would feature a story arc that ties into current social justice issues while also tying it into Bojack’s main story. The series reached its conclusion following part two of season six. The premise of the show is about Bojack being a terrible self-entitled person who takes advantage of most of his friends but still manages to get you to love him and feel sorry for his situations because as the series unravels you see the tribulations he went through in order to become the person who he is.
Season six shows how all the people Bojack has hurt from his past have been since he last saw them and how they are struggling to move on from him. However like in today’s social climate some dark secrets from your past may come back to haunt you. In this season, Horseman struggles with sobriety and completely reinventing himself. He teaches an acting course at Wesleyan University and is slowly rebuilding the damaged friendships he has with his best friends Todd and Diane. As he slowly begins to rebuild his life and relationships an investigation into one of his co-star’s deaths is examined and threatens Bojack’s character until the truth finally comes out. The show ends on a bittersweet note because you’re happy to see him making changes in his life but the struggles to get there and the relationships he ruined were too great to repair.
This final season’s closing scene featured Bojack and Diane reflecting on their last six years together as friends and how different they both are now. It is heavily implied that this the last conversation the two will ever have as their relationship is far from repairable. The scene closes with the two of them sitting in content silence as they stare out at the night sky together.
As a viewer and fan of the show, you can actually feel the things these characters are describing which are nearly an impossible thing to do in animation if the characters are literally just sitting there. As fans you know these characters and understand the lives they live so the sound of silence in the closing scene is almost cathartic. It feels like you as the viewer are ready to say goodbye to these characters you have grown attached to these last few years.
The show’s writing is what really makes it great. The black comedy style is a huge part of this show as a whole and the aspects of everyday life which it parodies made me ponder, “What the Hell are we focusing on in society?”. The show leaves its viewers to reflect,because it shows that no matter how bad of a person you think you are there is always a silver lining and a way to make things right.
Honestly, if you’re having a rough day I’d say watch this show because Bojack’s life is beyond the usual rough day routine. As we say goodbye to this Netflix hit we can be reminded that life will bring you struggles every day and our actions and reactions to them will have consequences both good and bad and that’s what being human is. I think its safe to say as fans of the show we all learned a little humility from a horse and as odd as it sounds fans know it rings true.