BoJack Horseman Final Reflection

Bojack Horseman Netflix’s surreal series depicting the life of a depressed former tv star came to an end January 31, 2020. It’s interesting to sit here and reflect on how I, at one time, had no interest in the show, then fell in love with it, and ultimately waited breath abated for the final episodes. Remembering a time before I had Netflix ( I just didn’t want to pay nor borrow) I would see stills or pictures from the show. As a fan of animation I was curious about what the show would be, my honest impression was that it would be just another raunchy adult animation comedy. I paid little mind to what people around me were saying and just didn’t pay attention to the show until I watched episode one in 2017.

Curious how a memory of a rather insignificant event can stand so clearly in my mind. At the time Netflix was one of the few luxuries I could afford, I had been working two jobs with limited hours and minimum wage, and my life had seemingly dipped down. It’s so much a dip in quality but in satisfaction. That particular evening I had come home from my dishwashing job and after showering the day away I laid in bed and clicked on the suggested show.I binged the first season nearly entirely that night, I only slept because of exhaustion and an early call time. It’s incredible how swept away I felt, how relatable aspects of BoJack’s and other characters personalities were, the high and low brow humor, the complexity and simplicity of the story telling and narrative subversion. That night I realized I was watching an artwork not just another adult animation comedy.

Now with the story ending in “ Good While It Lasted”, fans are reacting to this jump off point. I’ll explain why this final episode is a jump off point not a conclusion presently. But first I’ll state my primary motivation for writing this piece,essentially this is my reply to a critical commentary which argued that the story conclusions for various characters were not satisfactory. To paraphrase the arguments of the article the resolutions for various characters seem to deliver a result but perhaps not the result that the characters in particular deserved. My reply is simple:The ending is not supposed to be happy we know this; this is BoJack Horseman, the show which subverts notions of traditional narrative. To give every character a nice happy, whole resolution would be inconsistent with the authenticity of the series’ storytelling.

This authenticity needs to be explained, BoJack Horseman is a show which explores real consequences for actions and real struggles. The show is commended for bringing attention to various mental health, substance abuse, and identity struggles people daily endure.

BoJack is not free in a legal sense but also is still not free from his traumas, his behavioral problems, his constant blaming others.PC and Judah wedding shows that they are married to each but what they really love is work. They can love each other because they both love work more than anything else. Judah works at the wedding not because the shows ending is flawed or he is an underwritten character. Him not being there shows that he himself, the character, is flawed in that he can’t stop working even at the fake wedding.The essence of the fake wedding itself like all of Hollywood. A show to promote the business of PC and Judah.BoJack and Diane have a final conversation with a lot unsaid because they are people who don’t know how to communicate.

The show is over but the lives of the characters are not over. They did not solve or fix their problems. The show does not provide satisfying conclusions for their relationships because it tries to reflect real life as much as it can thus there can’t be complete satisfaction.