‘BoJack’ returns for the beginning of the end
Courtesy of Inverse
The first half of the final season of “BoJack Horseman” premiered on Friday, Oct. 25. It picked up where it left off, with our washed-up sitcom star protagonist checking himself into rehab and his relationships falling apart. BoJack Horseman has always been a show that pulls no punches when it comes to emotions, but this season is the first time where instead of watching BoJack spiral deeper into endless cycles of booze and bad decisions, we see him do the right things.
The beautiful thing about these episodes is that every character gets what they deserve. BoJack gets help and a second chance through rehab. Diane, his long-suffering friend, gets what seems to be her first shot at a truly healthy relationship. Loveable goofball Todd, BoJack’s asexual former roommate, gets a shot at making up with his family. Princess Carolyn, BoJack’s former agent and lover, finally gets to “have it all” with a career and a kid. Mr. Peanut Butter, star of a blatant rip-off of BoJack’s show “Horsin’ Around,” finally gets his crossover episode. But the horrible thing about this season is that these characters get what they have coming to them too.
As BoJack tries to walk a better path, the sins of his past begin to boil over around him. All the horrible things he’s done in the past five seasons begin to come to a head. The people he’s hurt begin to talk, and the show leaves you waiting patiently for the other shoe to drop at almost every moment. There isn’t a single person in this series who makes it through without hurting someone or without being hurt, and all the pain these characters have inflicted on each other seems ready to explode.
The show once again succeeds on all levels of production. The voice actors and cameos are perfect, the animation is gorgeous and the tongue twisting dialogue the show manages to weave into brilliant moments of comedy is better than ever before. The writers have managed to give a hugely satisfying lead-up to the end of a series that nails every emotional beat, every punchline and every moment of character development. Also, spoiler alert, BoJack goes gray and it genuinely works for him.
Somehow the writers have taken a show that, on the surface level, just seems to be a goofy comedy about a funny horse man with depression and turned it into one of the most fantastic and emotionally heavy shows of all time. The team has truly done an amazing job on this part and on the entire series.
The writers left us on a cliffhanger that instills a fantastic sense of dread for what will happen next and we don’t have to wait too long. The season will be completed at the end of January and will hopefully be just as satisfying as this first half.
