Bojack Horseman Season 5- A Sensational Season of Television
Punches aren’t pulled in the opening episode “The Light Bulb Scene” which is one of the stronger opening episodes. It doesn’t waste too much time with a set-up that a lot of the other season openers tend to do, instead, it races into a new set of characters and stories. ‘Philbert’ is the exact right amount of ridiculous, with swift malicious satire being expertly used, especially with the character of Flip McVicker. Rami Malek creates this disturbing character that is this excellent portrayal of pretentious auteur directors to a hyperbolic sense resulting in this deranged figure. We are also introduced to Gina, Bojack’s new girlfriend that is this actress who has never hit fame so tries her best to appease the executives as much as possible, it results in this underlying sadness to the character that works well. Todd becomes manager of a company, PC begins the tough exhausting road to adoption and in one of the most shocking moments, Diane and Mr PB reveal they are getting divorced. It’s a subtle quiet moment that isn’t meant to shock you, it leaves the audience in a place of uncertainty and sadness as their divorce is treated in such a matter of fact sense. A fantastic opener that utilises and introduces some ferociously harsh concepts that are exciting and set the tone for the season as a whole.
“The Dog Days Are Over” is a daring, emotional and inventive episode. It starts with an opening montage of Diane crying, it’s disturbing through and through and hits the audience with this immediate tone for the episode. The rest is structured as a journalistic article that Diane is writing, as she narrates over the whole episode with this second person voice as it jumps around events following her divorce. The episode explores stereotypes surrounding divorce and the idea of finding yourself and your culture. Her divorce is treated as an inconsequential event from her perspective, she is shown going through the natural separation, they spend time together and its framed in this incredible awkwardness. Admittedly confusing, the non-linear structure allows for character development to somehow manage to still work, she forces herself to develop and forces this new persona instead of naturally dealing with the divorce. Alison Brie is in fantastic form, her narration is painfully forced, and she manages to show this hidden flaw behind every line with that fantastic break into vulnerability in the final scene. Pickles is a controversial character, she is irritating and exhausting, but it works in a relationship with Mr PB as they work off each other well and their arc brings out some character flaws in Mr PB. It is an emotional and upsetting episode that has this sombre tone that starts the fantastic arc for Diane, somehow Bojack Horseman manages to show a topic I have little emotional connection to but builds such strong character that the emotion hits anyway.
Interestingly, Season 5 now has 3 new relationships to explore through Bojack and Gina, Todd and Yolanda and Mr PB and Pickles. “Planned Obsolescence” is the show taking all the opportunities to look into these relationships and exploring the repeated patterns of the main characters. Todd and Yolanda’s plot is a Todd story through and through, it is downright hilarious and has some of the rudest humour the show has to date. The hyperbolic family being a metaphor for our parents’ expectations and the fears surrounding coming out is occasionally taken a bit too far into the absurd but the conclusion that they still accept her is a breath of fresh air. I really enjoy their breakup as it exposes how sexuality is sacred and you shouldn’t settle due to one similarity. I don’t love Pickles and Mr PB’s story as it seems a bit inconsequential, it is a development that doesn’t really work, it’s weird too have Pickles to start to worry they are taking it too fast. It is a trope in new relationships to have this plot, but I do like a couple of the jokes and the ending is really sweet as it shows them relaxing and not thinking too much about it. Bojack and Gina’s plot is the strongest part of the episode, it fleshes out Gina’s character really well and actually shows promise for a happy relationship between the two, but still exposes Bojack’s flaws really well. Slightly disconnected and perhaps too crazy to comprehend, but with an underlying sweet tone and a nice final montage that is equal parts heart-warming and sad.
An episode called “Bojack The Feminist” is bound to be full of swift satire, biting humour and controversial daring representations. We are introduced to awful human being Vance Waggoner, an amalgamation of every single racist and sexist Hollywood star that Hollywood keeps forgiving, Bojack’s take on this is a hilarious ‘Forgiveness Awards’ which results in Bojack becoming a feminist icon. It’s a fantastic perspective on how we hold people to ridiculously low standards in Hollywood, Bojack gets famed for simply saying that Vance’s actions are bad. Unlike previous heavily political episodes, the pace is slower and balances the opinions well with clever lines that feel like they are in character rather than being lectured at. Ana Spanakopita returns in a chilling scene as she confronts Diane and begins the fantastic plot of Diane knowing about the events in New Mexico. There is this underlying dread at this moment, Spanakopita’s fantastically intimidating delivery and placing Diane in this awful position makes the audience very uncomfortable. Mr PB’s arc is stupid and fun, it doesn’t really fit with the rest of the episode as he tries to change his representation, it is nice to see a parody of how many actors play to type. It is a great satirical episode that has a lot of weight and consequence, which is surprising for these types of episodes.
I have repeatedly said my favourite character in the show is PC, “The Amelia Earhart Story” delves into her sad and painful past that has up until this point not been touched on. In a similar fashion to “The Old Sugarman Place”, the flashbacks intertwine through the A Plot but in a style of VHS transitions, creating an excellent parallel narrative. In the present, we see Mr PC attempting to talk to this woman about adopting her baby but the constant interruptions from the cast of ‘Philbert’ demonstrate how she is in no means ready to be a parent. She aspires to be a parent due to her loneliness and social understanding but it’s her obsession with her profession that is the real barrier, she isn’t ready to slow down. The flashbacks to her teenage years are truly traumatic to watch, seeing her relationship with her mother be so complex, as her mother is scared of losing her yet pushes her away at the same time. Back in season 4, the writers dropped a subtle hint that PC had several miscarriages and it finally comes to show in this episode. The hope for a better future and her aspirations for individuality, she is offered a wealthy but restrictive planned life if she keeps the baby, but this limits her want for individuality, like Amelia Earhart. It is upsetting to watch, showing this conflict embedded deep into PC, a fantastic and ambitious episode that is heart-warming and emotional.
Season 5 has only been out a month, and I must have watched “Free Churro” probably six times. There is this incredible sense of wonderment whilst watching Bojack’s 20-minute eulogy, Arnett manages to engage the audience through a series of thoughtful discussion and heart-breaking introspection. I see this episode as an epilogue to season 4, after the excellent “Time’s Arrow” which delves into Beatrice’s history we now see Bojack’s perspective on his mother. This is one of the most incredible achievements in writing and performance like no other. The cold open is a weird inclusion, but it’s nice to see Bojack’s dad showing the same abuse we saw from Beatrice but also exposing the faults in their marriage. The eulogy itself is full of this fantastic introspection as Bojack manages to make the whole monologue an almost private occasion, it’s like a stream of consciousness style performance. This is obviously shown when Bojack realises he is at the wrong funeral, he is so oblivious to these people as he delivers the eulogy for himself. I would love to discuss and break down every single beautiful moment, but I don’t have the time, I will draw attention to moments such as “I see you”, The Lollipop Dance and Beatrice’s Dance which hit you straight in the heart. Outstanding, a daring experiment that evolves into a beautiful piece of art that is downright perfect.
“INT.SUB” is a genuinely insane idea for an episode that somehow, with the talent of hilarious writing, is one of my favourites of the season. You can tell Bojack has experimented with unconventional ways to tell stories and still have the same emotional impact. Bobo the Angsty Zebra, Princess Diane, Tangled Fog of Pulsating Yearning, Emperor Finger Face, Mr Chocolate Hazel Spread and Flipper are names I had to mention because I still find them hilarious. It is in many ways a parody of the show itself, having it narrated from outside perspectives with ridiculous characters makes the actual content distant and with a comedic veil over it. The B-Plot revolving around a cheese string is funny due to the format but essentially doesn’t offer much else substantially. But that’s the point, we are distracted by the craziness and don’t notice the build in the conflict till we are snapped back to reality and we see one of the darkest character moves the show has taken. Seeing Diane commit a truly malicious act, using her power to damage Bojack is one of the toughest scenes to watch. Bojack facing consequences is a running theme of season 5, don’t forgive this man because of the ending of season 4, because of one good act, don’t forget the past. Bojack’s realisation, Diane watching him in this situation with pure anger, it’s disturbing to watch. The lines of reality blur further, and the sense of dread for how Bojack is going to handle this puts the episode in a really interesting place. Crazy, silly fun that devolves into one of the darkest unexpected scenes to date.
After the incredible previous episode, the show takes a step away and moves to Mr PB and explores how each one of his relationships fell apart. Once again, the show fantastically playas with format swiftly switching between all four parties with whiplash confusion. Bojack Horseman loves to play with flashbacks using them as fantastic fourth wall jokes, and this episode is basically the pinnacle of flashback humour. This is my least favourite episode of the season, it lacks in a lot of substance, it’s a whole episode where the only substance is the idea that Mr PB’s personality tends to make people bitter and cynical. It is lovely to see the difference between past versions of characters and how they’ve changed, especially Diane and PC, but Mr PB doesn’t seem to have changed at all, showing a defining flaw. Diane confronts Mr PB stating that he dates people too young and then they grow out of him, whilst Mr PB doesn’t seem to never grow up. Overall a weaker episode but is full of great comedy and some small but nice Mr PB development.
Finally, on episode nine of the series we get the return of Hollyhock in an episode that has such a raw sad tone to it: “Ancient History”. Bojack’s self-destruction is a frustrating and upsetting character trait, especially matched with Hollyhock. Seeing the effects of the previous season effect on Hollyhock is upsetting and creates this awkwardness emphasised by Bojack’s creeping addiction. The return of Ralph is genuinely heart-warming, he is the same charming person who treats PC with respect that makes it even sadder that these two characters struggle to get together due to their current status. Henry Fondle, I don’t have any idea what to say about Henry Fondle but it’s nice to see Todd attempting to be nice to Emily. Bojack struggles to connect with Hollyhock, he pushes her away almost subconsciously which is so heart breaking to watch from Hollyhock’s perspective. There is a lot to unpack in the behaviour of addicts in this episode, it fleshes out and establishes his addiction which makes the ending three episodes even more powerful. The final moments with Bojack not responding to Hollyhock’s “I love you”, the excellent sound design of Bojack’s grunts and the traffic accelerating all building to the crash is ridiculously tense. Although it doesn’t necessarily add a lot to the plot or characters, the focus on Bojack’s addiction is expertly done and so hard to watch.
“Head in the Clouds” is a gut punch of an episode. Revolving around the premiere of ‘Philbert’, two months after Bojack’s accident, this is the culmination of all the events of the season in a nonstop exhausting episode. First of all, the PC and Todd plots are really funny, but don’t add much. Henry Fondle becoming CEO is a fantastic parody of how we all ignore the sexual comments made by those in power, PC and the popsicle crisis is stupid and not much of a plot except for breaking down Flip. But these plots don’t matter because of the undeniable high point of the episode, the argument. Both Bojack and Diane are wonderfully hypocritical, neither one is morally correct, Diane is pushing too far and Bojack is holding back too much. It’s the discussion that summarises the point of Season 5, its time for Bojack to face the consequences of his actions, ‘Philbert’ is a direct parallel of Bojack ad Diane worries that ‘Philbert’ allows people to forgive themselves for the awful things they’ve done. We see Bojack take the overdose to heart and resort straight to the pills and this is a fantastic set-up for the “Showstopper”. Ultimately, a mediocre episode with an incredible sequence making it exceptional.
The one consistent factor that people struggle with about Bojack is the idea that Episode 11 is always the emotional episode, which makes it predictable. But after last seasons “Time’s Arrow”, Season 5 makes an episode that is two episodes in one. Philbert and Bojack Horseman suddenly meld together with ideas of reality played with as Bojack’s pill addiction forces him to struggle to separate the two. The animators use this excellent concept for amazing moments, sets falling apart, flashes between each show, the balloon and of course the crazy musical sequence. The climactic act of violence is probably the worst thing Bojack has done, if the people didn’t stop him he would have killed a woman. But that’s the point, the whole episode we are cemented into Bojack’s head, we see his addiction manifest into this damaged perspective on the events happening, but does that give him an excuse? Should we forgive him? I have spent ages trying to work out the meaning behind so many moments, it's probably one of the most symbolic episodes which I don’t have time to get into. But I do want to get into that final moment, that gorgeous unsettling moment that I haven’t stopped thinking about with gorgeous sound design. After what he did to Gina, he sees a golden staircase to heaven, throughout the episode we expect it to be a metaphor for death. But when he begins to climb, we expect him to see his parents, Sarah Lynn or Herb, but he doesn’t. All he sees is himself staring back at him. Because there isn’t an excuse, there is no other person he can lean on anymore, it goes back to season 3 because as Todd says, “You are everything that’s wrong with you”. A beautiful, surreal and symbolic episode that is much grimmer and melancholy than the previous penultimate episodes and takes a step forward confronting the themes head-on.
“The Stopped Show” is the most progressive the show has been. This is a fantastic conclusion to every arc and topic this season has brought up. ‘Philbert’ gets cancelled due to Bojack’s attack on Gina, but in a disturbing turn of events, Bojack gets forgiven, well sort of. In an uncomfortable interview with Gina and Bojack where they both have to pretend that everything is fine, and the events were not negative, it is heart-breaking to see Gina accept this lie due to wanting to preserve her career. Henry Fondle, the sex robot, then gets accused of sexual assault resulting in the production company getting shut down, the apology was pointless and Bojack didn’t face consequences. Interestingly, we see Bojack start to deeply regret his events and wanting the news out, he struggles at the interview to keep it in and he desperately goes to Diane to get her to leak the events. Diane has just gone through a brief fling with Mr PB, and after a conversation with her boss she matures from her angry malicious state against Bojack and offers him a helping hand by taking him to rehab. It is really interesting when you initially watch this season as personally, I noticed myself wanting to see Bojack exposed and face the malicious public as every horrible thing he has done comes out, but this episode points out that it isn’t the point. He needs help, he needs support before he can sufficiently pay for his actions, we have no right to condemn this man to a darker place for our own entertainment. PC finally adopts, Todd stops pretending, Mr PB proposes again, each character takes an equally negative and positive step. I really love this episode, it is political, uncomfortable and surprisingly hopeful and progressive with its ending.
Season 5 is the most political season of the show. Take the running arc for Bojack, he loses his mother and becomes addicted to painkillers which catch up to his debilitating mental health making him in the lowest place he has ever been. This is placed alongside a parallel of Diane finding of things he has done in the past and wanting these events to have their effect on him and torturing him for doing so. We watch it, with knowledge of all the terrible things he has done and want him too to face these consequences but Wakesberg and the fantastic writing team pull the rug from underneath the spectator. Instead, Bojack gets help, takes a step to recovery and it’s beautiful as we don’t forgive him, but we want him to improve. The wait for Season 6 is going to be tough, I never know where a season is going to go, and I think Season 5 was so complex and revolutionary that I don’t know if I need season 6. Of course, I have full confidence in the team behind it to make the next season incredible, but I adore season 5 so much that I don’t mind. I have thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this show and looking so in-depth to it, I love this show as you can probably tell, and it has really left its emotional mark on me. Thank you for reading these reviews, I always love talking Bojack and picking apart each episode.