BoJack Horseman will make you confront your humanity
By Samuel Rocha | Assignments Editor |
Personally, I don’t get into TV shows that easily. They have to meet my standards and I have to be engaged with it throughout the story line. Shows such as Regular Show, Atlanta, and Ramy have been my favorites over the years and have not disappointed me at all. But it seems as if I have to make an adjustment to the shows I consider as one of my favorites of all time. I’ve been meaning to watch this show for the past year and a half, but at the time I didn’t have Netflix or time due to me being busy. Quarantine has usually been dull except for these past few days whenever I finally got to watch in its entirety, BoJack Horseman.
BoJack Horseman first aired on Netflix on Aug. 22, 2014 and six seasons later, ended on January 21, 2020. BoJack Horseman is an animated Netflix TV show about a famous actor, BoJack Horseman, from the hit 90’s TV show, “Horsin’ Around,” and his life 30 years later. Although BoJack has been living in his expensive mansion since then, he has not received any new roles to play in films or other TV shows and is seen as a washed up ‘Hollywoo’ star from the 90’s. Since then he has been struggling from depression and copes it with drugs and alcohol. Other main characters are Todd, the lazy best friend of BoJack, Diane, misunderstood ghostwriter, Princess Carolyn, workaholic cat agent, and Mr. Peanutbutter, a Golden Labrador “Hollywoo” movie star actor.
The thing I like about BoJack Horseman is that it’s not just a animated comedy about the Hollywood lifestyle, it’s about how real people feel on a day to day basis and how nobody is perfect. It’s about the struggles we all face that help the audience feel, including myself, that you’re not alone. The show covers depression, self-destructive behavior, trauma, and addiction in ways most TV shows wouldn’t even get near. BoJack Horseman pushes the boundaries for what defines a great television show and will be an example for future animated series.
I find it odd to admit a television show, let alone an animated talking horse, made me think about the choices I’ve made and man does it hit home real hard. I got attached to the characters because I feel like it was easier for me to relate to them. Like I said, not many TV shows go the distance and touch these sensitive topics, yet BoJack Horseman does it flawlessly.
After binging all 77 episodes in one week, I became depressed and sad knowing this is how I feel most of the day and I haven’t confronted these emotions till now. It leaves a hollow place in my chest, yet I feel almost a relief knowing I can be better. BoJack Horseman made me confront my emotions and act upon them to live a better life. Recently I started running again all because of one of my favorite scenes from the show. There is a jogging baboon that runs up and down BoJack’s street in a number of episodes, but in the season two finale, he gets his first and last line in the TV show. BoJack tries to exercise for once and gets tired easily running up his street. BoJack later falls onto the grass, breathing heavily in an exaggerated way until the baboon confronts BoJack on the ground and says, “It gets easier…Every day it gets a little easier…But you gotta do it every day — that’s the hard part.” I love that quote and it has motivated me to try and bounce back on homework, my mental health, and health in general.
BoJack Horseman is therapy and closure in a weird way. Although the great comedy on the surface level is satisfying by itself, the deeper it goes into real problems we as humans face, the more engaging it is ironically as it comes from talking animals.
BoJack Horseman is available only on Netflix and there are 77 episodes that last about 30 minutes long. Since we got plenty of time on our hands due to quarantine, I highly recommend at least checking out the first two seasons and see what you like.