Honest Review: Bojack Horseman

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BoJack Horseman is a series on Netflix about a lonely horse who hates himself and struggles with his life in general and can never seem to be happy. This show is dark, but it also is one of the realest shows connecting to our modern world, that life is not ideal and sometimes there will not be a happily ever after. Bojack personality and a strong supporting cast lead this show to some great moments. But how does the quirky randomness hurt or benefit the show

THIS IS NOT A SUMMARY: SPOILERS MAY HAPPEN 

Season 1: This introduces the main characters and introduces them to their personalities and such things. This season focus on the book that Bojack plans to write to get his career back on track. The plot here is overall is basic and set and stone and nothing really happens. It sets up it's iconic moments and tells the reader that they have a choice of being funny and expand themselves. These comedic lines and verses with an introduction to the nitty gritty of Bojacks life make this season memorable. With all the iconic moments, this season is one that is memorable

8.8/10

Season 2: This season was hard to watch. With no real formation of the plot, which is Bojack Horseman playing his dream role, this seems like a filler season, a setup for the season that has the most action and Bojack start of his crazy downward spiral. This is the time Bojack is happiest, and is just not needed. It was a DRAG to get to Season 2 of this show, and sadly is just not to it's standard. While it is still a good, it get tedious to watch in some aspects, and is a prequel to the events that build up to Season 3

6.2/10

Season 3: This season focus a lot on Bojacks happiness and how he wants to feel happy in life. He starts to question himself and what he is worth after not being nominated for an Oscar from Sectretariat. This season is great in what it adds to Bojacks character. Bojack struggles with loving himself, which makes him cut ties with the ones he loves and causes him to go on a spiral downward. Bojack is someone who feels nothing and is lonely, and causes the audience to feel sympathy. With some witty side stories and overall good humor and its still life episode where there is no dialogue, the director really hit the nail on the head here. Its setup and overall flowing of a theme is sketchy, which dimminshes its ranking with its sloppy outlier that feels unstructured at some points. The cliffhanger leaves me dying to see the next scene

8.6/10

Season 4: Season 4 is my favorite and most important season on record. With an amazing amount of balance of dramatic sadness and comedy, this season is the great balance and the top of the rollercoaster in the plot of Bojack Horseman. As we see Bojack fall low and feel that he ruins everyone that he meets, we see the vulnerable side we all feel when a potential daughter comes to him to say that there DNA matched. With the crashing of Peanutbutter and Diane's relationship, we see real life in front of our eyes and for once we can feel good about ourselves. With every character life crashing down and the buildup being so strong, this makes me crave more from Season 5. This definitely delivered and overall caused Season 5 to be the most dramatic season by far. In life, you need to appreciate the build up.

9.7/10

Season 5: This season is real. The rollercoaster is coming down in this series and this DRASTICALLY changes the landscape of the show

SPOILERS BELOW
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-Diane and Peanutbutter are divorced
-Bojack cares more for a "girlfriend" than himself
-Princess Carolyn looks to adopt a child and fails a lot of times
-Bojack gets addicted to pain medication
-Peanutbutter finds a new girlfriend and cheats on her with Diane
-Bojacks mom dies

This show is the definition of life crashing down and hitting rock bottom and the tide shifting. Every character seems to hit a rock bottom in this show and has trouble getting up. This is the realest the show can get and surprisingly dark. I did not laugh during the show and was near crying at some points. Proof that life is not always a happy comedy that we all make it out to be. The theme here is prominent and everything comes into picture. We look at nearly every characters pass that built up and we learn the truths of Bojacks cruel parents. We all see it unfold and it ends in every character seeing a rock bottom, with one character going up, that being Princess Carolyn adopting a kid, a light in the tunnel for a dark series. While it is truly a work of art, it feels different than most of the show, and I enjoy it overall and is definetly one of the best seasons

9.7/10

Overall: 9.2/10

What to Expect in Season 6: A rollercoaster comes up when it hits the bottom and there is only one way to go from here, up. Expect some sort of revenge sequence or some hero returns moment for Bojack, were finally, there will be some sort of Nirvana that makes Bojack happy
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@Vader
Expect some sort of revenge sequence or some hero returns moment for Bojack, were finally, there will be some sort of Nirvana that makes Bojack happy

Every time Bojack finds something that seems it might start him on the path to change (whether it be a healthy relationship, his workout sessions to prep for his dream role as Secretariat, his getaway to the Michigan lake house, etc.) it never sticks. Agreeing to go to rehab in the final scene of season 5 is yet another potential starter on the path to change but I doubt it will be any different from any of the other things I mentioned here. I expect it to last for the first two episodes of season 6 at most.
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It seems different though to me. While I do agree those are major things that failed, he was not at the point of rock bottom yet. Him strangling someone he loved like Gina because of an addiction to pain killers really caused a wake up call to him. I do agree this will last for 2 seasons, I have a feeling he will commit to some change and overall better himself and slightly go up.

I study film and art of film and TV on my free time and I have correctly predicted Bojack's failures with commitment. This felt different with the setting and the tone suddenly changing. With his change in attitude for Gina and how he major screwed up. He concedes to his problem. Rock bottom is Season 5 and he can only go up
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@Vader
I do agree this will last for 2 seasons

I said 2 episodes, at most, i.e. I do not think it will stick. Sure I could be wrong but those are my thoughts.

Rock bottom is Season 5 and he can only go up

There are plenty of ways for things to get worse from here. For instance there is some speculation on the internet that season 5's end sequence suggests that Diane dies in a car crash on her way home from dropping Bojack off at rehab. While the show has killed off major characters before I don't think this particular theory is actually accurate but my point remains this... You don't know where rock bottom is until long after it has passed, because you never know what tomorrow might bring.
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What I meant was episode. My b

You're drunk DD, go home
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Please delete flagged posts.
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Left your laptop open? Or were you actually that drunk?
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No, I definitely made those posts. Did not notice until I saw Supa replying. Thanks for fast response.
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Lmfao...
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Life saver.

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I know <3

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@Vader
What was the metric you used?


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wHAT'S THIS, A CROSSOVER EPISODE?
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Engagement of season

Plot development

Shows comprehension

Clarity
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@Vader
Engagement of season

Plot development

Shows comprehension

Clarity

Comprehension can be factual. 
Others depend on what you consider it to be.

You can make the argument that what we consider what under what we can know is factual but yeah. 
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@Mharman
What is this, a mismatched buddy comedy about two guys from different sides of the tracks - who learn to respect each other because they have a common interest - and a grudging respect blossoms into real friendship as they set aside their differences to achieve a shared goal - each bringing their own strength to the table, and possibly there's a karaoke scene?
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This is my opinion and my honest review on the show. No one elses. I do use some factuality/opinion in comprehension
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@Vader
This is my opinion and my honest review on the show. No one elses. I do use some factuality/opinion in comprehension
Okay. 

80 days later

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Since you already summarized, I'll just share my ratings of the seasons, and thoughts about Bojack:

Season 1 - 7.4
When I was first told to watch the show, I thought it was just going to be another silly Cartoon, like The Simpsons or Rick & Morty (though I love the latter.) But I was hooked from the first episode. I immediately loved Princess Carolyn and Todd even though they're doormats. And I had mixed feelings about rooting for either Bojack or Mr Peanutbutter with Diane, because Bojack had so many other problems he needs to face before he can be in a relationship, and Mr Peanutbutter was just too annoyingly good. We also meet Sarah Lynn and Herb, who I didn't think would be important later on, but it turns out there are so many foreshadows in the earlier seasons. I give it a slightly low rating because it was an opening season to introduce characters so all the ~drama~ is saved for later on.  

Season 2 - 6.4
This season was hard to watch, as you stated. I think I overlooked how soul-crushing it was that the only woman Bojack thought could love him was one who didn't see him in the last 30 years. I was happy for Princess Carolyn going out on her own. He also gets Kelsey fired. But the Charlotte and Penny episode, oof. So many things happened here that can and will come back to haunt him. You can literally see him spirally downward. 

Season 3 - 8.3
This season broke my heart. The Planetarium scene will forever stick with me. I thought this would be rock bottom. PC also made strides here.

Season 4 - 8.4
This also had a lot of fillers in it, but The Old Sugarman Place is one of my favourite episodes. PC and her bf wanted to start a family, which was super sweet, until she meets his anti-cat family. We also lost Judah in this season which was soul-crushing because he was one of my favourite characters. Hollyhock is introduced here and Bojack should have a reason to get clean now. 

Season 5 - 8.6
Mr Peanutbutter isn't as perfect as I thought he was. People aren't inherently bad Annie - they just do good and bad things. Mr Peanutbutter isn't an angel, and Bojack isn't a devil. They're just two dudes going through life and messing up sometimes along the way. Bojack's monologue broke my heart and that episode was hard to watch. PC wants a baby to fill the hole in her life. Bojack hurts Gina and doesn't realize it at first, but she doesn't want to make herself "just another victim" so she says it was part of the show.

Season 6 part 1 - 9.2
SPOILER WARNING 
If you have heart problems or anxiety, this season will test out how well your body functions. Hold on to your hat because you're going on a RIDE. Not as much new ~drama~ this season, but it's all about the butterfly effect and consequences. And that mother flipping ending of that last episode, my heart almost gave up and I almost chucked my phone out my window when I realized I have to wait till January for the next episode. Definitely my favourite of all the seasons so far - PC naming Untitled Princess Carolyn project and rewriting what she thought was her fate, Judah aka Jesus' return, mental health portrayed in Diane and Mr Peanutbutter, Peter, the fallout of all Bojack's actions, and his past coming to haunt him when he's making strides. 

We have a whole half a season to go, and I'm ~excited~ to see what happens next. 

Questions for those of you who have watched s6:
  1. Do you think everything will come out in the open?
  2. How do you think society will react? (cancel culture) Will Bojack be "cancelled?"
  3. Can and do you think Bojack face jail-time? What would have been his plea - innocent or guilty?
  4. How will the release of all this information affect his relationships with his friends, family (specifically Hollyhock) and the people around him?
  5. Will PC, Todd and Diane be implicated in any of the decisions that Bojack made to get him where he is today? 
  6. Will Charlotte make a return to carry out her last promise to Bojack?
  7. Will Bojack survive to the end of the season? How do you think he might die, if not - suicide or murder?
  8. Will Bojack eventually find romantic love?
 
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  1. Do you think everything will come out in the open?
Looking at how the show is going so far and how they are rushing to a lot of things in the plot, I say probably. Idk what **SPOILER** Hollyhock is going to do knowing that Bojack basically tried to have sex

  2 .How do you think society will react? (cancel culture) Will Bojack be "cancelled?"
I hope. Cancel culture is a meme itself because it is BTS stans crying about other stans. I hope it does, but I don't think it will

3. Can and do you think Bojack face jail-time? What would have been his plea - innocent or guilty?
If the fact that is technically legal to do such a thing in New Mexico, then I don't think he will go to jail. If he does, guilty

4. How will the release of all this information affect his relationships with his friends, family (specifically Hollyhock) and the people around him?
Diane will leave him to dust and never talk to him again. Todd will come back to him, and I think PC just doesn't do anything

5.Will PC, Todd and Diane be implicated in any of the decisions that Bojack made to get him where he is today? 
In the first part, it looked like Bojack made decisions for himself and tried to get better actively doing so, I do not have a doubt that Bojack will just get himself up

6. Will Charlotte make a return to carry out her last promise to Bojack?
I need a refresher on who this is again lol

7. Will Bojack survive to the end of the season? How do you think he might die, if not - suicide or murder?
He survives. He will move away to Hollywood and probably go live a secluded life somewhere far off in the world to be happy and be in touch with nature. He will fake his death. If he does die, suicide

8. Will Bojack eventually find romantic love?
I hope Gina or Diane, but my hopes are high
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If the fact that is technically legal to do such a thing in New Mexico, then I don't think he will go to jail. If he does, guilty
That part was technically legal though frowned upon. But Peter and the alcohol to minors is gonna be the crux. 

Diane will leave him to dust and never talk to him again. 
Doesn't Diane know almost everything? I think it'll come down to her choosing between supporting a depressed Bojack, or being a good influence to Guy's kid and leaving Bojack in her past.

I need a refresher on who this is again lol
His friend. Penny's mum. 

Gina or Diane 
Gina is too traumatized by him imho. Diane + Bojack would be really difficult with both their issues. 

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1) Do you think everything will come out in the open?

This seems pretty inevitable to me. I think that if the reporters looking into Sara Lynn's death make a big story about Bojacks involvement then that will open the floodgates for everything else. Gina and the therapy horse from rehab would likely be the first to come forward. Whether or not Pete-repeat does as well will depend on how his new friendship with Hollyhock develops and how she reacts to finding out about Bojacks involvement in Pete's story.

 2.How do you think society will react? (cancel culture) Will Bojack be "cancelled?"

A lot of the things that may come out about his past (providing alcohol to minors, involvement in Sara Lynn's death, assult and battery on Gina, etc.) involve some potential for serious prison time so the public reaction may be the least of his worries. I am calling it now. Bojack is going to be publically ridiculed then offered a "for-givie" award, which he will decline because he really is a changed horse.

3) Can and do you think Bojack face jail-time? What would have been his plea - innocent or guilty?

Already touched on this, jail time seems inevitable if everything comes out. I think he would plead guilty.

4) How will the release of all this information affect his relationships with his friends, family (specifically Hollyhock) and the people around him?

I honestly don't know. This is a great question and how the story progresses from here would seem to revolve around the answer to this one question.

5) Will PC, Todd and Diane be implicated in any of the decisions that Bojack made to get him where he is today? 

If you mean in a legal sense for all the jail time Bojack might be potentially facing then I don't see how any of these characters could be implicated. If we do get an actual trial in the justice system all are likely to appear as character witnesses.

6) Will Charlotte make a return to carry out her last promise to Bojack?

I doubt she would try to literally kill him but she will definitely be part of the anti-Bojack crowd in the court of public opinion if everything comes out.

7) Will Bojack survive to the end of the season? How do you think he might die, if not - suicide or murder?

He will probably survive. I could see a montage through a few years of prison similar to the rehab montage, then seeing him released on good behavior and retiring from public life (again, after declining the aforementioned for-givie nomination).

8) Will Bojack eventually find romantic love?

Nah, doesn't need it.
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I need a refresher on who this is again lol

Penny's mom. Last words to Bojack - "If you ever try to contact anyone in my family again I will fucking kill you" (Bojack had since both called a clueless Kyle on the phone and physically visited Penny during his bender with Sara Lynn).
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Ahhh! I didn't rewatch before S6 so I forgot about the name...
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6. Will Charlotte make a return to carry out her last promise to Bojack?
Ehhhhh, toughie toughie. I don't know at this point

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If you mean in a legal sense for all the jail time Bojack might be potentially facing then I don't see how any of these characters could be implicated. If we do get an actual trial in the justice system all are likely to appear as character witnesses.
Because PC helped cover up the Gina thing. I'm not sure how much Diane knew about New Mexico. Todd was aware Bojack was using and of his relationship with Sara Lynn.
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In the assult case Gina did intentionally choose not to press charges because in her words "I don't want you to be the awkward question I get asked at interviews for the rest of my career." It's possible that PC had a hand in helping Gina reach that conclusion but it was Gina's choice as a fully grown adult either way. If she changes her mind later and decides to press charges PC has nothing to worry about from a legal standpoint.

The drug case with Todd is less clear. Obviously if Dr. Hu came forward and talked about the night that Todd shared drugs with BJ and Sarah Lynn there could be trouble for that but I don't think that just being aware of Bojack using and not doing anything about it is illegal in any way. Covering up BJs involvement in Sara Lynns death might be a different story but I don't think Todd knew anything about that.

In Diane's case the only way for it to come out that she knew about New Mexico is if Ana came forward and revealed that she gave Diane the tape of BJs confession. I don't think this is likely though Ana may have made a copy of the tape and come forward with that against BJ. I don't think there is enough info on the tape to make Diane complicit anyway.

So in PC and Dianes case I think the answer is clear-cut that they are not in any legal trouble. Todd's case depends largely on Dr. Hu coming forward (actually quite likely given his change of heart after Sarah Lynn's death) and him actually remembering about Todd existing on the night he sold drugs to BJ and Sarah Lynn (not as likely in my opinion. Definitely something the writers could gloss over without breaking my suspension of disbelief).
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Why is this in misc lmao