‘BoJack’ is Back and Lives Up to Expectations

The new season of "BoJack Horseman" has come to Netflix. By Courtesy of Netflix

“BoJack Horseman” is now in its last half season, causing collective cries of anguish from fans — both because it’s the last one, but also because everyone will have to wait for Part 2 to be released on Jan. 31, 2020. And what a wait it will be, given that this semester forces BoJack (Will Arnett) to confront his depression and alcoholism head-on, as well as grapple with the death of Sarah Lynn (Kristen Schaal) from a past season.

The staff at IndieWire thought it was a little premature to call the series the best animated show of all time, after 5.5 seasons, but this claim is both arguable and correct. The season opens on BoJack in rehab, predictably deflecting this therapist’s probing questions about his first time drinking alcohol — BoJack goes back in time via flashback, because not even he knows — while subsequent episodes touch on the difficulties of being a single mother, Diane’s (Alison Brie) depression in the aftermath of her divorce and a budding relationship, and Hollywoo assistants protesting their work conditions.

Granted, some of the subplots are revived in strange ways that don’t feel entirely natural, though that’s perhaps because of the year’s gap between the release of every season. Diane’s depressive episodes seem to come from nowhere, though this may in fact be a realistic depiction of what depression is truly like. Also, the subplot about bringing in an investigation of Sara Lynn’s death seems to have been generated to simply provide plot fodder for one episode. That aside, both these plot points will almost certainly be revisited in the second half of the season.

One of the most refreshing components of this season is BoJack’s character arc: He finally begins to address his self-destructive psychological problems in a way that’s productive, even if it is tortured and slow. This process, of course, is infused with his regular deadpan delivery and black comedy.

People watch BoJack for the social commentary, and that’s what this season delivers. At one point, a law is changed allowing billionaires to kill people legally, essentially codifying what many Americans already believe to be true: namely, Amazon runs its people into the ground, while hundreds of other companies outsource their production to other countries, forcing those people into subpar working conditions that indirectly lead to their deaths. The assistant strike makes clear, for those not paying attention, that much of American labor goes unpaid and underappreciated — all the while providing the backbone for the services that people have come to take for granted. Both these issues, as well as that of what a working mother can reasonably do when childcare services do not exist or are unaffordable if they do, are handled with biting wit. It’s impossible not to squirm or relate to what’s onscreen.

Hollyhock (Aparna Nancherla), BoJack’s half-sister who came to stay in Season Five, finally gets more airtime. This is to say that most, if not all, of the main characters get their time in the spotlight and undergo change — with the exception of Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins). Yes, his character is supposed to be goofy and lighthearted, but amid the struggles of the others and their arcs, his story and personality become silly at best and grating at worst. Somehow, no one manages to tell him that he’s self-centered, arrogant, and incapable of listening to others. Though many people likely know someone like this in their own lives, after six seasons, it’s a wonder that he hasn’t shown any more depth at all. The result is a character who is so absurd that it borders on the infuriatingly ridiculous.

Despite Mr. Peanutbutter’s lack of character development, this season lives up to the audience’s high expectations and seems to show that the writers thought about where the characters will all end up. Of course it had to have an end, but judging by these initial eight episodes, it’s reasonable to assume that the show will end with the comedic bleakness and biting commentary that’s not only expected, but much needed.

—Staff writer Cassandra Luca can be reached at cassandra.luca@thecrimson.com, and on Twitter @cassandraluca_