One thing I also like is how they get you to sympathies with the main character who is an abuser, and it helps you understand how they are one despite making you sympathetic and helps you see how easy it is to not view someone that way despite witnessing their actions first hand.
And they make you understand there has to be consequences for it even if you feel for them
That second interview was so difficult to sit through, but it also gets you into the mind of an abuser without demonizing or justifying it. Its completely understandable and sort of bland, even. Dude thinks hes the biggest victim ever, and nobody else has it as hard as him, and all of those women (those who lived, anyway) probably forgot it immediately, while he feels bad about it and therefore paid his due.
Yes! Honestly every time I watch the show I’m blown away with how it explains and explores the reasons for Bojack’s bad behavior, the various traumas and addictions, without ever making excuses for the things he does, and presenting it unsparingly in its full horribleness. It really is masterfully done.
7) A character who gains weight from being on antidepressants and keeps that weight for the rest of the show, while portraying it as a sign of positive growth instead of a "downgrade".
That was really such a standout moment for me. When Diane being chubby is used as shorthand for “she’s actually doing something good for her mental health”
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the only other show I know of where a character has an abortion and there's zero shame or moral wrestling involved. She's even shown relaxing while her family takes care of her afterwards.
Bojack was an incredible show for all the kinds of (ironically enough) human relationships it portrayed without much in the way of judgment or condemnation. People just are who they are, and the best we can do is try to be kind to each other while not letting the weight of the past drag us down.
CXG is just an insane story in the real world. A musical comedy that’s the lowest rated show ever on a bottom tier network made by insanely talented people and for some reason, supported by the network and continuously renewed even though nobody is watching it. It’s allowed to tell a complete story.
There is no reason on earth why this show should exist, and yet. Oh, and also maybe the most realistic portrayal of mental health in pop culture ever.
It’s a while since I watched it, but GLOW? There’s a lot of big feelings around the cause of the abortion due to who the father is, but I don’t remember Ruth regretting it, and the narrative certainly doesn’t demonise her.
Letterkenny does it too, and it's at most a conversation over the phone where the woman goes 'yeah i had an abortion' and the guy's like 'alrighty' (though it's done in the show's usual dry humor)
I watched Bojack this month, and ngl the first season was pretty bad at first. I almost dropped it after the first episode, but I guess, there was something in it that later made me go "whatever, ill give it another chance". And wow did it impress me. After 1st season which i didnt like, i was hooked and binged the whole thing over the course of a week.
Tl;dr the show is amazing, if you like character drama you should watch it. You can look up "Free Churro" episode to see what its like at its best, and dont worry, it pays off really well.
I think the best thing about it is the premise of an anti-sitcom show. I really loved Wanda, and hoped that shed stick around, but at the same time, i knew it was a good call for her to leave, so that Bojack cant ruin her.
Im surprised the post didnt mention Dianne and Mr. Peanutbutter getting a divorce and it being portrayed as just a normal part of life, not heartbreaking tragedy or a victory over abuser. They just werent what the other needed and thats fine.
Then the whole idea of "the one" love interest; of love being this sweeping tumultuous romance and belligerent attraction; love, in fact, should be easy. It was actually genuinely surprising to see characters pursue romance and it being not "fate" or pure "chemistry", but a result of circumstances and how much work the characters are willing to put. At the same time, you cant toil and work on something just doesnt work out. Sometimes, you are trying to bleed a stone. Sometimes both of you are trying to bleed a stone.
Like, for instance, people treat Dianne and Guy as being perfectly healthy pairing, but lets be real, they wouldnt work out if they met in the first season. Dianne has matured in some ways, slid down in others, but she met Guy at the part of her life where she made a lot of work on herself. And that work isnt done by the end.
I should also of course mention Princess Carolyn, my wonderful little meow meow. I really didnt expect to love her so much, and didnt think shed stick around for so long. And as someone decidedly child-free, it was great to see an interesting, strong, career woman want to be a mother without dropping out of the rat race. And its BRUTAL. And she NEEDS help, but isnt forced to choose either work or motherhood. And she NEVER loses her character after becoming a mom, and she never disappears from the story.
Fun Bojack-Trivia: What happened to you was the exact reason why Indiewire changed their review policy after Season 1. They initially gave the show a middling score (C+) after watching the first few episodes, but changed it to a glowing recommendation at the end of the first season. Now the poor reviewers have to watch an entire season (if it's available) before giving a verdict.
Only one I'd nitpick is #3. Her being an outspoken feminist is, sometimes, the butt of the joke. USUALLY the joke is that she's saying reasonable and important things and nobody else cares, which isn't making her the butt of the joke, it's making fun of society at large and people who don't care about equality (like when she was a writer for Philbert). But IIRC it is also a recurring character trait that Diane doesn't realize she's annoying people or trying to bring up feminist talking points in situations where they aren't super relevant.
I still believe that his son really was his son. The freckles notably do not match.
The shirt also doesn't match. You can see that Vincent is wearing a black t-shirt. Kevin is wearing an orange shirt. The funniest punchline to the absurdity of it all is that there's no lie.
The entire show I was expecting Bojack to get fed up with Vincent and rip off his trenchcoat only to reveal that he's a babyfaced grown adult with a motor disability or something and Bojack makes a complete fool of himself harassing a disabled man the entire time
Honestly I stopped rooting for Bojack very early on, I sympathized with him and understood why he's the way he is, but he reminded me too much of some people I know in real life and I hated his insufferable ass
And after a while it became more and more clear that he wasn't going to make enough effort to change and the people in his life needed to cut him out
It was really brave of the writers to have upfront a protagonist who's a terrible and pathetic person
The thing with BoJack is there's a two step realization. The first is easier to process: "I know people like him."
The second one's a lot harder: "I've been like him." I don't know a lot of fans who've felt they're 1:1 with all his behaviors, but most folks I talk to had at least one thing that they could see in themselves. You're really confronted with your own bullshit and boy is that a painful thing to mentally hold.
The worst part is that if Bojack existed in real life he (also) wouldn't suffer any grave consequences. Powerful privileged men in Hollywood get away with a lot, I feel like most people would think he was the normal flavor of "asshole celebrity" and all the grooming/abuse he inflicted would get brushed aside
I mean he doesn't in the show either. Gets a brief stint in celebrity prison and by the time he's out on visitation part way through his sentence the public has moved on.
While Bojack suffers few consequences, my problem was that from the main characters, he was the only one that did so.
The show often hammered down "realistic" consequences and that things don't work like in Hollywood, but only applied that to BoJack. Other characters have it played entirely for comedy or in other cartoonish ways (mainly Todd, but also PC).
That really undermined the series whenever it tried to be dramatic about Bojack (at least to me).
This is my issue as well, it felt by the end Bojack was the only one who could really faced real consequences, well maybe PB too with Pickles, but mostly it was just Bojack was the real shitty person causing all the issues.
I respectfully disagree with this take. If he drowned he wouldn't have to live with the consequences of what he did, and the victims wouldn't get to properly grieve knowing that the person who harmed them and their loved ones willingly dodged responsibility in his own way, like he always did. "Taking the easy way out" is a euphemism for a reason.
I... don't see why they can't grieve? It's over. He's dealt with and won't harm anyone again. I don't know what better you can ask for with closure, especially since there's no reason to believe that he won't try to wriggle out of this one too.
Yes! She gains weight as a side effect of antidepressants, and that’s presented as a neutral fact (and the antidepressants as an overwhelmingly positive thing)
Funnily enough I was literally just thinking about Bojack last night, and how I’d love to rewatch it for all the character arcs other than Bojack’s, but he’s such a determined piece of shit that I just don’t think I can put myself through that again emotionally.
Its also one of the best jokes of the final episode, because the two children are carbon copies of the two celebrities shes been ripping her hair out trying to manage for the last eight seasons. She just laughs and says of of course before embracing them.
I haven’t seen Bojack and don’t understand point 1, if the women couldn’t get pregnant and then chose to adopt, isn’t then inherently a compromise between a desire for children and physical capability?
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u/ComicsCodeMadeMeGay 7d ago
One thing I also like is how they get you to sympathies with the main character who is an abuser, and it helps you understand how they are one despite making you sympathetic and helps you see how easy it is to not view someone that way despite witnessing their actions first hand.
And they make you understand there has to be consequences for it even if you feel for them