7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Watch BoJack Horseman for BoJack
Emmy award winner BoJack Horseman continue to top streaming sites even after it ended in 2020. Known for its whimsical characters, the show also contributed to the discussion of heavily stigmatized issues like alcoholism and depression.
7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Watch BoJack Horseman for BoJack
This, however, does not guarantee that the show is safe from being misinterpreted and glorified. Here are some reasons why you should not watch BoJack Horseman for its main lead, BoJack (Will Arnett).
He lives in the past, refusing to move forward with his life.
From the show’s theme song alone, it can already be assumed that BoJack Horseman is stuck in the past. The theme song begins with: “Back in the ’90s, I was in a very famous TV show.” Besides that, the first episode opens with BoJack on his couch, rewatching episodes of his past show, Horsin’ Around. His friend Todd (Aaron Paul) quickly enters the scene, commenting on how BoJack spends his days watching his old show. Apart from these scenes, he is also constantly identified by passersby as the horse from Horsin’ Around.
He takes everyone for granted.
As the series progressed, BoJack Horseman established relationships only to burn bridges later on. The best example of this would be his manager, Princess Carolyn (voiced by Amy Sedaris). Princess Carolyn or PC stayed as BoJack’s manager despite being in an on-and-off relationship with him. Whenever he got himself in trouble, BoJack called PC. And PC would fix things as her career is directly involved with his.
He hates himself.
BoJack’s intense hatred for himself is seen throughout the series whenever he got the chance. In the fifth season, BoJack even recited a monologue in his head as he got the milk requested by his half-sister, Hollyhock (voiced by Aparna Nancherla). He also defined himself through the praise of society because of this hatred. This is seen in Season 1 (especially) when he crashed Diane’s (Alison Brie) book signing event. In the event, BoJack pleaded with Diane to say that she believes in the good in him.
He is selfish.
BoJack’s character consistently got complex throughout the show. Besides that, his insecurities and selfishness also became apparent. Daniel Radcliffe (his caricature played by himself) appeared in a game show for celebrities with BoJack. At the beginning of the show, BoJack introduced himself to Daniel. Daniel, however, apologized for not knowing him.
Daniel quickly got into BoJack’s skin. When BoJack got the opportunity to return the favor (in a question wherein Daniel was the answer), he pretended to confuse Daniel Radcliffe with Oliver Wood. BoJack’s wrong answer resulted in the cash prize of $500, 000 to be engulfed in flames. The supposed prize was intended for a charity but BoJack put his pettiness first.
He is manipulative.
Throughout the series, BoJack expressed dismay over Todd crashing in his place. Todd had simply snuck in after a party one night and never left. Nevertheless, BoJack never threw Todd out of the house. But despite tolerating and insulting Todd’s lack of ambition, BoJack would not admit that he actually liked the company. In Season 1, Todd wrote a rock opera and was set to pitch for a director. Afraid to be left alone in his penthouse, BoJack searched for Todd’s favorite video game. He even hired actress Margo Martindale (voiced by Lake Bell) to make Todd notice the game. In the end, Todd played the video game all night, losing the opportunity to perform his rock opera.
He apologizes but falls into the same pattern again.
After spending time with Diane for his book, BoJack began to hold the utmost respect for her. The two grew into close friends as they both view the world negatively. They also share the same thinking as to what happiness is and how long it lasts. However, through the course of their friendship, BoJack took Diane for granted consistently — just like what he did to PC. Once he realized his wrong actions toward Diane, he apologized legitimately. Even so, he continued manipulating her just so she would not leave him.
He uses the mental health card to dodge accountability.
In the series finale, BoJack’s involvement in Sarah Lynn’s (Kristen Schaal) death came to light just as he began teaching at a university. PC listened to his explanation while Diane probed about his mistake. Instead of facing the consequences, BoJack explicitly used his drug addiction, alcoholism, and declining mental health as an excuse. He also turned to drugs and alcohol when confronted about it. Aside from that, he advised Diane (earlier in Season 3) to avoid fetishizing her sadness, which was hypocritical since he ignored his mental health issues.
Overall, the show is prone to misinterpretations. Viewers might idolize BoJack instead of taking measures to avoid being like him. This, however, does not mean that BoJack’s character was irredeemable. If anything, the animated series acknowledged that anyone is capable of changing — as long as they want to.
Which character would you actually watch the show for? For more articles like this, click here.
