I just finished watching the final episode of BoJack Horseman and I cried. It was the perfect end to one of the most cleverly written, funny, realistic, existential and utterly confronting series I have ever watched. It easily has taken the place of my favourite TV show. So I want to write about it. I want to write about how it made me feel and everything I learned from this last episode.
The finale is BoJack’s last conversations with the 4 other main characters, Mr Peanut Butter, Todd Chavez, Princess Carolyn and Diane Nguyen. I’ve broken down my analysis into the final four conversations.
Mr Peanut Butter
Mr Peanut Butter’s journey of growth parallels with BoJack’s. Unlike BoJack, Mr Peanut Butter lived most of his life in complete ignorance of his flaws.
Mr Peanut Butter comes to terms with his self-destructive patterns to realise the problems were never about the women he was with. The problem was him. It’s only until he’s realised and accepted this that he’s been able to work toward change. In all honesty, I think it’s an introspective moment that felt a bit forced and underdeveloped and was the conversation I enjoyed least so I won’t go too much into it.
When BoJack doesn’t want to go to the wedding and wants Mr Peanut Butter to take him back to prison, Mr Peanut Butter assures him that “I will not leave your side.” It’s a really sweet moment between the pair. Although BoJack has always been cynical of Mr Peanut Butter, he realises that he’s always stuck by his side. Despite how he treats Mr Peanut Butter, jokes that we laugh at because BoJack is upright cruel, they still love each other and have formed a great friendship.
Todd Chavez
BoJack and Todd’s moment together starts off with Todd sitting on BoJack’s shoulders as they look up at the fireworks. It’s a sweet moment that represents how Todd has been living off BoJack since the very beginning. But Todd has grown so much over the years and created a life for himself, particularly with his rekindled relationship with his mother, that he doesn’t need BoJack anymore, so BoJack puts him down.
“You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about” — Todd Chavez
When he reassures BoJack that if he relapses once out of prison, BoJack’s biggest fear, then he’ll simply get sober again. This is the crux of the entire series. Life is filled with ups and downs. But we are always capable of change and like BoJack fighting his own demons, we need to trust that.
This same idea is reinforced when BoJack asks Todd what changed about his relationship with his mother, Todd replies “I did, or she did or we…are?”. We as humans are always changing and evolving. Just like how Todd, who never imagined a relationship with his mother, is now working towards getting to know her better, BoJack, who never could imagine a life free of his self-destructive habits can also live a life of sobriety and control. In the wise words of Todd, “After that, you’ll beat your record again. Every day, you’ll set a new record”.
Finally, Todd’s meta commentary “isn’t art less about what people put into it and more what people get out of it” tips its hat to BoJack Horseman, the TV series. BoJack Horseman is art. It has helped people think about life and confront their darkest fears, talk about uncomfortable topics and ultimately give its audience a sense of hope. Everyone will walk away from this show having taken away something different, maybe even something the writers didn’t intend, but that’s the point. The value is in what people get out of it. It’s challenging the audience to create meaning for ourselves, challenging us to think about the existential meaning behind the beautifully written series.
Princess Carolyn
Princess Carolyn has always been a future oriented person. Married to her work, she derives her own personal worth from the work she does, a trait which has ruined her past relationships. She’s dedicated her life to rescuing BoJack from PR nightmares.
When BoJack tells Princess Carolyn that he thought there would be some disaster that he would cause or something only he could fix, Princess Carolyn’s response encapsulates her own growth. She no longer needs to fight fires for BoJack. She’s free of him.
When BoJack asks her what scares her hypothetically, she replies:
“I guess I’m afraid of losing some part of myself, I’m afraid that if I let someone else take care of me that I’m not really me anymore. I’m afraid of getting too comfortable, you know, going soft. I’m afraid that this could be the best thing that ever happened to me and if it doesn’t make me as happy as I’m supposed to be, that means I’m a lost cause.”
What BoJack voices in response to her worries is Princess Carolyn’s own realisation.
“What if you deserve to be happy and this is a thing that will make you happy? And maybe don’t worry about whether you’ll be happy later and just focus on how you’re happy right now?”
Princess Carolyn learns to trust in Judah. She learns to believe that she does deserve a happy future and lets go of needing to control everything. She let’s go of needing to save BoJack as he doesn’t get an invite to her personal wedding and when BoJack hints that he’ll need a new agent in the future, she says that she’ll recommend some excellent people.
Diane Nguyen
“I think there are people that help you become the person that you end up being, and you can be grateful for them, even if they were never meant to be in your life forever” — Diane Nguyen
This is the final scene of the entire series and offered the perfect ending to a very thought-provoking TV series. BoJack and Diane sit on the roof looking up at the stars. It’s reminiscent of the ending of the very first episode where Diane and BoJack also sit on the roof, but of course, everything’s changed, bringing to light the immense growth that has occurred throughout the seasons. Not only do they look very different, Diane gaining weight and BoJack with greying hair, metaphorically representing how both no longer care about conforming to superficial standards and more about being their own true selves, but their conversation is one that also reflects this maturity.
Diane realises that BoJack was holding her back and now she’s set herself free. She learns to move past her sense of guilt for not always being there for him and in the end, telling BoJack that not all relationships are meant to last forever. But, she’s thankful for the person she’s become because of BoJack, because if they hadn’t met, then they wouldn’t have learned these lessons together.
Before she leaves, BoJack shares a final joke, a fitting way to end their final conversation. It’s nostalgic. It feels familiar. We’ve watched 6 seasons of their friendship. But there’s something so sombre about it because we as the audience know that this is very likely the last time they will ever talk. The episode ends with BoJack and Diane looking up at the stars, Diane saying that “It’s a nice night” to which BoJack replies “yeah, it is”. BoJack’s outlook on life has changed. Just like how he realised honey dew was ‘not bad’ earlier on in the episode, he has a greater appreciation for what he has. He is no longer so cynical. He’s less judgemental, less snarky, less spiteful because, well, he’s come so close to death. He’s come to accept himself, he’s come to accept his flaws and I think he’s come to realise how special life really is.
“Sometimes life’s a bitch then you die, sometimes life’s a bitch then you keep on living”
The entire final episode was bittersweet. As these characters part ways and realise they don’t need each other, it’s a sad ending, but it’s what the show needed. Ending on The View From Half-Way Down, though a brilliant episode, wouldn’t have afforded the ending this series deserved.
BoJack got the chance to atone for his past wrong-doings and we got a glimpse of how all the other characters have grown, after all, this show isn’t just about BoJack. The supporting characters also had character arcs which needed to be addressed. It also put out a feeling of hope. If BoJack had just died by drowning in the pool, his suicide wouldn’t have conveyed nearly as powerful of a message. His confrontation with death and his acceptance of his own mortality is now what gives his life more meaning. He realised that he doesn’t want to die. His story diverges from Secreteriat’s. He’s given a second chance.
Moreover, we get to see that, although all along, BoJack thought no one cared about him, it’s apparent in this last episode that these four characters, though he is deeply flawed, grew to love him dearly. BoJack might have done some very self-destructive things in the past. In fact, he constantly questioned throughout the series whether he was good or whether he could become good. He may have crossed many moral boundaries even broken the law on numerous occasions, but in the end, he can change. He can grow and learn from his mistakes. And if he makes more mistakes, then he’ll learn again. He’ll become a better person because of it. Life’s a journey. It’s not perfect. It’s not easy. But it’s worth living. It’s worth fighting to be better.
So, like that, the series is over, but life will go on so I’m going to leave you with this quote from the final episode:
“Look nothing’s easy. But I wouldn’t be talking to you know if I didn’t believe that it wasn’t too late for us.” — BoJack Horseman
