That ICU moment in “Free Churro” is probably one of the best cases of dramatic irony I’ve ever seen come out of a TV show. Like that moment is on the same level as the ending of The Mist. Like holy shit Bojack Horseman is a great show
Man, I never even made that connection, but it did have much the same effect on me as The Mist's ending, which...oof. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it but it was really like a "Dude...what the fuck, did that just happen?" thing
I have to say that immediately after talking of a miscarriage, hearing Duke Nukem say “What do you mean you lost the baby, go find it” actually made me cry in laughter.
"You know the shittiest thing about all of this? Is when that stranger behind the counter gave me that free churro, that small act of kindness, showed more compassion, then my mother gave me her entire goddamn life. Like how hard is it to do something nice for a person? This woman, in the Jack-In-The-Box, didn't even know me. I'm your son. All I had was you."
Apparently during the time this episode was released Jack-in-the-box was handing out free churros to all customs - it wasn’t even an act of kindness, it was just the girl behind the counter’s job.
@@ionabab7274and it still fits the quote so well, this kindness that is just the workers job. Yet Bojacks mother never took care of him in the way a kid needs. She never did her job.
This show did an odd thing to me. It caused me to identify with the main character, but not idolize them. This show pointed out MY flaws in tandem with Bojack, and put me on a path to get better. I hope that's what the show wanted me to do
For we must all appear before “the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) We will be judged for every deed we do whether is be good or bad. This isn’t something to worry about even if our bad deeds out weigh our good. Because none are good before God, all have sinned against Him and cursed His name, but He in His tender loving mercy hath given us His Son as our ransom. When Jesus was dying all of Gods wrath and judgement was poured out onto Him even though He was sinless. He was sacrificed and tortured on our behalf though we are sinful and carnal. Christ payed our sin debt with His perfect sinless blood so we may escape judgment and have everlasting life. But this great gift is only for those who accept it and accept Him ❤️
I interpret it similarly. I think of it as the "I see you" moment he thought he had with his mom before she passed - but the negative and judgemental version he feared she meant. Another instance of him being a massive fuck up who's ruined someone's life, followed by him essentially looking in the mirror.
i dont really agree with the whole "hollyhocks overdose came out of no where" argument. there were MANY signs that you would only realize on a second watch. people who are about to overdose often exhibit strange behavior and ocd symptoms. hollyhock spent one morning counting her teeth relentlessly. also, beatrice makes the coffee and is CONSTANTLY telling hollyhock she needs to lose weight. it really didn't come out of no where
I agree with most of what you said. Except the behavior and "ocd symptoms" were due to the chemicals persisting in the system when on drugs and sometimes when coming down, not necessarily before overdosing.
Personally I agree with you I just think it went by too fast, which I think he might be talking about. Like it all happens over like 2 episodes, and it seems to me like it could have had more relevance and a longer more significant period to fester, to kinda give a harder blow if that makes sense? When it happens so fast like that it really isnt processed as good as it could be
I disagree on the beatrice not eluding to the diet pills. Shes the one who makes coffee. Shes the one always in the kitchen, talking about her past. Even talks about hollyhawks weight.
Yep, you even see Hollyhock slowly losing weight and doing these odd ticks that show that something is making her mentally distressed: scratching herself, lighting matches on fire, counting quarters for hours, and, the most obvious, the turns down Bojacks offer to grab something to eat even when it's established that she has the same crazy appetite that he does.
Yeah like I definitely think Beatrice's constant comments about her weight were enough foreshadowing tbh. She says such cruel things, especially considering Hollyhock only had a little muffintop. She wasn't even fat.
This season demonstrates how dangerous it is to say "oh well at least he isn't violent". Like you said, they drew the line hard. They're screaming "this guy is going to leave a trail of death and destruction if he doesn't change. What else do you need?" They were not about to be complicit in producing the next Joker.
I like the foreshadowing of introducing the absolute prime monster movie star, an example of what Bojack will become if he doesn't get his shit together.
the whole arc about him only wanting to date women way younger than him really gave leonardo dicaprio a lot of depth as a character and really made me find him far more interesting as a character
Free Churro is probably one of the best episodes of tv ever. It flows so seamlessly and really shows how complex and amazing a character BoJack is. It even has an impact later on, since it reinstated his dad’s unhealthy “can’t depend on anyone” mentality that played a big role in his downward spiral this season
Me the ALPHA M*LE of this comment section and me command RESPECT. Right now me telling you to NOT observe any of me nice cool sweet videos. Instead just look at me awesome good powerful thumbnails. Thank you, dear noa
made me sob at 'i'm your son, all i had was you' late at 3 am because i had a mother very similar to bojack's and that honestly killed me. i could relate to the sort of dissonance bojack had talking about her not even bothering to bring up good moments for her funeral because he'd been broken by her abuse for so damn long. i think about that episode a lot, it deserves its praise.
LET'S GOOO!! I've been waiting for this! Season 5 is the one that cemented BoJack as a masterpiece of television in my mind! Free Churro just came at a really important time in my life
My personal favorite thing about the ‘I see you’ reveal is that it not only fits well with the rest of the monologue (like the coffee cup story where a fan overanalyzes the significance of the filming mistake, or the explanation that the Orphans in Horsin Around were lucky since they could imagine their parents were whatever they wanted them to be rather than having to know definitively if they were awful people or not) but it does leave you with an interesting point. Sometimes not knowing the truth really can be better for us. Because, if Bojack never got the true meaning behind his mother’s last words, he’d be able to imagine it was whatever he wanted it to mean. But now he has to know the truth. It means absolutely nothing, and that’s something he no longer has the ability to deny. Plus it fits with the Herb Kazazz funeral reveal where it turns out that there really wasn’t any big conspiracy or meaning behind his death.
I like how Hollyhock tells Bojack how her dads told her she ‘shouldn’t feel bad about feeling bad’ & this sticks with Bojack so much that he tell Diane this in the next episode
@@ixn6196 You're entirely right and another instance of this is early in season one I think he says "It's not Ibsen" which is something that is shown in later episodes/seasons that it was said by his mother. He's always reusing other's words and I find it incredibly interesting.
I finished Bojack Horseman just this week. I went into it expecting some laughs, maybe some deep lines, but I was not even close to prepared for the depths to which this show delved. Bojack horseman talked about parts of being human that no other show I have seen would dare to talk about. I strongly believe that Time’s Arrow is the perfect episode of television and it is my favorite in the series. Thanks for making the next part; excited to see what you think of the view from halfway down in the next part :)
I like how this season does more showing then telling. You can tell Hollyhock did wonders for Bojack’s mental health. But instead of them droning on about it. He’s the nicest he’s ever been, and is using substances less in the beginning.
makes me so genuinely hurt when he goes on a spiral because it was clear he was getting so much better but nothing could actually cure his addiction to fame.
Free Churo is honestly one of the most important episodes ive ever seen, it felt super real and i saw it at a time i needed it the most, its weird to say, but bojack has honestly helped my life in a big way.
@@Phillip-wt4dz To me art needs to be more recongnized as its very helpful and almost acts like therapy to most, or atleast it has to me, i hate it when people just pass it off as nothing more than entertainment. im super glad that people whove seen bojack are starting to realize this and see what art really is. Im also glad that the show helped you as it did for me!
@@terugi Free churro is possibly one of the greatest things ive ever watched, nothing has ever felt as real as it, its probably in my top tv episodes ever, along side the view from halway down and ozymandias from breaking bad.
Honestly I think Diane-oop. I mean Diana-was right to quit her therapist when she found out she was working with Boj-Bobo. I’ve been going to therapy for years and clients always retain the right to stop seeing a therapist with whom they don’t feel emotionally safe for any reason. I don’t know whether or not the therapist, ethically speaking, should’ve told Diana that she was taking on Bobo as a client, if Diana talked about Bobo in therapy at all. But I do know that Diana was absolutely right her decision to stop seeing that therapist, though she probably should’ve tried to find a different therapist. But you know, she was probably afraid that Bobo would somehow get involved with that therapist too. What I’m trying to say is, no one is obligated to keep seeing a specific therapist, especially if that therapist for one reason or another is either unhelpful or actively harmful. Also the way PB proposed to Pickles instead of confessing that he was cheating on her makes me wonder about the context of his proposals to his other ex wives.
That's an interesting take for pb honestly never thought of it that way and I think it's realistic as it the previous seasons they don't show his flaws
i've wondered that about PB as well tbh, but personal guilt only comes into play with pickles. he definitely doesn't have anything on his mind like that when proposing to diane as it would've been obvious in his behavior (hes a terrible liar), and we don't get to see the other two proposals. unless it was diane specifically that made him feel guilty, i don't think we can assume anything. he's still a piece of shit tho lol
Great point about the "friendly distance" BoJack and Todd have this season. I honestly feel that BoJack and Herb also had that when they reunited in season 1, and it could've stayed that way had BoJack not pushed the issue by expecting Herb to forgive him for abandoning him.
Princess Carolyn’s Story throughout the series was definitely my favorite. Glad she ended up happy by the end. That whole episode with her meeting the surrogate of her baby was fantastic and a great deep dive into her life.
as a North Carolina girl myself, seeing PC's story about leaving it behind and having to revisit all those young and southern memories hit so close to home.
I think the fact that flip is never called out is a representation of how misogeny in Hollywood is rampant and all over the place in movies but is always ignored
Yeah, absolutely. My favourite Flip moment, and one of the two key moments that justify his entire character to me, is when Gina is being choked and he casually fakes concern before turning her suffering into 'content'. There have been other rampant sexists and abusers in the show before, like Vance and Hank Hippopopilus (sp?), but I don't think either of those would have stood by and silently approved of it happening. Flip is a different breed of misogynist, and I feel really captures the point that sexism and abuse doesn't just come from big aggressive alpha-males (nicely rounding off the point made by Hank that abuse also doesn't just come from self-evident creeps and weirdos). (In case anyone is wondering, I think the other point that justifies Flip's character is his introduction and his almost paternal belief in his Philbert script. Not only is it a perfect moment for PC's development, but it suggests that he couldn't have made it in the industry without a helping hand, but as soon as he's got his foothold, he pulls up the ladder behind him like so many others do, treating his actors and crew like garbage and never once wondering if they might have the same type of passion as him)
I think him being sexist and him being abusive are separate. Conflating his sexist writing and treatment of people with standing by while a person is choked in front of him seems weird. It's two separate red flags about him. It's not like the sole reason he doesn't care about Gina being choked is because she's a woman. I suppose that could be alluding to actresses concerns not being addressed as often, but conflating that solely with his misogeny is still a stretch to me.
@@curranfrank2854 That's not a bad point at all, and I agree that they're separate red flags, but I don't think they're completely exclusive of one another. Yes, that moment of standing by while Gina is being choked isn't fuelled by sexism, but his sexism is the first window through which we see his utter lack of concern for the wellbeing of his cast and crew. He doesn't take Gina's or Bojack's discomfort about the nude scenes seriously at all, and the lesson he learns from that whole situation is that women should stop complaining about being objectified for entertainment. That's where the two overlap for me. He is a character who objectifies others for entertainment, and I believe that does extend to his decision to attempt to turn Bojack's assault on Gina into more of the show.
@@SliceOfDog Yeah that's fair. I think ultimately Flip "is a character who objectifies others for entertainment" like you said, and his misogeny is one aspect of that. He's fine with exploiting everyone but women like Gina get the brunt of it.
Dude.... It literally never occured to me that penny might see that episode of philbert. And thats really sad. I think thats whats going on with diane, i dunno if it was intended but she is so focused on the transgressions of the perpetrator that she completely forgets about the experience of the victim... Just like i did... And maybe a lot of other people did.
Right. Even if she avoids the show because she knows Bojack is in it, through the zeitgeist of the internet she could probably be exposed to her story being in the episode.
i definitely didnt consider it, not even after season 6 where her dad is shown watching birthday day- it never dawned on me that the content these main characters make is *watched by everyone*, potentially including those they hurt
Yeah Damn. That is a Great and Terrible pit that a lot of Social Justice Organizations Fall into. Prioritizing the Offender over the Victim. Maybe that is the Difference between Revenge and Justice. Revenge is about Punishing the Wicked, where Justice is about Protecting the Innocent.
Bojack Horseman ruined my relationship with my now ex boyfriend, and I am so thankful it happened. I didn't realize at first why I wasn't attracted to my boyfriend the same way he was attracted to me, why he wanted sex while I just didn't. I tried to force myself to like the idea of it, but it wasn't until I watched this series that I finally understood what I was going through. I'm asexual, and nothing will change that. So, I told my boyfriend aaaaanndd... He broke up with me. Well, not without trying to get me to be sexual for him first. I laid awake wondering if I could ever BE loved or have a relationship, because I so badly wanted one. Seeing Todd struggle with the same things I did was emotionally relieving and crushing. If I could say one thing to the writers of this show, it would be... Thank you for helping me realize I was hurting myself in a sexual relationship. This show will always have a piece of my heart because it helped me discover who I am 💕
Your ex-relationship is kinda my worst fear, that even If I do manage to fall in love, it's with someone who only wants sex and doesn't love me for me. And even if there was a person for me somewhere, they'd be so far away and hard to find that I might as well give up. But, seeing how many Asexual people are coming out recently, there's someone out there who will care, and even if I really am Aromantic, there are still a ton of people just like me.
The episode "Free Churro" is honestly the greatest episode of television ever written. I grew up in an emotionally abusive household like Bojack, and the amount of nuance the writers give his reaction to his mother's death is just... incredible. When my dad died I had a lot of really complex emotions. at once being incredibly sad at losing any future connection or reconciliation with him and also at the relief I felt that I would no longer have to be bogged down by his relentless negativity. I've NEVER had an episode of television really.... showcase that before. We are always shown the character just either forgiving the parent or downright hating the parent but there is so much more to that dynamic and this episode spoke to that so well. The feelings that can be so hard to put into words. It's an episode that is so amazing for normal viewers, but it sort of reads as a love letter to victims of parental neglect and abuse. I really felt... SEEN. All the emotions I felt at my own abusers funeral were so accurately laid out in twenty minutes of unforgettable television.
Same. As I watched it I had to take a deep breath and lean on my husband to get through it. It... really knew what it was talking about in how it described those feelings so perfectly. My parents both died in the same couple of years my kids were born. Life is... so radically altered now I cant even find words to describe it. But that specific cocktail of feelings you get when the parent who broke you down the most is gone, how pathetic you feel loving them anyway even with all the shit they put on you... Bojack got into that way deeper than anything Ive ever seen. Im still kind of floored from watching it.
Re: Yolanda I just got the impression that since she actually knew Todd, she knew those accomplishments were just falling upwards, whereas others impressed with him make quick judgments based on his surface appearance
Yup. Frankly, if I were in her situation, I'd be iffy on him, too. I also relate to her in that I knowingly have dated guys I knew I wasn't compatible with, just to not feel alone. 😞
Yeah, she would have had to work for everything she accomplished where as Todd kinda just got lucky in a lot of ways. Probably also has some resentment about how he was kicked out of his house for being lazy and just happened to crash at a rich celebrity's place where as she would have feared being kicked out/needing to run away from her family if it turned out they didn't accept her for who she was. Todd actually got kicked out, and not even for being who he is but just because he was lazy, but instead of being homeless on the street like a lot of young people forcebly kicked out by their parents for various reasons he gets lucky and stays comfortably on the couch of Bojack's place. He HAD a good home to stay in with parents who did care for him and he wasted it by being so lazy and unmotivated where as if Yolanda got kicked out she was unlikely to land in such a lucky place.
Bojack’s addiction is a pretty interesting case in this season. We knew from the start of the series that he was an alcoholic, who also occasionally does hard drugs. In the beginning of this season, we’re shown that Bojack is trying to be conscious about his substance abuse. He is rationing his alcohol intake so that he only drinks little doses every day. And it is not explicitly shown, but it’s safe to think he is restraining from doing hard drugs since the Sarah Lynn incident. But just when he starts doing steps to control his substance addiction, whoops, he’s injured, and gets access to opiates which eventually get him hooked again. It felt like a strange decision in the narrative at first viewing, but in hindsight it makes sense.
Bojack can never be happy, because everytime he is happy, something bad he has done gets up, or when he does something wrong, and starts to fix himself, the thing comes back and makes him spiral again
@Gergely Galvácsy "And it is not explicitly shown, but it’s safe to think he is restraining from doing hard drugs since the Sarah Lynn incident." In the 2nd episode of season 4 Bojack talks about getting drugs from his dealer because the writers threw away any possible character development for a joke.
The fact Stephanie Beatriz plays Gina and recently starred in Encanto is pretty interesting. I wonder if Gina's desire to get into musical performance was directly lifted from Stephanie Beatriz.
Honestly, Stephanie Beatriz's character is a bit meta here, if you know her work at Brooklyn 99. At that show, she is a tough badass that has a surprisingly softy background in ballet. In BoJack she is a badass that also has a surprisingly softy background in musical theatre. Also in real life she is an actress who plays a detective and here she plays an actress who plays a detective.
Having been the victim of fatshaming/having an eating disorder forced on me by family, Hollyhocks entire story really spoke to me. I completely got what was going on very early. BUT I was also so hurt because I knew others who havent been through this wouldnt see it so fast. I think its actually a perfect take on such aa permeating struggle in society that constantly goes unseen and unspoken. If you know, you know. And if you dont, it comes as a huge surprise that throws you for a loop. I also loved seeing the viewer reaction about eating disorders concering someone who is fat or bigger (like Hollyhock) versus the most common portrayal of ED being focused on thin women. TLDR; I love Hollyhock and I love the use of subtle but recognizable foreshadowing in this show
Completely agree, not to mention there’s so many hints before hand Hollyhock’s increasingly frantic behavior, none of this happening until she drinks coffee. The coffee being drugged is also hinted at in the intro where bojack trips out once he takes a sip. Another hint given is when Mr Peanutbutter is sniffing out for Beatrice’s baby, and he sniffs near the coffee
I loved hollyhock so much, I felt so seen when someone pointed out the eating disorder,and like (maybe I’m misunderstanding everything forgive me) but coffee is an appetite suppressant and it reminded me so much of myself, coffee literally became my thing in my friend group because yk. Also i love that the show touches on Beatrice bringing it on too, the goose girl in that one episode calls her fat, and she permeates that on hollyhock as “helping” and how it touches on how it’ll always be an issue and ogmdhlghekwehbe hollyhock was the representation I always wanted and she makes me feel so seen and real
I showed my gf this show a while back, and she loved it. But it's been while and we've dealt with this terrible incel since then, that's ultimately caused her to not like the show as much any more. This person also loved bojack horseman, and related to his character WAY more than he should have. He was literally the kind of person, who used this show as a way to cope with his own crappy things he's done, thinking it somehow made him flawed but likeable. Even though the writers attempted to be self-aware about it in that season 5 episode, and send a message to their fans saying THIS ISN't OKAY, it still somehow didn't get through to him. It's really a shame that this show has this effect on some people, and I hate how it's tainted the way my girlfriend sees this show. But i'll always revere as one of the best shows i've seen.
that's my biggest problem with this show too. i love it, but my ex was exactly like that (he used to say i was diane), in restrospect that was a huge red flag
The trouble with making a show about an asshole who doesn't know how to self reflect and blames others is that you won't be able to force the assholes watching your show to self-reflect, when they can instead blame It on a woman who is also flawed.
In most respects, I find it really hard to blame the show for this, just due to how it's framed. But I guess despite the plot, the characters, the directing, the dialogue, and the framing all depict Bojack as a terrible person who does not deserve sympathy, depicting him as the main character of a drama will gear viewers into strongly sympathizing with him. No amount of self-aware or introspective character writing can really overtake that unfortunately. There is a little bit of Bojack in all of us, he speaks to very common human flaws and insecurities. You can see the positive effects of this from the stories viewers have told, saying that watching the show motivated them to seek therapy, or quit alcohol/drugs, or even that it prevented them from committing suicide. But, some people have more Bojack in them than others, and not everyone becomes self-aware from watching TV, especially a show that dramatizes Bojack's behaviour for our entertainment. Again I can't really blame the writers for this. Some people are literally incapable of self-reflection, others have not learned to analyze the media they consume.
Bojack is included alongside Rick Sanchez, Tyler Durden, and Walter White in the "incels who completely missed the point by idolizing these characters" starter pack.
I somewhat disagree that Free Churro has no relation to the rest of Season 5. It's mostly an epilogue to Season 4 but imo it's also a thesis statement for not just Season 5 but the rest of the show. Season 4 ended with Bojack overcoming his hatred for his mother and actually doing right by Hollyhock; the show could have ended his character arc there. Free Churro's statement of "there's always more show" is a reminder that despite Bojack's growth last season things aren't over for him- they'll never be over as long as he's alive.
Here's my personal ranking of the seasons: 6th: Season 1. 8/10 5th: Season 3. 9/10 4th: Season 5 10/10 3rd: Season 2. 10/10 2nd: Season 4. 10/10 1st: Season 6. 11/10 I may not be perfect, but that is what I got out of it👍
Mine: 6th: Season 1. 8/10 5th: Season 5. 9/10 4th: Season 2. 9/10 3rd: Season 3. 10/10 2nd: Season 6. 11/10 1st: Season 4. 11/10 fyi, season 6 overall is slightly lower than season 4, but season 6A is a 10/10, above season 3, and season 6B is another 11/10, being better than season 4
I’m glad that free churro opened with butterscotch talking one on one to bojack. We know that both of them were shitty to him but Beatrice gets much more screen time both in flashbacks and in the present. You kind of forget about butterscotch and just fill in the blank, like “he probably wasn’t that bad.” But no when picking him up in the rain after Beatrice forgot to, he belittles him for interrupting his writing, and frightens him for just existing. There’s very little, if no love there. The lack of interaction between the two of them is probably why butterscotch is replaced with secretariat in the view from halfway down. Fathers are supposed to be who you look up to, an example of who you could be growing up. The only person bojack saw filling that role was secretariat.
Yeah, totally! I'm pretty sure it's like the second time in the entire show we see Butterscotch specifically being a terrible father, the first time being all the way back in season 1. That kinda shows the biggest way Butterscotch failed Bojack- he wasn't there AT ALL. He hated his family, so he just removed himself.
One thing about diane, she dont having a lot of episodes focused on her is a reflection of her personallity, she defines herself by her relationships and try to fit in always, she is always reacting to the environment instead of acting on it, thats why she has such a few episodes focused on her and if you analise then they are major life changing moments for her.
My heart sunk extremely hard when you mentioned @1:11:53 how many women suffer silently as to not make their trauma their defining feature, just like Gina. That’s something that’s definitely real and I’m so grateful you took the time to say it.
As somebody who's struggled with suicide, "The View From Halfway Down" is so perfect to me that season 6 is easily my favorite season of any show ever, only rivaled by season 5 of breaking bad
Interesting how both seasons were split into two parts; the first part ending on a somewhat happy note for the characters and then the second part completely obliterating them. And the last three episodes of the seasons have a similar structure. The third to last episode has the protagonists at the lowest they've ever been, losing everything and everyone they cared about, the penultimate episode has them confronting their own sins and mortality and the final episode has the character "reborn" and making amends, in a way, with the people closest to them before ultimately dying (that is if you believe the theory that Bojack did drown in his pool and the last episode was just another dying dream of his). Whatever it is, they've cracked the code on doing an outstanding series finale.
About that Diane moment, I actually think that might be a good example of her character. Yes, I agree that most of the time, she is absolutely right about things, but I think what the show has been telling us since season 1 is that her righteous actions aren’t really for the greater good and are really her trying to prove to herself that she is a good person, even if it inadvertently screws over people she knows. For example, with the Hank Hippo situation, Diane is absolutely right about him being a bad guy and by all right should be in jail. However, it’s important to note that she knew about all of the things he was doing before she started her movement. She only started really going after hank when other people questioned and argued with her over it. Again, she is not wrong for going after hank, I can even excuse it for ruining her husbands chances at meeting his hero, but it does paint actions at being much more selfish than she lets on.
Thats really what i always felt towarda her. She very often says true facts and problems in society and persons, but most of the time she doesnt seem interested in bettering the problem, but more in inverting it. She seems more interested in taking revenge on the perpetrator then in helping the victims or solving the problem.
PC is one of my favorites, and this is my interpretation- she definitely does shitty things, but I also feel like her actions are always understandable. For me, she came from an environment where she started from the bottom rung and she constantly felt like she had to prove her worth to get ahead. She also dedicated most of her adolescence to propping up her mother and doing things entirely for other people who never gave her the aproval she so clearly wanted. As soon as she got to hollywoo, she continued to be undervalued and no one really appreciated anything she ever did. For me, shes clearly an ambitious person who wanted to grow past her upbringing and is trying to prove that she can be a successful person to herself, after basically hearing her entire life that she would never amount to anything and that going to hollywoo was pointless. Her flaw is that she does shitty things for the sake of feeling successful because all her life, that's what she wanted. There are definitely moments where I think she wonders if any of it was worth it, and I feel like Diane does call her out at some point but I would have to watch again to figure it out.
What Schaffrillas said about Time’s arrow, how it induces anxiety and even made him hyperventilate, is how I feel every time I watch The Showstopper. When I first watched it, it hit me at a million miles an hour as the most shocking moment of the show so far, and one of the biggest shocks I’ve ever had. On repeat viewing though, knowing it’s coming, I genuinely feel panicked and distressed, which is just a testament to the quality of the writing, acting, music, animation and writing. Yes I said writing twice, it’s a masterpiece.
Something even better about the eulogy episode: In the episode before Bojack says about Young Sheldon that "no show should have that much dialogue". Just adds irony and I love it.
Free churro's premise was actually teased in one of the previous episodes as he complains about the script cause in the philbert script he has 20 minutes of straight dialouge.
“I don’t want you to me the most notable thing that ever happens to me, I don’t want you to be the question i get asked in interviews for the rest of my life” I hope anyone who’s against the MeToo movement or says stuff like “well WHY did they wait so long to come forward” hears this
Todd is the reason I realized I was asexual. In middle and high school, I really struggled with everyone around me finding relationships. I never felt any attraction to anyone, and really didn't know there was a word for it until Todd went through his realization. There's such little asexual representation out there, it was so amazing for one of my favorite shows to help me realize my identity
as someone who's ace-questioning and having a hard time coming to terms with it, todd's story is super important to me. this whole show means so much to me!
Todd was one of my first experiences of a character in media actively portrayed as asexual. I watched bojack during college and just a bit after I was figuring out that I was asexual. Todd was such a comfort and following his example, went to research more about asexuality and finally feeling much more comfortable with myself as an individual.
Not gonna lie, the Free Churro episode coming out within like 18 months of my own dad dying kinda... broke me for a sec. I was watching the show while getting some menial tasks done at work when I was the only one in the building that day and I had to lock the door and sit down for a good cry for a few minutes by the end of it.
hey, i'm right there with you. season 6 pt 2 dropped the day my dad died and it took me a while to want to watch it. that season's episode 11 nearly gave me a panic attack
1st line in Free Churro is Bojack’s dad: “Yes, yes, I see you…” just unbelievable writing. 2nd: I finished bojack this month and loved your analysis. I was excited once I finished another season to crack open the next vid. Keep up the great work and looking forward to #6.
What Diane did in episode 7 began to bother me the more I thought about it and the way James put it definitely makes it worse, although at the very least it doesn’t appear Penny or Charlotte heard about it but imagine if Penny DID try to come forward (it’s ambiguous if she did in season 6) but everyone denounced her because her story was “just from an episode of Philbert” But yea that’s kinda the only time Diane ever did something that upset me, it kinda baffles me that she gets so much vitriol from parts of the fanbase when, like, have you seen the main character of this show. Him admitting he’s a bad person doesn’t make him “better”
I'm pretty sure Penny never came forward, she was kinda the only part of the whole Bojack bag of misdeeds that didn't end up getting back to him in that interview, but that's on purpose
Her sleeping with a man (dog) already in a relationship was a pretty shitty thing to do, too. Specially considering that she had already met pickles before and she knew how vulnerable she was. I don’t know why the guy in the video tried to downplayed her part in that cheating episode.
@@a.alonso5132 yeah i agree a hundred percent, i think both of them played an equal part but unlike mr peanutbutter, diane never seemed to express real remorse or even much of anything over it or get confronted in any way for what she did, we just kinda slid past it since at the point where it came out the show has moved on with diane to a different plot.
@@a.alonso5132 also i am a big fan of diane as a character, this is probably the only thing about they way they wrote her story that sticks out as weird to me, feels like diane did something really bad but the writers only put her as a part of it so they can use it for mr peanutbutters story while not really considering what it would do for diane
@@a.alonso5132 I mean she was single , there’s more onus on Mr Peanutbutter because he’s in a relationship and he proposed to Pickles instead of ‘fessing up, a responsibility that he tried to pass onto Diane
Connecting with your ‘ancestral’ land is a special moment. Seeing the land that i knew my ancestors lived on was incredible. If you have the opportunity to visit Greece at any point i strongly urge you to take it.
My dad passed away about 10 years before Free Churro happened. I had a similar relationship with him as Bojack and his parents, and after a decade, it really is just... "My dad is dead, and everything is worse now." All the things I could have said, and all the things I'll never have. I'll never have a dad who looked at me and said "I see you." I'll never have a dad who will look at me and say "I love you" and mean it. Once he was gone, there was no more chance those things could happen. Everything is worse now, being unable to look forward to the day my dad is proud of me or loves me.
that's a really interesting take on the whole submarine scene, I've always thought of it from the viewpoint of someone who was abused, and it always felt really good to have the abuser be called out in such an obvious way that is also subtle enough that nobody else would realize. from the context of someone else doing it without asking me is actually a lot more messed up from that perspective
1:08:23 this is actually one of the few times I’ve ever heard Schaff pull an F-bomb. Most of the time in his videos most swears besides the word shit, are pretty much blurted out by a dolphin noise or a bleep. But not in this case, it parallels to bojack with it’s one-fuck per season thing. Where in serious moments they only throw an f-bomb(besides season 4 maybe) and here he is talking about a serious moment, there is no sugar coating, he says it raw and uncensored. I just wanted to point that out. Idk why I’m writing this.
In season 4 is Bojack who throws the F-bomb while calling out Beatrice for being such a shitty mother, this is the only time where the relation with a character is not permanently broken because of Bojack’s fault.
yeah and how most of the f bombs are in episode 11 because that’s where most of the deep stuff is (episode before the season finale) just like how this is the second last part of this series
I always felt like hollyhock’s collapse was partly because she’d developed an eating disorder. We see how Beatrice struggled with pressures her whole life, and then how that language kept getting used with Hollyhock, and she wasn’t eating. The medicine was heavily implied to have been put in Hollyhock’s coffee
For we must all appear before “the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) We will be judged for every deed we do whether is be good or bad. This isn’t something to worry about even if our bad deeds out weigh our good. Because none are good before God, all have sinned against Him and cursed His name, but He in His tender loving mercy hath given us His Son as our ransom. When Jesus was dying all of Gods wrath and judgement was poured out onto Him even though He was sinless. He was sacrificed and tortured on our behalf though we are sinful and carnal. Christ payed our sin debt with His perfect sinless blood so we may escape judgment and have everlasting life. But this great gift is only for those who accept it and accept Him ❤️
I have a hard time ranking seasons in Bojack. I don't really remember which episodes were in which season and such. For me the entire show is just hilarious and relatable. I know most people shit on the first season but it contains some of the best jokes and the episode that got me thinking: YES this show is for me, Bojack hates the troops. It's rare that a character in a show says exactly how I feel and Bojack got my attention when he said: most people are jerks anyway, just by giving a jerk a gun and saying it's okay to kill people doesn't mean he's a hero.
"That girl at Jack In The Box didn't know me, I'm your son..." fucking broke me man, the slight break in his voice trying to keep himself steady as he realizes that his own mother couldn't even give him the kindness of a stranger. Fuck, man.
Hey Schaff, you might not read this comment, but I'll leave it anyways. I've recently discovered a manga that reminded me a lot of Bojack Horseman, named "Oyasumi Punpun": the story of a little bird drawing through his life. It deals with the themes of loneliness, depression and familly, but on a more serious tone than Bojack. I highly recommend it to anyone who watched this show and loved it as well.
This, I second this wholeheartedly, Oyasumi Punpun is such a fucking real tragic depiction of life that hit me way too hard. I had to stop at multiple points while reading it because it just hit way too close to home. I've been stuck at chapter 57 for quite a while because of school and personal life, but that just goes to show you how incredible it is: in only 57 chapters it has left an undeniable impact on my life that I can still feel to this day. Please, for the love of God, if you like Bojack Horseman give it a read, you won't be disappointed.
One other point about the asexual representation that I found important in this season - it didn’t feel forced in any way. Todd’s asexuality is a natural progression for his character, and his general newness to asexuality provided a great vehicle to educate the viewers about the topic without just, ya know, shoving facts in your face for no reason. I feel like a lot of shows will add stuff like this simply to appease an audience or simply to make their show more diverse, but Bojack doesn’t feel like this at all. An incredibly well handled topic.
I think the giant balloon version of Bojack really symbolizes him becoming untethered from reality. I mean... Just look at who accidentally set the balloon free. Diane. The same person who played a large part in setting Bojack into his paranoid fit in the first place by writing his mistake with Penny into the script. She literally untethered him, just like the balloon. [Spoilers ahead] It makes it even better to see that, in the future, the person to really help him retether himself, is once again Diane, as she's the person who takes him to rehab.
I think Flip represents that person in Hollywood you just have to deal with. Doesn't matter what studio or production company you're working with. Doesn't matter how much pull your agent has, doesn't matter that you're friends with the director and this is your third project together. Flip is still there. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. edit to say it's a similar thing with PC. She's that female in Hollywood who's always been there. When women make progress as a whole or there's an opportunity to capitalize on femininity in Hollywood, she wholeheartedly endorses it. However, she's 100% a part of the system, and will stand by while women are abused as long as it's for the sake of the biz. She will also close the door on women behind her trying to work their way through the industry, like she did with her assistant. edit 2 I will not sit by as you slander the good name of Henry Fondle edit 3 you guys Bojack has been a clear alcoholic with "addictive personality" on full display as early as Prickly Muffin. Watching this season in real time, the second they said he was on painkillers I thought fuuuuuck there's an opioid epidemic in this country he's gonna go off the deep end over pain killers. That ending when he drives into traffic was the inevitable outcome of the setup
Free Churro for me was something that was really wild to watch as just after I watched it, like literally the instant it ended we got ready to go, I went to my Great Aunt's funeral and my Grandpa gave a 25 minute eulogy for her, though it was obviously much happier than BoJack's eulogy, but because of that it's always stuck with me. Funerals and family death were something I've dealt with my whole life ever since I was young with the death of my grandmother and godfather, so it was almost surreal watching it on top of having a funeral that same day.
Little addendum to the therapist episode: "Bobo" means "Idiot" or "dumb person" in Spanish too and as a native speaker, even if it may be pure coincidence, I saw it lol
I'm a little mad that my brain connected "I see you" to "ICU" instantly and spoiled the big reveal for me. But that episode genuinely blew me away. If you can just have a character talk for 20 minutes and make a great episode out of it, an episode you can't even tear your eyes away from, you've got some spectacularly good writers. ....aaaand I'm looking forward to your 6th episode of this series, really enjoying it. No rush, though.
I've always known that I didn't have the same kinds of romantic/sexual attractions that other people had. For a long time I assumed I was just wired in a weird, misaligned way. But Bojack put not just a name to what it was, but applied a community to it too. I had never felt so validated before. A part of me that I had quietly hidden away was now something I could articulate and talk about with friends. I'd always been a staunch believer that representation in media was important. But Bojack made me fully realize just how empowering and validating it felt to actually be represented. Like a real 'I see you' moment. I also appreciate your own openness on the subject. I'm sure it felt intimating to first admit but as a fellow ace, I want to thank you for yet another reminder that people like us are real, valid and seen. Shame that media still overall likes to treat us either like we don't exist or as just a 'default' setting if a romantic subplot hasn't been established for a character.
when I was binging your content last year, I found your Bojack videos. I started watching the first one, but quit early one to watch the actual series because it sounded cool. this is without a doubt the best decision I ever made, do thank you Schaffriallas for introducing me to the sad horse show
Just recently rewatched the whole show and it just continues to hit harder than any show I've ever watched even on rewatch, hell I keep picking up on things I hadn't noticed yet. "Free Churro" is off course absolutely genius and beautifully written, but "The Showstopper" is another one of my absolute favourites. The way the whole episode just builds and builds and builds and reality and Philbert meld together is thrilling and keeps me on edge throughout, you can truly feel like Bojack is losing it more and more and you're just waiting for the moment where it forcefully comes to a screeching hault. Following that, "The Stopped Show" in my eyes has one of the most powerful, often overlooked lines: Gina saying she doesn't want Bojack to be the most notable thing that ever happens to her, the thing that she keeps getting asked for the rest of her life, overshadowing her acting and success she finally has. It's so terrifyingly real, the thought of all the countless victims of abuse who have likely had a similar train of thought irl and why so many victims only speak out about it years later. Also love the development Diane went through, particularly in "The Dog Days are over", her identity crisis and the coping with the end of such a long yet tumultous relationship felt very real. "Planned obsolence" is absolutely hilarious, and the juxtaposition of an asexual couple having to deal with such a sex-driven family is so good, even though I wish we'd seen Yolanda again at least once. "Bojack the Feminist" has one line by Diane that I think is very poignant, about how Feminism/being a women isn't a "hobby or pet-interest" of hers, like as man you get to just jump in and say your piece but as a Woman you have to deal with sexism and everything all the time. The Amelia Earhart story was also a really compelling PC episode that I really love. The Story-Telling and structure of INT.SUB was also hilarious Also love all the original Ending Themes used this season, they're all so distinct yet fit so well. Overall, this sure was a sensational season of television.
55:45 Disney also tried claiming Loki. THEY TRIED TO CLAIM A GOD. So because they can’t do that they instead claimed the Loki font from their show and I think Loki green as well
I watched the last of your recaps when it came out, then gave the show another chance, finished it and now it has changed my perception of how good writing can be in a show. This is a phenomenal experience, thank you for changing my mind!
Bojack Horseman must be the one show that surprised me the most when it came to quality. Started watching it way back when it was new and were expecting some easy, chill watch aka fam guy or equal cartoon comedies, but then it hit me with the best show ive ever watched period. Bojack Horseman is undefeated.
@@existentialcrisis8321 its like: "haha the golde retriever man says funny stuff and is always happy because hes a golden retriever, oh fuck that girl just overdosed"
Been waiting for this upload! In regards to Diane not wanting Bojack to see her therapist, I think it's a very valid concern. Privacy in counseling gives clients the safety and freedom to express their concerns, especially ones they don't feel like they can share with those around them. Although therapists are trained to be unbiased, Diane likely feels anxious knowing Indira's opinions will be shaped by Bojack's stories, making Diane less inclined to trust Indira. I agree with your point that they should have been referred to other resources. It's irresponsible to leave the two of them hanging like that, and ethical counseling typically involves a termination interview to discuss the client's plans post-therapy. At least Bojack got some help in the end. Btw, I appreciate the SAO abridged reference. Quality comedy there. Excited for the finale analysis :)
I disagree with you saying that Diane is in the right for sleeping with Mr Peanutbutter because I think that if you sleep with someone knowing that they're cheating on their partner your almost as bad as them by contributing to the partner's heartbreak.
season 5 might be my favorite season alongside seasons 2 and 3 I can't really explain it, but something in the way bojack is slowly but surely hitting rock bottom and sort of being able to tell that he's slipping is so satisfying to watch somehow
So hyped to see this come out, I binged all the last ones on Halloween day while on tripping on acid in Greece and I've never had a deeper appreciation for a youtube series
I heard (or rather, read) from Vietnamese native speakers, that the cover of ''Back in the 90's'' is kind of...Google Translate-y? It's not correct Vietnamese, it's almost like the song was translated word-per-word and then sung without adapting to the Vietnamese sentence structure. I feel like this can't possibly be an overlook from the team, since it's clear they put a lot of effort into portraying the Vietnamese language accurately. I think it represents how Diane feels about her roots: she's Vietnamese, but in a Google Translate-y way.
You know, a lot of people get mad at what Diane did regarding rewriting the submarine scene, and I never understood why they thought it was wrong of her, but you've actually changed my mind. I never considered it being triggering for Penny, should it ever get back to her. So thank you for clearing up that one thing I could never understand the hate for.
52:25 my one complain about these reviews is how they keep saying hollyhocks overdose comes outta nowhere, over the course of season 4 there’s little hints that she’s being drugged. Like how she keeps saying she doesn’t feel hungry or that she feels little bumps under her skin. Or how she randomly decided to organize loose change while aimlessly changing the tv channels. You didn’t need to explicitly see an old lady drugging food to realize some fuckery was going on
I think that your Bojack videos were the main things that led to me coming to terms with my asexuality. I had never really thought about it and had been confused for a long time but when I heard you talk about how you related to Todd in that way I started wondering if I felt the same, and I did. When I first watched Bojack Horseman I didn't really pick up on how much I could relate to Todd but once you pointed it out it felt so right and I felt like I was finally comfortable. I'm still not completely sure about what exactly I am but I can finally explain to people why I don't want or feel uncomfortable with certain things and it's partly thanks to you. Thanks James, you're awesome.
I actually think that the meaing of Beatrice's last words is still up to the viewer whether it was a meaningful "I See You" or she was just reading a sign. It's just what Bojack came to. It's similar to me to Time's Arrow when Bojack's illusion shatters when he says that they're eating ice cream and Beatrice never tried it so she can't remember how it tastes like yet she still pretends for Bojack. It is the act of kindness, the closure that Bojack always wanted but he could never understand it because he didn't know Bea's full story.
In Free Churros, that ICU word-play (shall I call it that) must’ve been one of the hardest tasks for foreign translators and dubbers to translate while keeping it comprehensible and realistic. I remember in Hungarian, the Netflix subtitles and the TV dubs took different approaches to keep the double-meaning.
For me, season five is the best season. It’s the most consistent in its quality while also having the god tier Free Churro and the criminally underrated and under appreciated The Showstopper. This might be the best season of television I’ve ever watched.
This season is one of my favorites, especially because we get to see more of PC's life and the fact that she's from my home state makes me love her even more
Honestly i kind of feel like this show could have used Bojack going to court more often to show how Hollywood can bend the legal system over backwards for it's own ends. See also Ace Attorney: Justice For All's final case
They kinda do that in a joking way with the ending to Margo Martindale's plotline next season- she gets out of jail time to do a movie for a director the judge happens to be a fan of. She's charged with multiple homicides, but for the judge's benefit, she's let go with less than a slap on the wrist.
I did the midterm project of my creative writing class on a monologue based on 'Free Churro'. That's how much that episode impacted me. Glad you could finally get to it! It was double awesome my professor caught onto the reference, as it's hard finding people who stuck with the show very long in the wild
Free Churro is one of those episodes of TV which stick with you. It is a betrayal of the "Show don't tell" theory in TV and movies. It is a sheer display of acting talent and writing, showing that it doesn't need impressive visuals in order to blow you away and keep you enthralled.
The thing about Princess Carolyn seemingly never backing up women who get harmed in the industry is she’s been put in a really complicated position. She loves to work and feels fulfilled when she does her job because it’s brought a lot of stability in her life where there was none, but in order to be allowed to continue doing that job and having that stability, she’s learned to not take sides and just tell people what they want to hear. That’s obviously not a GOOD thing and she is at fault in some manner, but there is a reason for why she thinks and acts that way that’s important and interesting to think about
I find it interesting that James didn't enjoy this season as much as the previous ones. For me personally this and Season 3 are tied for the best. The 11th episode in particular is probably some of the most anxiety-ridden I've felt watching any piece of media before.
Love this vid’s analysis of the series. Also I think the balloon is symbolic of Bojack’s untethered mind, floating above reality on a drug binge, a physical reminder of how he is the one haunting himself (and the rest of LA). It’s also really interesting that Diane was the one who did the untethering, perhaps a representation of how her confrontation of him was the thing that really set him off on the drug binge.
That ICU moment in “Free Churro” is probably one of the best cases of dramatic irony I’ve ever seen come out of a TV show. Like that moment is on the same level as the ending of The Mist. Like holy shit Bojack Horseman is a great show
@K A E E L Y ♋️ silence wench! you shalln’t tempt me!
Man, I never even made that connection, but it did have much the same effect on me as The Mist's ending, which...oof. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it but it was really like a "Dude...what the fuck, did that just happen?" thing
Literally the whole episode I was sitting there waiting for Bojack to realize she meant the ICU and not “I See You”
They pull a similar thing in F is for Family, and trust me it isn't as ironic but it does hit hard.
@@callmeobsequious Yeah, it's....oh god.
I have to say that immediately after talking of a miscarriage, hearing Duke Nukem say “What do you mean you lost the baby, go find it” actually made me cry in laughter.
28:38
Nice profile picture
@J N we all know that if humor is dark we can't find it funny, good call bro :p
@@dylantoney6971 vdq
As someone who's had one, I fecken WHEEZED
"You know the shittiest thing about all of this? Is when that stranger behind the counter gave me that free churro, that small act of kindness, showed more compassion, then my mother gave me her entire goddamn life. Like how hard is it to do something nice for a person?
This woman, in the Jack-In-The-Box, didn't even know me.
I'm your son. All I had was you."
episode broke me dude
Gracious that hits deep.
Apparently during the time this episode was released Jack-in-the-box was handing out free churros to all customs - it wasn’t even an act of kindness, it was just the girl behind the counter’s job.
@@ionabab7274 oh my god..
@@ionabab7274and it still fits the quote so well, this kindness that is just the workers job. Yet Bojacks mother never took care of him in the way a kid needs. She never did her job.
This show did an odd thing to me. It caused me to identify with the main character, but not idolize them. This show pointed out MY flaws in tandem with Bojack, and put me on a path to get better. I hope that's what the show wanted me to do
Well, are you better now?
@@Jamjar-iu3ji I think so... I hope so. I'm on meds, I confide in others and I'm doing ok on admitting my mistakes. It's progress
Same. This was the show that made me go back to therapy.
@@N01IMP0RTANT That’s super great. I wish you well on your progress journey 🥺🥺💗.
For we must all appear before “the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
We will be judged for every deed we do whether is be good or bad. This isn’t something to worry about even if our bad deeds out weigh our good. Because none are good before God, all have sinned against Him and cursed His name, but He in His tender loving mercy hath given us His Son as our ransom. When Jesus was dying all of Gods wrath and judgement was poured out onto Him even though He was sinless. He was sacrificed and tortured on our behalf though we are sinful and carnal. Christ payed our sin debt with His perfect sinless blood so we may escape judgment and have everlasting life. But this great gift is only for those who accept it and accept Him ❤️
Favorite line:
Emily: " Look, Todd, you're great,-"
Todd: " What a way to end a sentence. :) "
first reply after 2 years lol
1:08:58 Gina asked Bojack, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" The balloon gives him the answer, "It's you". This is my interpretation.
Subtle genius.
Great Scott, I never noticed that simple change, it's amazing.
Ooooof. Awesome observation but ow.
I interpret it similarly. I think of it as the "I see you" moment he thought he had with his mom before she passed - but the negative and judgemental version he feared she meant.
Another instance of him being a massive fuck up who's ruined someone's life, followed by him essentially looking in the mirror.
Also looks like a reference to the Narcissus painting on Bojacks wall
i dont really agree with the whole "hollyhocks overdose came out of no where" argument. there were MANY signs that you would only realize on a second watch. people who are about to overdose often exhibit strange behavior and ocd symptoms. hollyhock spent one morning counting her teeth relentlessly. also, beatrice makes the coffee and is CONSTANTLY telling hollyhock she needs to lose weight. it really didn't come out of no where
I agree with most of what you said. Except the behavior and "ocd symptoms" were due to the chemicals persisting in the system when on drugs and sometimes when coming down, not necessarily before overdosing.
@@itsgonnabeanaurfromme right my bad
Even her pants start fitting more loosely on her as the season progresses, indicating her weight loss. There's a lot of detail to attention there.
@@6akiv6 not to mention in the theme song hollyhock goes from eating pastries to just drinking coffee
Personally I agree with you I just think it went by too fast, which I think he might be talking about. Like it all happens over like 2 episodes, and it seems to me like it could have had more relevance and a longer more significant period to fester, to kinda give a harder blow if that makes sense? When it happens so fast like that it really isnt processed as good as it could be
I disagree on the beatrice not eluding to the diet pills. Shes the one who makes coffee. Shes the one always in the kitchen, talking about her past. Even talks about hollyhawks weight.
Yep, you even see Hollyhock slowly losing weight and doing these odd ticks that show that something is making her mentally distressed: scratching herself, lighting matches on fire, counting quarters for hours, and, the most obvious, the turns down Bojacks offer to grab something to eat even when it's established that she has the same crazy appetite that he does.
Also in the theme song you can see Bojack's mom giving her the coffee
In the intro Hollyhock also goes from eating a toaster strudel to only drinking coffee IIRC
Yeah like I definitely think Beatrice's constant comments about her weight were enough foreshadowing tbh. She says such cruel things, especially considering Hollyhock only had a little muffintop. She wasn't even fat.
@K A E E L Y ♋️ AWOOOOGA!!!!!
Okay but Flip saying 'maybe I was princess carolyn the whole time' IS SO UNREASONABLY FUNNY TO ME its just so absurd
It’s a reference to Rami Maleks (who plays flip) show Mr Robot.
...Oh fish!
This season demonstrates how dangerous it is to say "oh well at least he isn't violent". Like you said, they drew the line hard. They're screaming "this guy is going to leave a trail of death and destruction if he doesn't change. What else do you need?" They were not about to be complicit in producing the next Joker.
I like the foreshadowing of introducing the absolute prime monster movie star, an example of what Bojack will become if he doesn't get his shit together.
the whole arc about him only wanting to date women way younger than him really gave leonardo dicaprio a lot of depth as a character and really made me find him far more interesting as a character
leonardo dicaprio?? kahsisjisjs
@@emopeterparker7 💥❔❔
I was thinking like Jake Gyllenhaal
Who is Leonardo Dicaprio? Do you mean Lernernerner Dicapricorn?
LMAO i love it
Free Churro is probably one of the best episodes of tv ever. It flows so seamlessly and really shows how complex and amazing a character BoJack is. It even has an impact later on, since it reinstated his dad’s unhealthy “can’t depend on anyone” mentality that played a big role in his downward spiral this season
Me the ALPHA M*LE of this comment section and me command RESPECT. Right now me telling you to NOT observe any of me nice cool sweet videos. Instead just look at me awesome good powerful thumbnails. Thank you, dear noa
@@AxxLAfriku I've tried reporting you multiple times but it has never worked
Especially because it's a 20-something monologue an episode after Bojack says that Philbert has too much dialog for a visual medium like tv.
made me sob at 'i'm your son, all i had was you' late at 3 am because i had a mother very similar to bojack's and that honestly killed me. i could relate to the sort of dissonance bojack had talking about her not even bothering to bring up good moments for her funeral because he'd been broken by her abuse for so damn long. i think about that episode a lot, it deserves its praise.
Qa
LET'S GOOO!! I've been waiting for this! Season 5 is the one that cemented BoJack as a masterpiece of television in my mind! Free Churro just came at a really important time in my life
So many comment bots agh-
Dude I didn’t even think the 5 part would come out this I’m so happy
Best episode of the show imo
@@obamaprism3106 D
Samamwmemamamwkmw
My personal favorite thing about the ‘I see you’ reveal is that it not only fits well with the rest of the monologue (like the coffee cup story where a fan overanalyzes the significance of the filming mistake, or the explanation that the Orphans in Horsin Around were lucky since they could imagine their parents were whatever they wanted them to be rather than having to know definitively if they were awful people or not) but it does leave you with an interesting point. Sometimes not knowing the truth really can be better for us. Because, if Bojack never got the true meaning behind his mother’s last words, he’d be able to imagine it was whatever he wanted it to mean. But now he has to know the truth. It means absolutely nothing, and that’s something he no longer has the ability to deny.
Plus it fits with the Herb Kazazz funeral reveal where it turns out that there really wasn’t any big conspiracy or meaning behind his death.
@Cio Lake
That’s certainly a good point, idk if I can disagree with that myself
I like how Hollyhock tells Bojack how her dads told her she ‘shouldn’t feel bad about feeling bad’ & this sticks with Bojack so much that he tell Diane this in the next episode
Something I barely see mentioned is how much Bojack recycles things other people say to him. Not sure what it means but it happened a lot
@@ixn6196 You're entirely right and another instance of this is early in season one I think he says "It's not Ibsen" which is something that is shown in later episodes/seasons that it was said by his mother. He's always reusing other's words and I find it incredibly interesting.
"fetishizing your own sadness" is another one i remember
"my mother is dead and everything is worse now" probably also applies
I finished Bojack Horseman just this week. I went into it expecting some laughs, maybe some deep lines, but I was not even close to prepared for the depths to which this show delved. Bojack horseman talked about parts of being human that no other show I have seen would dare to talk about. I strongly believe that Time’s Arrow is the perfect episode of television and it is my favorite in the series. Thanks for making the next part; excited to see what you think of the view from halfway down in the next part :)
Mine personally is The View from Halfway Down, but Times Arrow is definitely up there at probably my second favorite of the series.
@@Steve_SBU The Secretariat poem gives me chills every time
@@n8y80 same bro same
@@n8y80 I bet that poem has made at least a couple people really turn their mind around on doing that to themselves
its funny because the show is about a horse
I like how this season does more showing then telling. You can tell Hollyhock did wonders for Bojack’s mental health. But instead of them droning on about it. He’s the nicest he’s ever been, and is using substances less in the beginning.
makes me so genuinely hurt when he goes on a spiral because it was clear he was getting so much better but nothing could actually cure his addiction to fame.
it's actually painfully realistic when it comes to addiction and how you can do so well for your life and end up spiraling at just the right moment
Free Churo is honestly one of the most important episodes ive ever seen, it felt super real and i saw it at a time i needed it the most, its weird to say, but bojack has honestly helped my life in a big way.
BoJack Horseman forever has its mark on my life, especially Free Churro so know that it's not that weird to think that it helps lives.
@@Phillip-wt4dz To me art needs to be more recongnized as its very helpful and almost acts like therapy to most, or atleast it has to me, i hate it when people just pass it off as nothing more than entertainment. im super glad that people whove seen bojack are starting to realize this and see what art really is. Im also glad that the show helped you as it did for me!
I promise I am not trying to be extra, but Free Churro might be the greatest episode of television I have ever seen. Truly, art at its best
@@terugi Free churro is possibly one of the greatest things ive ever watched, nothing has ever felt as real as it, its probably in my top tv episodes ever, along side the view from halway down and ozymandias from breaking bad.
Also my favorite episode
Honestly I think Diane-oop. I mean Diana-was right to quit her therapist when she found out she was working with Boj-Bobo. I’ve been going to therapy for years and clients always retain the right to stop seeing a therapist with whom they don’t feel emotionally safe for any reason. I don’t know whether or not the therapist, ethically speaking, should’ve told Diana that she was taking on Bobo as a client, if Diana talked about Bobo in therapy at all. But I do know that Diana was absolutely right her decision to stop seeing that therapist, though she probably should’ve tried to find a different therapist. But you know, she was probably afraid that Bobo would somehow get involved with that therapist too.
What I’m trying to say is, no one is obligated to keep seeing a specific therapist, especially if that therapist for one reason or another is either unhelpful or actively harmful.
Also the way PB proposed to Pickles instead of confessing that he was cheating on her makes me wonder about the context of his proposals to his other ex wives.
That's an interesting take for pb honestly never thought of it that way and I think it's realistic as it the previous seasons they don't show his flaws
i've wondered that about PB as well tbh, but personal guilt only comes into play with pickles. he definitely doesn't have anything on his mind like that when proposing to diane as it would've been obvious in his behavior (hes a terrible liar), and we don't get to see the other two proposals. unless it was diane specifically that made him feel guilty, i don't think we can assume anything. he's still a piece of shit tho lol
Great point about the "friendly distance" BoJack and Todd have this season. I honestly feel that BoJack and Herb also had that when they reunited in season 1, and it could've stayed that way had BoJack not pushed the issue by expecting Herb to forgive him for abandoning him.
Princess Carolyn’s Story throughout the series was definitely my favorite. Glad she ended up happy by the end. That whole episode with her meeting the surrogate of her baby was fantastic and a great deep dive into her life.
Agreed
as a North Carolina girl myself, seeing PC's story about leaving it behind and having to revisit all those young and southern memories hit so close to home.
Yeah I don’t get why he doesn’t like her character. She’s tied with Diane for me.
I think the fact that flip is never called out is a representation of how misogeny in Hollywood is rampant and all over the place in movies but is always ignored
Yeah, absolutely. My favourite Flip moment, and one of the two key moments that justify his entire character to me, is when Gina is being choked and he casually fakes concern before turning her suffering into 'content'. There have been other rampant sexists and abusers in the show before, like Vance and Hank Hippopopilus (sp?), but I don't think either of those would have stood by and silently approved of it happening. Flip is a different breed of misogynist, and I feel really captures the point that sexism and abuse doesn't just come from big aggressive alpha-males (nicely rounding off the point made by Hank that abuse also doesn't just come from self-evident creeps and weirdos).
(In case anyone is wondering, I think the other point that justifies Flip's character is his introduction and his almost paternal belief in his Philbert script. Not only is it a perfect moment for PC's development, but it suggests that he couldn't have made it in the industry without a helping hand, but as soon as he's got his foothold, he pulls up the ladder behind him like so many others do, treating his actors and crew like garbage and never once wondering if they might have the same type of passion as him)
I think him being sexist and him being abusive are separate. Conflating his sexist writing and treatment of people with standing by while a person is choked in front of him seems weird. It's two separate red flags about him. It's not like the sole reason he doesn't care about Gina being choked is because she's a woman. I suppose that could be alluding to actresses concerns not being addressed as often, but conflating that solely with his misogeny is still a stretch to me.
@@curranfrank2854 That's not a bad point at all, and I agree that they're separate red flags, but I don't think they're completely exclusive of one another. Yes, that moment of standing by while Gina is being choked isn't fuelled by sexism, but his sexism is the first window through which we see his utter lack of concern for the wellbeing of his cast and crew. He doesn't take Gina's or Bojack's discomfort about the nude scenes seriously at all, and the lesson he learns from that whole situation is that women should stop complaining about being objectified for entertainment.
That's where the two overlap for me. He is a character who objectifies others for entertainment, and I believe that does extend to his decision to attempt to turn Bojack's assault on Gina into more of the show.
@@SliceOfDog Yeah that's fair. I think ultimately Flip "is a character who objectifies others for entertainment" like you said, and his misogeny is one aspect of that. He's fine with exploiting everyone but women like Gina get the brunt of it.
When did I write this?
Dude.... It literally never occured to me that penny might see that episode of philbert. And thats really sad. I think thats whats going on with diane, i dunno if it was intended but she is so focused on the transgressions of the perpetrator that she completely forgets about the experience of the victim... Just like i did... And maybe a lot of other people did.
Right. Even if she avoids the show because she knows Bojack is in it, through the zeitgeist of the internet she could probably be exposed to her story being in the episode.
To be fair, that happens a lot in real life
i definitely didnt consider it, not even after season 6 where her dad is shown watching birthday day- it never dawned on me that the content these main characters make is *watched by everyone*, potentially including those they hurt
Yeah Damn. That is a Great and Terrible pit that a lot of Social Justice Organizations Fall into.
Prioritizing the Offender over the Victim.
Maybe that is the Difference between Revenge and Justice.
Revenge is about Punishing the Wicked, where Justice is about Protecting the Innocent.
That was the exact thing I immediately thought when I realised what Diana had done. What about Penny????
Bojack Horseman ruined my relationship with my now ex boyfriend, and I am so thankful it happened. I didn't realize at first why I wasn't attracted to my boyfriend the same way he was attracted to me, why he wanted sex while I just didn't. I tried to force myself to like the idea of it, but it wasn't until I watched this series that I finally understood what I was going through. I'm asexual, and nothing will change that. So, I told my boyfriend aaaaanndd... He broke up with me. Well, not without trying to get me to be sexual for him first. I laid awake wondering if I could ever BE loved or have a relationship, because I so badly wanted one. Seeing Todd struggle with the same things I did was emotionally relieving and crushing. If I could say one thing to the writers of this show, it would be... Thank you for helping me realize I was hurting myself in a sexual relationship. This show will always have a piece of my heart because it helped me discover who I am 💕
Huh
That’s so amazing,I’m so happy for you:)
@@nanashi2146 what is there to be confused about lol
Your ex-relationship is kinda my worst fear, that even If I do manage to fall in love, it's with someone who only wants sex and doesn't love me for me. And even if there was a person for me somewhere, they'd be so far away and hard to find that I might as well give up. But, seeing how many Asexual people are coming out recently, there's someone out there who will care, and even if I really am Aromantic, there are still a ton of people just like me.
I love that for you
The episode "Free Churro" is honestly the greatest episode of television ever written. I grew up in an emotionally abusive household like Bojack, and the amount of nuance the writers give his reaction to his mother's death is just... incredible.
When my dad died I had a lot of really complex emotions. at once being incredibly sad at losing any future connection or reconciliation with him and also at the relief I felt that I would no longer have to be bogged down by his relentless negativity. I've NEVER had an episode of television really.... showcase that before. We are always shown the character just either forgiving the parent or downright hating the parent but there is so much more to that dynamic and this episode spoke to that so well. The feelings that can be so hard to put into words.
It's an episode that is so amazing for normal viewers, but it sort of reads as a love letter to victims of parental neglect and abuse. I really felt... SEEN. All the emotions I felt at my own abusers funeral were so accurately laid out in twenty minutes of unforgettable television.
Same. As I watched it I had to take a deep breath and lean on my husband to get through it. It... really knew what it was talking about in how it described those feelings so perfectly. My parents both died in the same couple of years my kids were born. Life is... so radically altered now I cant even find words to describe it. But that specific cocktail of feelings you get when the parent who broke you down the most is gone, how pathetic you feel loving them anyway even with all the shit they put on you... Bojack got into that way deeper than anything Ive ever seen. Im still kind of floored from watching it.
Re: Yolanda
I just got the impression that since she actually knew Todd, she knew those accomplishments were just falling upwards, whereas others impressed with him make quick judgments based on his surface appearance
AGREED
Yup. Frankly, if I were in her situation, I'd be iffy on him, too. I also relate to her in that I knowingly have dated guys I knew I wasn't compatible with, just to not feel alone. 😞
Yeah, she would have had to work for everything she accomplished where as Todd kinda just got lucky in a lot of ways. Probably also has some resentment about how he was kicked out of his house for being lazy and just happened to crash at a rich celebrity's place where as she would have feared being kicked out/needing to run away from her family if it turned out they didn't accept her for who she was. Todd actually got kicked out, and not even for being who he is but just because he was lazy, but instead of being homeless on the street like a lot of young people forcebly kicked out by their parents for various reasons he gets lucky and stays comfortably on the couch of Bojack's place. He HAD a good home to stay in with parents who did care for him and he wasted it by being so lazy and unmotivated where as if Yolanda got kicked out she was unlikely to land in such a lucky place.
@@caldw615 So Yolanda is the Frank Grimes of Bojack Horseman?
Oh!! Very astute !!
Bojack’s addiction is a pretty interesting case in this season. We knew from the start of the series that he was an alcoholic, who also occasionally does hard drugs. In the beginning of this season, we’re shown that Bojack is trying to be conscious about his substance abuse. He is rationing his alcohol intake so that he only drinks little doses every day. And it is not explicitly shown, but it’s safe to think he is restraining from doing hard drugs since the Sarah Lynn incident. But just when he starts doing steps to control his substance addiction, whoops, he’s injured, and gets access to opiates which eventually get him hooked again.
It felt like a strange decision in the narrative at first viewing, but in hindsight it makes sense.
Igaz szavak.
Bojack can never be happy, because everytime he is happy, something bad he has done gets up, or when he does something wrong, and starts to fix himself, the thing comes back and makes him spiral again
@Gergely Galvácsy
"And it is not explicitly shown, but it’s safe to think he is restraining from doing hard drugs since the Sarah Lynn incident."
In the 2nd episode of season 4 Bojack talks about getting drugs from his dealer because the writers threw away any possible character development for a joke.
Seeing him at the start of the season doing a section of the bottle per day to bottles per days was a fun but crushing joke.
That’s how most people get addicted to pills
I really related to Gina with her aspect of loving musicals but really not having the talent for it. It made me cry the first time I saw that scene
Same
Funny enough the voice actor for Gina is super talented, in fact the lead in Encanto. Our girl got her musical
Thisssssss🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲
The fact Stephanie Beatriz plays Gina and recently starred in Encanto is pretty interesting. I wonder if Gina's desire to get into musical performance was directly lifted from Stephanie Beatriz.
Honestly, Stephanie Beatriz's character is a bit meta here, if you know her work at Brooklyn 99. At that show, she is a tough badass that has a surprisingly softy background in ballet. In BoJack she is a badass that also has a surprisingly softy background in musical theatre. Also in real life she is an actress who plays a detective and here she plays an actress who plays a detective.
Having been the victim of fatshaming/having an eating disorder forced on me by family, Hollyhocks entire story really spoke to me. I completely got what was going on very early. BUT I was also so hurt because I knew others who havent been through this wouldnt see it so fast. I think its actually a perfect take on such aa permeating struggle in society that constantly goes unseen and unspoken. If you know, you know. And if you dont, it comes as a huge surprise that throws you for a loop. I also loved seeing the viewer reaction about eating disorders concering someone who is fat or bigger (like Hollyhock) versus the most common portrayal of ED being focused on thin women. TLDR; I love Hollyhock and I love the use of subtle but recognizable foreshadowing in this show
Completely agree, not to mention there’s so many hints before hand
Hollyhock’s increasingly frantic behavior, none of this happening until she drinks coffee. The coffee being drugged is also hinted at in the intro where bojack trips out once he takes a sip. Another hint given is when Mr Peanutbutter is sniffing out for Beatrice’s baby, and he sniffs near the coffee
I loved hollyhock so much, I felt so seen when someone pointed out the eating disorder,and like (maybe I’m misunderstanding everything forgive me) but coffee is an appetite suppressant and it reminded me so much of myself, coffee literally became my thing in my friend group because yk. Also i love that the show touches on Beatrice bringing it on too, the goose girl in that one episode calls her fat, and she permeates that on hollyhock as “helping” and how it touches on how it’ll always be an issue and ogmdhlghekwehbe hollyhock was the representation I always wanted and she makes me feel so seen and real
Fun fact about Gina! She's voiced by the same voice actress that played Mirabel in Encanto!
and Rosa in Brooklyn 99!
Omg! Love her
So she *can* sing
OHHHHH, I KNEW HER VOICE WAS FAMILIAR
I came here to comment this same thing
I showed my gf this show a while back, and she loved it. But it's been while and we've dealt with this terrible incel since then, that's ultimately caused her to not like the show as much any more. This person also loved bojack horseman, and related to his character WAY more than he should have. He was literally the kind of person, who used this show as a way to cope with his own crappy things he's done, thinking it somehow made him flawed but likeable. Even though the writers attempted to be self-aware about it in that season 5 episode, and send a message to their fans saying THIS ISN't OKAY, it still somehow didn't get through to him. It's really a shame that this show has this effect on some people, and I hate how it's tainted the way my girlfriend sees this show. But i'll always revere as one of the best shows i've seen.
that's my biggest problem with this show too. i love it, but my ex was exactly like that (he used to say i was diane), in restrospect that was a huge red flag
@@sarafelix5573 When you're wearing rose-colored glasses, all red flags just look like flags,
The trouble with making a show about an asshole who doesn't know how to self reflect and blames others is that you won't be able to force the assholes watching your show to self-reflect, when they can instead blame It on a woman who is also flawed.
In most respects, I find it really hard to blame the show for this, just due to how it's framed. But I guess despite the plot, the characters, the directing, the dialogue, and the framing all depict Bojack as a terrible person who does not deserve sympathy, depicting him as the main character of a drama will gear viewers into strongly sympathizing with him. No amount of self-aware or introspective character writing can really overtake that unfortunately.
There is a little bit of Bojack in all of us, he speaks to very common human flaws and insecurities. You can see the positive effects of this from the stories viewers have told, saying that watching the show motivated them to seek therapy, or quit alcohol/drugs, or even that it prevented them from committing suicide.
But, some people have more Bojack in them than others, and not everyone becomes self-aware from watching TV, especially a show that dramatizes Bojack's behaviour for our entertainment. Again I can't really blame the writers for this. Some people are literally incapable of self-reflection, others have not learned to analyze the media they consume.
Bojack is included alongside Rick Sanchez, Tyler Durden, and Walter White in the "incels who completely missed the point by idolizing these characters" starter pack.
When Schaff said "Fellow Asexuals" my heart grew two sizes. I just love that one of my favourite creators on youtube is an asexual icon.
Are you interested in a channel with an ace host who talks about ace stuff and pop culture stuff?
If I had a quarter for every asexual I’m subscribed to on RUclips I’d have 2. Which isn’t a lot but it’s cool that it’s happened twice.
@@SadBirbHours whose the other? id love to find more
@@Jay-if6iw Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions. She does a lot of videos on narrative tropes, myths and stories.
@@SadBirbHours I love how I know exactly who you're talking about
I somewhat disagree that Free Churro has no relation to the rest of Season 5. It's mostly an epilogue to Season 4 but imo it's also a thesis statement for not just Season 5 but the rest of the show. Season 4 ended with Bojack overcoming his hatred for his mother and actually doing right by Hollyhock; the show could have ended his character arc there. Free Churro's statement of "there's always more show" is a reminder that despite Bojack's growth last season things aren't over for him- they'll never be over as long as he's alive.
Here's my personal ranking of the seasons:
6th: Season 1. 8/10
5th: Season 3. 9/10
4th: Season 5 10/10
3rd: Season 2. 10/10
2nd: Season 4. 10/10
1st: Season 6. 11/10
I may not be perfect, but that is what I got out of it👍
This is mine-
6th: Season 1. 7/10
5th: Season 4. 8/10
4th: Season 5. 9/10
3rd. Season 3. 10/10
2nd. Season 6. 10/10
1st. Season 2. 10/10
This but personally 4 is 10/10
Mine:
6th: Season 1. 8/10
5th: Season 5. 9/10
4th: Season 2. 9/10
3rd: Season 3. 10/10
2nd: Season 6. 11/10
1st: Season 4. 11/10
fyi, season 6 overall is slightly lower than season 4, but season 6A is a 10/10, above season 3, and season 6B is another 11/10, being better than season 4
I’m glad that free churro opened with butterscotch talking one on one to bojack. We know that both of them were shitty to him but Beatrice gets much more screen time both in flashbacks and in the present. You kind of forget about butterscotch and just fill in the blank, like “he probably wasn’t that bad.” But no when picking him up in the rain after Beatrice forgot to, he belittles him for interrupting his writing, and frightens him for just existing. There’s very little, if no love there.
The lack of interaction between the two of them is probably why butterscotch is replaced with secretariat in the view from halfway down. Fathers are supposed to be who you look up to, an example of who you could be growing up. The only person bojack saw filling that role was secretariat.
wait, seabiscut was in the show??
@@thonk7611 wrong horse whoops, secretariat
Yeah, totally! I'm pretty sure it's like the second time in the entire show we see Butterscotch specifically being a terrible father, the first time being all the way back in season 1. That kinda shows the biggest way Butterscotch failed Bojack- he wasn't there AT ALL. He hated his family, so he just removed himself.
He also drugged BoJack so he wouldn’t tell Beatrice about Him walking in on Butterscotch having an affair with his secretary
Exactly
The excitement I feel everytime one of these videos comes out is almost comparable to the feeling of a new season of bojack coming out
Fake telepurte bots and a mediocre clarinet player
I’m finally glad that Gina could reincarnate into a colombian girl whose family has magic.
Now I'm imagining Mirabel saying "what the f*ck is wrong with you?" to Abuela
it's more of the reverse timeline wise
Wait, IT'S THE SAME ACTRESS???? HOLY SHIT, THAT'S AWESOME, SHE FULFILLED HER MUSICAL DREAM :'D
@@l.andrem.s.8144 Its Stephanie Beatriz, she plays Rosa in Brooklyn 99
One thing about diane, she dont having a lot of episodes focused on her is a reflection of her personallity, she defines herself by her relationships and try to fit in always, she is always reacting to the environment instead of acting on it, thats why she has such a few episodes focused on her and if you analise then they are major life changing moments for her.
My heart sunk extremely hard when you mentioned @1:11:53 how many women suffer silently as to not make their trauma their defining feature, just like Gina.
That’s something that’s definitely real and I’m so grateful you took the time to say it.
Physical abuse 😎
As somebody who's struggled with suicide, "The View From Halfway Down" is so perfect to me that season 6 is easily my favorite season of any show ever, only rivaled by season 5 of breaking bad
Interesting how both seasons were split into two parts; the first part ending on a somewhat happy note for the characters and then the second part completely obliterating them. And the last three episodes of the seasons have a similar structure. The third to last episode has the protagonists at the lowest they've ever been, losing everything and everyone they cared about, the penultimate episode has them confronting their own sins and mortality and the final episode has the character "reborn" and making amends, in a way, with the people closest to them before ultimately dying (that is if you believe the theory that Bojack did drown in his pool and the last episode was just another dying dream of his). Whatever it is, they've cracked the code on doing an outstanding series finale.
SAMEEEE I LOVE SEASON 6 it´s my favorite after Season 3
For me another is dr who s9.
@@scix8794 Heaven Sent? Or just the entirety of Season 9?
@@Genguall of it till heaven sent(my favorite piece of fiction), hell bent is garbage.
About that Diane moment, I actually think that might be a good example of her character. Yes, I agree that most of the time, she is absolutely right about things, but I think what the show has been telling us since season 1 is that her righteous actions aren’t really for the greater good and are really her trying to prove to herself that she is a good person, even if it inadvertently screws over people she knows. For example, with the Hank Hippo situation, Diane is absolutely right about him being a bad guy and by all right should be in jail. However, it’s important to note that she knew about all of the things he was doing before she started her movement. She only started really going after hank when other people questioned and argued with her over it. Again, she is not wrong for going after hank, I can even excuse it for ruining her husbands chances at meeting his hero, but it does paint actions at being much more selfish than she lets on.
Thats really what i always felt towarda her. She very often says true facts and problems in society and persons, but most of the time she doesnt seem interested in bettering the problem, but more in inverting it. She seems more interested in taking revenge on the perpetrator then in helping the victims or solving the problem.
@@slipheer4947 revenge vs justice
PC is one of my favorites, and this is my interpretation- she definitely does shitty things, but I also feel like her actions are always understandable. For me, she came from an environment where she started from the bottom rung and she constantly felt like she had to prove her worth to get ahead. She also dedicated most of her adolescence to propping up her mother and doing things entirely for other people who never gave her the aproval she so clearly wanted. As soon as she got to hollywoo, she continued to be undervalued and no one really appreciated anything she ever did. For me, shes clearly an ambitious person who wanted to grow past her upbringing and is trying to prove that she can be a successful person to herself, after basically hearing her entire life that she would never amount to anything and that going to hollywoo was pointless. Her flaw is that she does shitty things for the sake of feeling successful because all her life, that's what she wanted.
There are definitely moments where I think she wonders if any of it was worth it, and I feel like Diane does call her out at some point but I would have to watch again to figure it out.
My thoughts exactly!
What Schaffrillas said about Time’s arrow, how it induces anxiety and even made him hyperventilate, is how I feel every time I watch The Showstopper. When I first watched it, it hit me at a million miles an hour as the most shocking moment of the show so far, and one of the biggest shocks I’ve ever had. On repeat viewing though, knowing it’s coming, I genuinely feel panicked and distressed, which is just a testament to the quality of the writing, acting, music, animation and writing. Yes I said writing twice, it’s a masterpiece.
The last scene in episode 11 broke me… I was not expecting that dreadful, quiet ending. And when I first saw it, It completely shut me down.
Same
Something even better about the eulogy episode:
In the episode before Bojack says about Young Sheldon that "no show should have that much dialogue". Just adds irony and I love it.
Free churro's premise was actually teased in one of the previous episodes as he complains about the script cause in the philbert script he has 20 minutes of straight dialouge.
“I don’t want you to me the most notable thing that ever happens to me, I don’t want you to be the question i get asked in interviews for the rest of my life”
I hope anyone who’s against the MeToo movement or says stuff like “well WHY did they wait so long to come forward” hears this
Todd is the reason I realized I was asexual. In middle and high school, I really struggled with everyone around me finding relationships. I never felt any attraction to anyone, and really didn't know there was a word for it until Todd went through his realization. There's such little asexual representation out there, it was so amazing for one of my favorite shows to help me realize my identity
as someone who's ace-questioning and having a hard time coming to terms with it, todd's story is super important to me. this whole show means so much to me!
Todd was one of my first experiences of a character in media actively portrayed as asexual. I watched bojack during college and just a bit after I was figuring out that I was asexual. Todd was such a comfort and following his example, went to research more about asexuality and finally feeling much more comfortable with myself as an individual.
same for me
Welcome to the club! There are hundreds of us. HUNDREDS!
Not gonna lie, the Free Churro episode coming out within like 18 months of my own dad dying kinda... broke me for a sec. I was watching the show while getting some menial tasks done at work when I was the only one in the building that day and I had to lock the door and sit down for a good cry for a few minutes by the end of it.
Sensitive
hey, i'm right there with you. season 6 pt 2 dropped the day my dad died and it took me a while to want to watch it. that season's episode 11 nearly gave me a panic attack
I'm so so sorry you had to experience this, I hope you've found a place of healing ♡
@@Lrizu ‘Sensitive’ 🤓
@@radarcore2125 tell me you lack a father figure without telling me you lack a father figure: ruclips.net/video/WzOZPwzSmxs/видео.html
1st line in Free Churro is Bojack’s dad: “Yes, yes, I see you…” just unbelievable writing.
2nd: I finished bojack this month and loved your analysis. I was excited once I finished another season to crack open the next vid. Keep up the great work and looking forward to #6.
What Diane did in episode 7 began to bother me the more I thought about it and the way James put it definitely makes it worse, although at the very least it doesn’t appear Penny or Charlotte heard about it but imagine if Penny DID try to come forward (it’s ambiguous if she did in season 6) but everyone denounced her because her story was “just from an episode of Philbert”
But yea that’s kinda the only time Diane ever did something that upset me, it kinda baffles me that she gets so much vitriol from parts of the fanbase when, like, have you seen the main character of this show. Him admitting he’s a bad person doesn’t make him “better”
I'm pretty sure Penny never came forward, she was kinda the only part of the whole Bojack bag of misdeeds that didn't end up getting back to him in that interview, but that's on purpose
Her sleeping with a man (dog) already in a relationship was a pretty shitty thing to do, too. Specially considering that she had already met pickles before and she knew how vulnerable she was. I don’t know why the guy in the video tried to downplayed her part in that cheating episode.
@@a.alonso5132 yeah i agree a hundred percent, i think both of them played an equal part but unlike mr peanutbutter, diane never seemed to express real remorse or even much of anything over it or get confronted in any way for what she did, we just kinda slid past it since at the point where it came out the show has moved on with diane to a different plot.
@@a.alonso5132 also i am a big fan of diane as a character, this is probably the only thing about they way they wrote her story that sticks out as weird to me, feels like diane did something really bad but the writers only put her as a part of it so they can use it for mr peanutbutters story while not really considering what it would do for diane
@@a.alonso5132 I mean she was single , there’s more onus on Mr Peanutbutter because he’s in a relationship and he proposed to Pickles instead of ‘fessing up, a responsibility that he tried to pass onto Diane
Connecting with your ‘ancestral’ land is a special moment. Seeing the land that i knew my ancestors lived on was incredible. If you have the opportunity to visit Greece at any point i strongly urge you to take it.
As a non ace I'm glad aces are getting good representation and hope to see more
I wouldn't call it "good" but hey at least we're being acknowledged...
@@Homodemon that's always great at least
My dad passed away about 10 years before Free Churro happened. I had a similar relationship with him as Bojack and his parents, and after a decade, it really is just... "My dad is dead, and everything is worse now." All the things I could have said, and all the things I'll never have. I'll never have a dad who looked at me and said "I see you." I'll never have a dad who will look at me and say "I love you" and mean it. Once he was gone, there was no more chance those things could happen. Everything is worse now, being unable to look forward to the day my dad is proud of me or loves me.
that's a really interesting take on the whole submarine scene, I've always thought of it from the viewpoint of someone who was abused, and it always felt really good to have the abuser be called out in such an obvious way that is also subtle enough that nobody else would realize. from the context of someone else doing it without asking me is actually a lot more messed up from that perspective
1:08:23 this is actually one of the few times I’ve ever heard Schaff pull an F-bomb. Most of the time in his videos most swears besides the word shit, are pretty much blurted out by a dolphin noise or a bleep. But not in this case, it parallels to bojack with it’s one-fuck per season thing. Where in serious moments they only throw an f-bomb(besides season 4 maybe) and here he is talking about a serious moment, there is no sugar coating, he says it raw and uncensored. I just wanted to point that out. Idk why I’m writing this.
In season 4 is Bojack who throws the F-bomb while calling out Beatrice for being such a shitty mother, this is the only time where the relation with a character is not permanently broken because of Bojack’s fault.
yeah and how most of the f bombs are in episode 11 because that’s where most of the deep stuff is (episode before the season finale) just like how this is the second last part of this series
I always felt like hollyhock’s collapse was partly because she’d developed an eating disorder. We see how Beatrice struggled with pressures her whole life, and then how that language kept getting used with Hollyhock, and she wasn’t eating. The medicine was heavily implied to have been put in Hollyhock’s coffee
It was
They even showed it in the episode where she collaps3d
@@aduckofsomesort i did not realize that! that makes a lot more sense
For we must all appear before “the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
We will be judged for every deed we do whether is be good or bad. This isn’t something to worry about even if our bad deeds out weigh our good. Because none are good before God, all have sinned against Him and cursed His name, but He in His tender loving mercy hath given us His Son as our ransom. When Jesus was dying all of Gods wrath and judgement was poured out onto Him even though He was sinless. He was sacrificed and tortured on our behalf though we are sinful and carnal. Christ payed our sin debt with His perfect sinless blood so we may escape judgment and have everlasting life. But this great gift is only for those who accept it and accept Him ❤️
I have a hard time ranking seasons in Bojack. I don't really remember which episodes were in which season and such. For me the entire show is just hilarious and relatable. I know most people shit on the first season but it contains some of the best jokes and the episode that got me thinking: YES this show is for me, Bojack hates the troops. It's rare that a character in a show says exactly how I feel and Bojack got my attention when he said: most people are jerks anyway, just by giving a jerk a gun and saying it's okay to kill people doesn't mean he's a hero.
The shot of him staring at the balloon of himself has such a Lovecraftian feel to it. Gives me chills.
"That girl at Jack In The Box didn't know me, I'm your son..." fucking broke me man, the slight break in his voice trying to keep himself steady as he realizes that his own mother couldn't even give him the kindness of a stranger. Fuck, man.
Hey Schaff, you might not read this comment, but I'll leave it anyways. I've recently discovered a manga that reminded me a lot of Bojack Horseman, named "Oyasumi Punpun": the story of a little bird drawing through his life. It deals with the themes of loneliness, depression and familly, but on a more serious tone than Bojack. I highly recommend it to anyone who watched this show and loved it as well.
This, I second this wholeheartedly, Oyasumi Punpun is such a fucking real tragic depiction of life that hit me way too hard. I had to stop at multiple points while reading it because it just hit way too close to home. I've been stuck at chapter 57 for quite a while because of school and personal life, but that just goes to show you how incredible it is: in only 57 chapters it has left an undeniable impact on my life that I can still feel to this day. Please, for the love of God, if you like Bojack Horseman give it a read, you won't be disappointed.
How more serious than bojack could it be?
@@KosTis a lot actually. Bojack can give you some laughs. Oyasumi Punpun is pure depression. Plus, it is way more "visual", let's say it like that
I just read one chapter and it is just like you described. Its visual style feels like some addiction animation I've seen before.
ruclips.net/video/HUngLgGRJpo/видео.html this style
One other point about the asexual representation that I found important in this season - it didn’t feel forced in any way. Todd’s asexuality is a natural progression for his character, and his general newness to asexuality provided a great vehicle to educate the viewers about the topic without just, ya know, shoving facts in your face for no reason. I feel like a lot of shows will add stuff like this simply to appease an audience or simply to make their show more diverse, but Bojack doesn’t feel like this at all. An incredibly well handled topic.
I think the giant balloon version of Bojack really symbolizes him becoming untethered from reality. I mean... Just look at who accidentally set the balloon free. Diane. The same person who played a large part in setting Bojack into his paranoid fit in the first place by writing his mistake with Penny into the script. She literally untethered him, just like the balloon.
[Spoilers ahead]
It makes it even better to see that, in the future, the person to really help him retether himself, is once again Diane, as she's the person who takes him to rehab.
I think Flip represents that person in Hollywood you just have to deal with. Doesn't matter what studio or production company you're working with. Doesn't matter how much pull your agent has, doesn't matter that you're friends with the director and this is your third project together. Flip is still there. And there's nothing anyone can do about it.
edit to say it's a similar thing with PC. She's that female in Hollywood who's always been there. When women make progress as a whole or there's an opportunity to capitalize on femininity in Hollywood, she wholeheartedly endorses it. However, she's 100% a part of the system, and will stand by while women are abused as long as it's for the sake of the biz. She will also close the door on women behind her trying to work their way through the industry, like she did with her assistant.
edit 2 I will not sit by as you slander the good name of Henry Fondle
edit 3 you guys Bojack has been a clear alcoholic with "addictive personality" on full display as early as Prickly Muffin. Watching this season in real time, the second they said he was on painkillers I thought fuuuuuck there's an opioid epidemic in this country he's gonna go off the deep end over pain killers.
That ending when he drives into traffic was the inevitable outcome of the setup
Free Churro for me was something that was really wild to watch as just after I watched it, like literally the instant it ended we got ready to go, I went to my Great Aunt's funeral and my Grandpa gave a 25 minute eulogy for her, though it was obviously much happier than BoJack's eulogy, but because of that it's always stuck with me. Funerals and family death were something I've dealt with my whole life ever since I was young with the death of my grandmother and godfather, so it was almost surreal watching it on top of having a funeral that same day.
Being born and raised in North Carolina, I really related to P. C. after she went back home. Also the don't stop dancing scene had me floored
Yeah when I heard that she’s from Eden, NC I was shocked cause it just came out of nowhere for me. I was born and raised in North Carolina as well.
Yessss more people talking about Bojack again Im glad, its an amazing show.
Little addendum to the therapist episode: "Bobo" means "Idiot" or "dumb person" in Spanish too and as a native speaker, even if it may be pure coincidence, I saw it lol
So that is why Clowns tend to be name Bobo
I'm a little mad that my brain connected "I see you" to "ICU" instantly and spoiled the big reveal for me. But that episode genuinely blew me away. If you can just have a character talk for 20 minutes and make a great episode out of it, an episode you can't even tear your eyes away from, you've got some spectacularly good writers. ....aaaand I'm looking forward to your 6th episode of this series, really enjoying it. No rush, though.
Im still waiting for the last part and it almost looks like were gonna be waiting for it forever
I've always known that I didn't have the same kinds of romantic/sexual attractions that other people had. For a long time I assumed I was just wired in a weird, misaligned way. But Bojack put not just a name to what it was, but applied a community to it too. I had never felt so validated before. A part of me that I had quietly hidden away was now something I could articulate and talk about with friends.
I'd always been a staunch believer that representation in media was important.
But Bojack made me fully realize just how empowering and validating it felt to actually be represented. Like a real 'I see you' moment.
I also appreciate your own openness on the subject. I'm sure it felt intimating to first admit but as a fellow ace, I want to thank you for yet another reminder that people like us are real, valid and seen.
Shame that media still overall likes to treat us either like we don't exist or as just a 'default' setting if a romantic subplot hasn't been established for a character.
when I was binging your content last year, I found your Bojack videos. I started watching the first one, but quit early one to watch the actual series because it sounded cool. this is without a doubt the best decision I ever made, do thank you Schaffriallas for introducing me to the sad horse show
Just recently rewatched the whole show and it just continues to hit harder than any show I've ever watched even on rewatch, hell I keep picking up on things I hadn't noticed yet.
"Free Churro" is off course absolutely genius and beautifully written, but "The Showstopper" is another one of my absolute favourites. The way the whole episode just builds and builds and builds and reality and Philbert meld together is thrilling and keeps me on edge throughout, you can truly feel like Bojack is losing it more and more and you're just waiting for the moment where it forcefully comes to a screeching hault.
Following that, "The Stopped Show" in my eyes has one of the most powerful, often overlooked lines: Gina saying she doesn't want Bojack to be the most notable thing that ever happens to her, the thing that she keeps getting asked for the rest of her life, overshadowing her acting and success she finally has. It's so terrifyingly real, the thought of all the countless victims of abuse who have likely had a similar train of thought irl and why so many victims only speak out about it years later.
Also love the development Diane went through, particularly in "The Dog Days are over", her identity crisis and the coping with the end of such a long yet tumultous relationship felt very real.
"Planned obsolence" is absolutely hilarious, and the juxtaposition of an asexual couple having to deal with such a sex-driven family is so good, even though I wish we'd seen Yolanda again at least once.
"Bojack the Feminist" has one line by Diane that I think is very poignant, about how Feminism/being a women isn't a "hobby or pet-interest" of hers, like as man you get to just jump in and say your piece but as a Woman you have to deal with sexism and everything all the time.
The Amelia Earhart story was also a really compelling PC episode that I really love.
The Story-Telling and structure of INT.SUB was also hilarious
Also love all the original Ending Themes used this season, they're all so distinct yet fit so well.
Overall, this sure was a sensational season of television.
This is probably my favorite series you've ever done. Thanks for continuing it ^^
55:45 Disney also tried claiming Loki. THEY TRIED TO CLAIM A GOD. So because they can’t do that they instead claimed the Loki font from their show and I think Loki green as well
what the hell
I watched the last of your recaps when it came out, then gave the show another chance, finished it and now it has changed my perception of how good writing can be in a show.
This is a phenomenal experience, thank you for changing my mind!
Bojack Horseman must be the one show that surprised me the most when it came to quality. Started watching it way back when it was new and were expecting some easy, chill watch aka fam guy or equal cartoon comedies, but then it hit me with the best show ive ever watched period. Bojack Horseman is undefeated.
Same. The show kind of sucks you in, and before you know it you're emotionally devastated.
@@existentialcrisis8321 its like: "haha the golde retriever man says funny stuff and is always happy because hes a golden retriever, oh fuck that girl just overdosed"
Been waiting for this upload!
In regards to Diane not wanting Bojack to see her therapist, I think it's a very valid concern. Privacy in counseling gives clients the safety and freedom to express their concerns, especially ones they don't feel like they can share with those around them. Although therapists are trained to be unbiased, Diane likely feels anxious knowing Indira's opinions will be shaped by Bojack's stories, making Diane less inclined to trust Indira. I agree with your point that they should have been referred to other resources. It's irresponsible to leave the two of them hanging like that, and ethical counseling typically involves a termination interview to discuss the client's plans post-therapy. At least Bojack got some help in the end.
Btw, I appreciate the SAO abridged reference. Quality comedy there. Excited for the finale analysis :)
I disagree with you saying that Diane is in the right for sleeping with Mr Peanutbutter because I think that if you sleep with someone knowing that they're cheating on their partner your almost as bad as them by contributing to the partner's heartbreak.
exactly. Even if you don’t expect to get with them in a relationship, it’s disrespectful to you AND the person they’re cheating on.
season 5 might be my favorite season alongside seasons 2 and 3
I can't really explain it, but something in the way bojack is slowly but surely hitting rock bottom and sort of being able to tell that he's slipping is so satisfying to watch somehow
anticipating part 6 being over 3 hours long
if its less than 2 hours i will be extremely suprised
@@nev.1
When is Part 6 coming out?
@@nev.1 Lol
I finished the show a couple months ago, and I've gotta say that it is one of my favorite shows ever. I'm so excited for this review.
So hyped to see this come out, I binged all the last ones on Halloween day while on tripping on acid in Greece and I've never had a deeper appreciation for a youtube series
I heard (or rather, read) from Vietnamese native speakers, that the cover of ''Back in the 90's'' is kind of...Google Translate-y? It's not correct Vietnamese, it's almost like the song was translated word-per-word and then sung without adapting to the Vietnamese sentence structure.
I feel like this can't possibly be an overlook from the team, since it's clear they put a lot of effort into portraying the Vietnamese language accurately.
I think it represents how Diane feels about her roots: she's Vietnamese, but in a Google Translate-y way.
considering the attention to detail in this show i wouldn't even call this a stretch
You know, a lot of people get mad at what Diane did regarding rewriting the submarine scene, and I never understood why they thought it was wrong of her, but you've actually changed my mind. I never considered it being triggering for Penny, should it ever get back to her. So thank you for clearing up that one thing I could never understand the hate for.
52:25 my one complain about these reviews is how they keep saying hollyhocks overdose comes outta nowhere, over the course of season 4 there’s little hints that she’s being drugged. Like how she keeps saying she doesn’t feel hungry or that she feels little bumps under her skin. Or how she randomly decided to organize loose change while aimlessly changing the tv channels. You didn’t need to explicitly see an old lady drugging food to realize some fuckery was going on
Like even for a cartoon about talking animals the shit hollyhock was doing was really weird
I think that your Bojack videos were the main things that led to me coming to terms with my asexuality. I had never really thought about it and had been confused for a long time but when I heard you talk about how you related to Todd in that way I started wondering if I felt the same, and I did. When I first watched Bojack Horseman I didn't really pick up on how much I could relate to Todd but once you pointed it out it felt so right and I felt like I was finally comfortable. I'm still not completely sure about what exactly I am but I can finally explain to people why I don't want or feel uncomfortable with certain things and it's partly thanks to you. Thanks James, you're awesome.
Satan is an ally hell yeah
Thanks Satan
I actually think that the meaing of Beatrice's last words is still up to the viewer whether it was a meaningful "I See You" or she was just reading a sign. It's just what Bojack came to.
It's similar to me to Time's Arrow when Bojack's illusion shatters when he says that they're eating ice cream and Beatrice never tried it so she can't remember how it tastes like yet she still pretends for Bojack. It is the act of kindness, the closure that Bojack always wanted but he could never understand it because he didn't know Bea's full story.
In Free Churros, that ICU word-play (shall I call it that) must’ve been one of the hardest tasks for foreign translators and dubbers to translate while keeping it comprehensible and realistic.
I remember in Hungarian, the Netflix subtitles and the TV dubs took different approaches to keep the double-meaning.
For me, season five is the best season. It’s the most consistent in its quality while also having the god tier Free Churro and the criminally underrated and under appreciated The Showstopper. This might be the best season of television I’ve ever watched.
"Once again my life is slightly worsened after a brief stint in musical theatre" is one of my favorite lines of the show.
10\10 season.
This season is one of my favorites, especially because we get to see more of PC's life and the fact that she's from my home state makes me love her even more
Honestly i kind of feel like this show could have used Bojack going to court more often to show how Hollywood can bend the legal system over backwards for it's own ends. See also Ace Attorney: Justice For All's final case
They kinda do that in a joking way with the ending to Margo Martindale's plotline next season- she gets out of jail time to do a movie for a director the judge happens to be a fan of. She's charged with multiple homicides, but for the judge's benefit, she's let go with less than a slap on the wrist.
I did the midterm project of my creative writing class on a monologue based on 'Free Churro'. That's how much that episode impacted me. Glad you could finally get to it!
It was double awesome my professor caught onto the reference, as it's hard finding people who stuck with the show very long in the wild
Free Churro is one of those episodes of TV which stick with you. It is a betrayal of the "Show don't tell" theory in TV and movies. It is a sheer display of acting talent and writing, showing that it doesn't need impressive visuals in order to blow you away and keep you enthralled.
The thing about Princess Carolyn seemingly never backing up women who get harmed in the industry is she’s been put in a really complicated position. She loves to work and feels fulfilled when she does her job because it’s brought a lot of stability in her life where there was none, but in order to be allowed to continue doing that job and having that stability, she’s learned to not take sides and just tell people what they want to hear. That’s obviously not a GOOD thing and she is at fault in some manner, but there is a reason for why she thinks and acts that way that’s important and interesting to think about
The Dog Days Are Over helped me immensely through my break up. This is absolutely my favorite season.
Can't wait for part 6!
I have been waiting for this moment.
We all have been waiting
I find it interesting that James didn't enjoy this season as much as the previous ones. For me personally this and Season 3 are tied for the best. The 11th episode in particular is probably some of the most anxiety-ridden I've felt watching any piece of media before.
What I love about this is how no one is perfect. All the characters feel like people, morally gray, conflicted people.
Love this vid’s analysis of the series. Also I think the balloon is symbolic of Bojack’s untethered mind, floating above reality on a drug binge, a physical reminder of how he is the one haunting himself (and the rest of LA). It’s also really interesting that Diane was the one who did the untethering, perhaps a representation of how her confrontation of him was the thing that really set him off on the drug binge.