Review: BoJack Horseman Season 6 (Part 1)
October 29, 2019
The sixth and final season of Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman” starts off strong with four memorable episodes. It ends with a cliffhanger that makes me want to time travel to Part Two of the season in January.
The show immediately picks up from where it left off in Season Five, with BoJack now in rehab trying to end his alcohol addiction. It is the main plot for episodes surrounding BoJack, but not the season as a whole. All five of the main characters, BoJack, Diane, Princess Caroline, Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter all get their own episodes surrounding their own personal struggles.
Overall, the show continues to amaze me in how it can expertly blend childish humor such as puns, alliteration and sex jokes with the heart and soul of a well-written drama. The show continues to be praised for it’s portrayal of depression, and as someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, there is no show that comes close to capturing the inner struggles that someone with mental illness goes through.
In addition to that expert blend, creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg continues to change the way he tells the story. In the Princess Caroline-centered episode, Waksberg animates multiple Princess Carolines at one time to show the craziness of raising a baby. Princess Caroline has always been portrayed as the toughest character in the series, constantly being able to work through any problem, but the way the episode is told dramatically shows how she is struggling to her newest challenge.
Some more highlights of the season are found in the first five episodes. BoJack is constantly reminded of the death of Sarah Lynn while in rehab and it makes his situation all the more heartbreaking for the viewer. Diane’s episode uses letters written by BoJack to beautifully transition between her problems. Mr. Peanutbutter’s episode sees him and his fiance get into a fight about an affair that happened in the previous season, while his friends and family try to sneak out of their house without being noticed. Even Todd, who has typically only been used as the comedic relief, is granted an emotional episode involving his parents.
The season stayed strong throughout and continued to change the way they told their stories. One episode showed the growth of BoJack by showing him travel the country through chapters. The final episode focused on situations in previous seasons, but none of the five major characters appeared in the episode.
It was a risky move that the show pulled off. While that episode did lack a bit compared to previous episodes in the season, it was still a very emotional and funny episode. When you have an ensemble cast in any show, whether it’s animated or live-action, it is tough to make it work when one of them is eliminated from an episode. Not only did this season of BoJack ignore some of the major characters in certain episodes, this final episode made it work with none of them which, proves the strong writing ability of the show’s creator.
While season six’s risks aren’t as big as those that came before it, the season doesn’t have two episodes told the same way, arguably making the season as a whole a risk. It pays off in a big way, setting up BoJack Horseman for one of the greatest final seasons in TV history. While some episodes opt for more depressing storytelling instead of its dark humor, which does cause it to lack a bit, the show is clearly setting up for a strong final season.
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