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The Genius of BoJack Horseman

Animated Anthropomorphic Existentialism

By Alex GidleyPublished 7 years ago 5 min read
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Spoilers ahead for all 3 seasons of BoJack Horseman thus far.

"That's a great question, Charlie. I, uh... uh, I... um..." This is how BoJack responds to Charlie Rose's question asking him what he has been doing since the cancellation of his sitcom, Horsin' Around, 18 years ago. This happens in the very first scene in the very first episode of the show and, as such, is one of BoJack's very first pieces of dialogue. What may seem like a simple joke initially becomes, with further context, the first signs of what, for lack of a better term, motivates BoJack as a character.

At its core, there is nothing particularly unique about BoJack Horseman. It's a Hollywood satire that comments on what fame can do to someone. But what makes the show stand out is the layers of complexity it adds to those elements as well as rooting them in some deep philosophical ties. This transforms BoJack Horseman into one of the greatest meditations of its kinda around. And when you couple that with how the show utilises the philosophy of existentialism as a rooting for its masterful and quite frankly flawless representation of depression.

But first, what exactly is existentialism? Existentialism is, quote, "a philosophical theory or approach which emphasises the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will". Essentially, we are responsible for our purpose in life. One of the most well known elements of existentialism is Sartre's proposition of "existence precedes essence". Sartre states that inanimate objects, such as a hammer, are made with an intended purpose in mind and as such you can say that their "essence" precedes their "existence". This also applies to people of faith as they believe that their god created them for a purpose and everything that happens to them is all part of their god's plan, removing the idea of personal responsibility. He then goes on to argue that humans exist just because and have no intended purpose which can lead to some form of disillusionment, and by extension, depression. And it's this belief that drives the arcs of many of the characters in the show.

Each character in BoJack Horseman is striving for purpose and meaning in their life. Princess Caroline is constantly working, BoJack turns to various different vices be they sex, alcohol or drugs and Mr Peanutbutter lets off constant stream of almost relentless optimism. This is all an attempt to either fill their life with purpose or to keep them distracted from how they have no fixed place in the world. But the character I want to draw attention to first is Todd. Todd's numerous different projects and business ventures initially seem like an extension of his quirky personality. However, in the episode "Chickens", we see Todd in a state when he has nothing to do with himself. He questions his place within the universe and begins to have what seems to be the start of an existential crisis until a chicken that got loose from a slaughterhouse comes into the picture and, as such, gives Todd something to do to keep himself occupied. Todd is happy as long as he is distracted, for the most part.

This leads me to BoJack and the people who surround him. As previously stated, BoJack stumbles through his life in the stranglehold of multiple vices. Nothing in his life ever seems to go well for him. It all started when his publisher hires a ghost writer to pen his autobiography for him. And while this may begin to be a good thing for BoJack after the book is published, it digs up past memories that only make BoJack spiral further into his vices. Yes, the autobiography does get BoJack his dream role, that of Secretariat, but his performance ends up being digitally replaced. However, this also leads to a positive with BoJack being nominated for multiple awards, including an Oscar. Only then to be beaten out by established talent.

This plunges BoJack into what could easily be considered the worst part of his life. He makes the decision to call up his Horsin' Around co-star Sarah Lynn, whom herself is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, asking her if she wants to go on a massive bender with him. This bender goes on for what seems like days, possibly weeks. The bender only ends with Sarah Lynn's death by overdosing on a brand of cocaine known only as BoJack. And as on the nose as this might be, it truly drives home how toxic of a person BoJack truly is and really makes you ask yourself; "is BoJack actually a good person"? This all comes after BoJack gives a speech about not being doomed and understanding their place in the universe.

This results in BoJack being the lowest he has ever been, knowing he has caused the death of someone he was essentially a surrogate father to. So, cue season 3's finale and BoJack is driving off somewhere, anywhere when he suddenly takes his hands off the wheel. It seems like BoJack has come to the conclusion that there is no place for him as everyone that has ever cared for him has disassociated with him or died. It isn't until BoJack sees a group of wild horses running through the wilderness that he realises that he doesn't need to force meaning onto himself, that he isn't, as Sartre would say "condemned to be free", he can bring purpose to his life through what is seemingly a spiritual, but not necessarily religious release. It's pure catharsis.

And that is why BoJack Horseman is a genius.

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About the Creator

Alex Gidley

Will update when I start writing. For now, shameless social media plugs.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alextr0magnetic

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Alextromagnetic/

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