If you were to give up on Netflix's new cartoon series BoJack Horseman after the first episode, I wouldn't blame you. After all, it was about an alcoholic horse who is voiced by Will Arnett: an actor whose resume features a lot of failed TV series. He is untrustworthy and ends the first episode by vomiting over the side of his patio. On top of a lot of other things, such as having someone from Penguin Publisher being a penguin (Patton Oswalt), the series felt like it was stretching for laughs with its premise of parodying a hasbeen TV star of the 90's series Horsin' Around. There were so many intentionally bad jokes that the satire was hard to immediately spot as clever. If you gave up, I wouldn't blame you. However, I am here to repent my ways. After giving into the acclaim from those who stuck with it, I watched another episode. And another. And another. What I'm saying is that BoJack Horseman may just be one of the best meta comedy series of 2014.
There is BoJack Horseman, who is an alcoholic and lives kind of a depressing life with his roommate Todd (Aaron Paul), whose rock opera he sabotages with help from Margo Martindale (as herself). He falls in love his ghost writer Diane Nguyen (Alison Brie), whose father dies and becomes a bucket of chum. She also marries Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins), who was on an opposing TV series and is currently doing a reality show. Also, BoJack's TV daughter Sarah Lynn (Kristen Schaal) is now an addict dating Andrew Garfield (who likes lasagna). There's so much more, but through the course of its 12 episode run, it shatters expectations and enters a very dark, meta territory that is rather shocking for a series that is already confusing with its politics on animal-human relationships. It destabilizes everything wonderfully.
If there's an animal pun, it will be made. Any famous celebrity whose name vaguely resembles an animal will become that animal. This is why it is hard to admit upfront that things get really dark. The legacy of BoJack is covered back to the 80's when his idol Secretariat commits suicide. Add in a partner that BoJack ignores that gets cancer and the story of his fall from Horsin' Around fame is more tragic than intentionally hilarious. Yes, it does have a lot of funny moments, but what grounds it is the slow revelation that BoJack's life is filled with struggles and the alcoholism now feels like it comes from a real place. He has an ego, sure, but he also has trouble being a role model when he lived a jaded life for so long. Now that the curtain is pulled back, he is forced to deal with everything via a memoir that Diane is publishing about his life.
However, if the dark drama is too much for you, consider the amazing other feats that the series procures. For starters, it is a great commentary on celebrity culture. There's blackmailing of unflattering pictures, behind the scenes script rewrites, and the greatest take down of the Golden Globes. The series is obsessed with celebrity culture and spends most of its time poking holes in it. Characters unintentionally embody the failures of sex appeal and bad investments while also trying to do ridiculous things to remain relevant. BoJack's polar opposite, Mr. Peanutbutter, is an enthusiastic dog-type who is in great shape and has nothing to hide. Still, in the midst of trying to sell a screenplay about Eva Braun and stealing the letter 'D' from the Hollywood sign, the series goes to any length for a laugh. Even in the second episode "BoJack Hates the Troops," there's a whole riff on the celebrity-hating-citizens fiascoes that pop up. BoJack stole donuts from a Navy seal (yes, an actual seal) and it becomes a big affair that captures the news market in hilarious ways that reflect skewered news.
If there is one thing to applaud BoJack Horseman about, it is like the perfectly crass equivalent to what The Simpsons did in the 90's. Through the characters, they find a niche and run through a gamut of jokes that result in almost drying the well of any satire by turning it into commentary. Celebrity culture is ridiculous and the ways that it is embraced in American society is perfectly captured here. While BoJack lives in a world of alcoholism and regret, it is also a chance to make really bad 80's and 90's jokes intentionally while also becoming a very somber look at depression. "Downer Ending" summarizes the show's approach perfectly when a really bad drug trip takes us to the corners of BoJack's mind and reveals just how much trauma has gone on in his life. Despite satirizing culture, there is a sincerity to the character that allows the absurd moments to click.
Most of all, for a series that has questionable animation quality and a very bizarre mix of humor on depression and celebrity, it is phenomenal with continuity and running gags. Everything about the series builds upon itself. For those that keep an eye out, jokes such as "Zoe or Zelda" will sneak back in at unexpected times. There's scandals that are revisited and the series as a whole uses it as a tactic to explore how your own past will come back to haunt you. It isn't all sad, but there isn't likely to be a better anthropomorphic alcoholic horse in the history of animation in the history of TV series ever again. The series may be sloppy and too raw to be perfect, but its approach is so refreshing that it is easy to forgive. With the Patrick Carney-sung theme song over the credits, there's a haunting sense that this is all about nostalgia and its detraction.
There isn't enough to really summarize why this series became a surprising favorite for me other than it already disarmed my expectations. Much like You're the Worst, maybe it was that initial repulsion that was necessary to pave the way for something greater. The series benefits from the commercial-free marathoning model that allows each episode to be ran through quickly. It is an addicting show with so many meta layers (Aaron Paul's character is arguably a parody of his Breaking Bad character) that the ingenuity is hard not to admire. With a consistent story, a lot of great moments, and an eerily endearing look at human-animal relations, this is a series that is for those looking for a cartoon with brains that will still lampoon celebrity culture, be a little crass, but still be underlying with its heart.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
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