Hello and welcome to a TV Recap series about our favorite half man/half horse 90's celebrity BoJack Horseman. Please join as I delve into the second season of the Netflix cartoon that takes on Hollywoo and discover what it takes to be famous while dealing with your deadbeat friends and traumatic past. While there's guaranteed to be hilarity, will there be as much brilliance as the first season? Let's quit Horsin' Around and just get on with it. Come for the recaps, stay for the jokes and dissections of each episode's best moments. It's the right thing to do. So join me every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the latest and greatest.
"What are YOU doing here?"
- BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett)
Plot:
It is a new era for BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) as he listens to acronym-encouraging tapes and buys a new couch while prepping to finally star in the movie version of Secretariat, his longtime idol. While he has flashbacks of his traumatic past, he must deal with Todd (Aaron Paul) sleeping in his car and Diane Nguyen (Allison Brie) being told to handle business on set. When a woman trips over a chord and loses her beautiful face, chaos arises. Meanwhile, Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) is getting new projects lined up and Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) is dealing with being neutered. Once BoJack comes to terms with his past, he is finally able to say the one line that has stalled production and caused him to realize he wasn't actually an actor: "What are you doing here?" Todd sleeps on the new couch.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Flashback
BoJack is given an origin story for why he loves Secretariat so much. While his parents fight by smashing what can be presumed is salad plates, he watches The Dick Cavett Show. He is told to be something special to avoid his miserable mistake of a life. As he grows older and is met with the success of Horsin' Around, he gets further bad advice from his coworkers when he is told that he doesn't need to really act. He just needs to read cards and let the situation play out. It is why he is so messed up as a performer and why he inevitably is having problems reciting five words convincingly.
Supporting Character MVP:
Audiobook Narrator (George Takei)
Can it just be that George Takei has one of those voices that always works in any situation? I feel like I have heard his voiced before to comedic effect and, you know what, I enjoyed it just the same. Besides BoJack reminiscing on his past, our first entryway into season two is this audiobook that tells him to make the most of his life. Of course, if I had a tape of Takei telling me to better myself, I would believe in being a better person as well. Thankfully, Takei is a playful narrator and is able to make the most of a very simple gimmick.
Best Joke
After Diane is forced to tell people not to step on a wire, things go horribly wrong the only time that she doesn't express caution. This results in Debra experiencing major face trauma. She isn't dead, mind you, but her face gets quite the treatment when everyone just assumes the worst. As a result, Diane is fired and Lennie Turtletaub (J.K. Simmons) forces her to make a sign to share this information of a cautionary tale.
Overall Thoughts
It could just be that the show has gotten more impressive in my mind, but I really felt that the first episode reflected a perfect balance of what I really liked about season one. It was able to mix pop culture references into a dark and bizarre story that elevated the sometimes too silly jokes. The cast, as usual, is very strong and the jokes come fast. I am especially glad to see that the show hasn't lost its charm and is able to make a simple line reading into an effective plot point that lasts through most of the episode. Did I mention George Takei as well? Well, he is one of many reasons that I am super excited to see what the supporting cast looks like this time around.
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