Who is BoJack Horseman?
For „BoJack Horseman” I accidentally hit on Netflix last autumn. To this day, I don't know how long it was available on the site before I found it, but enough to say that to that time I managed, rarely in my case to see something really „hot”.
I was just looking for a good animation in episodes, I counted on a lot of good entertainment and good punchlines, but I did not expect that I would not be able to leave, and that the final of the fourth season would leave me with a feeling of emotional shattering.
[Warning! Do not read this text before watching the show – unless you like spoilers.]
Who is BoJack Horseman?
Hollywood or rather Hollywoo gets a solid slap from the very first episodes of „BoJack Horseman”.
The charatcter that appear here, aren't an alter ego of specific stars, althougt we have no doubt as to the sources of inspiration. They lough at their attitiudes, statments, worldview and knowledge of popular culture stars, but it is not specific person who are the main target of the attack. The series hits above all the system that rewards and strengthens such behavior, and punishes rejection for disobedience; there is pressure here, unrealistic requirements, the gloominess of the show business and its hypocrisy.
In the first minutes of the first episode, we got to know BoJack himself: the forgotten star of the popular series from the 80's and 90's, which now cuts off the coupons from old fame and he's pitying himself in his luxury house atop the Hollywoo Hills. Years ago, a charming casanova, today an old horse with a slight overweight, drinks a lot, takes drugs and sleeps with everything that does not run away from him on the tree. The long list of his sexual conquests is opened by the pink cat Princess Carolyn – a friend, agent, lover a shoulder to cry on, always on call, always ready to help.
Charlie Sheen and bowling shirts
I the character of BoJack you can find influences of many well-known actors, but it is hard to resist the impression that for this foundation you can see Charlie Sheen, the star of „Two and a-half”, who with less and greater success appearing on the screen for decades, but always the best known from his alcohol-narcotic-sexual scandals. „ Two and a -half”, a sitcom with a rich composer of jingles, who is living with his newly divorced loser-brother with an adolescent son, is a story not so far from the one described in ”Horsin Around” - a story about a horse who adopted three human orphans.
This theory gains in importance at the end of the third season: BoJack records the spin-off episodes „Horsin Around” - „Ethan Around” - in which he accompanies his former pupil, Ethan, in daily struggle being results from the adoption of orphaned … horses. In one of the scenes BoJack sits with a bowl of ice cream in his hand(!) on the couch, wearing a loose shirt with short sleeve ( so-called bowling shirt, associated with bowling clubs members), which looks like torn from Charlie Harper (at this point it is worth mentioning that the TV series also includes an imaginary BoJack's daughter named – Harper). In the „Two and a-half” this kind of shirt was distinguishing feature for main character, two-colored shirt, usually in vertical stripes, typical for representatives of American bar and billiards culture, rockabilly music fan, ska and jump blues.
Matthew Perry, Bob Saget and others
To those who know how the life of Matthew Perry was going to follow the success of „Friends” (I will suggest that it is not too good), they will know that something is going on when they see that „Horsin Around” were created in the studio with the audience ( just like „Friends”). Almost at every flashback to BoJack's glory days on set show we saw him guzzling from a flask between takes, puffing joints, popping pills.
But this is not the end: fans of „Full House” will find here (also in the BoJack standup history) traces of the charatcter played by Bob Saget. The internet is full of theories and guesses: although the creator of the series Raphael Bob-Waksberg repeatedly assured that BoJack Horesman is not inspired by Saget, but BoJack's everyday clothes are strongly associated with the costume in which the actor appeared on the stage as a stand-up player.
Contingency? Perhaps. But how do you explain the scene in which a completely drunken BoJack appears under the windowa of Princess Carolyn's apartament with man whom he calls John Stamos (who plays Jesse in „The Full House”)? How to explain the similarity of Mr. Peanutbutter to Jesse Katsopolis, whom viewers see here? There are more ideas: BoJack character could be modeled on Anthony Morton „Tony” Micellim, the hero played by Tony Danza in „Who's the Boss”. How it is for real?
When fiction is chasing fiction
Or maybe in reality their is much simpler explanation and BoJack is an extension and develop of another character – Hank Moody from the popular series „Californication”? The two of them have a lot in common: a lively lifestyle and passion for substance abuse, driving car under alcohol, sex with inappropriately-aged women and they pitying theirself, excessive love, abanding all responsibility, place of living and the pressure of fame and of course they both had loud mouth. It's just part of a very long list of analogies.
However, if Hank is a funny character and his adventure had really funny moments, in the case of BoJack, the viewer most often accompanied mental discomfort and internal pain, as if every subsequent argument stripped off very painful, suppressed emotions and expiriences.
You can't treat BoJack with indulgence, it's impossible to talk about him only in cathegories of the lack of emotional maturity and exaggerating his problems: while Hank for most of time really enjoys his life and uses it without restrictions, BoJack's alcoholism leaves us without any doubt why he is drinking. The animated horse escapes, tries to forgot and chases not so much for the drunkenness as for the relief. So if BoJack has any connections with Hank Moody, I think that he is his worst nightmare and stripped of all illusions alter ego.
Only animation creators was able to afford for such cruelty to the character – the boundaries that are crossed in „BoJack Horseman”, couldn't be transferred to any actors.
BoJack = Bo Jackson?
However, this is not the end of puzzles: the next one is about what covers the name and surname of the protagonist of the series. Horseman cut be just a horse-person or a man-horse, and the word bojack has several translations in the slang, which i'm sure you should pay attention to this:
Refers to the athlete Bo Jackson, used to describe someone who has all the potential in the world, and never meets that potential. Someone who blows it. May be an unfair association since Jackson did not blow his career (see Dwight Gooden) but was injured.
The above expanation has a solid fundation in the „Brrap Brrap Pew Pew” episode (S03E06) Todd advises BoJack to mention his sporting past during the promotion of his film „Secretariat”, evidently confusing him with someone else. In case if the readers don't catch the allusion, the main hero asks: Did you think I was Bo Jackson?
Some viewers go even deeper: the name BoJack was the main antagonist in the movie „Dragon Ball Z: BoJack Unbound (1993) – it came from the Japanese word bōjakubujin, which means arrogant or insolent. It fits too!
Who is BoJack Horseman?
A lot of what you have to know about the protagonist, says the first episode: the talk show host Charlie Rose (an authentic character) aks BoJack what he has been doing since the end of the series – in this very moment is a series of grunts interrupted only by awkward silence. The answer is simply: BoJack did nothing. He spent time playing, spending money and watching episodes of his sitcom over and over again. It is worth noting that our main character has very particular attitiude to the series – in the first episodes (S01E01) BoJack has sex while he watching episodes of „Horsin Around” and at the climax pushes women to come to the sounds of his voice. Princess Carolyn's allegation of him masturbating into his old photos repels, saying that it's not about photos, but what they represent; we can see that an aging horse is a loving egotist, an alcoholic and is trapped in the past.
The past from the time of the „Horsin Around” is the last happy period in the life of BoJack Horseman. Well, at least relativetly happy, because happines for this horse it's something that he couldn't never reach. As his mother Beatrice reminds him that „ Horsin Around” it's not Ibsen. This is another things that define him: the title horse is a tragic figure who - paraphrasing the classic – however he does, he will regret it anyway. He hate one of the charatcter – Peanutbutter and envies him, which he admits, but not popularity or partner, but the fact that he doesn't see how much he sholud be unhappy (S01E01). In the episode „Let's Find Out!” (S02E08), BoJack dresses his feelings in the words:
Mr. Peanutbutter: All I ever wanted was to be your friend. And you treat me like a big joke. You think I don’t notice? Why don’t you like me?
BoJack Horseman: Mr. Peanutbutter…
Mr. Peanutbutter: No, tell me.
BoJack Horseman: Because… I’m jealous.
Mr. Peanutbutter: Oh. Of what? Diane?
BoJack Horseman: No. Of everything. Everything comes so easy for you.
Mr. Peanutbutter: Oh, and it doesn’t for you? You’re a millionaire movie star with a girlfriend who loves you, acting in your dream movie. What more do you want? What else could the universe possible owe you?
BoJack Horseman: I… want… to feel good about myself. The way you do. And I don’t know how. I don’t know if I can.
„Horsin Around”
„Horsin Around” in the series universe hit the screens in 1987 – this date justifies the current age of BoJack and allows to put current events in the present. The actor become a big star in the 90's and now, 18 years later he is over fifty. This caesure also explain the bowling shirt ( Perry and Sheen were it as well in their series). „Horsin Around” resembles a series from the 80's than the 90's, but it allows to construct a protagonist who is going through the midlife crisis, he feels the need to settle and do something more, and at the same time is still young enough to get a second chance and sctually change something.
Perhaps BoJack actualy has something to do with Bo Jackson, the famous American futbolist and baseball player. He is consistently determined by frustration because of wasting his potential. This is what his ghostwriter Diane tells in the first episode of the series, recalling the story of Robert Reed, the actor of the role of Mike Brady in the series „Brady Bunch”, who perceived his work as an offensive for actor with his class. For our horse performances in „Horsin Around” is one of the best (if not the best) experiences in life: BoJack constantly defends series against all who disrespect it as stupid sitcom, he only change his opinion under pressure of PR specialist as a part of the promotional campaign of the film „Secretariat”.
A serious role in a big film, based on the biography of the famous race horse, a hero from the BoJack's childhood, is the breakthrough for the main character, a forgotten celebrity is suddenly nominated for numerous awards, a movie star, a frequent guest of filmmakers festival and a potential Oscar winner. The fullfillment feeling doesn't last long; doubtless BoJack escapes from Los Angeles and the sense of nonsense rushes him to New Mexico, where – as he hopes – he will finally get what he wants in the deepest. Although he ultimately fails, for a moment he feels really good, free from fame, commitments, ambient pressure and his demons. At the side of an old friend, he may create a completely different image and forgot about old crimes, may erase the memory of Herb Kazzaz, who on his deathbed refused to absolve him, sabotaged and underestimates Todd's and constantly used Princess Carolyn, may not think about his responsibility for Sarah Lynn's choices. BoJack escapes with relief, but he can't escape for himself.
The horse who complains
Why the horse? Other characters of the series, endowed by the author with zoomorphic silhouettes, have typical features representatives of their genre: the female Princess Carolyn has a scratch with bell on her desk and is surprised by the idea of dating with a mouse, the owl Wanda repeats who?who? And points that she's a night animal, labrador Peanutbutter is friendly, cordial, faithful and loves play with the ball, homeless sheds bury in garbage containers, penguin Pinky Penguin owns a book publishing – name Pinguin, and tortoise director Lenny Turtletaub wear turtleneck and moves very, very slowly. So what are the horse's features that determine the depression and melancholy of BoJack?
Horses are very intelligent and often referred to as melancholy animals with a friendly nature, have many features that are noticeable in the main character of the series. Enough to mention the lack of self-control during eating and greed, and a very large penis from which BoJack regularly makes use of . Horses in culture are often attributed to the ability of higher feelings, almost human feelings and to the reflect – perhaps because of huge, wet eyes. We can't denied BoJack intelligence, although he poses for a wiser than he is, but he possesses more than elementary knowledge and orientation in the world and sometimes makes use of them. As an individual with uncommon sensitivity, he sees things that escape the attention of his companions who have a much less complicated inner life. Unfortunately, it focuses primarily on what is bad and painful and with stubbornness strives to self-destruction. When he manages to gain a better attitude for a moment, it turns out that price for positive thinking and optimism is his actor's talent and ability to empathise with the character he plays.
Family issues
Deprived of attachment, BoJack Horseman has no purpose in life, and work on the set just for a moment distracts him from internal dilemmas. The situation isn't improved by the feeling of being lost or missing for traumatized childhood. His mother Beatrice, the daughter of a rich sugar factory owner, a mare of English blood from a higher social class, as a result of unwanted pregnancy become wife with the unsuccessful writer Butterscock Horseman, a draft horse who felt the pressure of high expectations of his partner. From the house full of mutual dislike, grudges, unfulfilled expectations and constant conflict, comes the noble half-blooded, BoJack. We can blame him entirely for not knowing exactly where his place in the worls is, that he can't build a healthy relationship.
After all BoJack doesn't want to be bad: he really cares about Diane, he wants to tell her how much he loves her, but ultimately resigns because he don't want to destroyed her relationship with Peanutbutter. He is sabotaging Todd's rock opera because he's afraid of losing a friend who can't say how much he appreciates his presence and support. He can't refuse anything to Sarah Lynn because he feels guilty for what happened to her. BoJack problems aren't bad intensions but lack of ability to communicate needs and feelings, cowardice and inability to deal with the consequences. We cannot hated BoJack, the viewer who following his story probably understands the scale of problems that BoJack Horseman is struggling with and that he needs professional help.
Collapse
„BoJack Horseman” at the beginning promise a satire on the world of modern business show, is actually a study of collapse. Collapse more fascinating because it concerns the extremely privileges protagonist: BoJack is rich, popular, people want to like him and somehow he still has friends, women likes him, in some point he even has a wise, loving partner Wanda. And yet one you can't say that what deprives him of satisfactions are problems of the first world. In fact, thanks to this character, author of series bring attention to the issue of addictions, depression, borderline disorders, anxiety and the consequences of wrong inflicted by parents. Of course, the point isn't to let BoJack absurd completely and this is not what the creators of the show aspire to. However, it is hard to feel aversion to it, especially when it allows itself for moments of honesty and bluntly speaks of the emptiness that fills it more and more, about how the whole good comes out of it and how it does not believe that it will ever encounter something that make him happy.