Grade: A
Despite being an avid fan since the show’s release in 2014, the new season of BoJack Horseman did what I thought to be impossible — stayed interesting.
After three seasons of gut-churning content, I didn’t know what to expect from the fourth season. It seemed as though they had used up all of my sympathy. I thought, sooner or later, I would stop caring about the cast of characters. After watching them go through so much, I guessed another season would feel as though they were, for lack of better words, beating a dead horse. I was wrong.
For those of you who have yet to meet BoJack, here is a brief synopsis. The animated adult comedy-drama follows a Hollywood has-been through the trials of life. Unlike other adult animated series, BoJack is unexpectedly raw and hard hitting. While staying comedic, BoJack Horseman tackles fundamental human dilemmas such as depression, trauma and self-destructive behavior.
Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the show’s creator, uses animals as many of his main characters. While it is hard to forget, there are moments where the characters and what they are going through are so relatable you barely notice it is happening to a pink cat rather than a human being. In an interview with Kurt Andersen, host of Studio 360, Raphael Bob-Waksberg discusses how this choice affects his message.
“In some ways it’s easier to talk about very serious issues through the lens of these wacky cartoon animals. And I think the show business setting kind of gives us that too because this industry is so over-the-top and outlandish,” Bob-Waksberg said. “It allows us to comment on this real stuff in a way that perhaps if you were more straight ahead it would feel almost, like, afterschool special-ish or maudlin or indulgent.”
Despite staying impactful, the new season has its ups and downs. After the first few episodes, I wasn’t sold that the season was going to be as powerful as the rest. The characters’ storylines didn’t correspond the way they had before, and many of the things I had loved about the show changed. However, the new structure allowed the audience to shift their perspectives to this season’s messages and themes, which may have been obstructed if not tampered with in the past.
If you are looking for something to binge watch this weekend, I would highly suggest BoJack Horseman. Do keep in mind that it may be healthier to take in the beautiful fall weather or hang out with your friends. BoJack was made to devastate.
