“Bojack Horseman” Ended In the Best Way Possible

Will Arnett and Paul F. Tompkins in "Bojack Horseman"

Bojack Horseman is one of the shows that reinvented the cartoon. Rather than using the medium to crack jokes and abandon character development, Raphael Bob-Waksberg created a cartoon that makes compelling social commentary through zany yet complex characters.

At the heart of the show is a washed-up 90s TV star Bojack Horseman who is lost in a cycle of addiction and depression. Season after season, we reluctantly rooted for our unlikely anti-hero but among other things, season six is a harsh commentary on why we forgive celebrities for appalling behaviour just because they are charming.

One of the best things about season six is that it does not focus solely on Bojack. Too often we have seen the infamous horseman show signs of self-improvement only to tumble back down a spiral and end up back at square one. This time around, when Bojack spirals, he doesn’t take the people around him down with him. After being a better friend than Bojack deserved, Dianne finally moves on with her life and learns that it is not her job to fix him. Like Princess Carolyn, Dianne is finally able to recognize Bojack’s toxicity and distance herself from his selfish behavior. In the end, both female side characters receive their happy ending.

At Princess Carolyn’s wedding, Bojack tells her that he wishes he had been able to step in last minute to save the day. He relays a hypothetical scenario in which he is the hero and says: “It would be a symbol of how much I’ve grown, that I could let you go.” Princess Carolyn wryly responds: “I’m sorry to disappoint … It’s a better story for you. I think I like it better this way.” In this brief exchange, Princess Carolyn declares herself as more than a tool in Bojack’s twisted story of self-betterment. Now that he is out of the picture, she is able to get the happy ending she deserves.

As the final episode draws to a close, Bojack and Dianne are sitting on a roof having what will likely be their last exchange. She tells him that she has moved on and thanks him for being part of her experience in LA. The two then sit there awkwardly in mutual understanding that they no longer have anything to say to each other. After all of the drama, conflict, and crushing moments in Bojack Horseman, we can think of no better way to end the show.

5/5