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5 Times BoJack Horseman Got a Little Too Real for Comfort

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Winthrop chapter.

BoJack Horseman is a hilariously funny adult cartoon that first aired in 2014 on Netflix centering around BoJack Horseman, a horse that made his big break in Hollywoo, as they call it, on Horsin’ Around, a sitcom about a horse that adopts three human children, and the hilarious family antics that they get up to. But, after his massive success on Horsin’ Around, everything for BoJack seemed to go downhill. Netflix show is the story of it all. Being a show that deals with a big time actor’s fall from fame, the messages in the show sometimes hit close to home, can tend to be depressing, but it’s ultimately realer than we would expect. Here are the top five times I think the show was just too much, man!

 

1. The time BoJack got more (feelings) than he bargained for

BoJack had a one night stand (that turned out to be more than a one night stand) and he actually developed feelings for this girl, and wanted a relationship, which is not something he is used to. Now, I don’t know about you, but I have never had a one night stand. However, I’m pretty sure all of us have had that one person who entered into our lives, and we thought that they would only be around for a short period of time, but something happened and they didn’t go away, and we were kinda glad but at the same time didn’t really know how to deal with it. BoJack depicts that weird emotion perfectly by nearly have a panic attack when he realized they both wanted to spend a lot more time together in the near future. But of course with BoJack being BoJack, he messed up and let the woman he really connected with walk out of his life.  

 

2. The time he got some not-so-motherly advice

When BoJack called his mother for advice and encouragement, even though she had a history of being emotionally abusive, she told him, “You’re BoJack Horseman, there’s no cure for that.” (I nearly cried right then.) This is almost too real. This is a real issue a lot of people face with their parents, wether they’re estranged or not. If you’ve ever had something like this happen to you, you’re not only heartbroken for BoJack, but you’re also heartbroken for yourself.  

 

3. The bender that ended… badly

BoJack and Sarah Lynn (his TV daughter) went on a drug and alcohol bender for nearly a month. Near the end of their journey across the country, they stopped at the planetarium, where Sarah Lynn ended up dying staring up at the stars, where she finally wanted to be, while she was laying in BoJack’s arms.

 

4. The time Naomi Watts took the words right out of our mouths’

Naomi Watts expressed all of our sad, tragic feelings into words when she said, “I just wanted to do something light and fun to distract me from the deep well of sadness that is my life.” We’ve all felt like this at some point, and it’s too real to hear someone actually describe what it feels like. Depressing much?

 

5. The time Diane was every woman in media

When Diane went on TV to expose the faults of society, how it treats women who call out their abusers, and the little to no backlash the abusers receive, her argument was shot down despite its validity. Diane had every right to be furious, and I was pissed just watching it. Although BoJack Horseman is a commentary on life and society today was we know it, seeing just how often sexual assault is brushed over and women are dismissed hurts to watch time and time again, even if it is in a cartoon. 

 

All in all BoJack Horseman is a hilarious show that is definitely worth your time, and you might just learn a thing or two from watching it. If not, at least you’ll find yet another show to binge watch when you should be doing homework!  

Timiya is a freshman Early Childhood Education major. Her hobbies include writing poetry, binge watching Netflix whenever possible (even if she has a mound of homework she should be doing) and traveling. Additionally, Timiya's talents include being able to eat an entire bag of cookies in one sitting and relating any event to something that happened in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Winthrop University is a small, liberal arts college in Rock Hill, SC.