Sunday Review: Bojack Horseman

          The Constitution proclaims that every individual deserves the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In reality, however, the successful pursuit of happiness is a seemingly impossible task, and that feeling is embodied by the television show Bojack Horseman, which follows the titular character, a washed-up celebrity horse, and his journey to find true happiness. My favorite element of this show is its raw portrayal of humanity: when we are not kind enough to forgive, when we pass on our frustration to those whom we are closest to, when hard work and glory are not equivalent to happy endings, and when we choose self-preservation over what is right. Yet, despite its crude descriptions of today’s society, the choice to set the show in a surreal environment—where horses and dogs govern society rather than humans—and have it be animated adds an element of comedy for the audience, making it an easy watch after a lengthy day. Most importantly, despite the antagonistic, yet realistic, characteristics that shape Bojack’s entire character, we learn to love our protagonist as he paves his own road to what we define as happiness.

          The reason I love Bojack is his genuine desire to be good. We see this in every single one of the 77 episodes that the show spans. Throughout the show, as he witnessed the negative consequences of his actions, he would begin to make more mature and less impulsive decisions, and he started to truly uplift the people around him. Despite the bad events he caused, we see flashes of Bojack’s goodness sandwiched between his flaws. For me, the best of these moments is when Bojack gives his dying mother a moment of peace before her passing by telling her that there will be ice cream at the nursing home before her death.
          
          After all of the trauma that she inflicted on him during his childhood, he leaned toward kindness at the time of her death. Moments like this remind me of the present goodness and authenticity even in a tarpit like Holywoo (the satirical destination where Bojack resides). It is extremely reassuring to know that despite being the terrible person that he is, Bojack is trying to be good. Like Bojack, we have all committed regrettable actions, but there is a little part in each one of us that is striving to be good. Thus, when Bojack makes destructive decisions, we brush it off the same way we try to brush off our damaging actions, and we continue to see him as a noble protagonist, teaching us that we should give ourselves grace and forgiveness as well. Moreover, when I see Boojack do the same regrettable things that I do, it feels as if my guilt is released. The moment becomes cathartic. Somehow, Bojack Horseman, an extremely broken and mentally ill character, has the power of curing his audience.
 
          Through the six seasons, Bojack develops as a character while continuing to be emotionally stunted and engaging in toxic relationships. He accomplishes multiple momentous achievements, including becoming a best-selling author, starring as his childhood hero in a remake of his favorite television series, and winning an Oscar. Yet, he never successfully finds happiness. Up until the very last episode, Bojack constantly struggles with his childhood trauma, depression, and anxiety from his time in jail. Maybe the character named Cuddlewhisker, a successful TV producer who truly believed in Bojack, is right—only after you give up everything can you begin to find a way to be happy. Maybe Bojack did grow up to be like Secretariat—the famous racehorse he spent his entire youth idealizing—and spent his entire life running in circles of trauma and enlightenment, never reaching the state of catharsis. After all, Bojack Horseman is simply a horse, a horse that dreams like a man.