Bojack Horseman season 4

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Bojack Horseman's newest season just hit Netflix. I'm 6 episodes in, so I don't have all the plot details yet. But I have to say this might be the best season yet, which is an incredibly rare thing to say. The way the show brings it back from the near insurmountable brink of the end of season 3 feels nothing short of astounding.

I feel like the comedy has gotten even faster and more frenetic. This was already a staple in the series, but now it feels like every second has at least 5 gags going on at once. And I love it. It's almost on par with the likes of the Lego movies, though not quite yet on their level of ADHD rapid-fire. If you though "Stealing a meal from Neal McBeal the Navy Seal" was excessively rhyming dialogue, just wait for episode 4 which absolutely blows that out of the water. One episode about a controversial subject (in the US at least) ended on a massively obvious pun that still took me by surprise because I'd been distracted by all the other things going on and I roared with laughter at it. One episode focuses almost entirely on Todd, and it's the most bizarre shit perhaps yet seen in the whole series. It's marvelous.

But every coin has its flipside, and so there is drama. This is where we get into spoiler territory

Spoiler

I though the narrative conceit of switching the drama around from Bojack's friends to his family was the exact right choice. Since he's already alienated pretty much everyone in Hollywoo, seeing him continue doing that would have just been beating a dead horse (pun very motherfucking intended). This time it's Bojack who's the source of the rough stuff, and all the others get to have the hijinks. It was already rather obvious from the end of season 3 that the horse we see there is his daughter, but even there the series circumvented my expectations. Instead of some prolonged "search and reunion" narrative we get a very blunt and straightforward depiction of a troubled family relationship. Hollyhock isn't what we're used to seeing in these kind of stories: she's not a starry-eyed, pure, beautiful, innocent butterfly just looking for his father's love. She's a chubby, lazy, slightly manic but well intentioned character who holds no delusions about her father being a good person.

One thing bewilders me and that is the fact that the famous "F-bomb policy" has already been used, and I'm only halfway through the season. I honestly have no idea where this season is going, and I love the series all the more for it.

I already liked this series a whole bunch, but this season has taken it up several notches. Now it's right up there with Rick and Morty, Futurama and Avatar among the best cartoons I've ever watched. There's simply nothing like it I've ever seen.

And the one thing I've finally come to appreciate about this series in full is Aaron Paul's voice talent as Todd. I tried picturing Jesse Pinkman saying the same things, and my brain just short circuited. He embodies the character so totally it's impossible for me to think of Todd as anyone else but Todd. He's criminally underappreciated for his work here.

 

[trishpike]

That's great!

 

[Trunkage]

Bojack development felt like previous seasons, and that leaves me a bit disappointed. Like previous seasons, he did his 'horse up' moment which I find pretty great. In fact, most of the characters did similar beats to previous seasons. So, in that regard, its not a step up.

But this season I have found more funny. Like Rick and Morty, it generally doesn't have much in the way of jokes. I felt they landed much better. I actually didn't like the flashbacks that much. I get that Bojack and his mum are broken people and I sympathise with their past. But that doesn't mean the past has to affect the future. I thought Bojack's visit of his family home would have more affect.

The really incredible bit was how sad I felt for Bojack in the title sequence for the first few episodes. The series has some great moments when they show, and don't tell.

I don't know if the stakes were as high but I think this made the season more personal. I'd agree its better than season 3

 

[Buffoon1980]

Absolutely loved this season, IMO the best yet (although honestly I loved them all). There was one episode in particular (no spoilers) that I found to be more emotional than just about any TV episode I've ever seen, and not only that, it was creative, artistic and inventive. And maybe pretentious? I could understand if people thought that.

As for me, though... yeah, sheer brilliance, I'd say.

 

[IntricateIntegral]

The PC's future great grandchild episode was actually heartbreaking

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

The PC's future great grandchild episode was actually heartbreaking

No shit. I just got done watching the last 4 episodes in succession, and as a character from the show within the show might say: "That's too much, man!" Not only did they for that absolute gut-punch, but followed it up with not one, but another two of them, one after the other. The second to last episode was bordering on nauseating in places, and plunged into pure horror at the end. They really made Bojack's grandfather look like a monster.

And yet, they pulled it off at the end and managed to leave on a somewhat hopeful note. Bojack feels like he's actually grown as a person.

Shit this is a tough show. It's great, and I can't wait for the next season, but rewatching the previous seasons would just be too heavy.

 

[Dr.Susse]

I'm about halfway through and it boggles my mind how many layers of jokes they run through a scene without it ever being cluttered.
Call backs, word play, visual jokes, in-jokes and the regular comedic dialog.

I've been really enjoying it.
That brief Frogger sight gag (in episode 6 or so) made me laugh so hard.

 

[Whitbane]

The PC's future great grandchild episode was actually heartbreaking

Agreed.

Thought it was a look into the future, but goddamn, that one line at the ending and the dark realization kicks in.

Great episode.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

One thing that kept me awake last night was that the ages of the Bojack family don't seem to add up. The Bojack Horseman wiki puts his age as 53, and the show is clearly specified to be taking place in today. That would place his date of birth in 1964. Beatrice seemed to be groomed by her father to be wed at a very young age, early 20s at most. But since she was a child during the second world war, that would mean she was in her mid-20s when she had Bojack if we're being generous (Let's assume she was born in 1940, and her uncle died in, say, 1944). But all the signs seem to point towards her giving birth to Bojack much earlier, possibly even her teens. It doesn't add up. Even the wiki on Beatrice places her date of birth at "mid to late 1930s", yet later says she was in her early twenties at her debutant ball.

 

[RanD00M]

I've been in love with BoJack Horseman since I saw season 1 randomly shortly after it was released with no idea what it was going to be, and I've loved ever season so far, but with season 4 I was left a bit conflicted.

Season 4 is in my opinion the worst season so far. It felt a lot like it was just going though the motions, and while it had some interesting and fresh idea, I just never felt they were fleshed out or were used appropriately.

Another thing that I felt is that Todd had less to do this season. Now Todd has always been the comedic relief, but he always had some connection with other characters and plots, but in this season it just seemed like Todd was there to be there and noting else.

 

[the December King]

I was hoping, at the beginning of season 4, thsat BoJack was athletic, or something, that he ran to escape his problems and at the same time to address his problems , somehow... I couldn't envision any other direction for him, according to my better half (and the Captain).

Then Diane said that thing about squinting, and I couldn't see properly- likely because of grit in my man-eyes.

Yes I'm drunk, and yes, I was moved by this series.

AGAIN.

Allison Brie and Will Arnett are more human to me with a Flash vector outline and series of fill objects. And yeah, I'm totally romanticizing this, both with characters and software employed. I'm drunk, unable to advance in apps, and emotional... Come at me, bro.

Jus be reddy for wet shoulders, af'er a good sobbin'...

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I really liked the season. The previous one felt a bit like it was treading ground but this one introduced some pretty interesting elements. I really liked the stuff about Bojacks parents. There's obviously a lot of both of them in Bojack. Like him they were pretty smart people with a tendency to make very poor decision and the poorest of them all might have been marrying and having a child.

What I didn't like so much was some of the stuff about Mr. Peanutbutter early on. I'm all for political commentary and I liked the episode about gun control just fine. But I found the attempts to turn Mr. Peanutbutter into a Trump allegory very misguided. I mean, come on. He's way too nice for that, it doesn't work.

Also, Todd's scenes continue to be a complete and utter waste of time but it's been that way since season 2. Now he has that asexual thing going for him but so what? Asexuality is the "I collect stamps" of sexual orientation, sure, it's kinda unusual but who cares? It's not like it's something that demands someone to change their lifestyle in any meaningful way.

 

[DEMzel]

its good