I think that's exactly what makes the show so great. I mean this show might've taught me a lot more about life and depression or other mental disorders than any human ever could.
@@lawnmower69 I’m not aware of this “horsin around” show you mentioned...are you sure you don’t mean that one 90’s show “around?” With just the orphans?
“A good series should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” Wow man this scene truly did better to prevent my suicidal thoughts than anything else.
i’m on antidepressants now, and i’m just realizing how terrifying my suicidal thoughts were. when i was depressed, i thought they were normal. i wanted to die. I’m glad i’m not dead.
@@danny8284 i’m on antidepressants too. when i hit rock bottom, i started watching bojack horseman again. that was a week ago. i’ve seen it before, but this time it is hitting me harder than it ever did before. it’s crazy how much i can relate to this show. comfort, but also terror at the same time :(
@@emily.290 I don't know any of you but somehow it makes me really happy to see that we are all here to share our thought, understanding each other with only a few words.
this just disturbs me even more tbh. it doesn’t make me comfortable. it makes me afraid. i’m now terrified that one day i’ll be the one falling and i’ll open my eyes and regret everything with no way to stop it.
Not comforting by any means. It is just terrifying because of the insignificance it implies on our existance. No comming back. Not even darkness. It is just merely nothing; as lonely and plain as a brain that no longer works. :(
@@user-lr1rt3sz9u I like to describe death like this. When you sleep, some times you have a dream. After having that dream, you wake up. But sometimes you don't have any dream at all, and just wake up. You don't notice _when_ did you start sleeping, and just wake up. You don't have any memory of what happened in between that lapse of sleep (if you didn't have a dream). So for me, death is that, just without ever waking up. You don't really notice that lapse.
Good Morning. The Human Mind is the greatest Standing Probability Wave generator known. Together, in unity, whether good or bad, we make our own realities, build our own Heavens and Hells. Alone in the end, there is a door, kinda like this episode. It can be a void and an ending to the 'you' that is the face on your soul if that is what you believe ( and want ). I think the Soul and Brain work in concert at everyone's final moment in Life to build that door for you. What's waiting on the other side is what _you_ built from Belief. Herb's words from the episode struck me deeply and I had to sit and remember my feet on other shores, in other places with People who built their Heaven ( My Hel is shuttered up and empty ) and I got the Hug and Opportunity to say goodbye that I missed in this Life. My door is waiting for me and I'll be there one day to open it and walk through into the Halls. SO remember folks, be careful what what you believe and most importantly, what you want...
@Painless Black Wolf, this sounds like a strong case of wishful thinking. But I’m not going to begrudge you your beliefs if they help you sleep at night.
Funny thing is that while he's supposed to be both Secretariat and Crackerjack, this poem is almost certainly better than anything that Crackerjack wrote in his life.
the way the line "Oh Bojack, no." is delivered breaks me, you can hear the sad compassion of it. its like when you have to dispel the illusion keeping a child from facing a painful truth.
Many years ago my sister, in second grade, announced to her class that there is no Santa Claus. The entire class started crying. She went to the principal, not to be reprimanded, just to have a chat about preserving the innocence of unknowing children. "Oh, classmates, no, there is no Santa Claus. Your parents are it!"
John 11:25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying." Sorry yall😅 Not trying to ruin the party
@@realityhits3022 but you did. Get your religious shit out of this very obviously not religious video, and hell, maybe even wise up and realize your god doesn't exist
@Kenshiro Sama no evidence, paradoxical, nonsensical, doesn't mesh with the way the Universe works, generally religious institutions are pretty evil, there's been thousands of religions over human history and there's not much difference in saying they're all wrong instead of saying they're all wrong except one (but saying they're all wrong is more logically consistent), among other things
Yeah, that's what gets me the most. When he finally accepts that he is dead and that this is the end of it all, he just wants to spend his last moments talking do Diane, holding on to one last glimmer of comfort and meaning before he is gone.
I cried so much after this episode when I thought a bit more about that line. The last thing he wanted to do before he dies is to talk to Diane about her day. I can't with this show.
You know what terrifies me? If this happened to me, I wouldn't even know who to call. I would die there, completely alone, swallowed by dark and nothing.
as someone who has seen the view from halfway down, it's hauntingly terrifying and this depicts the immediate "oh god what have i done" feeling perfectly. almost nobody wants to die, but almost everybody wants to know how to make the pain stop. find your how.
@@sleepyninjarin7971 there’s always a way out friend, you don’t have to do it alone but find your how. Sending you healing and positive vibes wherever you are.
@@sleepyninjarin7971 I know it's hard to see for yourself when depression has you pulled under, but I want you to know I mean so genuinely that it does and will get better. I believe in you. I know you can make it even if it's just one day or one hour at a time. It's not going to be easy, but you're strong even when you feel weak. And please do your best to reach out for help, too. Try to find a therapist or talk to a doctor about medication if you can.
I've never seen the view from there but I'm sitting by a bridge, listening to this clip, reading these comments, trying to ground myself. It feels like I've working so long to get better but I'm still feeling that pain. That's what I really want is relief from the emotional pain, not death. Thank you for sharing, it helps someone.
Allison Brie’s voice acting here is so underrated. So sweet and comforting, yet forceful and impactful. That casual “yeah…my day was good” has stuck with me for so long
This quote is so good. It not only tells a good story about Bojack trying to relive his entire life as the Horse from Horsin' Around, but also speaks at a personal level of "Hey, death happens, its just the way that life is."
Unless the death fake-out is your least favorite cliche. That is *ONE* crucial reason I can answer in case you ask "How did this not get an Emmy? Give me one reason why it did not win."
@@Jotunn96 It does. That is why I like it here. I just do not know if The Mysterious Mr. Enter does. Unless he likes it for that reason, despite him saying "there is no reason to even try and attempt this anymore" this episode just feels like another Animated Atrocities #145 in my mind.
I love how, in the beginning of the scene, he addresses the doorway casually. He knows it’s coming, but he needs a moment to finish. It’s not scary, it’s what he came here to do and he’s almost ready. Then, as the door closes in he gets more panicked. It reflects how he approached the jump. When he started out, this was something he knew he was doing and was ready for, but as the space gets smaller and smaller he’s more and more afraid. When he says he’s changed his mind it doesn’t really matter now, because he’s not going to the doorway it’s coming to him. It’s too late to turn back now, and all he can do is regret.
I always find it weird how people focus on the regret and give it more validity than the original choice. Like... of course you're going to panic when it starts getting closer. That's your fear talking. Your survival instincts kicking it. It isn't motivated by any kind of logic. The decision to jump was logical. That was a calculated choice made deliberately. The regret and fear you feel is just your lizard brain doing what it was designed to. Just like your brain tells you to kill someone when they cut you off in traffic, or to eat fatty foods for survival. Instincts aren't dependent on context, so they often aren't reliable. What makes humans special is that they have the free will to rise above their instincts. And fear of dying is just that, instinct. Just because the regret is the last thing that happens doesn't mean it's more honest, or somehow more valid.
@@MegaNightmare4 somewhere in these comments, someone mentioned survivor bias. We can't ask the people that actually died if they regretted it, only the people that lived.
@@MegaNightmare4 If your statement about it being fear just for those last moments, due to human psychology, were true, the feeling of regret wouldn’t last. People who survived suicide wouldn’t continue to be glad they survived. They would eventually return to their original mindset
The line "How was your day?" fucking breaks me. When I feel like absolute crap and the darkness surrounds me I like to ask to a friend about his/her day. Not telling him how bad I actually feel. I just want to hear his/her voice, full of calm and sometimes with joy. Is like a quick scape, a quick reminder that at least the people I love had a great day. Sorry for my bad english.
It really does work with any friend. I had a real shitty weekend, couldn’t reach my boyfriend, my best friends, but I reached out to that one person in my friend group I’ve never hung out with 1-on-1 and we just talked. That meant the world to me
I dont think im exaggerating when i say this show saved my life in many ways. I did things to change, and that poem, that episode really drove the point in. I love this show
I tried to end my life and I survived. The view from, halfway down causes a stress and terror in my brain equal to what I experienced that night. The second I did it I regret everything and the only thing I could say to the officers/paramedics was "I don't want to die I am scared please don't let me die" I will never attempt again
in season 2 bojack says he feels like he was born with a leak. herb saying “the drip finally stops” was so clever of the writers [edit 10 months later] this show has countless lines & objects that are open to interpretation. it’s a form of art. personally, i think the meanings of this line is referring to the line in s2, above and the tar dripping. herb didn’t die from cancer, and the show is centred around bojack, so i don’t think much about the iv drip meaning, as the tar was only dripping on and almost only acknowledged by him. all herb said was is that he can still /hear/ the drip of his iv (from what i remember).
I feel like I have to point out something. The poem at the start is about someone jumping off a bridge, and then regretting it halfway down. This is a completely very real phenomenon. I remember listening to a podcast called Radiolab a couple years ago and they were interviewing one of the (at the time) 20 something people who had survived jumping off the golden gate bridge. They asked that guy if he regretted jumping at any point in the fall, and he said the literal instant he jumped, he wished he didn’t, and the fall felt like an eternity. The thing is tho. Literally every single other person who survived reported regretting it around the halfway point. Anyways ik this video is super old and probably no one will see this. But it’s been eating me alive since I remembered this interview. Thx
@Pierre damn thats insane bro, suicide is not the answer, all u have to do is to move forward and do your best eventually everything will get better, i Hope u're doing okay
"How was your day?" "Good. My day was good." Bojack's instincts were on survival (waking up), he did everything he could to escape death. When he realized there was no escape, he accepted his fate. Instead of spending his final moments denying, begging, bargaining, crying, being angry, he decided to ask his friend about her day, and finding comfort knowing her day was good. In his final moment Bojack cared about someone other than himself. "In their final moments, people show you who they really are."
The weak breeze whispers nothing the water screams sublime. His feet shift, teeter-totter deep breaths, stand back, it’s time. Toes untouch the overpass soon he’s water-bound. Eyes locked shut but peek to see the view from halfway down. A little wind, a summer sun a river rich and regal. A flood of fond endorphins brings a calm that knows no equal. You’re flying now, you see things much more clear than from the ground. It's all okay, or it would be were you not now halfway down. Thrash to break from gravity what now could slow the drop? All I’d give for toes to touch the safety back at top. But this is it, the deed is done silence drowns the sound. Before I leaped I should've seen the view from halfway down. I really should’ve thought about the view from halfway down. I wish I could've known about the view from halfway down
Its really interesting that even though he had 4 pages he could only read 3 of them before his demise really goes to show how abruptly thoughts end when you're in the middle of ending it all
The fear in bojack’s voice when he picks up the phone and then the sudden shift to weary acceptance when he remembers what actually happened when he tried to call Diane kills me
I was already starting to fall apart in the scenes leading up to the phone call and when Bojack says "you didn't pick up" it just broke me... Couldn't hold it in anymore...
@@notyouraverage1saiah660 it's comforting to know that you won't get suffered by an evil monster after you die, but at the same time it's terrifying to know you will not exist anymore.
It is weird because physics say that nothing exists from nothing and nothing becomes nothing. So my take on this is that our consciousness also should not turn into nothing after death. Physics say so.
There’s nothing, you won’t exist to realize you’re not there. You just won’t be. You weren’t upset you weren’t there for the billions of years before you existed, because you weren’t existing. Same thing afterwards.
Kevtb87 I’m not tripping. Whenever you point out subtext there’s always someone who will pretend it was obvious to hide the fact that they didn’t get it.
"Is it terrifying? No. I don't think so. It's the way it is, you know? Everything must come to an end, the drip finally stops. See you on the other side. Oh, BoJack, no, there is no other side. This is it."
Reminds me of what rustin cohle (true detective) said . "They welcomed it. Not at first, but right there at the last instance. It's an unmistakable relief. See, they were afraid and now they saw it for the very first time. How easy it was to just let go."
this right here is a masterpiece. they made it so terrifying so as to discourge viewers from attempting suicide, but they also made it peaceful in a sense, so that the viewers arent afraid of the eventual end of life. what a scene.
Just looked her up and shes curremtly developing an adult animation for netflix according to IMBD. Doesnt say a name but the same paragrapgh credits her for writing View From HD so thats exciting to know
@@fapple6240 yeah definitely. The only episode of Rick and Morty that I think is close to Bojack Horseman quality is The Ricklantis Mix-up. Every other episode doesn't stand a chance. Especially since in my opinion Bojack Horseman only has 2 episodes I'd consider bad.
This may sound stupid or sappy, but I think that this episode/show legitimately saved my life at a point where I was very sad. Maybe just the horrifying sentiment that “there is no other side” stuck with me on a weird level. We get to see bojack constantly fucking up his life, and sadly there is a lot to relate to when you yourself have a habit of abusing alcohol as well. I think even diane saying that “deep down” is something she doesn’t believe might be the most perfect way to sum up bojack, we see him at his worst but we do know why hes at his worst and that even though he may be a bad person he actually is good deep down, just severely broken. I never thought id relate to a sad horseman this much, man
@@Orangetoastsss that was a good show but I feel like the 2 monologues about death weren't earned. Don't get me wrong they were beautiful on their own but in terms of the show I don't feel like their characters had earned it yet
Same. This episode was so beutiful and sad at the same time I cried so hard. It made me reflect on my own life in a way I haven't in a long time, reflect on my depression, how I'm sometimes in dark places. After I was done reflecting I realised that Herbs message was the best when Bojack tries to stop the show: "we are all going to die, so for now try to just enjoy the show". That is the message I'm going to try to think about whenever I'm having dark thoughts. Because when you have depression it's easy to get stuck on all the mistakes you did in the past, and think that you will also be a screwup in the future so maybe it's easier to just end it. I cannot even put into words how much this episode means to me. It's so impactfull in all the right ways I started bawling my eyes out the second the show part started with Sara Lynns song.
“That’s too much man” is still my favorite one in the series for the amount of emotion it was able to bring out of me, specially anxiety. The series finale was great but my only complain with it was how I don’t think this was Bojack’s rockiest bottom, he might’ve been hated by the public and lost his house, but he never truly valued those either way
I would sell all my earthly belongings just to see footage of Will Arnett in the recording booth when he spoke these lines. His delivery is so good it’s honestly a little frightening.
I actually think Alison Brie's performance is better, academically. She had a subtle, harder, performance to do here and she nailed it. It's not the kind of performance you think is critical to the scene, but she sells a sort of casual, authoritative, kind but distant tone that just raises it to another level.
Whether or not you've seen the show, I don't think it matters with this scene. It doesn't matter if you have the context or if you know who the characters are and what their relationships were with each other. The message is clear and the emotion is undeniable. Having seen the show around six times (currently watching it again,) and having seen countless reviews on it, this scene is by far my favorite in the entire series. It sticks with you like nothing else. It truly is incredible.
Yes, but in the next episode it begins with the heartbeat monitor flatlining right after he finished his final conversation with Diane.... which I think is a heavy suggestion that his final conversations with his friends were also part of his brain coming to peace.
@@yonyonson3102 It's supposed to be from the episode of horsin around. But I think the first flat monitor over Diane and Bojack is supposed to symbolize the death of their friendship, at least that's how I see it.
Thats the thing about death.. Its your friend who reminds you theres nothing waiting for you and to make your days count.. When you embrace death as your friend.. It is your biggest advisor.. Your friend who reminds you to please live your life.. Embrace death. Find your peace.
@@ashikdennis9202 one could also live by this thought experiment from Friedrich Nietzsche: "What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: "'This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence-even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust!'"
So I never suffered anxiety. Never an anxious person, not in a sense that I'd start having anxiety attacks and whatnot. But as season 6 started airing I got diagnosed with high blood pressure, like super dangerously high, so I started meds... and anxiety became a side effect... I don't do well with existential crises at the best of times, but watching this episode triggered an anxiety attack. The sense of dread which overcame me was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. My vision tunnelled out, the sound of the episode became background noise, I could feel my heart trying to tear itself from my chest, my breathing was equally quick yet laboured. My hands clammed up, my jaw locked, and I was overcome with a cold sweat. I spent a good portion of the episode trying to control my breathing, trying to clear my head, but then this poem was being read out and it felt real. I felt like I was half way down. It made me tremble and cry. Everything came together in such a way that simply overwhelmed the senses. Watching this video here is the first time I've revisited the episode since its release. I'm on different medication now and the anxiety has went away, but I'll never forget how it felt in the moment. How I felt like I was drowning before I'd even hit water. Like I needed to swim up but couldn't physically bring myself back from over the edge. Anxiety is a shitshow, but my brief experiences with it has massively opened my eyes to what some people have to deal with on a daily basis. So many people just don't understand it. That sudden sense that sweeps over you like you literally feel like you're about to die and there's no reason, no rhyme, and often times not even a noticable cause as to why you even begin to feel that way. Your mind is constantly in a state of fight or flight, and it's stressful when you can't control it. I was always on edge. Always angry. I knew it wasn't "me", but 90% of my brain function was going on the anxiety, leaving me completely incapable of doing even the simplest of tasks correctly or even being at my friends' house and playing board games like we've done a million times before. I had to escape to my car just to calm myself down. I'm lucky my anxiety was only drug-induced and I could get rid of it by changing medication. I couldn't handle feeling like that all the time. Fuck anxiety.
I will always appreciate this scene for getting me to stop being suicidal. They showed one of the deepest looks into the void I've ever seen, and I didn't feel okay with dying anymore.
@@dartagnanhenry4492What the actual fuck is wrong with you? It might be two years ago, but seriously, what the fucking hell? Why the fuck are you encouraging someone to kill themself with a gun? That's so fucked up.
There’s a bit of horror for Bojack in hearing from Herb that there’s no world beyond. What becomes clear to him in that moment is that there will never be a place or a time for him to make up for what he did to Herb, no forever in which he has infinite time to make it right. Like Herb says earlier in this episode, maybe someone will come to save him, or maybe not, but what’s certain either way is that there’s no real path for Bojack out of his guilt: he can’t atone to a dead man, and either he’ll die knowing that there’s no way to truly fix it or he’ll live and know the same. I get the sense that the show is not so much trying to make a statement about what happens to us after death than about what we owe to the people around us while we and they live. You can’t know whether or not the soul persists after death, so don’t base how you treat people on the assumption that you’ll have some eternity in which to make it up to them.
When Diane says “my day was good” it kinda shows how BoJack, even in what he believes to be his last moments, wants his friends to be happy. Diane is shown throughout the show to have troubles with mental health, and he just wants her (and also the rest of his friends) to be happy, even if he’s not there to see it
It's a callback to season 2, episode 10. Diane: I should. I know I should. I wish I could just go home right now and crawl into bed and not have to talk about anything or explain anything. He would just say, “How was your day?” And then he would say, “Hey, did you know the monorail was invented by George Monorail?” And I would say, “I don’t think that’s true.” And he would say, “Well, if he didn’t invent it, he certainly perfected it.” And I wouldn’t have to say, “I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I made things so difficult. I’m sorry I’m not the person I thought I was.” I would just say, “My day was good.” And he would say, “I love you.” I interpret this as meaning that Bojack's final thought is his love for Diane.
It’s even a callback to S2 when Diane was talking with Bojack on the balcony and was telling him about how she wishes she could just go home to mr. peanut butter and say that her day was good.
it reminded me of when bojack and diane were talking and diane said after coming home from that foreign war country early " I wish I could just go home and he (Mr PB) would ask hows ur day and I would say my day was good"
i really love the voice acting in this too. the way you can feel the utter fear and panic start to creep in secretariat's voice, as well as the way herb's talks so resigned
What got me is when he called Diane. The way she was answering him, the emptiness in her voice. That killed me. Growing up depressed and having nightmares, I always heard the people I love speak exactly like that. Just emotionless. Empty. It kills me hearing it again.
@@SnowCatKroe thank you. I was wondering that too at first. The moment she spoke I felt it. Took me a minute to realize what they were doing with her voice. Especially when he asked if they can stay on the phone and she said "Ok".
@@Shadow12gard Absolutely, I was honestly sobbing at that part! For me that scene (heartbreaking as it was) honestly made that episode more impactful than the poem did. The voice actress also did a stellar job conveying that sort of... Hollowness.
Seemed more like a callback to season 2 where she tells Bojack after he dumped Wanda that Mr. Peanutbutter would ask how her day was and she gave the same exact response
Yo... Not gonna lie, for some reason this scene evoked a weird sense of familiarity with me, and I couldn't put my finger on why till I read your comment.
Some of the most powerful television scenes ever created and Will Arnett's voice acting deserves every Emmy for the rest of time. Absolutely haunting and beautiful.
I took a walk to the highest bridge in my city. It was closer than I thought. I got to the fork in the road where I could sit on the grass beside the bridge or sit on the bridge itself. I chose the grass, I chose to listen to this poem, and I read the comments from survivors. My friend lost a family member, seemingly out of no where, this poem and that event play back in my mind. I don't think I want to die, I think I want to stop hurting. I've been working more than half my life to try and change but there's still so much to do and so much pain. At one point you just don't want to fight it. But if you're alive you have to fight it. I don't want to die, I want emotional control. Wish me luck.
I commented on this video only 2 or 3 months ago, and at that time I really wanted to die from how hopeless and overwhelmed I felt by life. At that point I hadn't remembered a time in my life where I didn't feel like I wanted to die. But a few months ago I also was able to get a ketamine prescription. My psychiatrist was so compassionate that even though it was new to them, they had colleagues that were familiar with it and they decided to learn what they'd need to do to get me into a program for it and get me a prescription. And I've found a dose that works for me and since I've been taking it that way I haven't wanted to die. I saw notifications people had replied to me here and realized wow, that was only 2 or 3 months ago that I wanted to die and it feels like such a far memory. I don't have my life together yet, but my feelings of "I'm so overwhelmed and useless I shouldn't exist" changed to "Life is hard but I can try, even if I fail, lots of people try and fail but go on." and that's changing my life for the better. I'm picking up the pieces. But I see my friends around me that I know still struggle with wanting to die and feeling empty and I don't know what to do other than support them and have hope for them. I mean the ketamine worked for me but it's not like it's for everyone or that it's some grand miracle. I'm still in therapy, I still have work to do. I just wish I could give my newfound feelings of hope and motivation to everyone feeling despair, but it's each person's journey. So wish my friends good luck 🤞 and if you're struggling I wish you all the best in getting peace of mind and drive for living.
@@zombieponcho I am very glad to read this. Don’t give up, not without using all the tools available to us. Read books on constructing a better life, go to a therapist and psychiatrist, set goals and go after them, exercise, mind your diet. Do EVERYTHING before ever considering ending it. Life can get so much better, it requires work but seldom nothing else is as rewarding. Life can be blissful and you will be able to help others along the way. Dont give up!
@@zombieponcho This is the way to go. While we cant choose the hardships life makes us go through, we can choose to fight and overcome them. Life is a journey, and a journey shouldnt be cut short
@@Steelburgh Reminds me of what rustin cohle (true detective) said . "They welcomed it. Not at first, but right there at the last instance. It's an unmistakable relief. See, they were afraid and now they saw it for the very first time. How easy it was to just let go."
I think this was the moment he came to peace with what was to come. He didn't necessarily choose life, he did however, choose to be accepting of whatever his fate was to be
The sound editing for when Diane says "my day was good" gives me chills, the echoing as Bojack is swallowed into the darkness is like hearing a conversation before you fall asleep.
By the way: when Diane was living with Bojack, she told him she would love to return to home without talking about her "failure". She wouldn't say “I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I made things so difficult. I’m sorry I’m not the person I thought I was." Mr Peanutbutter would just say, “How was your day?" and she would say, “My day was good.”, and her husband would say “I love you.”
All of the deaths shown with the Door reflect how the actual person died. Sara Lynn waited around the Door before going in abruptly, reflecting Bojack waiting 17 minutes to call 911 and her dying in the hospital. The Door got closer and closer to Secretariat until it swallowed him, just like death came closer and closer to Secretariat after he jumped off the bridge. Herb just resigned to the Door and was consumed until it was just his head and then nothing, just like Herb resigned to his cancer and his body was eaten away until only his mind was really intact then he died. Finally Bojack was swallowed up by the Door even as he struggled, just like his body likely thrashed about as he was drowning but he couldn't escape.
@@-.-u.uwe.o The rest of it fits though, so could just be writers regretting the peanut gag so they ignored it here, or Bojack still subconsciously picturing the cancer as what killed Herb (Cause the last time he ever saw Herb he was sickly with it, he only ever heard about the peanut stuff second-hand)
As someone struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, I always revisit this video when thing get really hard. The view from halfway down really grounds me back on solid land.
This episode got me in so many different ways. Herb’s, “Oh, BoJack… There is no other side. This is it.” Is so Earth-shatteringly depressing and real to me. That tone he has that says, “You still don’t get it…” as if he were talking to a little child and trying to comfort them despite having nothing good to tell them. It feels like as he pats BoJack on the shoulder, he’s doing the same to me. And that quiet acceptance that BoJack had was something I resonated with so much. That he could accept this fate if he had something he loved to hold onto. Something in his life that he cared about to hold his hand as he fell into the oblivion. This scene said many words behind its dialogue, but even beyond that, there were millions spoken through the actions and the expressions of every character. This show is simply and utterly a masterpiece.
Here you go: The View From Halfway Down The weak breeze whispers nothing The water screams sublime His feet shift, teeter-totter Deep breath, stand back, it’s time Toes untouch the overpass Soon he’s water-bound Eyes locked shut but peek to see The view from halfway down A little wind, a summer sun A river rich and regal A flood of fond endorphins Brings a calm that knows no equal You’re flying now You see things much more clear Than from the ground It’s all okay, or it would be Were you not now halfway down Thrash to break from gravity What now could slow the drop All I’d give for toes to touch The safety back at top But this is it, the deed is done Silence drowns the sound Before I leaped I should’ve seen The view from halfway down I really should’ve thought about The view from halfway down I wish I could’ve known about The view from halfway down
The most fascinating thing for me about this poem is the change of the subject. First it starts in 3rd person, than in 2nd and finally in 1st like a countdown to his death (3,2,1)
@@Bruce4103 I see it more as, he’s almost disconnected from his actions. I know that when I personally was depressed, you almost feel as though you’re away from your body watching it go through the motions. But I’m the moments before death he starts to realize what’s happening, he’s pulled back into his immediate perspective.
@@AshofTheAbyss Remember season 1 episode 12 this scene is what went through Secretariat's mind when he jumped, first he was grateful but changed his mind and wanted to survive but as we know he didn't
Bojack asked Diane his question in season 1: "Do you think it's too late for me?" And he finally got his answere from her in season 6: "It's too late. What's done, is done."
Awesome catch. It may be his own mind speaking, but as others have noted, it is Bojack coming to terms with everything he has done, and that this might be it. And all that might have been left for him, is being with loved ones and ensuring they are well.
It was the peanut Diane telling him that It's not too late to be the person you want to be. And this another hallucination Diane tells him It's too late. Bojack thought about how Diane would think of him in two instances. But both times she couldn't save him.
I always feel the need to point out the poem goes from third person, to second, and finally first. He’s counting down until he falls. Such a small but beautiful detail
I forget where I heard it but, Secretariat's poem has this in it. The first section is spoken in 3rd person. the second is in 2nd, and the third in first person... 3,2,1...
It was mind-throttling. Bojack lost everything, from the respect of his former colleagues, from his only family member who gave him solace, and even lost his legacy that was "Horsin' Around" because the execs just wanted damage control. Even though Diane was likely his final tie towards wanting to keep living, he felt like he had nothing more to lose by this point. ..... And even when he lived beyond this moment, he lost her too, so Bojack was pretty much back where he started.
@@natpeterson5689 no he survived unless u wanna cling to the fan theory that he did die and the last two episodes are in his head but I don't buy it because 1. Why does the heart monitor start beeping 2. He hates mr peanut butter so why is he there and 3. How come hollyhawk hasn't unblocked his number and is in the last episode.
The last words of this episode are "yeah. my day was good." the exact same words she wished she could say to Mr. Peanutbutter when she was living on BoJack's couch, pretending she was in a 3rd world country. BoJack internalized she wanted that, and, on the brink of death, remembered it for comfort.
@@hopper8514 Part of me wishes that would have really been the ending of the show. Everything that comes afterwards is just so much more depressing, especially when it comes to Diane. She gives up herself completely, allowing that guy with the helper syndrome to emotionally force her into using psychotropic drugs, which change her entire personality. The "puffed up" side effect of those drugs made me think even more about how many people who work in modern media, actually use such stuff to be able to "function" the way they do in this extrovert society.
@anaferreiramattos You know nothing about depression if you think it's a good idea to tell another depressive stranger to "shut your mouth forever". It shows you lack the sensibility to make sense of my words and fear of losing oneself. The series clearly shows that it's not all that easy and that it's up to the viewer to make your own conclusions. But it's directly stated that the guy has a (helpless) helper syndrome and that is another issue I had personal experience with in the past. Edit: The use of psychotropes is extremely high in the USA, compared to other countries. There are far better ways if getting in touch with a real good therapist who doesn't just subscribe meds, but actually listens.
@anaferreiramattos No problem, thanks for apologizing. I also became a little emotional and didn't mean to sound ambiguous in my first post, so I'm also sorry if you got me wrong. Just thought maybe someone reads here who feels the same. Such a topic is highly individual when it comes to different experiences and different ways to deal with them. I was serious when I said that it rather depresses me more what happened to Diane. That doesn't mean that it's always wrong to use meds, for some people it's surely the best, but especially in the USA there's a preference to subscribe psychotropes first, and then ask for other options, when it should be the other way around. Diane had a complex personality and throughout the whole series, it's shown how she has issues to find herself in all of this and to really be herself among others. Everything around her is of course counterproductive, living around all the superficial media people and with too much stress put on her. But she has ambitions, something she strives for inside. It's not shown in the series that she talks about all of this with a therapist and tries to discover her true self. What we get to see is rather how she gives in to what her boyfriend says, more than it was a personal decision. And what psychotropes often do, and what I took from those scenes, is how they made her suppress her problems and change her character, instead of really getting to the core of her problems. Such meds are there to fight the symptoms, not the cause. To make people "function" the way the society wants them to. And I can't unsee the little details, how both the boyfriend and the manager want her to deliver something soon that makes money, so she is told to do something to finally finish a book. It's pure pressure that feels highly uncomfortable to me. As for Bojack, as an Alcoholic in a therapy you usually also don't take meds. You mainly talk and reflect your life decisions, and we are shown how Bojack tries exactly that. I was in relationship with a drinker when I was younger, and in this case it's the other way around, it's the alcohol abuse that can change a person's personality pretty bad. Egoism, narcism, extreme jealousy, it was similar with the person I know, just without the big money.
This episode has so many layers...at first, I didn't understand the poem's purpose. Why is Secretariat reciting a poem about his own suicide? Then I remembered that Butterscotch Horseman wanted to be a writer, and his main models were the Beatnik poets. So Bojack, who in his mind is conflating these two figures, is fulfilling his dreams for them: Butterscoth is finally reciting a poem in the style of his favorite writers and Secretariat is reconsidering his decision to commit suicide. That's too much, man.
I can't remember who said it, but the technical aspect of the poem goes from third person, to second person and then first. It was on a reddit thread by another commentator who commented that and showed people how the poem on a technical level, literally goes: 3... 2... 1...
I've been watching clips of this episode and analyses of the final season over and over, and every time I think I've found every nuance and fresh opinion, every bit of symbolism carried over from episodes past, someone reveals something new. man
That's ridiculously clever. It also works as a way of it feeling more personal. At first we are observers at a distance and by the end it feels like we are in the thick of these emotions. It gives the poem momentum, like it is rushing towards something. Brilliant and terrifying.
Watching this episode was the first time I felt like I had a true existential crisis. It was horrifying, I had a massive anxiety attack and was terrified dying alone and even being alone. This was an incredible episode
Man, that last bit talking to “Diane” always gets me - especially the part where he asks if they can keep talking and she says “Okay” in a way similar to a parent talking calmly to comfort their child right before something shitty is about to happen.
I understand why people think the series should have ended here but I think the creators understood that bojack living with his action is far more worse than taking the easy way out. That’s just my opinion
I think that he's still alive because he still has hope. There is still a chance for him to turn around and get better, and although we'll never see it, I'm sure if he tries to move forward, people will continue to remind him of his past, and he will see no future and end himself like Secretariat, but in the future of his world in the show
The creators always made it clear they wanted Bojack to not end entirely happy but in a way to leave some hope but leave out the possibility for everyone if not only Bojack to fall into their mistakes or old habits after finally fixing their lives. So it could connect with the audience that we can all struggle to get the life that we want but to make it clear that we can make mistakes but still make them up.
An important detail is when Beatrice says "now the hard part" before flipping and then says "now the easy part" before dying, showing that life is the hard part and death is the easy part.
@@terezafrankova8724 I accidentally slipped my finger and saw the thumbnail of the last episode. From my quick glance I saw Mr peanutbutter giving a speech next to something lower that was darkly coloured. I panned away, thinking I just saw him giving a eulogy at a funeral. The description - something about good people meeting for a celebration - also applied to a funeral. When I saw this episode - I wholeheartedly thought bojack killed himself. The start of the finale was a n absolute mind-fuck. The 'funeral' btw was Mr peanutbutter giving a speech about Hollywoob on a podium, and people lower than him looked like the coffin
My older sister (cousin) committed suicide, and we had made a suicide pact saying as long as the other one is here for the other, that would be good enough. That was nearly 6 years ago. I am now about to be 3 years older than her and it's so surreal. This. This is something, man.
this always makes me cry. i know u all love the poem but… honestly, “well if it doesn’t matter, can i stay on the phone with you at least?” means soooo much to me, i remember talking to my now ex crying and listening to her voice and breathe bring me enough peace… i think i would imagine just that… “how was your day?”
I really like the end of this episode. Bojack accepts that he's about to die, and wants to spend his last moments talking to his best friend, even though he knows she's not real. Honestly not such a bad way to go at all
And it's particularly touching when you go back to Downer Ending. Back then, she was his realization that he was a bad person and needed to change. Now, though, after all that happened, she is the one to comfort him. Sometimes, the ones we hate for telling us the truth are the ones we truly need by our side forever. Diane was his most important connection to reality, just as she was in this episode.
Honestly my heart broke at the realization that the last thing Bojack’s dying brain could think of to comfort himself before death was the hope that Dianne had a good day
This poem has actually saved my life.. On my last vacation, I became very suicidal. I was nearly about to jump around 180 ft from my cruise ship into Caribbean waters. I just did the math to figure that out. It looked so much shorter… I got my feet up on the second rails and then just collapsed to the ground crying. But this poem. It really had saved my life and now I’m working to be okay again. Before I jumped into the sea It became increasingly clear to me The view before halfway down I want to be happy and turn things around I’m so glad I realized this before I was halfway down… Edit 2/25/2024: Thank you all so much for the love. I am in a much better place now :)
Warning: If someone close to you has committed suicide, this will be very very hard to watch. Don't do it late at night - wait for morning light and after viewing, walk outside and breathe deep. Be sad but grateful for life.
This comment should be pinned. I forgot how heart-wrenching this is to watch when you've lost someone close to you from it. What if she changed her mind?
This should be pinned. At the end of Secretariat's poem, I literally break down crying all night because my friend did the same thing. I guess she saw the view from the halfway down.
TW: SUICIDE My uncle committed suicide by jumping off of a high building. This hit me so hard & I had no idea it was coming. But I’ve weirdly been comforted by this scene. I can’t stop watching it.
The view from halfway down The weak breeze whispers nothing, the water screams sublime His feet shift teeter-totter deep breaths, stand back it’s time Toes have touched the overpass soon he’s water bound Eyes locked shut but peaked to see the view from halfway down A little wind a summer sun a river rich and regal A flood of fond endorphins springs a calm that knows no equal You’re flying now you see things much more clear than from the ground It’s all okay, it would be were you not now halfway down. The thrash to break from gravity what now could slow the drop All I’d give for toes to touch the safety back at top But this is it, the deed is done Silence drowns the sound Before I leaped, I should have seen the view from halfway down. I really should have thought about the view from halfway down. I wish I could have known about the view from halfway down.
God I’m always so hurt by the fact that bojack truly loves the people around him, it’s just so corrupted and limited by his upbringing and selfishness, which is so tragic. Looking past all his flaws and hurt he’s caused it’s obvious that he 100% loves Diane. Look at how even after all the hurt that phone call caused her she still can fall into their old rhythm with him on the roof in nice while it lasted. You can’t excuse all the shit bojack did, all the people he hurt and loves he ruined, but you also can’t deny that there was a good man in there, but his demons had that man in a choke hold, and even if he deserved the punishment he got, it’s so sad to see that for a brief moment, that good man had broken free and was trying to do good, but it was too little too late
Everybody talking about Diane on the phone, which is sad and powerful, no doubt about that. But that dialogue between Bojack and Herb… “Well, see you on the other side” “Oh, Bojack no. There is no other side… this is it” Completely crushing all the romanticism we usually have towards death, it left me feeling hopeless and empty, like a really hard punch to the gut. Kept me awake all night 😕
Ricardo Alzaga I think this moment hits so hard is that no matter how religious you are, how hopeful you are, We all know deep down that there is a chance that there’s nothing after death. And that is truly terrifying to us, a Chance...
I just realized Diane's final line "My day was good" is a throwback to episode 02x10 "Yes And". Diane was afraid of going back to Mr PeanutButter's house after going to Cordovia, she wished she could have crawled into bed and respond to the question "How was your day ?" with a simple "My day was good", instead of sharing her true feelings.
This video cuts off one of the most important parts of this episode. When you watch the credits all the way to the end, the flatline stops & the heart monitor starts beating. I cannot stress how crucial this detail is & how many people miss this
I rewatched the show (8th time) with my mother (1st time), and my mother cried when she thought Bojack died. I've never seen her cry like this. When we finished the show, my mother said "I never thought a cartoon show would make me cry." Her favorite character was Princess Carolyn.
![Bojack Horseman [SPOILERS] - The View from Halfway Down](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
