"Saddling" her with Butterscotch. Because horses wear saddles. And she is a horse. And Butterscotch is a horse. Do you get it. Do you get the joke about the sadd-- okay, there's like five more pages of this.
It's shocking how underrated this episode is considering Beatrice's phone call is one of the most hard-hitting pieces of dialogue of the entire show for me.
Beatrice's "backhanded apology" is one of the most disgusting, blasphemous victim blaming I've ever heard. Like "I'm sorry if you are born from horrible people, and you are doomed to be a horrible person". I dont give a damn if she has a worse childhood than Bojack. She had many opportunities to change for the better time and time again, but she kept rejecting them over and over again (unlike Bojack that at least he does try with mixed results). If she ended up dying hated by everyone is only her fault.
It's no wonder BoJack yeeted her doll off the balcony! If BoJack can teach us anything, it's that even though others can do bad to us, it doesn't give us any right to do the same to others. Then, we become just as bad as those who did bad to us.
In his own "BoJack" way, BoJack surpassed the mistakes of his shitbag parents. Unlike Butterscotch, BoJack's TV shows, movies and book were successful. BoJack also never had any affairs, despite being promiscuous like his father. And unlike Beatrice, BoJack actually sought help and to better himself instead of letting his past trauma completely define him.
Something I realised after watching this video is just how the "Keep going" message of Secretariat might be added to the "Don't stop dancing" message of Beatrice. And since we all know, secretariat is kind of a father figure to BoJack, so it will mean that mindset was pass to him by both of his "parents"
A message he passes down to Sarah Lynn on the set of horsing around. As her TV dad, he imparts a bit of wisdom which he genuinely sees as good parental advice because he gets it from his parents. They did so much damage to him
It wasn’t until today that I put two and two together and realized that Bojack nearly dies very similarly to how Secretariat died. I mean, impact with water is different than drowning while drunk, but falling into water is a common thread between them.
Your comment made me realize the connection he made to water during the Free Churro speech. "All three of us were drowning, and we didn't know how to save each other, but there was an understanding that we were all drowning together."
Like in the opening too....I saw some video about water being a common theme in Bojack but I forgot who covered that. Also when Ana talked about nearly drowning and how she became a lifeguard.
Mob Psycho 100 is always a good recommendation. The comedy is different and not straightforward but it asks meaningful and important questions and it is really emotional. But it's an anime and not a cartoon. Still awesome
Tuca and Bertie is another great show produced by Bob-Waksberg that's equally as funny as it is gut wrenching. It covers a lot of different things and it's a shame it got cancelled after only 3 seasons. Definitely recommend it along with Moral Orel [another underrated show that Adult Swim cancelled]
@@stellafanders already watched the first two seasons and waiting for the third one to finish airing, while I agree with your comment, it's not as heavy as Bojack due to it being more grounded. However, Mob is really great and is in my top 10 fav anime alongside Made in Abyss.
I love how his mom’s comment “Well, its not Ibsen” was referenced in the final episode where he’s in prison directing the Ibsen play “Hedda Gabler.” I love how intentional this show is with the references.
@@Bella-bn2lq - Exactly! And the subject matter of A Dolls House (a dissatisfied wife and a controlling husband) definitely fits that scene too. This show continues to amaze me.
It's scary, but I truly believe she didn't say those things to be "mean". Cruelty is just so saturated into her personality, her life, that every single word that comes out of her mouth can't help but be condescending and bitter. By telling him that there's nothing about him that can or should be fixed, she's comforting herself with the same words.
@@low-keydrama1260 I actually think this is too nice. I think she's only trying to comfort herself. If there's nothing I could have done, he always would have been broken. So it's okay I hated him, abused him and never showed an ounce of kindness. It's a copout because if he can change, she can change and Beatrice is completely unwilling to do so. In fact, I think it's one of her most selfish acts. By telling him there's no cure, she is trying to condemn him to the same fate so she can continue avoiding the truth. Man this turned out to be a lot of stuff.
True, we see the story from Bojack's perspective and, since he was already dreading being called by Beatrice, maybe the message was meant to be an apology from her. But she doesn't get to determine how Bojack hears or feels about her words. She said them, he felt about them the same way he felt about everything else she told him.
@lyndsaybrown8471 Yep, that's definitely what it appears like. That's Beatrice's way of an apology but she can't actually portray love and remorse towards her son cause she's spent her whole motherhood not doing so out of her own trauma.
The fact that "What are you doing here?" becomes a bit of a catchphrase for Bojack for a while after this is actually great for a number of reasons. On the one hand, its a funny callback, that, in my opinion got funnier each time it came up and Bojack just said it without thinking. Also, as someone with experience acting on stage, its kind of relatable; sometimes the hardest lines to deliver are the ordinary every day phrases we say _all the time._ Some big grandiose speech, the kind of which only exists in theatre? Easy - once you know the words, it fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and the necessary inflection comes naturally. A line like "What are you doing here" can feel so alien to speak in a scripted and rehearsed setting, even if its a phrase we're literally using in the exact correct inflection multiple times per day.
@@notaburneraccount that's a great point, I been in stage theater too and that's so true. It's hard to not ham up a simple normal line if you are usually in chaotic melodramatic mode for the rest of the time.
A few things that I feel like should be pointed out. One this is the last thing Beatrice ever said to Bojack, the time we see her she can't even recognize him. Two, she does the same thing Bojack does when he talks the princess Carolyn, giving a very serious and thought provoking speech, then immediately changes the subject before anyone has time to process to ask for a favor. Lastly, this maybe the first time Beatrice talks to Bojack and it's not an insult, infact it maybe the nicest thing she ever did for him, acknowledge she is a terrible person, and that he's feeling are valid.
Idk man, I don't think she acknowledge anything. She basicly said "I am sorry you feel sad, but what else did you expect to happen." I agree maybe she tried to be nice, but this woman has no idea how to do this
@@mary-janereallynotsarah684 I was thinking about that, but I don't count it because yes she did see Bojack but she was still out of it, just asking questions about where she about to panic. And Bojack in one moment of sympathy or pity, I don't know, painted her up picture where she can be a little happy. This is a fully conscience Beatrice giving her last dose of "motherly wisdom" to her son.
It's perfect that he's trying to portray Secretariat, of all people, while dealing with this. Ironically, the positive, upbeat, ignore-it-all attitude is probably how Secretariat would've wanted to seem and be remembered (albeit in a less sitcom-y style). But that's not who he was, and even though he internalized advice from his public persona and mindset, it isn't who Bojack is or what he has in common with his idol.
Gotta agree this episode is overlooked. And I'm glad Raphael confirmed that Bojack heard Secretariat's "advice". Watching Beatrice tell Bojack it's his birthright to he unhappy always hurts. She definitely took Honey's advice to heart and not love anyone else. Also glad for this breakdown cause ngl, sometimes I was confused with Secretariat's advice. It makes more sense that you can't let the past hold you down but you also gotta work with problems from the past that keep holding you down
I'm glad this episode finally got an analysis. It really deserved one and I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't seen one fully dedicated to it before now. So many episodes in this show deserve analysis.
As much as I wish I could watch Bojack for the first time again, I find myself loving the show more and more with each rematch. It's so nice to notice something you didn't previously, and gain a new understanding of what's happening. Bojack is incredible.
i agree, after i rewatched it i noticed so many more things about it that i hadn't noticed the first 2 times i watched it. especially after watching the analyzing videos, it made me understand all the characters so much more.
The worst part about all of it is that Bojack was trying to do better about his depression in this episode and trying to take steps to change his mindset. But that one conversation with Beatrice made him go back into despair.
That phone call saved his ass despite how horrible it was. He wasn’t truly moving forward despite “trying”. It’s trying the same way someone might try to curl a 100 pound dumbbell. Real trying is putting in the work over time
@@bigpictureguys8415 BoJack was misguided, and thought that he could jump from point A (deep, life-long depression) to point B (a "positive new attitude") with just a podcast and some nice words to people around him. He did TRY, but because he didn't have any help to guide him through it all, he ended up... BoJacking it up as always. :( The phone call with his mother may have saved him from continuing a lie (and saved the dark Secretariat scene), but it also smacked him straight back into the alcohol-fueled pattern of ignoring his past and being cynical to those around him. I really wouldn't call Beatrice's call with BoJack helpful :\
@@Zhao328 I would, primarily because it pulled him out of the toxic positivity spiral that was derailing things for him in the movie, as he arguably would’ve been fired if it had kept up. Forced positivity is also draining, and he likely would’ve snapped at some point and worsened his already precarious relationships. It wasn’t helpful on a solo level, but I do think it was *more* helpful than if he’d stuck with the “brand new attitude”.
Hmm I’m not sure if this was truly him “doing better”. It kind of felt like he was avoiding his problems with toxic positivity. Bojack couldn’t help himself alone. He needed therapy and rehab amongst other things. It was sad seeing but that phone call pulled him back to reality.
One aspect of this episode that I think got skipped over is the other runner. At the beginning of the episode he breezes by Bojack when he's struggling on the hill. At the end of the episode, he stops to encourage him. He tells Bojack something like "the hill doesn't get easier, but you get better at it." To me, this means that Bojack went through the Dunning-Kruger effect in regards to moving on. When he knows very little about moving on he's totally confident he can do it, right at the top of Mt. Stupid. As he learns more, he realizes how little he knew and how far there is to go, dropping into the real starting point In the Valley of Despair. And as time goes by he slowly works up towards expertise peaking in season 6 before... well. Everything irreversible caught up to him at once.
In a flash back episode you see the runner has a wife and they jog together. But in all other episodes he's alone. Makes you wonder what battles he may be facing
"It gets easier. But you have to do it every day, that's the hard part. But it DOES get easier." I'm reciting it from memory, but I'm certain that's the line.
@@bobkerr2755 same that’s why I stayed away from it for so long. Looked like the millionth shitty adult cartoon. But my sister recommended and boy was I wrong
one of the saddest (and most realistic) parts about this show is that no character ever really knows or understands how deeply terrible and alienating bojacks childhood was. through the series he’s mostly met with “yeah yeah you had a tough time growing up so did everybody” even from people who care about him. and maybe the saddest part of it is that it’s because he can’t ever open up enough to tell people about it. he wants to be known so badly but he’s terrified of letting others know him
I love, love, love, LOVE the endings you've done with certain Bojack videos lately, like this and Best Thing That Ever Happened, where you use the actual lines of the characters, from using them to answer a question, to actually pointing out actual things that happened in the show. I wanted you to know your effort to script the videos doesn't go unnoticed.
I don't know if its just me, but the thing that surprised me most about the Beatrice Phone Call was that she was still alive. I'd interpreted Bojack's vision of him kneeling by his parent's graves as a literal sign his parents were dead
I need to write a fanfic where little bojack is adopted by a good person and become a good person, because I still can't cope with how sad this character is, and I want him to be happy so BAD
I was thinking about the moment when he asks if Diane believes he's a good person. She is silent and then says that she thinks that it cannot be so easily determined. But I'm not Diane. And I'll tell you. Bojack can really be good. You can remember a lot of bad things that he did. He filled all the boards with them himself and didn't even finish it to the end. But let's remember. All seasons, different people and animals live in his house every now and then, arrange parties, hold events and so on. He allows it. Yes, because Bojack is afraid to be left alone, but still.. Bojack saved the lives of several characters, sometimes risking his own. He helped Hollyhock find her mom. He supported Princess Caroline when she signed his name without his knowledge. Because of him, Hollywood assistants received better treatment, he provoked this strike. He gave good advice sometimes. And it was the last time he talked to his mom that he made her feel in a good place. And I always feel happy when I think about the fact that Bojack gave Mr. Peanutbutter his long-awaited crossover. So it's not that hard to think of Bojack as a good person. He was always vulnerable. Hence fear, complexes, the desire to drown out pain, the desire to forget, selfishness and the desire to assert themselves, sometimes at the expense of others. But if he hadn't been so afraid of losing everything, if he hadn't felt so much pain, if someone had been with him from the very beginning, giving him unconditional love, maybe he would have coped. He wouldn't hurt a girl at school who was kind to him. I would have found the courage to stand up for a friend and could have found enough sympathy in myself to somehow make Sarah Lynn's life easier. Maybe it wouldn't have been like that, but who knows. I believe that Bojack is not destined to be bad. I believe that Bojack Horseman can really be a good person.
And then you left the best line untapped. When he delivers the line, the director doesn't yell cut. She says, "let's move on" as if the best advice he needed was sitting right there on the new couch but Bojack can't let go.
This episode sticks with me more than almost any other because it proves the complexity of the writing. I think this is best exampled in Beatrice. She seems to hate Bojack's guts, but she keeps showing up for him and reads his book of her own volition and keeps reaching out after she's read it. I think she's genuinely trying her best to apologize, but it comes out in such a way that it deeply wounds Bojack. The "birthright" comment strikes me as her admitting to the generational trauma she inflicted onto him. Yet, she refuses to offer real support in his attempt to grow past it (bad as it is, New Couch was Bojack trying to change). It's such an interesting dichotomy that we end up seeing in all the characters throughout the show. This is why the show overall ends up being so much fun to analyze and pick apart. None of this is to say season one wasn't fun and fascinating, but I don't think any whole episode in it is as perfect an example of why Bojack Horseman's such a good show as Brand New Couch. This is where the writing became so tight and hinted at how many layers we'd have to sort through.
For some reason, the line from this episode I keep thinking about the most is: "Don't sit so close to the tv. It'll make you cruel." There's a lot of layers to that line that I'm not sure the show ever fully unravelled.
Glad to see I'm not the only one who still holding on tight to BoJack. It's my second time rewatch and I'm having as much as entertained as I did the first time, but with deeper look. The first time I only wanna see the joke and afraid of getting too deep at the dark side, but now I'm all in. BoJack touched you in no way other show could.
Wonderful episode analysis as usual. Brand New Couch really is an underrated episode, I always found myself going back to that phone call and playing Beatrice's words on loop. It's telling that the one time we ever really hear Beatrice speak gently to her son, she's also delivering some of the harshest blows she may have ever dealt him. It's cruel, it's haunting, and it's another example of why Bojack's writing will be talked about for a long while. Keep at it!
I've been rewatching the show, and I just finished up this season. I had never noticed all the times he asks, "what are you doing here?" until this rewatch, but I was really struck by one time when he asked, "what am I doing here?" I wanted to know what you thought about it, cuz I didn't remember you ever talking about it, so I was very excited when you released this!
I'm really glad you reviewed this episode. That scene with his mother telling him he was garbage because he came from garbage was one of the most horrible things I've seen on a show. That poor kid
My favourite thing about Bojack playing Secretariat is that he doesn't need to play a vastly different character. He just needs to be himself. The audition he has at the end of season 1 could easily be mistaken for Bojack being Bojack. The scene in The Shot where he can't cry but Kelsey is able to see how naturally broken he is that they instantly get the perfect shot without him needing to cry. And here, all it takes is a short conversation with his mother to reassert who he is and he gets the take in one.
Man, I love you episode breakdowns of Bojack. I hope you do one of It’s You. I’d love for you to examine Todd’s speech to Bojack and how everything they went through together built up to it.
Honestly Johnny your break downs are amazing especially for a show like Bojack Horseman. There's so much to unpack from that show. They did so much I can't wait to see your next Bojack breakdown.
Bojack should have completely cut Beatrice out of his life once he hit 18 he would have been better off but with the time he was raised in you’re supposed to love your family no matter how horrible they were to you and just ignore the bad things this is why Bojack is never able to face this trauma and properly deal with it.
Maybe don’t cut people off because someone else tells you you should? You have to decide for yourself if they really hurt you in such a bad and consistent way to go no-contact.
@@SupHapCak Too many people keep toxic people in their lives because they're family or you're supposed to forgive and forget it damages the person and often causes them to act in unhealthy ways like Bojack does.
Would love to see a video essay on “hank after dark” or “let’s find out.” Season 2 honestly birthed some of the most overlooked episodes as well as episodes that would shape the rest of the series. The season 2 premiere was an episode that didn’t particularly stick out to me and after watching this, I look at the premiere differently.
I’ve been watching your king of the hill videos and I barely got into Bojack a few days ago ad I’m one season 6 already. It was one of your videos that actually got me into it. Keep up the good work 🙏
Do you think that this phone call with Beatrice was the thing that Bojack thought about when they got the shot in the Nixon library? The speech that Kelsey delivers about Bojack realising that there's something broken inside him that can never be fixed always brings me back to the themes in this episode, especially how Beatrice tells him that there's no cure for being Bojack Horseman - he was born broken and believes that he can't be fixed, which is false. He does fix himself in S6, but for years before that he believes that he can't be fixed because of this mentality of generational trauma and being permanently broken that Beatrice drilled into his head from childhood. And that's one of the things that cuts Bojack the deepest, as it's reflecting on that notion that allows him to cry on screen for the only time in the entire run of the show (from what I can remember).
Dealing with trauma is a difficult and arduous process. I'm glad Bojack realized that ws what he truly needed to do. As a not-well adjusted person myself, I'm also unpacking my shit to be in a better place.
Bojack Ironically wanted to be famous, then in season 1 he said he doesn't want to be known as the horse from horsing around, to being bought out of the series, erased because of the controversy and in the future he'll be forgotten in later generations so he got what he wanted
I loved this episode, I found it low-key relatable. When I started highschool I wanted to feel better about myself, and less suicidal, so I started listening to self help books, working out, trying to get better like that. It didn’t work. I had to spend a few weeks feeling bad to accept it’s ok I felt that way but I can feel better
It’s interesting that his idol Secretariat advises Bojack to keep looking forward and that “All that exists is whats ahead”. It’s actually poor advice that suggests he is running from something in his past and present. Peace is found in the present. All that exists is now. Although It’s not good to dwell in the past, Its equally unhealthy to worry about the future. In Secretariats descent from the bridge, he finds a moment of peace in the present moment.
It's incredible that you continue to have so many insightful thoughts about this show, I always love your content but your Bojack content is what brought me here initially, and I always love to see more
I really miss this show! I wish they would put it back up again. so many unanswered questions! Like, PCs father and his death. Todd's mother, I want to see exactly how Peanut Butter life was like growing up! so much! Such a great show.
The thing secretariat should have mentioned about the past is that the traumas and hangups are like weights. To process them is to untie those weights and free yourself to move faster and better.
oh ty Johnny! never got why this episode went so under the radar when for me it was a "before and after" experience. truly, was the first time that TV made me go "Oh, they are going to tell my story, which means i'm not alone" it was all very trippy the "what are you doing here" delivery is clearly an inflection he would had used in a sitcom like "Horsin Around" and he mentioned to PC while doing Philbert that he was afraid of playing a sad and conflicted character because he didnt wanted himself to be that way.. anyways, kudos as always!
This episode made me go to therapy, because it was watching this episode where I realized that I did not have a good relationship with my mother, and that I have hung onto some of the most toxic things she said and did to me- and it’s making me kind of a bad person to other people too.
I wonder if the writers for this episode actually know of the scam called the Self-Help market to make Bojack's superficiality linked to such. A lot of the self help products and services available are at best superficial...
The way Bojack’s mother is able to still beat him down like that, at the end on the phone. It just reminds me of how my father is still able to do that to me. I relate to Bojack very much, but I broke the cycle thanks with the help of my mother who also had a horrible parent.
this episode kills me every time, the way he is unable to deliver the line is comical to so many but it's so telling of an underlying personality disorder and his mother's phone call is chilling.
When i was dealing with an depression and a parent wilt alcohol issues i really got to learn alot from bojack horseman, the hart hitting words and advices did help me deal with my own past, learn to forgive it and try to do something so i can feel whole again. now rewatching the show after al that years down the line i see that it is possible to make amends with yourself and your issues and learn to move on with them. if you reading this in a dark time you can remember that you can learn to love and accept yourself again. it took me 5 years and still counting. but now i genuine feel happy were i am and were i can go
Something I've noticed through all the roles we see BoJack he never actually learned how to tap into feelings and history and ACT without it being his ENTIRE IDENTITY we saw what it did to him during Horsin Around, the Brief run of the BJH Show he Tried to do it on secretariat but while he was doing the self help all he could portray was the same surface level positivity. And as we saw on Philbert it took every single one of his worse traits and made it so much worse I really don't think he ever learned to do as Princess Carolyn advised him in S5 and know when to "take off through costume and be Bojack"
I noticed this too and it reminds me of all the stories we hear out of Hollywood about "method actors" being insufferable assholes to everyone they work with on productions.
Honestly, I'd be happy to watch any video you do on BoJack as it's not only a phenomenal show but I appreciate your insightful commentary. If I were to ask you to consider a specific episode that you haven't done I think episodes with unique social commentary like "Thoughts & Prayers" would be amazing to break down (the idea that the US disliking women more than loving guns idea has so many layers in itself). Those episodes in particular also reward the audience for paying attention to the background details and the story. Similarly "Hank After Dark" came out before the #metoo movement so that's another specific example. Regardless, thank you for making these videos!
i know beatrice's backhanded way of apologizing is still being completely abuse, but there isn't much i wouldn't give to have that acknowledgement of all the shit he did to me from my own father, to be honest.
This episode is such an accurate depiction of childhood trauma at least to me. One of my earliest memories when I was 5 was the exact same. I would play cartoons on the Tv, specifically Digimon and the first Cars movie and would try to get as close as I can so then all I could see was the screen instead of the fighting shadows. To this day cartoons inspire me. Now as an adult I'm a lot like the brand new Bojack. I run from the past a lot using cartoons to distract and escape. I put up an almost toxic positive facade, i'm unsure why but I do tend to run away instead of facing the past. Mainly this comes from still living with my "Betrice" who is always there to tell me when I think i've gotten better that i'm not. Because I still live with her I still have a need to chase that validation even when I don't want to. The new couch I feel is a good way for him to slowly move forward because a way to move forward is to change your environment, maybe even a little. For me I feel that when I move out, being out of "Betrice's" house can help me not only not hear her toxic daily comments but also face my past without the comments distracting the progress. For me my way to move forward is to move out and i'll fight for my life for that.
Love your bojack content, and I would like to suggest you look at Moral Orel. It's like Bojack in that it presents as a comedic, simple story that quickly evolves into something much deeper.
Please continue to create your Bojack horseman episode videos. This is such an under appreciated show and it's great to unpack all these episodes in the details that you do. Continue your work ❤️
Great video, Johnny! I'm aware that this might be a bit of an uncomfortable subject matter but I'd love to see your analysis of 'Hank After Dark'. A hard episode to get through but, in my opinion, it is one of the most important in the show.
I think this is the earliest I've been to one of your BoJack Breakdowns. Speaking of, I noticed this episode and Mr. Peanutbutter's Boo's aren't on the playlist for them. I also noticed your video analyzing the intro sequence isn't on the Breakdown Playlist or the BoJack Horseman Playlist. 6:42 Saw that Diane clip from Mr. Peanutbutter's Boos. 9:54 Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles clip from Mr. Peanutbutter's Boos. 10:04 Princess Carolyn clip from Brand New Couch. As usual, I have requests for Downer Ending and The Amelia Earhart Story. See you next time!
I've watched your breakdown videos so much I feel like I've actually watched Bojack Horseman. I should probably just actually WATCH Bojack Horseman at some point.
Found your channel a day or two ago and have been binging your bojack stuff since, some videos more than once. You are single-handedly helping me rewatch the show without having to watch the show (can't handle that emotional whiplash again 💀)
This is one of my favorite episodes. Looking back can be so painful while looking forward is like looking at an empty canvas but there’ll be nothing on it, if I don’t look back and understand what happened. This revelation through the series has really started my healing journey
The “let’s move on” ending is actually really interesting to me. The audience spends the whole epitaph with Bojack as he goes through emotional phases trying to get the correct headspace while avoiding self reflection. Bojack is finally able to get there and the audience feels such relief but then the direction is just like *eye roll* ‘finally’. And to me it kinda shows the audience just how disconnected Bojack is from basic human emotional processing. Most people are able to just draw up a bad memory, act a little sad, and move on (for an acting scene I mean). But to Bojack having to be in any state of somber is so terrifying and forces him to face the worse version of himself that it takes a whole episode just to have a single moment of basic emotional processing.
Knowing that the creators intended Bojack sitting so close to the tv to mean that he was internalizing the advice to never look back and keep running, the same advice that leads to a lot of his issues later on, makes Beatrice’s line right after much more interesting “don’t sit so close to the television, it will make you cruel” In the end she was right, it did make him cruel later in life