binge watch this: BOJACK HORSEMAN SEASON 2

Because sometimes life is like being on a boat parked in a driveway 

Wherever you go, there you are. You just can’t escape, you. Whether you buy a boat and move to New Mexico, leave your job, go live in a war torn village in Cordovia or build an intricate tunnel system to get the sweet, sweet taste of freedom from that Mexican prison, when you look in the mirror you’re still going to see El Chapo staring back at you, or whoever. What? No, I’m not El Chapo! WHO?

Using character actress Margo Martindale as a distraction

The most visceral look into the human experience exists in a show about a cartoon horse. This specific horse is BoJack Horseman, of the Netflix series of the same title, which released its second season on July 17th. We pick up with our characters caught in a period of stagnation. Their worlds are changing around them, but they cannot seem to adapt to such changes. The only common ground our beloved cartoon characters could find with each other this season was their desire to escape- be it from LA, their jobs, failures or a homicidal improv troupe- everyone was itching to get away.

Even this baby pigeon makes its escape

BoJack has begun working on Secretariat, the film that has given him the opportunity to play his dream role. Even in this ideal situation, he is so marred with self-doubt as well as his own self-destructive tendencies that still can’t seem to find happiness. But we’ll get back to BoJack later.

It’s PRINCESS Carolyn

Princess Carolyn is continuing her work as BoJack’s agent and emotional support system. As usual she is overworked and under-appreciated. The lust that was once in her definitely not weird relationship with Vincent Adultman is lost and now things are tense, which might be because he just got “adult” braces. She breaks things off with Vincent and strikes up an affair with her married co-worker Rutabaga Rabitowitz, voiced by Ben Schwartz. He’s a slick, sharp and charming bunny rabbit who shows Princess Carolyn the affection she’s been searching for, but ultimately cannot keep up his end of the deal. They talk about being together and starting their own agency, the latter being Princess Carolyn’s ultimate escape. She is admittedly someone who often distracts herself with trivial things like work and other people’s mishaps so that she does not have to address her own deficiencies. These distractions keep her from seeing things for what they really are. This starts to change in the season finale when she finally realizes that Rutabaga isn’t going to leave his wife. Rather than letting it break her down, she breaks up with him and kicks him out of their business partnership. As for Vincent, she still can’t see that he’s definitely just three children stacked up under a large trench coat with a mannequin arm and broom for hands. But then again, maybe we’re all just three children stacked up under a large trench coat with a mannequin arm and broom for hands.

Diane has quite the opposite problem of Princess Carolyn. She sees things for what they really are and that’s why she’s so miserable. She is at the point in her marriage with Mr. Peanutbutter where things are comfortable. They no longer challenge each other and Diane feels as if she’s let herself down. Her goal was always to “make a difference” in the world. She hasn’t done that as a celebrity ghostwriter or as an avid listener of NPR ( brb, currently searching for Diane’s ‘Serial’ ringtone).

She sees an opportunity to do some good in the world when she casually makes comments during a press event for ‘One Trick Pony’ about sexual assault allegations made against beloved late night talk show host, Hank Hippopopalous. She uses this precedent of public forgiveness towards male celebrities as justification for her publishing so many unfavorable details of BoJack’s life. She notes how all of these allegations are on the public record and just a quick Google away, but people choose to forget them. She then goes on to call out Mike Tyson, Woody Allen, Sean Penn and Bill Murray. That last one being a set of allegations I myself had to Google. A classic Hollywoo scandal erupts surrounding Diane and ‘Uncle Hanky,’ as he is affectionately known. The storyline draws some obvious parallels to similar situations involving Bill Cosby, David Letterman and about 100 other male celebrities. Her attempts to expose Uncle Hanky fall through due to his powers of persuasion, corporate interest at ‘Manatee Fair’ and Mr. Peanutbutter’s own fears that the scandal could destroy his new show, Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let’s Find Out! 

TFW you realize that listening to public radio doesn’t make you a better person

After being broken down by her inability to make a difference in Hollywoo she takes a job writing about Sebastian St. Clair, a billionaire snow leopard whose foundation does volunteer work in the fictional war torn country, Cordovia. She thinks that this is where she can finally make a difference. She soon realizes that she was wrong, again. St. Clair is a narcissist who goes to third world countries for glory and praise. The book Diane would be writing is merely to better his image and increase profits for his foundation. She leaves Cordovia and hides out at BoJack’s place, spending her days on the couch getting drunk, but keeping up the illusion that she’s changing the world, even to Mr. Peanutbutter.

While BoJack is on a kick of positivity he gets a new couch, replacing the one that had previously served as Todd’s bed. Todd is unable to accept this much change, so he takes up shelter in the back of BoJack’s car. He sees himself having less of a role in BoJack’s life, so he sets out to find his own place in the world. He creates his own nightmareish Disney Land, becomes the Prince of Cordovia and joins an improv troupe that (totally unlike every other improv troupe) turns out to be a cult. In the end, it is their friendship that forces BoJack to do something unselfish for once.

BoJack begins the series with a fresh, new positive outlook on his life. He listens to a self-help audio book that provides him with positive affirmations like, “You gotta conquer that hill. The hill is a metaphor. Everything is a metaphor. You are literally a metaphor.” He redecorates his house, which means inadvertently kicking Todd out. More metaphors. As one would expect, the jogging, acronyms and hope fade fast. When BoJack gets to set on Secretariat he is reminded that he’s not that great of an actor. He delivers Secretariat’s lines with the same forced enthusiasm that he would use to deliver one of the three contrived punchlines repeatedly used on Horsin’ Around. The director signed on to Secretariat is a strong, no-nonsense female who draws strong comparisons to BoJack’s Mother. They are both blunt, lack compassion and are so confident in themselves, they do crossword puzzles in Sharpie.

Exhibit A, Kelsey Jannings

Exhibit B, Beatrice Horseman

It’s little details, like the Sharpie thing, that I love about this show. Speaking of love, someone has a girlfriend this season and that someone is BoJack! Wanda, an owl brilliantly voiced by Lisa Kudrow, is a network exec who until very recently was in a coma for the past 30 years. She does not see BoJack as a celebrity because she was not around during his rise to fame. She’s like his little piece of the past- she wears Cyndi Lauper inspired ruffled dresses, thinks roller blading is fun Friday night activity and has literally no idea what Seinfeld is. She brings him back to a simpler time. Although she is technically age appropriate for BoJack she’s “basically a stunted 20-year-old.” This is what Jannings refers to as BoJack’s “age of stagnation.” Because he got famous around this time, he stopped growing. This is what BoJack’s struggle comes down to: He’s unable to let himself change and grow because of the image he’s already established for himself, both in the public eye and with his more intimate relationships. Wanda’s a blank slate who can let BoJack be whoever he wants to be.

He comes to realize he has feelings for Wanda in the style of Lindsay Lohan’s character in the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday, when she is horrified to discover that she woke up as Jamie Lee Curtis. He tells Wanda he wants to spend time with her, “fully clothed, sober in daylight hours” as he thrusts his hands above his head and weeps to the Gods screaming, “what is happening to me?” Their relationship flourishes and for a while it seems to going well, but ultimately BoJack cannot escape himself.

He goes to New Mexico to visit Charlotte, a deer friend (sorry) from his past. He doesn’t like the person he is in LA, so he tries start a new with Charlotte. He shows up to her store unannounced, only to find out that she has a family of her own- a husband, Kyle; a teenage daughter, Penny; and a teenage son, Trip. He tells them that he’s in town for a boat show. He backs up the claim by purchasing a boat, parking it in their driveway and living in it for a month.

When Charlotte really presses him for his motives, he says tells her he’s in New Mexico because he “didn’t like the person [he] was in LA.” She kindly reminds him that who he is won’t change based on his location because, “you can’t escape you.” This is a fact that BoJack has been refusing to accept for quite some time. Being the emotionally stunted person he is, BoJack relates best to Charlotte’s 17-year-old daughter, Penny. He takes her driving, listens to all the hottest high school gossip and even attend her senior prom with her. As one would imagine, this relationship rapidly becomes inappropriate resulting in BoJack getting kicked out of Charlotte’s house and sent back to LA with his boat.

BoJack’s self-reflective return to LA is one of the most visually stunning sequences of the entire series and possibly of cartoons all together. BoJack realizes that he has to do better. He can no longer just keep running away when times get tough, unless of course, he’s on his morning jog.

Where to watch: Netflix

Time it took: 2 Nights (about 6 hours)