Bojack Horseman (Season 5)

[rue the polywhirl]

I thought of the scene in Inglourious Basterds where they sit around in a bar and nothing happens for 20 minutes before a flood of magisterial violence is unleashed but alas the funeral episode didn't pan out the same way.

[Captain Z]

I dislike it when a series is just available to binge in one go. If I was really enjoying this one I would have avoided the thread entirely in case of spoilers, and by the time I'd caught up probably would have found my comments had been made already. As such it will never generate much discussion when everyone is watching at different speeds.

I have now watched a couple more and revise my opinion up slightly, but I largely agree with Polywhirl. It's become too fixated on doing a thing with too many of the episodes, once or twice like the underwater episode is fine, but often now it seems to be getting in the way of any actual comedy.

[Captain Z]

I thought of the scene in Inglourious Basterds where they sit around in a bar and nothing happens for 20 minutes before a flood of magisterial violence is unleashed but alas the funeral episode didn't pan out the same way.

I was fully expecting it to reveal an empty room at the end. Wouldn't have been funny, but I assumed it would have hammered home the tone they were going for.

[Brian Freeze]

In case anyone is interested- the main theme music is explored/explained on a reissue of an episode of Song Exploder (podcast).

It's the latest episode on there.

[olliebean]

In case anyone is interested- the main theme music is explored/explained on a reissue of an episode of Song Exploder (podcast).

It's the latest episode on there.

The latest episode on where? Not on the official Song Exploder website, RSS or twitter feed; it's this one, from 2 years back: http://songexploder.net/bojack-horseman

[Brian Freeze]

It came through on Pocket Casts on the Song Exploder thingy as a reissue yesterday 19th Sept.

It's been reissued because of the death of Ralph last year and Patrick talks about him some at the start.

Thanks for putting a link up anyway.

[Dannyhood91]

The eulogy episode is fantastic

[olliebean]

It came through on Pocket Casts on the Song Exploder thingy as a reissue yesterday 19th Sept.

It's been reissued because of the death of Ralph last year and Patrick talks about him some at the start.

Thanks for putting a link up anyway.

Seems to have been reissued on the iTunes feed, which for some reason is different from the feed on their website.

[up_the_hampipe]

The ending of episode 7 was a bigger stretch to suspend my disbelief than anthropomorphism.

[up_the_hampipe]

Wow. After a shaky start, the last five episodes of this season range from great to excellent. Seems like the writers have really had to rethink everything about this show following the #MeToo stuff. I've certainly encountered several twats who compare themselves to Bojack like it's cool to be a destructive mess. Some of it was a bit heavy handed, but overall it was handled very well. Diane traversing Bojack's troubled past (and present) sensibly without cancelling him on the spot was refreshing.

[neveragain]

What was it about ep 7 that you couldn't believe? (I've forgotten how that ep ended)

[up_the_hampipe]

What was it about ep 7 that you couldn't believe? (I've forgotten how that ep ended)

Diane quickly writing a storyline, dragging Bojack in to do it all on the spot with a set and everything already set up and changing between scenes etc. It was just ridiculous for what was supposed to be a very dramatic climax to the episode. But after seeing all the season it may have been one of his drug-induced hallucinations?

[neveragain]

It was a bit quick to get those scenes produced, yeah.

[monolith]

Assuming this is a joke? This is the same show where this happens:

[wooders1978]

I bloody love this show and I am gutted there will be another longish wait for the next 12 episodes, assuming they will happen
Thought the way the handled #metoo was pretty great actually, especially Ginas take

[BritishHobo]

Wow. After a shaky start, the last five episodes of this season range from great to excellent. Seems like the writers have really had to rethink everything about this show following the #MeToo stuff. I've certainly encountered several twats who compare themselves to Bojack like it's cool to be a destructive mess. Some of it was a bit heavy handed, but overall it was handled very well. Diane traversing Bojack's troubled past (and present) sensibly without cancelling him on the spot was refreshing.

At the same time, I wondered how the show wants us to see Diane's actions. After her angry speech about the damage that comes from repeatedly giving second chances to shitty men, how do we take her helping Bojack after what she's learned and what he did on set? Is it her finding there's more nuance, or is it her being hypocritical?

Let's find out!

[madhair60]

Finished this now. Didn't quite flow like the other seasons, but still pretty strong. Was outright bored by the eulogy ep, which seemed transparently "look at me" awards bait. It didn't seem particularly insightful, there weren't any laughs and it didn't tell us anything new about Bojack.

Todd once again the best thing.

[steveh]

Agree it was a bit heavy on the 'standout' episodes but still thought this was great. Some lovely background things too like the pig in the restaurant giving uneasy glances at the diners on another table getting a pig's head or the tortoises celebrating their victory over the hare and clinking glasses ever so slowly.

[Hat FM]

i missed jonah and vincent adultman. WHEN WILL HE RETURN?!

I think Todd's bits with the sex robot made me laugh the most. Just so absurdly funny.

[up_the_hampipe]

Henry Fondle has usurped Vincent Adultman. My favourite character of the new season.

[rue the polywhirl]

Just finished the season and the last 5 episodes are definitely much stronger although still wildly hit and miss from scene to scene. It was probably funniest when they stayed on point with the Philbert scenes. Todd and Peanutbutter also strong. Stuff like the popsicle men caused my eyes to glaze over. So much bizarre, clever-pantsy, cirque du soleil humour again and again which really drags the pace down. End of Episode 10 when Dianne and Bojack were having it off (psychoanalytically) felt like the show was fully back to hitting its stride. Episode 12 wasn't completely satisfying with the interview and controversy which felt a little shoe-horned. That tortoise background gag in the restaurant was ace (visual animal puns good. overwordy, repeating-of-words barely-puns bad) and so was Flip's 'maybe I am Princess Carolyn' self-revelation and the smearing of lipstick.

It's a little concerning how preachy Dianne was this season. The Halloween episode was like a symposium for her, and a little unwarranted. 'Hey, men. Only date people your age!'. Are girls supposed to mature beyond Mr P and get sick of parties within 1 short year rather than because he just doesn't listen? It's not very plausible. And she gets herself a spread of Peanutbutter and becomes such a prodding, bunny boiling P.I into Bojack that she sends him off the rails. The closing scene with wafts of 2014 War On Drugs felt like a natural finishing point for the show, a closing of the circle. I'd love for it to keep going for longer but the tide of MeToo has probably turned against someone like Bojack as a lead character. Time to reboot it as The Dianne All Men Are Bastards Roadtrip Show.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

So Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter were married before she'd met Bojack? I thought they only got together in the third or fourth series.

Obviously Bojack can't be totally reformed, or the show would probably have to end/jump the shark(man). After the end of the previous series though, it made me sad to see him mess up his relationship with Hollyhock.

[madhair60]

They get married in season 1

[Small Man Big Horse]

I've only just finished the series as I was trying not to binge watch it, I enjoyed it as a whole (and the eulogy episode worked for me personally) but I thought it was too heavy on the emotional side of things and not quite as funny as it normally is. It makes a lot of thoughtful and important points about metoo which needed to be said, but seeing Bojack so fucked up and assaulting Gina was possibly a step too far, he's done a lot of shitty things but attempting to kill someone is fucking bleak. And I know he was high at the time and confused and had no memory of it afterwards, but I'm amazed Diana was so forgiving. I don't like the fact that she and Mr Peanutbutter had the affair too, like they had to make her flawed as well which wasn't needed. Still, there were a lot of high points, I loved Todd and Henry Fondle along with a lot of the Philbert stuff, but I liked how season four was a bit more optimistic for Bojack's future whereas this really saw him hit a new low.

[backdrifter]

I also resisted binging it this time. Still as brilliant as ever - particularly the addiction stuff.

Presumably the choking vid will be a deal breaker for Hollyhock and she won't be back?

[Blue Jam]

It's a little concerning how preachy Dianne was this season. The Halloween episode was like a symposium for her, and a little unwarranted. 'Hey, men. Only date people your age!'. Are girls supposed to mature beyond Mr P and get sick of parties within 1 short year rather than because he just doesn't listen?

With BoJack's line "There's nowhere more lonely than a party" (or words to that effect) right at the start of the series, I saw all Diane's whining aloud about how much she hates parties as her being cynical and thinking she's cooler and more intelligent and deeper than all the Hollywood types around her, when really she's just too self-absorbed to realise that they all hate parties too. She can't see that the others are just better at keeping their loathing to themselves and not being a sneering killjoy- even Pickles, whom Diane clearly sees as a vapid young moron, is seen to be struggling under her bubbly facade.

Is it also possible that she doesn't realise that Mr Peanutbutter's supposed niceness and enthusiasm isn't entirely sincere? That would be harder to believe after they'd been married for some time.

I loved the way Diane was so unsympathetic this season. She reminded me of Clare Ashcroft in Nathan Barley, thinking she was above the fake and shallow world she inhabits and morally superior to everyone else when in reality she's content to go along with all the fakery and shallowness in order to further her career and make a name for herself. Seeing her go to find her roots in Vietnam and finding she wasn't as worldly-wise as she had thought was great too, and I think the feminism stuff just showed how confused and hypocritical she was.

Stupid question: What exactly are Stefani Stilton and GirlCroosh meant to be satirising? I always thought of them as pisstakes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop respectively but there's clearly a bit of Buzzfeed in there too.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

I'm not sure that it's a direct parody. There are dozens of these women's lifestyle websites which target the same audience and apply the same methods to get clicks.

[New Jack]

I'm enjoying this and it's making my own mental, selfish wallowing in depression, drug addiction and general selfishness seem amusing to me

but fuck, I'd like to laugh. Seems more clever than "funny" yknow?

Well, do you know?

[neveragain]

There really are plenty of jokes, both in dialogue and the background.

[New Jack]

yeah I know that. They're there. I get them, I even smile, but laughs? Proper laughs? Nah. Always feels a bit obvious, or even too clever. For whatever reason BoJack nary tickles a chuckle outta me.

It doesn't remove my enjoyment of the show. I fucking like the bathos, tons. Aaah, bathos! And I would describe it as a comedy.

But I don't laugh. And I laugh at loads of mad shit