BOJACK Season 1 ruminations

Bojack season 1 is a rough start for one of the greatest animated tv shows of all time.

Bojack Horseman could have been a self-indulgent show focusing on the failings and moral trappings of Hollywood and a biting satire on the media industry and it does it well in its first half with these anthropomorphic animals and being a regular Adult Swim Cartoon. But this show tries to push the boundaries of animation and its storytelling is evident in the second half of the first season with its focus on the personal nature of identity, abuse, neglect, and the pitfalls of nostalgia and deeper character development instead of superficial caricatures and commentary of modern America.

The majority of season 1 focuses on the arc of Bojack and his memoir and we focus on Bojack on his guilts, wins, and mistakes throughout his life. We see our secondary characters develop with Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's marriage and Todd's dreams and aspirations and Princess Carolyn wanting to start a family and we scratch at the surface of her arc throughout the show.

Bojack's second half of the first season is where the show tapped into something special with the episodes "Telescope" and "Downer Ending". Each of these episodes deals with Bojack's guilt and failure of not being a good friend and not being a good professional. This is where the show blossoms into something unique and creative.

The finale of the show comes across as a letdown with some characters shortsighted (Todd, Mr. Peanutbutter). It focuses on Diane and Bojck's tumultuous relationship and his memoir. It does come across as a copout and an easy and contrived reset solution instead of expanding it. (That is a mistake the show does not repeat). Overall Bojack Season 1 is a flawed but earnest start for something unique and special in the American animation industry.