Emotional Devastation by Way of Depressed Horse and Other Reactions to ‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 5

You say you want to get better, and you don’t know how. As one tends to do when a new Netflix series drops, I watched all 12 episodes of BoJack Horseman within about 24 hours of each other. The satirical black comedy about an anthropomorphic depressed horse, who back in the 90’s was the star of a very famous TV show, is one of the hallmarks of Netflix’s original series. It’s also probably one of my favorite animated shows still running. But my god, every episode is a particular type of emotional journey through the convoluted lives of BoJack, Diane, Todd, Princess Carolyn, and Mr. Peanutbutter that takes it tolls as the show willing tackles a wide gambit of topics with deft hands and poignant voices. Plus, it’s got enough pop culture references to make your head spin.

To briefly recap the various shenanigans of last season: Diane (Alison Brie) and Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Thompkins) are getting divorce, Todd (Aaron Paul) has discovered his asexuality, and Princess Carolyn (Amy Sadaris) is producing a new prestige drama, Philbert, starring BoJack (Will Arnett) who reluctantly agreed to take on the roll as a favor to his friend. At the end of season 4, things almost felt hopeful for the cast. They were growing as characters, actively trying to become better people or at the very least better versions of themselves. But as BoJack Horseman constantly reminds us, the journey to self-improvement is not an easy road to undertake especially when compounded with tragic, traumatic ba…