Well, here we are, the final day of our BoJack Horseman season 3 review, as we take a look at the final three episodes of what has been a tremendous season. As always, be on the lookout for spoilers, and don’t read if you haven’t seen the episode yet. Let’s get into it:
Episode 10: It’s You
Here we have the quintessential BoJack Horseman episode: at the beginning, we’ve never seen BoJack happier, but by the end we’ve never seen him lower. This episode is dark, and the fantastic writing aids this indescribably, with some of the most depressing moments we’ve seen yet. BoJack manages to isolate everyone he cares about, and having grown so attached to these characters over the years, it’s heartbreaking to see BoJack slowly isolate everyone close to him. Most painful is his climactic argument with Todd at the episode’s end, where it really hits home how alone and damaged BoJack is, which is only amplified by the final line. This episode has plenty of jokes – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles references, Jimmy Fallon gags and mocking of the Oscars – but it still isn’t a rib-tickling 25-minutes, because the emotional weight of what happens nullifies all jokes. This is BoJack Horseman at its darkest and most depressing, but it’s marvellous nonetheless.
Episode 11: That’s Too Much, Man!
As the title may suggest, this episode sees the return of fan-favourite Sarah Lynn, in what is one of the darkest and grimmest BoJack episodes. Starting with a madcap musical number and ending with a bombshell of a plot twist, this episode is consistently depressing, but fantastic nonetheless. Watching BoJack and Sarah Lynn on their drug bender is fascinating and really powerful, as BoJack attempts to apologise to those he’s hurt with no avail. If you hadn’t cottoned on already, this episode cements firmly that BoJack isn’t a good person, and doesn’t necessarily deserve the privileged life he leads, and thanks to some fantastic writing, the gulf in logic and morality between BoJack and those around him is astounding. There’s gags aplenty here as well, including some hilarious meta jokes that really landed, but once again this episode isn’t about comedy, but the self-destructive downward spiral BoJack has placed itself on. And, as I’ve said before, BoJack Horseman is so captivating and watchable when it’s just like this.
Episode 12: That Went Well
That Went Well isn’t you’re typical season finale. It doesn’t necessarily give the level of closure you may expect, but it’s absolutely fantastic nonetheless. From the shocking, emotional and moving opening showing flashbacks of a now-deceased Sarah Lynn to the surprisingly rousing and powerful ending, this episode has the perfect balance of jokes (think Mad Max spoofs, references to Google Hangout, Adam Levine and JJ Abrams) and more grounded material, dealing with the shocking passing of Sarah Lynn in an emotional but not overstated way. The plotlines established in this episode are incredibly interesting, and it’ll be a long wait for the recently-announced fourth season, because these characters seem to be going in fascinating directions. The one main gripe here is that the entire trope of Mr. Peanutbutter saving the day was a bit predictable and not a great payoff for having the spaghetti strainers present in every episode, but aside from that there’s very little to complain about. The writing is terrific, the characters have never been more intriguing, and I don’t know about you, but after such a stellar season, I’m counting down the days until season 4.
Overall, BoJack Horseman has really found its niche in its third season, striking the perfect balance between witty, quick and rib-tickling humour with dark, shocking and powerful moments. Not one episode is noticeably worse than any other, and when this show soars (look at episode 4 as an example), it’s unbeatable in its genre. Having been a BoJack fan from the start, it’s wonderful to see the show’s popularity – and consistency – skyrocket. I simply can’t wait to return to Hollywoo again.
★★★★★
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