#bojack season 4 review

[clownkiwi]

"wow!!! im just like bojack horseman" is just the adult cartoon fans version of "walter white is just like me"

[showtoonzfan]

I keep bringing up Beatrice from Bojack Horseman and how I wish Stella was more like her, but another example of a well written bad character who was expanded upon and written VERY interestingly, was Ton from the anime Aggretsuko. Ton was at first introduced as the rough, sexist and misogynistic cruel boss of an accounting department that Retsuko worked at, being a HUGE obstacle for her. He seemingly had no morals whatsoever, and she had to learn to stand up for herself and not take his crap, but what I love that the series did was humanize him more (WITHOUT RETCONNING HIM BTW) and showing his deeper outside perspectives. Like I said, at first he was very one note, mainly in season one, but as time went on, it was clear he had more layers to him. There were scenes where Retsuko herself had to learn that he wasn’t just black and white, and while his behavior obviously wasn’t excusable at all, the show did eventually show us through some good dialogue on why he acts the way he acts, and even show that his age and even sour viewpoint on todays generation could actually make him wise for the better, giving Retsuko herself genuinely good life advice that surprised her from time to time. It’s more of a moral way where you could UNDERSTAND where the character is coming from and why they’re like that, even if they don’t deserve sympathy, or aren’t excused for what they did. It even got to the point where I enjoyed watching him, and even felt freaking sympathy for him because I KNEW people like him. Not sexist, but…rough around the edges. A person who while heavily flawed, was still a person deep down. I personally think YouTuber “Hiding in Public”- described his character perfectly in his season 4 of Aggretsuko review:

With that said, Ton is honestly just another perfect example of a character that is bad, but written in an interesting way, regardless if you like him or not. Aggretsuko is one of my favorite adult animated shows, and while I definitely think it’s flawed in some areas, it’s overall a very good show with the perspective of adulthood and the struggles that come with it, I would definitely recommend it if you’re into anime.

[dantedemondino]

How the fuck-

First and foremost, that is irony for Bojack Horseman to get a nominee and lose to something ludicrous. (if you watch the show you’ll know).

TW/CW: Vulgar/explicit Topics mentioned. It’s about how much I hate the show Big Mouth and why.

But that’s not what I posted this for. No it’s because I am baffled at the fact that big mouth won an Emmy.

A show that I’ve unfortunately seen various episodes skipping around through seasons 1-4 thanks to peer pressure in early high school, and then morbid curiosity after watching so many review channels talking of how it’s only gotten worse. (Thank fuck I suffer memory issues for once.)

It did in fact somehow.

And my opinion stands firm in: This show is disgusting and sickening for many reasons.

It’s a show targeted at adult audiences but it’s main cast is kids doing or seeing rather vulgar, and explicit situations. And not just “Haha funny awkward thing some people experience in puberty” some shit is just sickening upright.

If I can even bare to look past that (I can’t. Only funny thing is Matthew in the very beginning for the lack of said themes with them. I can’t even imagine a timeline where I lay eyes on this show again.) the other issue is the shows definition of Gross out humor. It is all fun and games, when done with proper comedic timing and honestly not being over the top.

Such as:

Bojack Horseman

Rick and Morty

Tuca and Bertie.

Meanwile big mouth has a whole episode called “Shit Madness” where a character goes mad from holding in his shit all day and ends up giving birth to a living giant piece of shit.

“What about how it tackled sensitive topics?”

I’ll give credit where it’s due, talking about things like body positivity/negativity, same sex lovers, toxic relationships, racism, mixed race couples, inequality, periods, or actually educational stuff regarding the trifles of puberty is a good thing. It’s stuff that should be able to be able to be talked about openly as it’s very real to our world. But with this show, it’s just impossible to take it in/seriously when minutes ago you have to see about how much of a repulsive creep Andrew is, or (probably) something worse.

In conclusion: The show big mouth honestly is disgusting to me. And even with those heavy or progressive topics being challenged in some episodes, it doesn’t excuse any of the other repulsive or bizarre stuff in that show. Go watch something else for the love of god.

May I never be forced to watch it again, cause no morbid curiosity about the cringe will bring me to lay eyes on it again.

[moosecow]

UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME!

Ten things I wish would just DIE already…

10. Miraculous Ladybug

Before you sharpen your pitchforks! Hear me out! I actually REALLY like this show…but GOD It is the BIGGEST tease I have EVER seen! Marinette and Adrien should have gotten together at the end of the first season, and maybe we could have explored their relationship, given them more depth? Raised the stakes instead of the CONANT. ENDLESS. FILLER. Of absolute nothing that is this show. We all know they’re going to get together, just rip the bandaid and let us move on. I’ve never seen a show jerk its fan base around so much!

9. Avatar the Last Air Bender

Again, I LOVE THIS SHOW, SO, SO MUCH! But I can tell that they’re now turning this into a cash cow. I don’t want to see another avatar show, especially after what they did with Legend of Korra. What made Avatar so special was that, yes there was a lot going on in their world, but it never stopped focusing on the core cast, their development, their relationships, and their reactions to the world they live in. Korra just gave us more and more characters instead of focusing on the ones we had, and it lost me with its overcomplicated plot, and I fear legend of Genji, AND the live action remake (which already has alarm bells going up because it’s live action and when has worked out well?) Can we just…revive an old gem on Nickelodeon? Or make something new and substantial instead of relying on SpongeBob reruns?

8. Dragon Ball

Yes, another show I like! But MAN! How many power-ups can we go through before it gets old! Even ASH finally reached his goal in pokemon! There’s so much content here, and I’m grateful for that! I don’t mind more games and merchandise, but enough of the show! It’s clear that only Goku and Vegeta are the only characters capable of beating the big enemy, and no one cares much for the younger characters taking over. But at this point their not that interesting. ESPECIALLY Goku. He’s just a guy that likes fighting. Vegeta was more interesting with his reformed villain arc, but he is constantly overshadowed by his dumber super-saiyen. It feels like they’ve exhausted all their stories….

7. Velma

I’m gonna barf. Seriously, all people do is complain about this show. Can we just, STOP? Review bombing it, complaining about it, making reaction videos to it, is just…feeding it at this point. If all of us hate so much! So many shows that deserved to be watched and enjoyed were completely ignored and faded away from the public consciousness, but not this one, at least, not yet. I see video and video about it! Ignore it. Let it die like it’s supposed to! And now I will never mention it again, and neither should you!

6. Marvel

It’s not so much as I want this franchise to die…more like…I think we need a break! It’s been like 20 years of non stop Marvel and I feel like we already peaked with the Avengers Endgame. Besides Moon Knight and Wakanda Forever, all I’ve seen is general dislike of all the new stuff coming out. I know that Disney is a big conglomerate and they’re going to milk this thing for all it’s worth…but wouldn’t people enjoy it more if you let it simmer for a bit, let the ideas come back after some rest, and then get back into it?

5. 13 Reasons Why

This show should have stayed a book! Oh. My. God. As someone that struggles with mental illness, watching this get sensationalized and reduced to nothing more then teenage angst for badly written teenage characters is so gross! I don’t have much to say about it. It just makes me so angry! How do people actually like this and continue to watch and recommend it? It’s basically the same as every other “dramatic” teen show out there, but uses suicide as a hook to draw people in, which is so disrespectful! You want a show that is more mature then this and actually handles mental illness well? Watch BoJack Horseman.

4. Grey’s Anatomy

I don’t care about the relationships in this show. I don’t who broke up with who, who died, who couldn’t have a kid, who cheated on who. I cared more, in the first season at least, when they were just young surgeons, and they were dealing with the struggles of that. BUT MAN! This show quickly became a soap opera! I mean what did I expect from an ABC show. Just end it already! If you want a good show about doctor’s that focuses on their personal growth and the difficulties of the job watch House, or better yet, watch Scrubs.

3. Kingdom Hearts

This hurts. This hurts. So. Much. GOD! I love these games…but I REALLY hate the direction they’re going. KH3 was such a red flag! The story was complicated enough with time travel, the whole foretellers things, how we keep adding characters instead of focusing on the core Destiny Islands Trio, how Kairi is basically a plot device where, EVEN IN HER OWN GAME, she has to be rescued by Sora. And now, KH4 is on its way and Nomura is basically turning it into versus 13….I don’t even know anymore. Things were getting real dumb in Dream Drop Distance. I’m just going to pretend thee series ended at KH2, where the emotions were there and the story wasn’t derailed and removed of all the charm it had…Either end it…or do something actually good with it, because at this point, it’s just getting ridiculous. And this is coming from someone that loves this series with every fiber of their being.

2. Stranger Things

Yeah, Netflix will cancel actually interesting things like Inside Job, Dead End National Park, I’m not okay with this, Sense 8, and introduce stupid ideas such as removing password sharing (EVEN AFTER RAISING THE PRICE BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE PASSWORD SHARING) but they will keep things like Cuties and…this show. At this point, Stranger Things is a shadow of its former self. Not only are there no stakes, because everyone has plot armor, but it’s basically just teenage drama at this point. Remember how in Season 1, the demagorgan was actually scary? Remember how going into the upside down had health consequences? The characters just walk around now without a problem. But this show is just drama filled enough to keep the attention of the masses without actually having any substance. It makes me sad that it followed the pattern of the first season being the most interesting season and then everything going down hill from there. How did THIS show, of all shows…make me not care? What could be worse then this?

Well…

#1. Harry Potter Series

I loved this as a kid. I read this thing so many times…but now…I’m past it, and JK is just. A. Terrible. Terrible. Person…the fact that it doesn’t end with her words, that she actively gives money and supports hate groups, kind ruins the messages I learned in HP. As a kid, I thought part of the point was to be inclusive, and to make life better for people that are mistreated by the mainstream. But no. Not only were the last few movies terrible, but Rowling keeps digging that hole. Even if I wanted to, I just can’t enjoy it anymore. So, even if not everyone will. I’m going to let it die. We need another book series to inspire a generation…I just can’t with this anymore…

[somecutiewithabooty]

Alison Brie: A Versatile Actress Who Continues to Captivate Our Screens

Introduction:

Alison Brie, an American actress, has made a significant impact on the television and film industry over the years. With her start in the late 2000s, she has displayed an exceptional range of acting skills, portraying characters in various genres such as drama, comedy, and animation. In this blog post, we will delve into Alison Brie's illustrious career, exploring her diverse roles and achievements up to 2023.

Early Career and Breakthrough (2007-2009):

Born on December 29, 1982, Alison Brie Schermerhorn grew up in Pasadena, California. She began her acting career with minor roles in theatre and television. Her first notable role was in the web series, "My Alibi" (2008), which was a stepping stone to her big break (1).

In 2009, Brie landed the role of Trudy Campbell on the critically acclaimed television series, "Mad Men" (2007-2015). Her portrayal of a devoted wife in the 1960s advertising world garnered her praise and recognition (2). That same year, Brie joined the cast of "Community" (2009-2015) as Annie Edison, showcasing her comedic talent and solidifying her status as a versatile actress (3).

Continued Success and Diverse Roles (2010-2017):

During her time on "Mad Men" and "Community," Brie expanded her repertoire by lending her voice to animated projects such as "The Lego Movie" (2014) and "BoJack Horseman" (2014-2020), where she voiced Diane Nguyen, a writer and feminist activist (4)(5). Brie's work on "BoJack Horseman" earned her critical acclaim for her emotional depth and ability to bring the character to life (6).

Her film career also began to flourish, with roles in movies like "Scream 4" (2011), "The Five-Year Engagement" (2012), and "Sleeping with Other People" (2015) (7)(8)(9). Brie's performance in "Sleeping with Other People" showcased her natural comedic timing and charm, further establishing her as a talented comedic actress.

GLOW and Beyond (2017-2023):

In 2017, Alison Brie took on the lead role in Netflix's "GLOW" (2017-2019), playing Ruth Wilder, an actress-turned-professional wrestler in the 1980s (10). The show, inspired by the real-life Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, was praised for its empowering themes and ensemble cast. Brie's performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2018 (11).

Brie continued to work on both film and television projects, including "The Disaster Artist" (2017), "Promising Young Woman" (2020), and "Happiest Season" (2020) (12)(13)(14). In 2020, she made her debut as a writer and producer for the film "Horse Girl" (15). The psychological thriller, in which she also starred, demonstrated her growth as a creative force in the industry.

As of 2023, Alison Brie remains a prominent figure in Hollywood. With her diverse range of roles, undeniable talent, and continuous growth as an actress, writer, and producer, she is set to captivate audiences for many years to come.

Sources:

IMDb. (n.d.). My Alibi (TV Series 2008– ). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288254/

IMDb. (n.d.). Mad Men (TV Series 2007–2015). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804503/

IMDb. (n.d.). Community (TV Series 2009–2015). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1439629/

IMDb. (n.d.). The Lego Movie (2014). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/

IMDb. (n.d.). BoJack Horseman (TV Series 2014–2020). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3398228/

VanDerWerff, E. (2015, July 22). BoJack Horseman is TV's best show about depression. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2015/7/22/9014931/bojack-horseman-season-2-review

IMDb. (n.d.). Scream 4 (2011). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262416/

IMDb. (n.d.). The Five-Year Engagement (2012). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1195478/

IMDb. (n.d.). Sleeping with Other People (2015). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3165612/

IMDb. (n.d.). GLOW (TV Series 2017–2019). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5770786/

Golden Globes. (n.d.). Alison Brie - Nominations and Wins. Retrieved from https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/alison-brie

IMDb. (n.d.). The Disaster Artist (2017). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521126/

IMDb. (n.d.). Promising Young Woman (2020). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620292/

IMDb. (n.d.). Happiest Season (2020). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8522006/

IMDb. (n.d.). Horse Girl (2020). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11388406/

[heartstoppermybeloved]

Doctor REACTS to Heartstopper (Season 2) #4 | Dr Elliott doctorreacts #drelliott #heartstopper #lgbt Check out my reaction to Bojack Horseman: https://youtu.be/k6DqqKDm6Lk It's a Sin ... via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RUY-UQv0ic

[theinquisitivej]

Bojack Horseman (Season 4) - A Review

Back in the ‘90s, in a world populated by both humans and anthropomorphic animals, BoJack Horseman was in a very famous TV show. It was a silly, vacuous, ‘Full House’ type of show named ‘Horsin’ Around’, and it was about a horse adopting three human orphans and getting into various wacky shenanigans for half an hour each week, complete with terrible catch-phrases. After nine seasons, the show was cancelled, and since then, BoJack has lived in soul-crushing limbo.

          BoJack is famous and wealthy enough to have anything he could want, and somehow, he even manages to get away with being shitty to strangers and friends without losing their misplaced support. Adoring fans and the general public are happy to be around him, but they don’t want to get close enough to know him, and his friends consistently find just enough reason to never quite sever their connection to BoJack. They allow themselves to be pulled into his orbit and find it difficult to leave, often because they’re dealing with their own personal issues.

          While you can’t help but cathartically enjoy spending time with BoJack for his cynical jokes and his egotistic indulgences, you slowly realise that he is a sad, lost person. He hasn’t done anything important or fulfilling for the best part of two decades, and there was little substance to the thing that made him famous in the first place. He has made mistakes and hurt people, but what’s worse is that, despite his efforts to be better, he keeps finding new ways to damage himself and those around him. Born from a home that showed him no love but saddled him with huge expectations, BoJack went into the world, got famous, and it still isn’t enough. He’s desperate for some answer that will fix his sadness, but the more he tries and fails, the more he fears that he is broken beyond repair; that he’s always been broken, and the only thing he can ever do in life is repeat the same cycle of ruining everything of value he touches, and getting nothing in return to sooth his endless dissatisfaction. BoJack is a reverse Midas, doomed to never hold onto golden things.

Did I mention this is an animated comedy?

          Well, a year ago I watched all three seasons of ‘BoJack Horseman’, this show from Netflix that really deserves your attention. It’s witty and very amusing at times, but it stuck with me less for its comedy, and more for its powerful drama (though its sense of humour strikes a chord with my own more and more as the seasons progress). Its moments of humanity and sincerity resonated with me because it looked at characters who felt real, whose issues, personalities, and traumas felt developed enough for the inhabitants of this ludicrous world of animal people to feel tangible. There were no predictable arcs, no clean progression for the characters to undertake and come out as fully-adjusted people with all their problems neatly resolved as a result. With some shows, you’re watching to see how things end, and discover how the fictional characters have lived once their story is finished. ‘BoJack Horseman’ is not about endings, but the state of ongoing. Its characters aren’t heading to some obvious end-point, they’re just endeavouring to sustain themselves and find meaning in a world that often robs us of control. It’s not a neat story where the main characters find an answer to their worries and then get to live their lives free from trouble. It’s a series of attempts to figure out life made by people hoping to find some philosophical solution to the daily problems they face, and then those convictions are tested on a day-to-day basis until something bad happens to make them break under pressure. Because in life, nothing really concludes. There’s always tomorrow, and there’s no way to know for sure if you’ll be okay with whatever it has in store.

          And yet as scary, as impossibly daunting as that is, we never stop hoping. BoJack often talks as if he’s given up on ever improving, surrendering himself to the notion that he is a lost cause. But every now and then, he manages to find a glimmer of hope to cling onto, whether it’s through the little moments of goodness he sometimes finds within himself, or by interpreting external signs in the world around him as proof that he should keep trying to move forward. Life is impossibly hard, but we somehow find the strength within ourselves to keep facing it. That’s what ‘BoJack Horseman’ is about, and that’s why it’s one of my favourite shows.

          That is my review for this show overall. I think, or at least hope, it works as a spoiler-free introduction for the uninitiated, as well as a reflection on the show’s successes for people who are already familiar with it.

          But I do want to review the specific themes of Season 4, which recently released in its entirety and is what prompted me to write this. I’ll still keep this spoiler-free, but this is just a way of processing the ideas this season prompted in me, and my way of articulating why this might just be ‘BoJack Horseman’s best season yet.

Season 4

A lot happened this season, so I’m going to try and get a handle on it by looking at what each of the five main characters went through during Season 4.

          Todd, the undeterrable force of optimistic positivity who crashed on BoJack’s couch one night and never left, continues to be an uplifting presence in the show that saves it from becoming too bleak. His development doesn’t occur in an arc that you notice gradually unfolding each episode, so you may think he comes off a bit short at first. However, episode 3, joyously titled ‘Hooray! Todd Episode!’, works so well as a self-contained thorough examination of his role, both in the show and in the lives of those around him, that you don’t feel lacking in rich Todd content. Considering how heart-wrenching the rest of the show can be, it’s immensely rewarding to see Todd tend to himself and his own identity, quite possibly gaining the most healthy and content mindset in the entire series.

          I’m glad I recently rewatched the entire series before Season 4 came out, because I had completely forgotten where the last episode of Season 3 had left Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter. If the previous season wasn’t fresh in my mind, I would’ve been blindsided by the swiftness with which we move into Mr. Peanutbutter running for governor. In the past, Diane has gone from potentially being the most mature and level-headed character in the show, to being almost as unsure about her life and as disillusioned with her career as BoJack. Meanwhile, her husband Mr. Peanutbutter, a yellow Labrador Retriever whose naivety and relentless happiness would be grating if his chipper charisma wasn’t so infectious, has stayed more or less the same. He occasionally shows his emotional insight and how he is less oblivious than you might think, but he’s still the same chipper dog we knew back in Season 1. Their relationship is fascinating to watch, as you initially think they’re completely wrong for each other, until you start to notice the good things they do for one another, and you start to root for them. But as Diane starts doubting herself more and her patience with Mr. Peanutbutter stretches thinner and thinner, you start to worry. Seeing what has been building up for three seasons come to a head in Season 4 is explosive, but not so dramatic all at once to make it apparent which way their relationship is heading. This fictional marriage is believable, organic, and a brilliant illustration of how people are often drawn to relationships that make them feel like they can be a better person, even if they fear that this is not who they really are.

          Princess Carolyn is one of my favourite characters throughout the show (though if you ask me on another day I could say the same for any of the five main cast members). When we first met her, this pink cat was introduced as a side character in BoJack’s life; she was his ex-girlfriend and the agent that bailed him out of the troubles he got himself into. However, since ‘Say Anything’, the seventh episode of Season 1, ‘BoJack Horseman’ has fleshed out Princess Carolyn’s character. She’s torn between her romantic side and the pride she takes in her work, as it allows her to help people, and she believes she’s good at it. Her life is a tug and pull between two things she dearly wants, but she can never quite keep hold of either of them. The impact of one episode focusing on her in Season 4 was admittedly lessened for me because (without getting into spoilers) I wasn’t buying it and the episode reminded me of one ‘How I Met Your Mother’ episode which it ended up following a similar path to, so I saw the ending coming. However, the progression of her character was still terrific to watch. Princess Carolyn is the master of keeping up a juggling act even when things aren’t looking too good, but in Season 4, we finally saw her stumble as she lost some faith in herself.

          Finally, BoJack’s storyline, as always, left me feeling raw in the most bittersweet and satisfying way. The sixth episode, ‘Stupid Piece of Sh*t’, gives us a telling glance at the inner workings of BoJack’s mind. It provides a poignant look at how crippling anxieties and self-doubt manifest themselves on a day-to-day basis and why they can feel so inescapable at times, while also somehow managing to be hilarious through narration that can hit close to home as we find it mirroring our own thoughts. Hollyhock is a welcome new presence in the show. She represents a more innocent, younger version of BoJack that has come into his life at a key moment when he has the potential to change and become a better person. The moments when she challenges his cynicism create an entertaining and often hilarious dynamic, and BoJack’s trepidation around her is understandable and heartbreaking.

          My favourite element of Season 4, however, was the storyline with Beatrice, and the devastating way this culminates. The only major criticism I had rewatching the first three seasons was how the cruel behaviour of BoJack’s parents, and how they are responsible for many of BoJack’s deep-rooted issues, seemed to be exaggerated to almost cartoonish effect. These scenes would be darkly humorous, but given how seriously the show took its deconstruction of BoJack and the rest of his life, it seemed mismatched whenever it would have a joke where Butterscotch or Beatrice would be excessively cruel to a young BoJack. In the absence of any explanation as to why they were so harsh towards BoJack, the only way we could take their mean nature was as a dark joke about the cruel unfairness of life. Season 4 retroactively fixes this issue for me, because it provides context by characterising Beatrice. We, as omniscient observers, are informed of the past, and are allowed to see how BoJack has inherited the wounds of the past and is haunted by family ghosts. But despite our omniscience, we are powerless to help BoJack, who may not fully comprehend what he has inherited, and can only ask why he suffers as he feels its effects. ‘BoJack Horseman’ has gained a reputation for having each season’s penultimate episode be a gut-wrenching climax to the dramatic thread of each season, and Season 4’s is no different. I will say nothing more about it, because it’s the kind of television that is so excellently crafted and so not worth spoiling that it feels clumsy to even attempt to describe it through words.

          Season 4, like each of ‘Bojack Horseman’s seasons before it, has more going on than I can adequately address in one review. It continues to deepen its lead characters to the point where they have gone far beyond being fictional and start feeling like real people living tangible lives that we are checking in on. The humour and the drama has never been balanced better, and I would argue that each half is at the top of their game. As I reached the final shot of the season and heard the closing music, feeling full of more hope and happiness for BoJack than I had ever felt before, as fleeting as it may be, I knew that this really was one of my favourite shows.

10/10.

Sad, silly, beautiful, and sobering, ‘BoJack Horseman’ is brilliant television with exceptional character writing. It is worth your time.

[tevedeconaceitunas]

BoJack Horseman

Quizá se ha puesto de moda hablar de la depresión en la que la sociedad vive, quizá porque esa olla no iba a aguantar mucho más, quizá es solo mi percepción, pero es un tema que se está abordando en cápsulas informativas, series y películas. Y es que si bien no es tal cual el tema principal de la serie, juegan un papel importante las adicciones, problemas de autoestima, violencia intrafamiliar, entre otros, abordados de manera madura ya que para empezar no se resuelven después de tres capítulos y llegan a tener graves consecuencias y configuran a los personajes. Quizá un par de capítulos puedan tener una lectura aleccionadora pero en su mayoría resultan condiciones con las que el personaje tiene que aprender a lidiar.

Contextualizando, BoJack es una estrella noventera de la televisión que ha vendido manteniéndose de las regalías de esa primer y único éxito, que no es decir poco ya que vive en una mansión en Hollywood hills, además de las ganancias de un negocio familiar. Es un individuo crítico y quejumbroso que berrea de su propia miseria y banalidad, reproduciendo aquello que critica en cada oportunidad. Punto a su favor, cada tanto intenta salir del hoyo en que está metido. La primera temporada empieza con BoJack incumpliendo un contrato en el que iba a escribir su autobiografía con la cual planea ser amado por todos, de modo que el editor le designa a una escritora fantasma (como esos que le escriben las tesis a los funcionarios públicos); ella indagará en el vida del actor para hacer una biografía fiel, situación que hará que BoJack se enfrente a sus demonios y que narrativamente da excusa para adentrarnos en su pasado.

Quizá de manera muy cómoda para los escritores, BoJack se queja abiertamente de todas esas cosas de las que la sociedad americana quiere quejarse, cómodo porque son temas ya polémicos, pero problemáticas para el personaje principal, ya que ironiza de temas sacros para esa sociedad, como el papel de la milicia y la intervención americana a diferentes países en el globo, la admiración a “los que dicen lo que piensan”, y otros tópicos, así como chistes locales de farándula, de modo en muchos momentos su boca acaba por meterlo en embrollos, cuando no, sus desiciones.

Siendo BoJack el personaje principal, lo acompañan su agente, Princess Carolyn, una gata color rosa, oportunista y mentirosa pero quien quizá por costumbre confía en BoJack; Todd Chávez, un joven de origen latino con un pasado turbio quien vive en la sala de BoJack, quizá demasiado inocente; Mr. Peanut Butter, un perro que tuvo una serie idéntica a la de BoJack, rivaliza por esta y otras razones con BoJack pero como buen perro intenta agradarle a todos; y Diane Nyugen, la escritora fantasma y esposa de Mr. PB, cómplice de BoJack por cierto sentido crítico hacia la sociedad.

La serie es dinámica y rápidamente se entiende el programa, punto a su favor ya que no tuviste que echarte todas las temporadas y aún así no acabar de entender quién es quién. De humor negro y ácido, seguramente no será agradable siempre y varias veces ofrecen una cachetada de realidad. No será una joya de la animación pero brillan otros recursos como un episodio en el que el personaje no habla o una interpretación de lo que sucede en la cabeza de una persona con demencia senil. Pensaba en escribir esta entrada con el Gordocornio, pero a él no le gustó, de modo que tenemos opiniones encontradas ya que yo la disfruté mucho. Por tal motivo les recomiendo mucho verla con sus propios ojos y apreciar los bueno y malo, lo propositivo y lo cliché, las intenciones y lo logrado. Cada temporada consta de 12 episodios de alrededor de 25 minutos. Actualmente existen cuatro temporadas y está anunciada una quinta a mediados de septiembre.

Por el zorro estelar

[stephenthewriter-blog]

In the Horse-Steps of Our Parents - My "Bojack Horseman - Season 4" Review (Warning Spoilers)

So last weekend I watched the new series of Bojack all day and I was going to give my thoughts on it straight after I’d finished it, but things got in the way (along with me getting too tired)  so now that I have got some time I’m gonna give some thoughts on the fourth season.

This season follows off from the previous one with Bojack having nearly killed himself over the guilt he feels for Sarah Lynn’s death, and after spending months at his mother’s family home (he’s actually absent for the entire first episode) he returns to find that he has an illegitimate daughter, Hollyhock (INHALE) Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzarelli-McQuack and attempts to help her find her birth mum. Meanwhile, Mr Peanutbutter tries to run for governor, which causes strain for the relationship he and Diane have, while she’s trying to make a difference in her new job, Princess Caroyln tries to start a family with her new boyfriend Ralph, and Todd while starting a crazy new business venture comes to terms with his sexuality.

First thing I just have to say is that I loved Hollyhock and the fact she has eight dads in a committed polyamorous relationship (was that a reference to that meme you see about?). She is a seriously great addition to show, especially that moment in episode 3 when she’s talking about the how once you got chloroform you just can’t use it, and while giggle I thought “I can understand that”. There is also more I liked about her, but it involves her involvement to the plot and Bojack and I’ll get to that in a bit.

Todd storyline of coming to terms with his sexuality was very compelling and though I did like his other storyline of starting a business that involved dentist clowns, I still like the former because it dealt with something that we rarely get to see on TV since people still don’t get that there’s more sexualities out there than just being gay or being straight. Also how they showed that just because a person is ace doesn’t mean that ace people aren’t interested in a relationship or even sex. I’m probably not explaining it the best, but I’m pretty sure there are others out there who can, and I can’t wait to see what happens next with Todd in season five since it appears he will have a romantic interest of his own, Yolanda a fellow asexual.

Meanwhile, we have Mr Peanutbutter, Diane and Princess Carolyn. Each of their storylines throughout this season was very interesting, funny and even sexy (I’m pretty sure that moment where Mr Peanutbutter and Diane are having rough sex and you get her viewpoint of Mr Peanutbutter was the moment several people had the moment of “huh, guess I’m into furries now”), but with moments that really hit you in the heart. Two moments come to mind.

The first being when PC is talking to Bojack about imagining her future descendent telling her the story of her life to her classmates. At this point you realise that the story mechanic of someone you think is telling her story was actually all an invention in her head to cope with her life, seriously, that was so heart aching. Then you have Diane and Mr Peanutbutter’s final scene of the series when he has made her “Belle Room” library that she told him earlier in their new house and they get into an argument over it since she didn’t actually want it. They then have a moment where their actually talking and Diane compares marriage (theirs) to a magic eye poster, how if you squint hard enough it seems wonderful, but then she starts crying because she tied of squinting. This moment is important since that despite everything the two have done together, how they’re both really good people, they’re really just  too different to make it work.

Another thing I should make note of is how both Princess Carolyn and Diane both take on heavy drinking (especially the former) to deal with their issues, and in both cases their supported by Bojack (someone who uses heavy drinking to cope with his life), who save’s PC career by talking on a acting job and by giving advice to Diane.

This leads us to my favourite part of season four and what I feel this season has been really, Bojack and surprisingly, his mother Beatrice.

In episode five Bojack reluctantly takes Hollyhock to see his mother and discovers that she has dementia, which is so bad that she doesn’t even recognise him and thinks he’s someone called Henrietta. Then when he tries to get her to remember him by staging a live episode of his old show “Horsin Around” it backfires and she ends up living with him for most of the season.  The season really delves into her back story, a lot had already been implied (though myself and others didn’t realise), and it really brings light into her character, that shows she’s not just an old bitch. She’s like that mostly because of a number of events from childhood (which you honestly have to watch to really get how it would change a person) and if it hadn’t been because of her father’s attitude of the time period (who himself was a product of his time but wouldn’t change) which was a huge influence she may have been a better person.

Sadly though, she wasn’t that, or a good better parent. Her action as a parent as we all know affected Bojack greatly (giving him a self-loathing inner monologue we see at one point, which is really relatable for a lot of people and a great use of a different animation choice) and it’s a constant worry for him when he’s getting to know Hollyhock since he worries he’ll be like his parents and that she’ll end up like him. We even see shades of that self-loathing that he worries she'll get from him.

Another important part of their storyline is Bojack wanting to tell his mother face to face how he feels. He even drops the “F” bomb at one point, which you can actually miss (like I did) since it’s being said so causally, and though some would argue it’s a bad choice to use it so early in the season, but a lot can argue it isn’t, since as I pointed out I feel this season is more about their relationship, and it’s Bojack saying it to someone else for a change, which shows huge character development for him. Then after she has near overdose, he believes it’s his fault for not looking after her and then when he learns it was his mother putting diet pills in her coffee (to make her lose weight) he is so angry since Hollyhock was the one bright spot he really had in his life and she ruined that for him, especially since it was because of Hollyhock that he was becoming a better person (the advice he gave to Diane earlier than season was something Hollyhock had said to him, word for word).

This results in him putting her in a crappy care home for him to never see her again, and though they do have a tender moment when for the first time all season she recognises him and in a moment of actually caring for her, he tells her she’s actually at the her old family cabin eating vanilla ice cream (something she was never allowed to eat as a child and never did) the damage has already been done and Beatrice will never see him again (seriously, the voice actress for her, Wendie Malick, deserves an award for her work this season).

I of course can’t forget the final moment of the series, when Hollyhock call him to thank him after learning that Bojack actually went out of his way to find her mother (and discovered that her real father was actually his father, making them in reality half-siblings). Then when you think Hollyhock is just gonna say bye since he’s not his dad anymore (and already has eight) she says “Well... I’ve never had a brother” and it ends with a small but very real smile on his face, which feels so good to see, since after three seasons of him never been completely happy or satisfied in his life, and going though so much, it’s just good to see him happy, even if it’s just for this moment.

Now a lot I think would say that season didn’t hit us quiet as hard as season three, and I don’t think it could really (or even other shows could either) have after the end of last season but it was still so good, with loads of others things I haven’t even mentioned in this review. Though I without a doubt can’t wait to see season five and I hope to see how it plays out for Bojack... and Hollyhock too.

[filmfanaticshow]

Is it Worth The Watch? Here's our review of BoJack Horseman Season 4!

[newscultofficial]

‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 4 Review: This Netflix Comedy Perfectly Balances Humor and Heartbreak in an All-Too-Real Fourth Season

Network: Netflix

Showrunner: Raphael Bob-Waksberg

Main Cast: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul.

Notable Guest Stars: Wendie Malick, Aparna Nancherla, Matthew Broderick, Jessica Biel, Felicity Huffman, Zach Braff. (To be fair, this season had a ton of guest stars. These were just the ones that were the most memorable.)

Episode Length: 26 Minutes

Despite…

[thefandomentals]

BoJack Horseman Is A Perfect Exercise at Writing Dramedy

Mr. Horseman is finally back and I couldn’t be happier. Netflix finally released the much anticipated fourth season of its whimsical-worlded cartoon that features anthropomorphic animals living alongside humans in Los Angeles. BoJack Horseman’s third year left us wondering whether our protagonist would just give up everything in order to become a field-running careless horse and we got our answers this weekend, so let’s dive right on what was an excellent fourth installment.

Keep Reading

[shotofzafiro]

Indie Wire gives the new season an A grade!

Excerpt: “No one’s ever really OK on “BoJack Horseman.” The people who say they are are lying, and the people who know they’re not are constantly grappling with that knowledge. But Season 4 features less lying, more people trying to push through to a better state of being, and discovering that maybe sometimes, when you least expect it, there’s real hope of finding that happier place — maybe even finding it in other people.”

[homestuck-and-the-monomyth]

Rick and Morty Season 5 Review

Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve longposted about cartoons made for and by manchildren. Let’s do some of that.

Episode 1

This one was a reminder of how great Rick and Morty at its best can be. Great A-, B-, and C-plots that dovetail together beautifully at the end. Mr. Nimbus is an absolute treat and steals the episode. Morty’s Narnia subplot is engaging as well, and it’s fun both narratively and visually to watch a world develop purely around the idea of hating him. This one easily hops into my top 10 episodes of the entire series, if not top 5.

Rating: 9.5/10

Episode 2

This one, on the other hand, is a reminder of how bad the show can be when it gets too up its own ass. Ultimately this entire episode is pointless: it has nothing to say about any of the main characters; for that matter, it has no protagonists at all, and tries to compensate with continuous attempts to fake the audience into thinking the family we’re currently watching is the one we actually give a shit about; and as we learn at the end, there are no stakes at all since the main characters aren’t even present on earth for the war among their clones. This episode has nothing at all to say. It gets one pity point because the “Mr. Always-Wants-to-be-Hunted” joke at the end made me laugh.

Rating: 1/10

Episode 3

I’ve seen a lot of praise for this one, and frankly? I just don’t get it. Rick and Summer’s apocalypse-party B-plot is fun, but the A-plot is literally just the Fart episode from season 2 only if Morty was in love with Fart. We’ve seen Morty in young, dumb, crazy love before (think The Vat of Acid Episode among others), which is why it’s so hard for me to take the drama manufactured between him and Beth around his newest ill-fated relationship with Planetina seriously.

For that matter, Planetina’s turn to outright ecoterrorism also loses me. The heel turn happens with about 5 seconds of buildup, so it just feels like it got pulled out of someone’s ass. Unironically, I think the Funny or Die Captain Planet sketches say everything this episode is trying to say about environmentalism better.

Speaking of saying things better, the episode ends on a Bojack Horseman-esque “Fuck You” as Morty and Planetina’s relationship breaks permanently…which would hit a lot harder if Bojack hadn’t done the same thing, 5 times over, with each time being a thousand times more impactful than what R&M manages here.

Rating: 3/10

Episode 4

This one, on the other hand, is absolutely hated by the R&M fandom. I can see why. It’s got a juvenile, stupid, potty-humor premise. It ends on a joke that’s straight-up uncomfortable, feels like it’s pandering to the fetish of somebody on the writing staff, and probably ought to have been cut. Rick and Morty has consistently been better than this.

And yet? This one still made me laugh. A lot. In a way that a lot of Seasons 4 and 5 just haven’t. Maybe what that says about me is that I’m 12 at heart, but the strange combination of toilet humor, ridiculous contrivance, and a few genuinely good moments of dark political humor in this one worked for me. As far as episodes go, I’d actually say this was one of the better ones this season simply on the grounds that even if it had nothing to say, it made me laugh while it was saying nothing.

Rating: 6/10

Episode 5

This one was solidly average. Rick and Morty continues to attempt (in vain) to get its fanbase to un-idolize Rick by equating his attitude of superiority with Jerry’s general cringiness in the eyes of demons who take twisted pleasure in both. Beth and Rick’s hell costumes are pretty fun, and there are some decent jokes to be had. I think the strongest part of this episode is the B-plot with Summer, Morty, and Bruce taking an intergalactic joyride with Rick’s sentient car. Not a particularly amazing episode, but inoffensive.

Rating: 5/10

Episode 6

This one was absolutely forgettable. It relies on the same level of contrivance as the sperm gimmick of episode 4, but apart from exactly one dark political joke involving the human-turkey President bribing Congress, this one doesn’t hit my funny bone in any way near how episode 4 does. It gets a pity point for premise.

Rating: 1/10

Episode 7

This may be my single least favorite episode in the whole damn series. It may just be that I’m not familiar with the source material that this episode is trying to parody in Evangelion, but literally no plot point or joke in this episode hit. This episode felt like an insult to the time I spent watching it.

Rating: 0/10

Episode 8

This was a good-but-not-great episode. When I hear the writers bitching about not wanting the show to become too serialized and I see this episode, I can kinda see why. This episode runs on the promise of Rick backstory and not much more. That said, that backstory is still good stuff, and this episode gets bonus points for pissing off fans who don’t want Rick to be bi.

Rating: 7.5/10

Episode 9

Decent episode. The premise of Rick’s “Wheel of things better than Morty” is generally funny. We get some cool visuals with the crow tech, and some fun and creative combat involving Morty, his new friend/rebound, and the portal connecting the one’s hand to the other’s thigh. This episode makes a head fake towards actual character growth for Rick, but…

Rating: 6/10

Episode 10

The last 12 minutes of this episode are 10/10, some of the very best in the entire series. Unfortunately, they’re tacked onto what feels like 8 extra minutes of the aggressively 6/10 previous episode.

The start of the episode is visually fun with Crow Samurai Rick, but apart from that it’s mediocre. We contrive our way to the Citadel for the second half of the episode, where Rick and Morty meet the series’ most compelling antagonist in Evil Morty. And at long last, we get to find out what he’s been planning.

Exposition upon exposition follows as we learn our Rick’s tragic backstory and Evil Morty’s grievance against every Rick in existence. Evil Morty steals the show with the single best villainous performance in the entire series, made even more impressive by the fact that all of his charismatic speech is delivered in Morty��s voice, which we’ve come to associate with anything but charisma over 5 long seasons.

And then, as the episode winds down in a horrific carousel of gore, we finally see Evil Morty achieve his ambition. He cements himself as a great villain by doing what so few villains do: he wins. And as we see his final, peaceful smile; as we see the Citadel, the symbol of all that wronged him, disappear; as we see him quite literally open his own door to a new world in which he is finally free? I can’t help but be happy for him.

Rating: 8.5/10

[onecornerface]

My YouTube - future video essays (plese subscrbbie)

My YouTube account is Megaritz. Currently I’m still messing around, uploading whatever. But better things are coming-- eventually.

The Plan: After I get 100 subscribers, I will obtain a slightly better microphone, and start making video essays soon thereafter. Pls subscrieb to me !!!

---

Possible video essay ideas (incomplete list):

1. A philosophical analysis of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. I will discuss how the show develops themes relevant to metaphysics. Diavolo and the heroes embody different ways of viewing issues such as personal identity, a person's relationship to their own past and future, and the reality vs. unreality of the past and future.

2. An analysis of President JSchlatt’s narrative function in the first season of Dream SMP.

3. An in-depth argument that the ending of "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" makes no sense. MGS4 makes it impossible to understand what Ocelot was doing in MGS1 and MGS2. Moreover, it is incomprehensible why "Liquid Ocelot" was a thing at all. I will attempt to describe and refute all theories that purport to make sense of Ocelot's overall plan.

4. A response to Philosophy Tube's video "Suicide and Mental Health." I will argue that Abigail Thorn has several mistaken assumptions about the relationship between suicide, mental illness, irrationality, and social dysfunction.

5. A video about Elimination Society, the reality tv show hosted by the guy who played "Russell Brand" on the Eric Andre show. This show has apparently been seen by only a few hundred people on YouTube and nowhere else, making it perhaps the least-watched reality tv show of all time.

6. A nostalgia video about Dangerous Dave. This was one of John Romero's first games (even earlier than Commander Keen), rarely discussed.

7. A nostalgia video about Lemmings 3D. There are some nostalgia videos already in existence on the original Lemmings-- but practically none on Lemmings 3D.

8. A video about Richard Janczarski, the only person who ever believed in the Time Cube theory besides its creator.

9. An investigation: *Was* "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" really booed at Cannes? Some say yes, and some say no. It sounds like it probably wasn't. But then, how did the story begin? I'm not sure if anyone has done enough digging to uncover the truth for sure.

10. A video-essay arguing that anti-drug laws may have played a role in causing some of the most tragic events in BoJack Horseman.

11. A video reviewing several recent books about addiction, and how these books make dubious assumptions about the relationship between addiction and drug policy. I argue that the question of whether addiction is a "disease" or a "choice" is a deeply confused question, and must be dissolved and replaced by several superior questions.

[sammysreelreviews]

10 Netflix Originals You Might Have Missed

I said I’d have this list out months ago but I put it on the back burner so here it is! It’s a mix of films and television shows so there’s something for everyone. Also an anon requested my last post so I’m gonna let you guys message me a list idea you want me to do for things streaming on Netflix and or Hulu. I’ll pick one and I’ll release it next Friday so send them in by Monday by messaging me on instagram! My handle is @sammysreelreviews! Hope you guys enjoy this list!

1. Divines (2016)

Two teens from the wrong side of the tracks in Paris try to make money and changes their lives forever. I’ve already written a review about this movie but it’s not only the best Netflix original movie but it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. It’s beautiful, moving, and absolutely heartbreaking. It was even nominated for best foreign film at the Golden Globes!

2. Disenchantment (2 Seasons)

Bean is a princess who hates that she’s being set up in an arranged marriage. When Luci a demon and Elfo an elf show up Bean gets the adventure of a lifetime. I love animated shows and I love Broad City so when I heard that Bean was voiced by Abbi Jacobson I had to watch! This show not only has tons of lore but it’s hysterical I just pray it gets a season 3.

3. In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)

Locke (Boyd Holbrook) is a Philadelphia cop who tries to solve a string of murders that don’t make sense. I don’t wanna give anything away but if you love your mysteries with a touch of sci-fi this is the film for you.

4. Tuca and Bertie (1 Season)

Two 30 year old bffs grow up together while living in the same apartment. This show unfortunately got cancelled even though it got phenomenal reviews! Tuca and Bertie was made from the same team that created Bojack Horseman so I’m kind of shocked a cancellation was even possible.

5. I Am Mother (2019)

I Am Mother is probably one of the best films Netflix has ever made. A teenage girl is raised by a robot after humanity goes extinct. Everything is peachy keen until a random stranger shows up and disrupts the peace. This film is INCREDIBLE. If you’re a sci-fi person this is the film for you. I HIGHLY recommend if you watch anything on this list it’s this one. Also, Hilary Swank is in this so you honestly can’t lose.

6. Trinkets (1 Season)

Three teen girls in shoplifters anonymous form a bond and help each other out in this endearing tv series. If you fall in love with this show don’t worry they’re having a second and final season. This was randomly advertised to me on Instagram and I’m so glad I saw it.

7. Workin’ Moms (3 Seasons)

This is one of the most underrated Netflix originals and it’s annoying! Ok well technically it’s a show that airs in Canada but Netflix has the distribution rights. Workin’ Moms displays the different lives of moms in a mommy and me group. Not only is it hysterical but it gets real as hell and shows moms in different romantic, socioeconomic and, age backgrounds. All seasons are on Netflix and I hope there’s a 4th!

8. Alex Strangelove (2018)

This film has been on my list since it came out last June and I’m so glad I finally watched it! Alex (Daniel Doheny) is a high school boy with every achievement but losing his virginity. He’s ready to do it until a he meets Elliot (Antonio Marziale). This is such a great film about sexuality and friendship and it’s funny as hell too!

9. She’s Gotta Have It (2 Seasons)

The show based off of Spike Lee’s infamous film starts off a little rough in the first season but the second season gets a lot better. Unfortunately this show was cancelled after two seasons but I definitely think it’s worth a watch.

10. Styling Hollywood (1 Season)

Jason Bolden and Adair Curtis run the JSN Studio where Jason is a celebrity personal stylist and Adair renovates homes. I love this series cause one of my passions is fashion! Jason styles people from Ava Duvernay, Taraji P Henson, Sabrina Carpenter, and Storm Reid. It’s inspiring to see a gay black couple make waves in their perspective industries. We love black love y’all!