The "A" plot of the episode centers around the deteriorating Beatrice asking "where the baby is", so Hollyhock gets her a doll to treat as her baby and Beatrice can't tell the difference. When Beatrice shows love and support for the doll, BoJack loses his shit. He's seeing the treatment that he never got as a kid and it's paining him because he blames so much of his life on his awful parents. He hurls the doll over his deck and Beatrice breaks down in tears. This is going to sound weird because all BoJack did was toss an inanimate object off a cliff, but the show really makes it feel like a baby was murdered. And of course, from Beatrice's point of view, one was.
BoJack is able to get the doll back with the help of Mr. Peanutbutter and gives it back to a less-than-appreciative Beatrice, but then the real problem comes. BoJack has to talk to Hollyhock about how horribly he acted. Throughout the episode, BoJack's train of thought reveals how terrified he is of ruining his daughter and protecting her from him despite something of a growing attachment between the two. He explains to her as honestly as possible that the reason he's not present is because he's a shitty person and it's not Hollyhock's fault. She seems to get that, but at the same time, she reveals that she's got a lot of the same deep insecurities as BoJack. She, too, has a train of thought telling her that no one likes her and that she's stupid and ugly. She asks BoJack whether that's just a teenage girl that'll go away over time, and despite completely believing the contrary, BoJack says that it will. It's a sweet moment in which he decides to protect her innocence. Plus, BoJack doesn't really know whether it will go away for Hollyhock or not. He suspects not because she's his daughter, but everyone is different and there's no guarantee that this state of perpetually feeling terrible about oneself is hereditary.
Elsewhere, Princess Carolyn is forced to work with Rutabaga Rabbitowitz again. They actually make an effective team despite how badly he screwed her over in Season Two and how aggressively they competed with one another in Season Three. Their plan to have Courtney Portnoy marry Todd blows up when the latter realizes that (duh) he doesn't want to have a sham marriage. Rutabaga leaves to take care of his family, but not before telling Princess Carolyn that she'd be "hilarious" at being a mother because of how dedicated she is to her job. Judah kindly reassures her once Rutabaga leaves, which is good because it is revealed that Princess Carolyn is pregnant. Also there was some nonsense with Meryl Streep tossed in there. I'm kinda meh on this whole storyline; so far, the Princess Carolyn material has not been strong this year.
Bullet Points:
- "These are cookies. This is not breakfast. You are eating cookies. Stop it. Stop eating cookies, go make yourself breakfast. Stop it. Don't eat one more cookie. Put that down. Do not eat that cookie. I can't believe you ate that cookie."
- As expected, Beatrice and Tina (the bear-nurse) now appear in BoJack's house in the opening credits.
- "Mom is "totes" into a baby? Is it possible the baby got dipped in brandy at some point? Or cigarettes, or regressive ideas about immigrants?"
- "Also, Eddie Money doesn't do the taking home in "Take Me Home Tonight," so if you're taking me home, then I would be Eddie Money."
- "I got seven kids and a wife who's really into me co-parenting, or, as she calls it, "parenting."
Episode Grade: B+
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