BoJack Horseman Season Four, Episode Seven: Underground

Well, we got a Mr. Peanutbutter political storyline that didn't completely suck. This episode of BoJack Horseman was heavy on the silly and light on the critical character moments, but it did give us the long-awaited Bojack/Diane reunion. Despite all the damage there, there's a mutual understanding between these two characters that intertwine them in a way that's deeper than anything Mr. Peanutbutter could possibly be for Diane. Sure, Diane stresses that Mr. Peanutbutter is the best thing that ever happened to her, and maybe she's right, but that doesn't mean that he's always going to be the person that gets her best. It's clear that Diane -- deeply depressed, broken Diane -- only truly gets to be herself around BoJack. Whether the consequences of that relationship make it worth it or not, there's an importance there that can't be overlooked.

The primary plot of this episode, however, involves the main cast along with a glut of Mr. Peanutbutter's boosters getting trapped underground in his house when the fracking done under the foundation causes it to sink into the earth. The survival story has all of the classic elements: collective loss of sanity, discussions about cannibalism, desperate power struggles, and alternating feelings of hope and despair. BoJack Horseman manages to make it entertainingly ridiculous with the arrival of Governor Woodchuck, who has the leadership and organization skills necessary to get the group through the situation. Mr. Peanutbutter, however, quickly turns the crowd on him, which leads to a quick devouring of all of the food and assorted craziness thereafter.

Zach Braff as himself was great in this episode, as the writers both had him desperately search for someone to validate his parking for his Prius (which makes him a good person, dammit!) and played off of his episode-ending monologues from Scrubs. I've also thoroughly enjoyed Andre Braugher's turn as Governor Woodchuck, who offers intermittent dry commentary to the situation once he's taped to a ceiling fan for the heinous crime of trying to lead everyone to survival. And who could forget Jessica Biel's lunacy, in which she gets the entire band of survivors to worship fire?

The "C" storyline, involving Princess Carolyn and Todd and a weird adventure with anthropomorphic ants in the underground was a little too strange for my tastes. Princess Carolyn has been the show's second-strongest character after BoJack since the beginning of the series, but she has been sorely lacking in interesting plots this season. It was Season One's "Say Anything" that began to get us to take her seriously and that episode was the moment that BoJack Horseman transitioned from a goofy romp about an alcoholic horse to a show with deep, fully-formed characters that felt like they really matter. This show needs Princess Carolyn, and not the version who's only on screen to comically negotiate with ants or drop Courtney Portnoy tongue-twisters.

Bullet Points:

• Best one-liner of the episode, at Biel's expense: "Okay, settle down, you future hard Jeopardy question."

• The joke about Whole Foods and gentrification was already made by South Park. I don't know that South Park has elevated to "Simpsons Did It" status, so that sorta feels like robbery at worst, and tired at best.

• Hey, in defense of Season Two of Friday Night Lights, it didn't get to finish properly thanks to the writers' strike. This is sort of a popular punching bag and I don't think it's fair.

• I've been underwhelmed by this season so far and have only truly been blown away by The Old Sugarman Place. I've heard the closing cluster of episodes is great, and I'm very much looking forward to them, but the disappointment is palpable.

Episode Grade: B