BoJack Horseman Season Six (Part One)

When it was announced that Season Six of BoJack Horseman would be its last, I was somewhat sad. At the same time, though, it felt like the series was heading toward the point where there needed to be some form of resolution, lest the cycle of its titular character taking one step forward and two steps back every season begin to feel tiresome. Each year, BoJack's struggles and self-defeating tendencies changed in scope and intent enough to keep the show feeling fresh, but it's not a formula that could continue forever.

And so, Season Six finally presents us with a version of BoJack that we've never seen before -- a good one. There's been bits and pieces of modest improvement in his character over the course of the show, but each time, these triumphs have proven to be fleeting, and it's only a matter of time before he self-destructs again.

This time around, it doesn't feel like the rug is going to be ripped out from under us. BoJack spends much of the season in rehab and seems committed to avoiding drugs and alcohol. The last episode he's a part of involves him breaking away from his house (a site of no shortage of awful memories from the past) and going around to make amends to the various members of the main cast. He has a good discussion with Todd, and later gets a woman to sign up for his asexual dating app ("All About That Ace"). He gives Princess Carolyn a nudge in the right direction, and indirectly convinces her to re-hire Judah to help give her more time with her baby, Ruthie. BoJack and Mr. Peanutbutter finally sort of get their "crossover episode" on the set of their shows at the Smithsonian. Finally, he visits Diane and gives her the inspiration she needs to begin treating her depression with medication, followed by performing the kind gesture of cleaning her house.

BoJack Horseman has saved the most crushing moments for its seasons' penultimate episodes, so it was interesting that they flipped the script by using this one to give happy and hopeful endings to each member of the main cast. Of course, the finale was still to come, and it was one of the most brilliant episodes that BoJack Horseman has ever done. None of the five main cast members appear in the finale. Instead, it's an episode that checks in on several minor characters whose lives BoJack has significantly affected. This could fail on a lot of shows, but Hollyhock, Kelsey Jannings, and to a lesser extent, Gina Cozador, have been so well-developed that they're more than able to carry a full episode by themselves (I love it whenever the show brings Kelsey back).

The conclusion of the finale, however, invites trouble ahead. Hollyhock's at a party and meets a guy named Peter, whom (::pats self on the back::) I immediately recognized as Penny's friend "Pete Repeat" from the series' best episode, "Escape from L.A."  The show cuts to the credits just as Peter is about to reveal to Hollyhock what BoJack did with Penny all those years ago, which would have major ripple effects. Couple that development with an investigator getting closer to the truth about Sarah Lynn's death, and BoJack's two greatest crimes are about to re-surface at a time when he's reached the peak of his progress. That's a lot of ammo for the back half of the season.

Per usual, the least effective episode of the season was the 'political issue' episode, a consistent pattern that held true each of the last three seasons (Season Two's "Hank After Dark", by contrast, was fantastic). I feel like I say this every season, but while the show has valid points to make, it doesn't deliver them in a unique way. Their attack on capitalism in "Feel-Good Episode" lacked the usual BoJack Horseman creative touch (except for their ability to portray a white whale as an actual white whale, named Jeremiah Whitewhale). Also less effective was Mr. Peanutbutter's running storyline in which he had to deal with Pickles learning the truth of his affair with Diane. I've found it much harder to care about that relationship than the others on the show.

On the other side of the coin, Todd and Diane received excellent season-long arcs, and we finally got some backstory on Todd's family that we've been lacking to this point. I thought the relationship between Guy and Diane was a good direction for the series to take, and the friendship between Todd and Princess Carolyn continued to pay dividends. Princess Carolyn's journey as a new parent was also an interesting one, and while I can say from experience that being a new parent is challenging, I've never had to deal with my baby being an actual porcupine with quills that can puncture my skin.

BoJack Horseman continues to succeed as one of television's greatest shows, and it's set up for a fantastic conclusion. January 31 can't get here fast enough. CAN'T. WAIT.

Episode Grades

1. "A Horse Walks into a Rehab": A-
2. "The New Client": A-
3. "Feel-Good Story": B
4. "Surprise": B
5. "A Little Uneven, Is All": B+
6. "The Kidney Stays in the Picture": A-
7. "The Face of Depression": A
8. "A Quick One, While He's Away": A

Half-Season Grade: A