'BoJack Horseman' Season 6 Finale Review: A road to redemption dotted with drug abuse, depression and death
Spoiler Alert for 'BoJack Horseman' Season 6 Part 2
BoJack Horseman is dead. And yet, he will live forever. Ah, the irony! On a platter of human insecurities and mistaken identities, the last half of the final season serves what we need most: redemption. Mirroring the reflection of the darker elements of life — from alcoholism to depression and a crippling need for self-destruction — the show presents a final blow that will linger in hearts for a long, long time.
Isn't it ironic that a horse, who drunkenly stumbled through his days and hardly remembered anything from the last two decades of his own career, leaves with a box of memories that won't be easy to forget? Well, that's the classic 'BoJack Horseman' move for you. The second part starts off with a changed man — a BoJack that we've always wished to see. A drama professor at Wesleyan, he is sober, wise and responsible — or at least pretends to be. But for how long?
The final season dabbles between his urge to find his real self. Who is he really deep down, the good, bad or the ugly? The answer presents itself, wide, staring like a wide canvas of sky — he is all of them. After spending five and a half years in a sea of self-loathing and booze, he manages to tear apart his desperate need to be an inconsiderate, self-obsessed, misogynistic anti-hero.
Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the final eight episodes of the Netflix series wiggle its way around a #MeToo style investigation where reporters circle a story around Sarah Lynn's death and put BoJack's head in a noose. Diane Nguyen, Princess Carolyn and Todd Chavez try to help him find a solution. “BoJack, tell us every bad thing you ever did,” they ask. “Oh, it's gonna be a long night!” BoJack is reluctant. “If you start listing down every bad thing everyone's done, everyone is a monster.” It is a long night indeed! While BoJack's bunch of friends try to find clues, the skeletons in the closet come out, thanks to the clumsy “sad dog” Mr. Peanutbutter.
BoJack still tries his best with owning his guilt: Move over, Sad Dog. Make way for Remorse Horse! But, it doesn't end well for him only that it actually ends well. Confused? That's how the last couple of episodes make you feel. But, not everything is about him. Diane teaches what it's like to be her and survive: When you're Diane, you can live your whole life like it is a puzzle.” Princess Carolyn finds her perfect partner in Judah. (Admit it, you were rooting for them, weren't you?) Oh, and Todd finally grows up... and just like that, life goes on.
Extra brownie points go to the one-liners, loaded with alliteration, puns and witty wordplay, but the charm lies in the dialogue delivery of all the brilliant voice artists. Voiced by stalwarts like Will Arnett, Aaron Paul, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie and Paul F. Tompkins, the series shows how something new and challenging will always be put on a pedestal.
Even with a bunch of half-animals and half-humanoids, its relatability factor strikes like never before. From 'Good Damage' to 'Xerox of a Xerox' and of course, 'The View from Halfway Down' and 'Nice While It Lasted', the episodes are a work of pure art and crisp storytelling. The trophy goes to the writers who show the battle of life and death in the second-last episode like it has never been seen before. Trapped in the tangled thoughts as walls break and the world twirls, BoJack calls Diane one last time hoping she would save him. Packed with metaphorical messages and profound lessons, 'BoJack Horseman' is a marvel!
The final showdown is stuffed with memorabilia — an ode to the theater, paralyzing plight of a writer with dialogues like, “Is the day over? I was just thinking my thoughts,” and the classic celebrity escape from a courthouse. Don't miss the BoJack dance or the classic Todd shenanigan. In the end, it comes to a full circle when the notorious stealer of the D gives it back to the town saying, “Let's say goodbye to the era of Hollywoo...” It's then when it hits right in your chest. You will now live in a world without BoJack and dance in the shadows of its absence.
Chalked out as 'BoJack the Depressed Talking Horse' in its initial stages, the show touched lives in a way no other craftwork could. It was inspired by comic artist and illustrator Lisa Hanawalt’s drawings. But, the one thing 'BoJack Horseman' brought to the digital platform was the gloomy reality behind the pretense of glamorous Insta-worthy lives.
With a graceful goodbye, 'BoJack Horseman' will always be a reminder of its subtle way of sneaking into our bedrooms to tell us we are not alone. For now, that's all we need.
