'BoJack Horseman' Season 6 Part 1 says how toxic it can be to want women to be amazing in every sphere of life
'BoJack Horseman' might ultimately be a show about... well BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), obviously, but over the years, the show's supporting characters have become just as important to fans of the show. At the end of Season 5, we saw Princess Carolyn take a huge step forward by fulfilling her long-time dream of adopting an adorable baby girl. Unfortunately, as most parents eventually find out, having a child isn't nearly as magical as she thought it would be.
Overworked and overstressed, Princess Carolyn barely manages to juggle her work and the baby, which is starting to make her feel like a ghost of herself. We mean that quite literally, by the way, because the animation for the second episode 'The New Client' imaginatively shows Princess Carolyn making her way through life, barely conscious with ghosts of herself doing all the things she's supposed to do.
Just when you start to think her life couldn't get any more hectic, Princess Carolyn is roped into co-hosting a ball/gala/get-together for powerful women, which makes her even more miserable. By the end of it all, the high-powered producer is turned into a barely functioning shadow of her former self.
As trippy as that sounds, it brings up a valid point about young mothers in the workforce who are forced to work extra hard for fear that they will appear incompetent. It sounds really nice when we talk about the women who "do it all" but the show asks us why we put so much pressure on women to be amazing in every avenue of their lives.
Collapsing at BoJack's rehab center, Princess Carolyn finally manages to get some rest and immediately rushes back to attend the event that she was supposed to co-host. When she finally makes it to the venue, she finds out she was too late and the event is already over but she does get some important advice on motherhood from her worst enemy, Vanessa Gekko (Kristin Chenoweth).
Knowing what it's like to be a woman who "does it all", Vanessa suggests that Princess Carolyn approach motherhood just like she would any other project. "So, now you've got a new job," Vanessa explains. "And it is a ruthless one, and I mean ruthless. You don't have time to waste second-guessing how you feel about it. You just have it do it, the best that you can, and know that that's the best you can do."
It's not the best advice anyone has ever given someone but it is straightforward, practical, and it definitely helps Princess Carolyn. Later that night, she finally bonds with her daughter and decides to name the infant (who was only known as "Untitled Princess Carolyn Project" so far) Ruthie in honor of that conversation.
'BoJack Horseman' Season 6 Part 2 will arrive on Netflix on January 31, 2020.
