10 Times BoJack Horseman Assaulted Our Feelings
Think animation's all unicorns and rainbows? Think again.
In the year 2014 people were lining up to pour freezing water over their loved ones with ice-filled buckets, Pharrell Williams snuck a baby elephant into an awards ceremony, for whatever reason…and yet somehow, an animated series about a half horse half man hybrid was the most poetically ambiguous, but unforgivably realistic thing to arise, seemingly out of nowhere, to proverbially rip out our hearts and take a big you know what on what we thought knew about animation as a medium.
Simultaneously, it redefined the social outlook on animation as a whole for generations to come. South Park, Family Guy & even The Simpsons had all broken the mould on just how far an animated series can take such heavy themes as politics, drug/alcohol abuse and the overexertion we place on profanities. BoJack Horseman stole the clay, experimented with it and created a new model entirely.
In a series that opens with our titular character seemingly falling into the same tropes and iniquities as those in the same medium before him, the show subsequently envelops itself into something much more original, relatable and at times, unbearably heart-wrenching - perpetuating the reason for its existence, despite our main character failing to see his own.
The series never failed to apply impact when getting its point across, even if this had to be done through the most heinous, hilarious or horrific storylines...
10. BoJack breaks Wanda’s heart
(“Yes And” – Season 2, Episode 10)
“You know, it’s funny, when you look at someone through rose-coloured glasses, all the red flags, just look like flags”.
These are the last words that we ever hear from Wanda in the series and what a powerful set of syllables to go out on.
Upon awakening 30 years into the future after being in a coma for the aforementioned amount of time, the fifty-something twenty-year-old is more than a little unsure of her present surroundings, as the writers make clear for about half of the season’s run. But no more so than when she is lured into a false sense of security by her would-be lover.
For the first time since the inception of the series we see BoJack actually invest himself into another person’s life, committing to both the good and bad parts that come with the relationship. Sadly, he conforms to his old ways and the evergreen cycle of bitterness and disparity rematerialises subsequent to Wanda falling in love with him, leaving her with no choice but to remove herself from the situation with some choice words upon her departure.