What BoJack Horseman Teaches Us About Loneliness – Wisecrack Quick Take

Hi Wisecrack, Jared here. Bojack is back. That means it's time to saddle up and return to the strange, depressing world of Hollywoo. We've talked about protonarrative and distraction in previous videos, but this season really delves into an idea that's always been present on the show. That idea:

loneliness

. Who is comfortable with it, who is uncomfortable with it, and who

take

s a hundred painkillers a day to avoid it at all costs. Through his set of dysfunctional relationships, Bojack gives us a fresh and quite nuanced perspective on

loneliness

that isn't often seen on television. Can solitude be healthy or even necessary?

Let's find out in this Bojack Horseman Season 5 Wisecrack Quick Take and of course spoilers ahead, but real

quick

, shout out to our new channel sponsor, Wicks. We're building a new website using Wix that will have a ton of fun and interactive features, including a way to vote on

what

we should cover in an upcoming episode. More on that at the end of the video, but for now let's get back to Bojack. First, guys, a

quick

recap. This season revolves around the production of Bojack's new television show, Philbert, where Bojack navigates a partial relationship with his co-star Gina.

Meanwhile, Princess Carolyne tries to adopt a baby, Todd manages his career as vice president at

what

timeisitrightnow.com, and Peanutbutter and Diane finalize their divorce in an attempt to move on with their lives. Already in the first line, humility is established as the central theme of the season. "Nothing is lonelier than a party. Thank goodness I don't need anyone or I might get lonely" and, as we'll see, each major character struggles with this in their own way. Let's start with the most obvious: Diane, who is struggling to reconcile her identity as a recently divorced single woman. We've seen in previous seasons how hard she tried to keep up with Mr.

Peanutbutter's expectations of being a fun partygoer like him. Having to find herself in relationship with him for so long only made her focus on his supposed introverted flaws while she abandoned other aspects of herself that she really liked. "These are all things that cool twenty-something Diane had to keep when she moved in with old Peanutbutter. In episode two, we follow her non-sequentially across a timeline that begins with her flirting with Bojack." We could totally kiss right now." During a moment of lonely desperation. Then, after discovering that Mr. Peanutbutter has a new girlfriend, she flees to Vietnam for a solo trip.

Once there, she feels doubly lonely because her inability to speak Vietnamese and her The assumptions of her fellow Americans that she does not speak English: “You, Vietnam.” “No, I, America at ease.” to the skating rink later. Hopefully, there won't be any mafia bosses there. What am I saying, that's so random." Faced with the endless pontification, Diane realizes that frequently interacting with the outside world only leaves her feeling more alone. She eventually comes to terms with her romantic loneliness, apologizing to Bojack for her conflicting messages and admitting that: "I really need a friend right now." Throughout the season, she seems more and more up to date, from being able to comfort her romantic semi-rival Pickles to performing a solo intervention for Bojack.

You can exist more sincerely now that you're not dating someone who doesn't align with your values. Even your therapist admits that, "It feels like our time together is over. Setting a boundary is good, move forward with the tools I've given you." given". Through Diane, we see that self-reliance and embracing loneliness can be key to realizing the strongest, truest version of yourself. "Now, while Diane may be happy alone, other characters try to make relationships work to avoid facing loneliness. Just as Diane's relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter obsesses her with his fun quotient, Todd's relationships seem lonely. bringing out his two flaws.

First in his relationship with Yolanda, Todd is hurt by the excessive focus on his lack of direction in life. "Why did you tell your family I went to college?" I don't know, I guess I just wanted you to look awesome." In the end he decides to end the relationship. "Yolanda, we need to break up." Second, he's so eager to make things work with Emily that he builds a sex robot. Which, he's convinced, could make up for her disinterest in sex. While Emily isn't too keen on fucking the sex robot, the bigwigs at whattimeisitrightnow.com are impressed by her courage and the robot is eventually promoted to CEO.

Todd finally destroys the sex robot and

take

s off his executive suit. Thus eliminating the parts of himself that were trying to please Yolanda and Emily. As with Diane Todd's interactions, it shows how some romantic relationships can make you feel lonelier and more lacking. And now Princess Carolyn. In episode 5 we get deeper information about his past. Learning how she went from being Help's pregnant daughter to the mercy of her boyfriend's answering machine tape dynasty. Only to have an abortion and find herself alone. Instead of mourning the life she lost, she created a whole new one for herself by moving to Los Angeles and climbing the Hollywood ladder.

It's worth noting that her latest journey toward self-sufficiency also came after a miscarriage. The one who blew up her relationship with Milton. Once again we see Princess Carolyn land on her feet and channel the same bravery she had when she was a teenager and start over after a difficult loss. While she sits in the hospital waiting to meet her maybe-baby girl, she admits to Milton that Princess Carolyn from season four wanted him to stay with her the night she kicked him out. "I wish you had stayed with me that night." "You told me to leave." "Yeah, I guess the lesson is don't listen to me, right?" However, later she clearly tells him to leave saying that she doesn't want to raise the baby with him and this time she means it.

She has learned what she wants: self-sufficiency. Princess Carolyn's joke about her baby's name: "Untitled Princess Carolyn Project" suggests that, as with her previous career successes, Princess Carolyn will handle single motherhood well. Alright, Diane, Todd, and Princess Carolyn's journeys throughout Season 5 illustrate various versions of that double-edged sword of loneliness and self-sufficiency that brings us to Mr. Peanutbutter. Peanutbutter also fits into this narrative because, being the character who needs company the most, he is also the least inclined to self-reflection. "Oh, I'm not tough enough, huh? I'll show you how tough I can be... We'll be back with more of the pre-red carpet show Stravaganza fashion." Unlike the other characters, Mr.

Peanutbutter rarely seems to want anything more than fame, fun, and parties. He seems physically incapable of being alone. He meets the first dog lady half his age that he meets after signing the divorce papers. As a serial monogamist, he may desperately hide from loneliness or self-reflection, seeking solace in relationships the same way he seeks solace in loud parties. In the Halloween episode, Mr. Peanutbutter comes dangerously close to introspection. While he wonders how each of his wives became bitter and unhappy at the end of their relationship. "What is the common denominator?" Diane offers insight into how you still date women in their 20s. "I do that." "They are not fully formed yet, life changes people." "Well I do not." The women he marries eventually grow up, while Mr.

Peanutbutter remains the same. It seems that by constantly dating women younger than him, Peanutbutter has carved out a convenient emotional niche for himself that he can continue to occupy while replacing each consecutive life with a younger, funnier version. This safe, numbers-based approach to marriage has kept Mr. Peanutbutter happy, but it has prevented him from maturing in any meaningful way. In the end, Mr. Peanutbutter is revealed to be truly pathological in his need to be in a relationship when he, rather than tell Pickles the truth about her infidelity and risk losing her, decides to put a ring on her.

And finally our boy Bojack. While Mr. Peanutbutter may be needy, he at least is totally honest about it. Bojack, on the other hand, has a more complex and painful relationship with the outside world. From calling Hollyhock in the middle of the night to let him know she liked him on Instagram. "Well, I wanted to let you know that I loved your Instagram photo." "Well." To try to match Gina's indifferent view of their relationship. "We work together, we have sex together, we don't talk about our feelings, and yet sometimes a grudging respect can blossom into..." "No." "...blooms into nothingness, is what he was going to say" Bojack's need for human/animal companionship is palpable.

Bojack has gone the route of Mr. Peanutbutter in the past. Arriving with women to avoid loneliness. A toxic pattern that peaked with his near-seduction of his ex-girlfriend's teenage daughter. This season he's dating the extremely jaded Gina. Who doesn't seem to need anything from him emotionally. "I love being alone. I wish I was alone right now." Leaving him as alone as before. So he decides to bypass the whole issue of learning to be alone with your thoughts by altering his state of being. He introduces the painkillers. Writer Johann Hari makes a compelling case for considering drug addiction as an attachment disease.

Human beings have an innate primary need to bond and when they cannot bond with other people, they do so with negative behavior such as smoking or gambling. Basically, he maintains that substance use is a substitute for meaningful human connection, and while researchers are also studying how other social and economic factors can influence addiction, in the fictional world of Bojack, loneliness seems like a close lick. . Bojack finds solace and drugs even as he is pulled deeper into a fantasy world. By separating him more and more from the people around him, he begins to see his friends and loved ones as tools to get what he wants.

Gina is a tool to help him get attention and Hollyhock is a tool to help him steal his pills from Gina's medicine cabinet. Our sense of Bojack's loneliness is heightened by the narrative of Philbert's television show. Philbert is a tough, lonely detective with a penchant for secrets and a grayish voiceover. "Why are you still using a landline?" What am I supposed to tell him? I'm just an old fashioned guy or maybe I like things that are plugged into the wall. Something to hold on to if I start floating." From the first lines of the series, Bojack tries to imply that he relates to the character as a lonely cynical sidekick.

This becomes a running joke about the similarities between the two. The set of the show looks exactly like Bojack's house and Bojack constantly wears his Philbert costume off set. "I just finished filming a show." "Normally people return the costume." Additionally, Bojack frequently reads too deeply into his character's narrative despite reminders that "It's not about you, you know, it's Philbert. By the end, he has dissociated himself so much that he has completely lost himself in the character. Even the character Philbert loses track of where he begins and ends: inventing an imaginary partner who he blames for his wife's murder rather than taking responsibility for it. "There is no record of you ever having a partner." What are you saying?" "You killed your wife, the boss, the coroner and the others." Similarly, Bojack loses all distinction between himself and Philbert, also because he cannot face the horrible things he has done.

The result of this dissociation: Bojack practically retreats into a fantasy world where he does crazy things like strangling Gina. At one point he comes face to face with the balloon-shaped version of himself as if to illustrate the fact that his inability. to confront yourself is ultimately to blame for all your problems. In an interesting moment in the season finale, Bojack begs Diane to write one of her online reviews of him. He wants everyone to know about the worst behavior of him. He wants to be despised, punished and punished. Here Bojack craves the feeling of being responsible to the world for the exact same reason he craves its company: praise and romantic attention because he doesn't have a consistent sense of self.

He needs the world to reconcile his persona as Hollywoo's lovable leading man and his narcissistic one because he can't seem to do it alone. A self-actualized Diane is no longer interested in playing Bojack's games and diagnoses her request as what she is, selfish. Finally, Diane convinces him that the only person whose job it is to hold him accountable is himself. "I'm asking to be held accountable." "And I'm telling you, that's not going to happen. Regardless of what you put in thathistory, no one will hold you responsible. You have to take responsibility for yourself." And faster than you can say Narcotics Anonymous, she convinced him to go to rehab.

So what should we take away from Bojack season 5? "You can't trust other people, Bojack." Well, not quite. Bojack and his father certainly know how to put a pessimistic spin on relationships, but we shouldn't accept their gloomiest ideas. Well, we can't hide in the company of others. We have options beyond living and die alone, while romantic relationships can fail or prove toxic. It's the platonic friendships that radiate throughout season 5. Whether it's the budding roommate between Todd and Princess Carolyn, or the lasting bond between Diane and Bojack They may have their ups and downs and their stolen cheese sticks, but they prove exceptionally durable.

Bojack begins the season claiming that he doesn't need anyone, but ends it knowing that there is one person he can count on: his friend Diane. So what do you guys think? Are we alone in the world? Are romantic relationships elaborate traps designed to make us feel bad about ourselves? And is there power in being able to tolerate loneliness? Let us know what you think in the comments and, as always, thanks for watching. But before you go, we have an announcement in the coming months: we will be launching some exciting new community features on a new website created with our new channel sponsor, wigs.

Wix is ​​a great platform for creating websites for any new business project. event blog or pretty much any endeavor you can think of we've been planning our new site and I've been impressed with all the options. There's Wix Gallery Pro, which is an amazing media gallery where you can publish and enhance Wix images. events where you can set up everything you need to put on a show or party and the comments app that you can include on your site to interact directly with your audience. Everything is very professional and high quality, and you have complete creative freedom to use. use its tools and create your own, unique and original masterpiece, so if you have never launched a website or are a seasoned professional, we encourage you to try Wix and see what a great experience it is and stay tuned because we have some interesting things. implementing it for you on our Wix website which will help us connect with you more, so thanks for watching and as always, peace guys.