BY RICHARD TEO
Staff writer
Bojack Horseman is a popular animated television series exclusively aired on Netflix. Its main protagonist, Bojack Horseman, (played by Will Arnett) is a humanoid horse that found success in his years as a sitcom actor for his show “Horsin Around.” Although the film is set to look like it was made for children, the premise of the show is actually for a mature audience. Bojack is an addict and the show focuses on his struggles as he continuously gets away with them. The interesting part of it, however, is how he really feels towards his mediocre activities. Bojack is a reflection of the average human being. The show dives into the moral gray area of things in that while Bojack isn’t inherently evil, he is responsible for his misguided actions and their consequences. The brilliance in Bojack’s psychological evaluation as a troubled, older man who impulsively destroys himself and destroys others unintentionally as he continuously feels sympathy to those he hurts is what drives the plot of the show. The fact that he genuinely feels bad about his actions gives the viewer an optimistic perspective that he might change but never does in the seasons. Instead, it gets worse and each change he promised himself ended becoming another consequence for him and to those he hurt. The blame becomes less black and white and becomes grayer when his backstory is revealed as he continuously battles his depression, addictions, and childhood trauma. The genius behind Bojack’s character is that he is extremely relatable and that draws sympathy from the viewer as it overshadows his toxic qualities as a person. Episodes of the show such as: “Free Churro, The Telescope, and The View From Halfway Down” are a few examples of symbolism in the show. A common theme of Bojack Horseman is accountability and how often it seems to be ignored in the show but inevitably becomes an issue that Bojack overlooks as he is struggling to avoid his self-destructive tendencies. Bojack’s character being a horse is a symbolic representation of how horses run and how he tends to “run away” from his problems which inevitably leads to his demise. The themes of the show also include addiction, societal issues, Fame, mental health, love, and most importantly, trauma. Other characters such as Todd Chavez, Diane Nguyen, Mr. Peanut Butter, Princess Caroline, and Sarah Lynn are also shown to either be a victim of abuse or have the same destructive tendencies that Bojack goes through or has done.