BoJack Horseman and Ibsen

February 3, 2020 4:08 AM

Prestige Television's Greatest Trick.
posted by sapagan (12 comments total)

I’ve not seen BoJack Horseman and, to be honest, this essay solidified my feeling that it’s not a show I’ll be able to watch any time soon. I very much enjoyed reading the piece, though. I’ve shared it with my brother, who’s a big fan of the show.
posted by daisyk at 4:42 AM on February 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

This is a great essay - I didn't notice the Ibsen runner as I was watching, spread out as my viewing was over so many years. It gives some very helpful context to a line in the show's final episode, which aired after this piece was written. I'm going to be very careful to avoid all but the mildest of spoilers and just say that Bojack stages a production of Hedda Gabbler. He's excited about it, even though, he concedes, "it's not Strindberg"
posted by Ragged Richard at 5:12 AM on February 3, 2020 [7 favorites]

That was a very nice essay and I am surprised to be persuaded by its thesis.

It also increased my estimation of the film The Prestige (statute of limitations is up on SPOILERS, but stop now if you care....), which I didn’t particularly like when I saw it—apparently only half paying attention—since I did not note the relevance of the canary trick.
posted by sjswitzer at 5:17 AM on February 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

As someone who grew up surrounded by alcoholism, abuse, and depression, Bojack is hard AF to watch, but damn, does it pay off.
posted by xedrik at 6:52 AM on February 3, 2020 [7 favorites]

I've seen several episodes of the show and I'm always impressed by the amount of humanity expressed by a bunch of anthropomorphized animals. I was both confused and delighted when I got the notification a couple of years ago that BoJack Horseman was following me on the Instagram.
posted by DaddyNewt at 7:49 AM on February 3, 2020 [2 favorites]

I started watching BoJack when catsitting for a friend with Netflix, and have been hooked. I haven’t yet seen the finale (I don’t have Netflix myself, and am loth to introduce another time sink into my life at this stage), though will probably watch it soon. I do occasionally wonder whether finding it relatable means that I am a terrible human being.

One thing I’m hoping for is that it eventually ends up on a DVD box set; streamable content, after all, can disappear at any time, and BoJack is something worth putting on a DVD shelf next to other noteworthy films/series.
posted by acb at 7:49 AM on February 3, 2020

I love BoJack. While superficially seeming to be a trashy, Hollywood self-worship vehicle filled with lazy visual puns and tedious word play, it conveys more human emotion than any show I know.
posted by St. Oops at 9:26 AM on February 3, 2020 [6 favorites]

I like the show, but I have to watch it in fits and starts, because I can only take so much of it at once.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:37 AM on February 3, 2020 [6 favorites]

I admire it but don’t enjoy it.
posted by argybarg at 12:34 PM on February 3, 2020 [2 favorites]

> He's excited about it, even though, he concedes, "it's not Strindberg"

That also echoes the conflict in season 2 where the director says, "We're not making Casablanca."
posted by Phssthpok at 4:09 PM on February 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

I had to labor to follow the writing around the conceit of Pledge-Turn-Prestige, and I think the ways in which Bojack is particular are more interesting than the ways in which it resembles the work of a 19th century playwright, but I do appreciate the phrase "prestige television".
posted by dmh at 5:07 PM on February 3, 2020 [2 favorites]

It's not for everyone, but I can relate with the struggle, sorta.
posted by ovvl at 6:36 PM on February 3, 2020