Bojack Horseman season four takes viewers through a depressing time, but it also is uplifting at points. This season of Bojack Horseman doesn’t back away from the tough subjects at all. It has everything from gun violence, depression, LGBT+, and politics. I’m not sure when season four was written, but the show so accurately mirrors issues that we have in the United States today.
Before I get into the show, I just want to talk about its music. Most of the music you hear in it is made by the show’s composer Jesse Novak. The interesting thing is he makes short songs that go perfectly for each moment in the show. My favorite instance of this is actually in season three, when Princess Carolyn is driving away from Bojack’s restaurant and the radio has a song playing about Princess Carolyn driving away. The little things like that are what makes this show so immersive and funny. Also in season four we get a cover of the song “A Horse with No Name” from Black Keys’ Drummer Patrick Carney and Singer-Songwriter Michelle Branch. The song so beautiful pairs with Bojack’s journey and it sounds amazing.
The season starts out with Mr.Peanutbutter running for Governor of California against Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz. I just want to take a moment to point one of my favorite things in Bojack Horseman which is all of the subtle references the writers put in the show. If you notice Mr.Peanutbutter is running against a woodchuck with the last name “Coodchuck” it’s just subtle references like that the writers sneak in at any point they can. Like I mentioned before this season of Bojack Horseman mirrors the United States today and that is most prominent with Mr.Peanutbutter’s campaign for Governor. His flip-flop campaign based off what the people want to hear and only running for the sake of competition shockingly resembles a certain red-headed guy’s campaign for President of the United States.
This season is also heavy on the battle between Bojack and his mother Beatrice. We get a good look into Beatrice’s past and how her experiences changed her for life. Before this season I was not a fan of Beatrice. The way she treated Bojack as a child was terrible, which in turn led to Bojack’s destructive behavior as an adult. This season, however, shows a new light into her past and it makes you almost feel sorry for her. You get an understanding of what she went through, but that doesn’t excuse the way she treated Bojack.
Another exciting, but depressing part of season four is Princess Carolyn’s story. We get to see Princess Carolyn in a brand new way as the season progress on. She even gets her own episode which was one of my favorites. The episode hits on the idea you can either lay down and quit or dust yourself off and keep going. It shows that sometimes you have to see the bright side of things even when the world seems the darkest.
We also get to see Bojack’s struggle with the fact that he may have an illegitimate daughter with a woman he can’t remember. Bojack believes that he may be a father so he tries to be a better parent than his mother was to him. This part of the season brings hope to the dark times Bojack has suffered and gives him a reason to keep going. The season’s overall feel is a depressing one, but this part brings an uplifting element to the show.
If you haven’t seen Bojack Horseman before, all four seasons are available right now on Netflix. Also with season five of Bojack Horseman confirmed back in September, there is still plenty of time to catch up before it’s release. I know I can’t wait to see where Bojack Horseman will go next and I would highly recommend this show to anyone.
ALEX ST. PETERS
astpeters@lc.edu
