Let's talk about BoJack Horseman, the new Netflix animated series (starring Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Amy Sedaris, Aaron Paul, etc)

I finished the season last night. My impression might be a little tainted by a convo with my son a week ago: "I think with season 4, they started focusing more on the drama and it wasn't as funny. I'm not saying they need to turn it into Family Guy but..."

parts of "Free Churro" were genuinely moving but tbh it was a bit....much overall

I thought S4 basically got the balance right

I just feel that the 'Hollywoo' is a tarpit is so central to what the show is that it makes sense they go back to #MeToo plotlines over and over.

To me it's more getting a bit stale because BoJack is constantly backsliding. Which is plausible, but it got stale on The Sopranos, and on Mad Men, and I'm not sure I can do too many more penultimate episodes where BoJack hits a new low.

This was the first one where it felt like formula. 11th episode of S4 was different and extraordinary

Yeah, exactly. But 1, 2, 3 and 5 are kinda alike...

everyone basically articulating my problems with this season ("oh no bojack did *another* unforgivably horrible thing???") even though it was still great

The 11th episodes of 1,2,3 built to a tragic crescendo tbh, I wouldn't change any of them

The Hank episode in...S2? was their Weinstein skewer, yeah, and they did harp on already-covered ground here

this episode came out in 2015, two years before the Weinstein scandal surfaced. I took it as a Cosby reference at the time (and I think the episode itself mentioned allegations against Letterman)

you think insiders didn't know though

30 Rock etc were making Weinstein jokes for years iirc? I'm sure we've been over this somewhere.

their character of Uncle Hankie was specifically a beloved entertainment figure, which Weinstein never was.

influential and incredibly powerful obviously, but it's a slightly different situation

Fine. Well there wasn't really a Weinstein figure here. I really liked the pathetic character of Flip though (and even more so Flippy for half a glorious episode) - a sort of man equally worth taking down

I liked Flip as a character but I found Rami Malek's voice kinda distracting

David Sedaris as Amy Sedaris' mom was beautiful.

We had to go back and figure out where that taped confession came from (s3ep1). That's a lot of plot to keep track of (for a horse cartoon)!

idk, i don't like the "just a horse cartoon" angle. the show is as thoughtful and smart as anything else on tv, and "horse cartoon" is just the lens the show uses to explore the human condition.

no shit, really????

https://media0.giphy.com/media/vREwPj35kyUdG/giphy.gif

https://78.media.tumblr.com/9d03c98a4e5cf5363b430f3e82e79829/tumblr_nsbo3vVbI11tcsgn2o1_500.gif

Obviously it can be anything it would ants but there's thoughtful and then there's ponderous

The ants were in S4

lol

lol sorry for the double gif, it posted as a question mark image the first time round

Overall enjoyable season. Not as quite as good as previous, but The Amelia Earhart Story and Free Churro were the high points for me.

i usually have a rule against cartoons but this show is extremely good. i'm only on season 2 though. i heard the brilliant stuff comes later

why do you have a rule against cartoons, Treeship

i'm an elitist, man

what does that actually mean though

honestly, i haven't watched must tv for the past few years. but i started up again and--maybe bc of a long absence--am finding everything brilliant, from extras to maniac to bojack horseman

I honestly appreciate your honesty and would like to also honestly say that Extras is not a cartoon

oh no this prom episode

oh yeah, ouch

so bad

i can't look at it. the audio is playing in the other tab.

hey at least the drinking advice was solid, cut bourbon with water

i know he is a cartoon horse but i can't believe he let that girl in his room

otm

i love all the art history references in this

also -- promise i won't liveblog this -- but this new agency is badddd news for princess carolyn

The free churro epi was great. And I liked the ending. I was just looking up the synopsis and someone rightly stated that the ending points out that eulogies are written for us and not the dead.

Is Horsin' Around based on any specific show? My knowledge of '90s US sitcoms is minimal; can anyone supply some examples?

I thought maybe a little Charles in Charge?

It reminds me the most of Full House. But I think it's mostly just making fun of any sitcom that was claiming to say something about family, but was mostly just using any excuse to get the right mix of upcoming comedians and cute kids.

I looked it up and people talk about ^ Full House and Who's the Boss too.

Cosby Show is a reference point, based on the sweaters. That show led to a glut of terrible family sitcoms with a stand-up comic as a parent.

diff'rent strokes is from a different era, but the premise is similar

but yeah, it mainly reminded me of Full House, probably because of the sassy little girl factor in Sarah Lynn (echoing the Olsen twins in FH)

It will be an amalgam of sitcoms but Full House is what it makes me think of, esp because of The Horse's house (almost the same as the FH one), the font used for the sitcom title etc.

Btw I've only recently started watching this show but am thoroughly hooked. At the end of season two now. Spoilers for some reason don't really bother me with this show?

Also I had the exact same reaction of cringe that Treesh had after watching 'Escape from LA'. That was nigh on unbearable.

Oh, mand, if that one made you two uncomfortable you may want to keep booze at hand for future episodes.