'Bojack Horseman' is one of the smartest, funniest, heart-breaking adult animated series out there. If you haven't started watching it yet, you'll want to get on it. Especially now that the final episodes ever have arrived on Netflix.
The Netflix series sees Will Arnett voice Bojack Horseman, the former star of a 90s sitcom trying to rejuvenate his career.
The show also follows others in Bojack's life including his agent Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), ghostwriter Diane Nguyen (Alison Brie) and best friend Todd Chavez (Aaron Paul).
It's a very funny show populated by humans and anthropomorphic animals while also being a thoughtful, heart-rending show, looking at depression, addiction, abuse, and sexism among a whole heap of topics and issues.
The series is well known for its moments that make you laugh and think as well as those that make you cry. Here's our pick of the five saddest moments from 'Bojack Horseman'.
5. Todd confronts Bojack
In spite of all the verbal abuse he gets from him, Todd is a loyal friend to Bojack, who totally screws Todd over not once but twice in the series. First, he ruins Todd's space opera, and big dream for stardom. Then he sleeps with Emily, who Todd has been seeing.
In this moving scene, Todd finds out about the latter and hits Bojack with some home truths: "You can't keep doing shitty things and then feel bad about yourself like that makes it okay. You need to be better... You are all the things that are wrong with you."
4. Princess Carolyn’s birthday
Probably one of the biggest unsung heroes of the show - and Bojack's life - is Princess Carolyn. The character has a truly shitty time during the show, being completely unappreciated in work, opening and then closing her own agency, and suffering a number of miscarriages. Plus Bojack, who she is always there for, in spite of him being the worst client, boyfriend and friend ever, is constantly letting her down.
The Princess Carolyn episodes are among the saddest of the show, including the one where she has a horrible day and at the end, we learn it's her birthday. But this one where the episode opens with her great-great-great-granddaughter talking about the struggles her ancestor Princess Carolyn had to go through, only for us to learn it's all a fantasy in the episode finale.
3. Voices in my head
'Bojack Horseman' has had several innovative episodes that play with its usual format and among the most renowned are 'Fish Out of Water', 'Free Churro' and 'Time's Arrow'. Another is 'Stupid Piece of Sh**', which gives us more insight than perhaps any other episode into the workings of Bojack's mind.
During it, Bojack goes about a normal day and we hear each of his self-flagellating thoughts, brought to life by crude animation. At the end of the episode, Hollyhock, who we believe to be Bojack's daughter at this point, says she has constant self-critical thoughts too. Upon asking whether she'll grow out of them, Bojack hesitantly says she will.
2. Bojack’s mom
Perhaps the greatest turnaround that fans of 'Bojack Horseman' have had in relation to a character is Bojack's mother, Bea. For the first three seasons of the show, we're convinced she's downright the worst and the reason for Bojack's many problems. However from episode one of season four, when we see Bea lose her brother to the war and mother Honey to a lobotomy, we start to understand what an unhappy life she has had.
Saddest of all is the penultimate episode of the season, 'Time's Arrow'. Here we see Bea run away with Bojack's father in the hopes of a happy life only for their marriage to fail and dreams to fall apart. Now we see Bea for all she is - an old woman, suffering from dementia, without hope, without love, without even a happy memory to cling to. Until Bojack grants her the latter, at least.
1. Sarah Lynn dies
Sarah Lynn's story is so sad that just thinking about it gets us teary.
The character crashes onto the show's first season as a party-hard, booze-and-drug-hitting actress-turned-popstar in her late 20s. She gets sober a couple of seasons later but is encouraged by Bojack to go on a drug-fueled bender that ends with her OD'ing. In her final moments, she talks about the wonders of the universe and wanting to be an architect. "Sarah Lynn...? Sarah Lynn..?"
