Not All Horse,

Not All Man

BoJack Horseman and its
Links to Postmodernism

Jaclynn Rogers
ENGL284 with Dr. J. Nelson
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At first glance, the popular Netflix original series BoJack Horseman may

look unimpressive at best. A trendy adult-animation where anthropomorphic

animals live and work alongside humans while simultaneously spitting

animal puns, pop culture references, and extensively alliterative phrases like

they are old gum--it sounds too absurd to gain much of a following. However,

the duality of this absurd humor paired with the heavy themes of addiction

and the human search for meaning, to name two, is a prime example of the

rejections posed by postmodernism in the present world. BoJack Horseman

displays three primary connections with postmodernism: the rejection of a

grand metanarrative, the ever changing of self, and the challenge of

determining an unambiguous sense of what is right and what is wrong.

To understand how BoJack Horseman represents postmodernism, it’s

critical to have some understanding of the postmodernist movement.

Postmodernism by definition holds many ideas together that may not

otherwise have merged. In a way, it parallels reader-response criticism: both

have an emphasis on the multiple meanings of a work and the respective

validity of each meaning. However, postmodernist criticism posits that those

meanings rely on the reader and the reader’s self rather than the text alone.

Despite the fact that one would have to look outside of the text at the reader

to fully create meaning, postmodernism denies the external point of

reference used by critics and philosophers previously—because there is no

one ultimate truth that connects all the miscellaneous pieces of the universe,

there is no one ultimate reality (Bressler 89). Likewise, one ultimate truth is
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impossible to establish: right and wrong are not two extremes on either end

of a spectrum but rather the spectrum itself. Finally, postmodernism

manifests that even human nature does not exist outside of the society it

develops in; human psychology itself is determined not biologically or

genetically, but rather socially and culturally (Duignan).

While certainly an example of metafiction with its constant references

to itself and television/film production in Hollywood, another connection to

postmodernism, BoJack Horseman doesn’t display the overlapping sense of

universality that a grand metanarrative would. Rather, it aims to show the

interconnected narratives of the characters as they interact and evolve.

Though Bojack is in fact the show’s titular character, BoJack Horseman the

show doesn’t merely tell the story of his fluctuations through stardom in

Hollywood. The supporting characters, so to speak, play as big of a role as

BoJack himself does; in fact, there are episodes where he barely makes an

appearance. Though these characters fit their own narrative stereotypes to

some degree, the show thrives on turning these stereotypes on their head.

There’s the millennial wastrel Todd, who moved into BoJack’s

house, a modern monstrosity perched on a hill, five years ago

and does nothing but eat breakfast cereal and smoke weed.

There’s Princess Carolyn, BoJack’s ex/agent/sex buddy whom he

disappoints not just romantically but also professionally, turning

down every project she brings him. There’s even a built-in

frenemy, Mr. Peanutbutter, a yellow lab whose own former show,

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“Mr. Peanutbutter’s House,” was a rip-off of BoJack’s long-

running sitcom…(Rodrick).

The recently released fifth season looked more closely at these characters

than ever before. Princess Carolyn’s family and backstory were revealed in

“The Amelia Earhart Story,” and throughout seasons four and five the viewer

follows along in her quest to start a family. Diane, BoJack’s

ghostwriter/confidante, had an entire episode about her trip to Vietnam;

after her divorce from Mr. Peanutbutter, she attempts to return to her roots

despite growing up in Boston. Todd’s coming-to-terms with his asexuality is

one of the main plots as he navigates relationships with both friends and

romantic partners. The story of BoJack Horseman isn’t only about BoJack,

and these narratives that play alongside BoJack’s are vital: they provide a

richer storytelling experience for the viewer. The fluctuations between each

character arcs and side plot force the viewer to see more than just the

overreaching narrative of BoJack’s story.

Also central to the school of postmodernist thought is the idea that the

self can evolve and change. In BoJack Horseman, this changing sense of self

is critical not only to the characters but the viewer as well. One of BoJack’s

most prevalent dilemmas is his struggle between wanting to be an

objectively good person and his inability to keep from destroying the

relationships he has. In season one’s “Downer Ending,” BoJack goes on an

extreme drug-fueled bender after reading what Diane has ghostwritten in his
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memoir, and in a barely lucid rant he desperately asks her in front of a panel

of other ghostwriters,

Do you think it’s too late for me? I mean, am I just doomed to be

the person that I am? The person in that book? I mean, it’s not

too late for me, is it? It’s not too late? Diane, I need you to tell

me that it’s not too late. I know that I can be selfish and

narcissistic and self-destructive, but underneath all that, deep

down, I’m a good person, and I need you to tell me that I’m

good. Diane? Tell me, please, Diane, tell me that I’m good (Bob-

Waksberg).

Diane’s response, weeks later, is “I don’t think I believe in deep down…. I

kind of think all you are is just the things that you do.” This denial of

objective goodness fits right in among postmodernist thought. BoJack’s

frantic need to be good becomes harrowing as the series progresses and the

viewer sees the extent to which BoJack’s self-destruction goes. Not including

things that occur before the series begins, BoJack’s biggest wrongdoings

include the following: sabotaging his best friend Todd’s rock opera so he

can’t move out of BoJack’s living room; drunkenly stealing the “D” from the

Hollywood sign in a grand romantic gesture for Diane who is not interested

and is already engaged to Mr. Peanutbutter; travelling hundreds of miles to

see a friend he hasn’t spoken two in thirty years, and then, when he is

unable to sleep with her, he tries to sleep with her daughter; hooking up with

the only woman Todd has ever pursued romantically; pulling his TV daughter
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Sarah Lynn back into the world of drugs for a bender that ultimately kills her;

and assaulting and nearly strangling a costar in a frenzy during his pain-

reducing opioid withdrawal (Bob-Waksberg). Without a doubt, BoJack is

unquestionably not a good person; when considering his traumatic childhood

and past issues with mental illness, however, the black-and-white contrast of

good and bad merges to gray. The very culture in which BoJack grew up was

toxic and debilitating, and his early years in Hollywood were destructive as

he was developing as an adult; these loathsome foundations alludes to him

simply being wired to be rotten, too. BoJack receives a call from his

estranged mother, Beatrice, in season two’s “Brand New Couch” in which

she tells him, “Well, you come by it honestly, the ugliness inside you. You

were born broken, that’s your birthright…You’re BoJack Horseman, there’s no

cure for that,” (Bob-Waksberg). Postmodernist theory states that human

psychology and behavior itself is a result of the cultural and social norms in

which it develops; likewise, understanding the circumstances why BoJack is

so troubled make his story less evil and more tragic. However reprehensible

BoJack and his actions are, the viewer’s self plays a major role in their

interpretation of the show. A person who has experienced an abusive

childhood, major depression, or addiction probably won’t excuse BoJack’s

behavior, but they will have more of an understanding and be less

condemning than someone who hasn’t shared those experiences. This gray

area of morality parallels postmodernism’s same gray area between the

truths of right and wrong.

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On the whole, BoJack Horseman is an endlessly entertaining show that

juxtaposes itself constantly. It is both a funny show about horse-people and a

gritty look at the dark underbelly of stardom. It is light-hearted and wacky

while also being intensely sad and thought-provoking. Even the lovable Mr.

Peanutbutter whirlwinds from being a goofball who likes tennis balls to

having lines like, “The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being

happy isn’t a search for meaning, it’s to just keep yourself busy with

unimportant nonsense, and eventually, you’ll be dead,” (Bob-Waksberg).

These ironies, in addition to the range of perspectives and denial of a definite

right and wrong, solidly root the show in postmodernism, allowing the BoJack

Horseman to be many things simultaneously.

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Works Cited:

Bob-Waksberg, Raphael, et al. BoJack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-

Waksberg, performance by Will Arnett, et al., Netflix, 22 Aug. 2014 to

present.

Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: an Introduction to Theory and Practice.

Longman, 2011.

Duignan, Brian. “Postmodernism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 18 Oct. 2018,

www.britannica.com/topic/postmodernism-

philosophy.

Kirkwood, Megan. “The Postmodernism (and Nihilism) of BoJack

Horseman.” Medium, Medium, 23 Oct. 2018,

medium.com/@kirkwoodmegan1/the-postmodernism-and-nihilism-of-

bojack-horseman-65dc19083bd9.

Rodrick, Stephen. "DARK HORSE." New York Times Magazine Jul 24 2016:

26,29,49,6. ProQuest. Web. 27 Oct. 2018.

Shmoop Editorial Team. “Metafiction in Postmodern Literature.” Shmoop,

Shmoop
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University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/postmodern-

literature/metafiction-characteristic.html.