Bojack Horseman Ivy Tran

[@nathanseper8738]

The use of colors is a really good expression of how Ivy is Diane's solution to her trauma: once she focuses on the thing that makes her happy, her world brightens.

[@MaeyiQuinn]

The show loves using this technique a lot, and it's something I really adore- such as the scene of Beatrice during her younger days, the saturation became so much brighter when she thought she could be happily married finally to someone who understands her, and how it immediatley faded again when she puked.

[@laurocoman]

Ivy Tran comes off more naturally to Diane. The colours are there because she can flesh that character out more easily. Fleshing herself out is more difficult and there's a clear lack of direction because she is trying to make something painful to her meaningful, hence the lack of detail, focus and colour. While Ivy Tran is just simple, harmless entertainment for youngsters. When she speaks with Princess Caroline, Diane admits she feels guilty for writing upbeat teen detective stories instead of something more deep. She is reluctant to see how much of a natural she is for it.

[@nathanseper8738]

@@laurocoman It is symbolic of how Ivy learning to embrace the bright side of life rather than her trauma it what helps her grow as a person.

[@dhan07404]

And the actual animation for those scenes are very beautifully made too

[@nathanseper8738]

@@dhan07404 Yep. And better to look at.

[@WeeLin]

I'm so glad this was the direction they took Diane. She didn't need to write out all her trauma, and now the stories she writes can bring joy and comfort to girls like her. Remember, when Diane was little, she didn't find solace in dark, traumatic dramas - she found it in cheery sitcoms like Horsin' Around. Also, she's struggled with her own identity even as an adult, so she created a cool role model for young Vietnamese American girls to look up to. Diane finally gets the happiness in life she deserves and she gets to share that happiness with the world through her writing. What a perfect ending.

[@SnowTheJamMan]

Hey Lin, didn't know you were a BoJack fan, nice. Eagerly awaiting the new No.9 series as i'm sure you are too.

[@WeeLin]

@@SnowTheJamMan Yup, huge BoJack fan right here! Very excited for the new Inside No 9 (and yes, I'll be reviewing the new episodes).

[@weaseljay469]

whoa, i never thought of this plot-point in connection to Horsin' Around, that really brings the show full circle! cause so much of bojack's story was about how his show was so cheerful and saccharine while the reality behind it was horrible, and that always cast horsin' around in a bad light, like it was worthless escapism that bojack used to hide from reality. but diane creating ivy tran shows the other side of that, instead of escapism to avoid problems, it's to help her and others heal. it shows that that kind of media has value too. i never saw it that way before :D

[@buntado6]

@@weaseljay469 All these lighthearted entertainment media are meant to help people and get them closer to their loved ones through a shared experience. The sin of many artists is confusing the means with the goal, neglecting and betraying the real bonds they had in exchange of a single piece of legacy... In the end this taints the work and leaves people disgusted, with the feeling that life is a farce. Bojack was a testament to this, first by refusing to read his dad's book for thinking that was more imporant than being a father, and then when he got erased of his own glory days after the exposure of Sarah Lynn's case.

[@buddytheoc]

I think she starts to realize the impact of her stories when Guy's son starts asking her all the questions about her book, pretending not to care at all but clearly caring a alot about the story. She sees that her "silly" story about a food court detective can actually touch young people - boys and girls - without the need of dwelling and - inevitably - romanticizing her "good damage" for profit.

[@nkbujvytcygvujno6006]

Accurate representation of how it feels to try to remember specific examples of abuse when your brain has trauma-blocked it from your memory.

[@aspen8609]

also when it's not one horrific thing. It's years of little things compounded into a boulder. And sometimes you hear something or see something and a memory you had blocked out comes back and it knows you out emotionally

[@valiensr1037]

@@aspen8609 And when it’s the little things, it’s easier for the abuser to gas light you. Like with the boggle thing, Diane’s dad could’ve used excuses like “You’re doing something nice for your brothers,” even though he’s forcing his daughter to embarrass herself.

[@aspen8609]

@@valiensr1037 yeah, its everything over time. Little things that are abusive are easier to do since you can't bring them up, not really. but one big thing is easier to realize its wrong. both are bad though, just fiction differently

[@hhh1234h]

Yup and even if you do find a somewhat major event that happened to you, because it’s so repressed you sometimes gaslight yourself asking “was it really even a big deal? I can barely remember it”

[@eileensnow6153]

@@valiensr1037 They can even take it a step further. “Oh I see, you’re you need to win every little game you play or else it isn’t fair?”

[@sensiblegh0st86]

Really good detail in this: Diane's dad asks her to name "one example" of him being a bad dad, and then when she does, he asks if that's all she's got. It's a stunningly accurate representation of how abusive parents often act in just a few lines of dialogue. God this show is fantastic.

[@liberty1212]

yup this one really hit me. when confronting the abuser they demand specific examples but it's so hard to find them in the moment. been there done that so i really appreciated this scene

[@randompromises1038]

​@@liberty1212and even if dredging up examples wasn't difficult in that moment and you could give accurate examples that perfectly showcased their repeated abuse, it wouldn't matter bc nine times out of ten, the abuser would find a good way to excuse it or deny its legitimate severity

[@BrainWitchSiv]

The Narccist's Prayer That didn't happen. And if it did, it wasn't that bad. And if it was, that's not a big deal. And if it is, that's not my fault. And if it was, I didn't mean it. And if I did, you deserved it.

[@saintsinningsword]

Diane's example, which was all going on in her head so no time or pressure, was her dad being a goof.

[@notapplicable6985]

​@@saintsinningswordIt was him being sexist and making his daughter feel worse about her self, and likely promoting sexist ideas in his sons

[@ForeverWildstar]

its interesting how diane seems to spend alot of the show trying to find herself, and her comfort writing pieces are about a girl with a happy childhood that always finds what shes looking for. she also doesnt start writing this comfort story until shes in a healthy relationship, far away from her past relationships and on medication for her depression. shes also healing the only way she knows how, through her keyboard and thats valid!

[@tatehildyard5332]

Also I love how it shows how she’s kind of come full circle on her arc. She’s someone who wants to put some good out into the world but only knows how to do it through punishing herself. Like Princess Carolyn said, her book is helping young girls out there and is something good being out out into the world that Diane can find happiness and joy in.

[@araani8740]

"She’s someone who wants to put some good out into the world but only knows how to do it through punishing herself." That is so profound and true wow

[@KD-ou2np]

Well the girls dad died so its not entirely happy

[@Nick-wi3kd]

so wait, she was writing a auto-biography, but then she started writing kinda what she wished her childhood was like?

[@princessseraphina8990]

It's how she's processing her trauma and depression

[@aria5614]

Trauma is complex and often we can't handle looking directly at it. Our brains can't handle the full brunt of the pain. So for right now she needs to reconcile with what she wanted out of life. After that she could process the trauma better.

[@AlexandraMiah]

@@aria5614 that is a very good explanation, thank you

[@callummoore2743]

With that thought in mind, "My dad died"....

[@Grim_Sister]

Yep. It’s called growth through trauma. Tolkien did the same thing when he wrote LOTR

[@joeyfajardo8738]

The last season of Diane's story is so relatable. Creative people try SO hard to make something great forever until a better idea just magically comes to them when the time is right

[@comicbookreviewer4856]

The reason why Diane works in season 1 it showed Diane was the voice of reason but when we see her home life and the last few episodes of season 1 showed Diane was flaw like everyone else as she wants approval and wants to make things better even know most of it was for herself

[@jmlkinc]

And not only that, after they finally finds their inspiration, how artists can think it's terrible and try to kill it in the crib immediately. It's only because Guy thought it was good and sent it in that the whole Ivy Tran thing got off the ground at all!

[@BlueMorningStar]

It's not magic though, and it's not random. Diane was trying to express her trauma experiences as a gritty, hard-hitting book of personal essays, but that's not the way it wanted to come out. Instead she got Ivy Tran, which was just a complete, unapologetic practice in wish fulfillment on Diane's part. She dealt with her trauma by imagining a fantasy for herself where her shitty father dies early and she can spend her adolescence as a hip, spunky food court detective. She only got the Ivy Tran story by first FAILING to express herself through the book of essays. The important lesson for me is that often you first have to bang your head against the wall failing before you find the real form of expression your weird brain wants to use to make sense of some experience.

[@mysteryhatter]

As a creative person, I'm related with Diane's situation

[@Divabunny_au]

@Joey Fajardo that’s literally me, I’ve been trying to come up with an idea for a comic so hard based on one character design, and a couple days ago I just sketched a new random character, and I came up with this super fun idea, it’s a harem/love triangle kinda manga based thing, but all the character are anthropomorphic animals (kinda like bojack horseman, but there’s no humans) all because my brain thought it would be funny to draw a dog in a school uniform

[@thesillyone9851]

People give teenage/young adult targeted books a lot of shit but this is exactly why they need to be written. Some people's creativity is just better used with captivating stories that inspire kids and there's NOTHING wrong with that. Some kids really need those escapes to a make believe world, and it makes me happy that they didn't take Diane's writing exactly where she wanted, but where she needed to be: having fun with her younger self!

[@adamvialpando106]

Many of these types of books are not the masterpieces many people make them out to be. But that's okay. They are special to the ones who grew up with them and hold a special place in their lives. For some it was Eragon or Percy Jackson or The Hunger Games etc. For me it was Harry Potter. I know it's flaws, both in the story and in the author, but despite all that the story and the characters still resonate with me and they have great themes.

[@bigbadgammagnome]

@@adamvialpando106 as much as I love to critically analyse media, I hate when critics rag on stuff for having a few flaws. If something has heart, good themes and engaging characters and world then I think it's great that people can love and enjoy it. Even if it has some plot holes or a few inconsistencies, if these are minor then I personally don't think it matters too much. We need more media like that nowadays.

[@grievinggeneral7878]

@@bigbadgammagnome tfw criticising things is now bad

[@punkgrl325]

@@grievinggeneral7878 Some people really do need to chill though. I get that they have their own emotional attachment to these stories, but seeing grown adults raging over YA novels or series like they’re meant to be Steinbeck or Hemingway is so damn weird. Sure, kids’ books should have a decent level of quality writing, but people take things way too far. It honestly speaks more towards who’s doing the criticizing rather than the actual criticism itself.

[@grievinggeneral7878]

@@punkgrl325 yeah I agree, I’m just asking for a coherent plot plus characters, shameless cash grabs which monopolise on naivety like divergent are what annoys me

[@juliamassey7922]

Trying to recall specific examples of day to day childhood trauma is invalidating and depressing. It’s like trying to relate a dream. It becomes boring and hard to follow. And you wonder why you were so scared in the first place.

[@Bonebrothsoup]

This is the only show i have seen so far, that accurately manages to display what the thought process is like when writing

[@Salocinist]

Right? This is why so many people fail at writing. Like, you simply cannot write a story that you don't want to tell, or isn't *in* you. You have to let it happen. And it might not be exactly what you were expecting or the kind of writer you wanted to be, but it'll be *your* story.

[@Bonebrothsoup]

@@Salocinist "you cannot write a story that you don't want to tell" i need this written on my gravestone line that's the best line i have ever read

[@Silburific]

@@Salocinist I mean, you can- people create things they don't want to create all the time, especially when money is involved- you just probably won't enjoy the process. Or maybe you will- writing is just a job for plenty of people, no tortured artist's soul getting in the way.

[@Salocinist]

@@Silburific i mean yeah. Im not implying money cant be a main motivator. But it'll usually come across in the work itself. Most of the MCU is like that, and its not that it's successful because people think its a work of love all the time. Ita because people dont particularly care. And that's fine.

[@GhostStealth590]

Writers block sucks so bad. Especially when deadlines are in place that pay for food and rent lol.

[@gothicpixelchick]

The way Diane's dad says "Oh my god, tell me o:" is so hilariously OOC yet perfectly delivered, and perfectly sensical for these paranoid hypotheticals she's letting run rampant in her head lmao. Very underrated line

[@anneleighsme6079]

I love how she forgets moments of it, it’s so hard to confront people with abuse and harassment and not being able to find a specific because the specifics don’t matter, it’s how I affected you and it’s so hard to communicate

[@rebelprincess1164]

Ivy Tran sounds like the exact book I would’ve read when I was a little girl

[@pbfloyd13]

I'm a guy in my mid thirties, andI read that right now...😅

[@jessicapinkman-hd4bw]

Diane's childhood abuse in this show is essentially if the abuse meg received in family guy was treated seriously

[@morbidsearch]

So many people hated Diane because they couldn’t stand that an adult animation didn’t pander to their world view.

[@mattgroening8872]

@@morbidsearchtrueeeeee

[@canvas_125]

@@morbidsearchyou hit the nail on the head. I wish I could pin this comment.

[@catika505]

Unpopular opinion: Diane is the most relatable character on this show and gets a undeserving amount of hate and criticism.

[@vallaby2042]

What hate?

[@fabfilopedani]

Yes, thank you! I've always loved her character, she's so complex and nuanced

[@jadeharley7190]

Tbh I feel like people don’t like Diane be they don’t align with her political and activist beliefs. I felt it easier to relate because Eli kinda have the same views as her but I can see how others would start hating on her

[@richardparker2555]

Well, I liked her in the frist couple seasons, started to dislike her in the shows middle and then I loved her in the end.

[@robynthethird4776]

Dude Diane is the single most believable human being I have seen in media (not the best, but the realest). I'd honestly be shocked if it wasn't a total writer insert because it seems impossible to fake such a full person

[@shinrasboy]

I really liked that the writers took Diane here. There are some forms of abuse that are a mix of benign and painful. And I feel like that’s what Diane went through. It was just bad enough to make her stumble in her adult life but not bad enough to prevent her from moving on and making something meaningful. Once she started moving away from the trauma, she was able to focus on something so much better.

[@zilartsy433]

I like how similar Ivy's voice is to Diane's while also having her own flair to her dialogue it shows that an author's characters can have parts of them or be reflections of themselves while also having their own unique quirks the author gives them

[@botanicalitus4194]

"wicked smarta than a girl" lool

[@castbet9183]

When I was a kid I was the weirdo loser who didn’t have many friends. But I found this book that helped me escape from how alone I felt and felt happy. It was a classic heroes journey fighting unyielding odds, and through brains, grit & friends they succeed and win. It made me happy knowing I could be a hero, and sometimes the world doesn’t need some dark autobiography to help, sometimes a simple happy book to help us escape & feel a little better is more than enough. At least that’s just my opinon.

[@jaiden8529]

That's exactly what PC told Diane in that episode

[@castbet9183]

@@jaiden8529 Hey every generation needs a book series to help us escape right?

[@papasscooperiaworker3649]

@@castbet9183 I'm glad you said sometimes because happy stories don't do anything for me who's also gone through trauma. I'm just into everyone dying and everything bad happening at the end. I respect your coping mechanism but yeah it's just not mine.

[@mariaf3943]

@@papasscooperiaworker3649 lmfao 😂

[@dalepirofsky3851]

@@papasscooperiaworker3649 why did you even reply?

[@gregjayonnaise8314]

As a writer and artist myself, even though I was lucky to not have abusive parents, this still resonates with me. I think I’ve always leaned towards more dark and depressing stories, but whenever I try to run with those I end up getting into a disorganized, depressive funk. But when I come up with a short, snappy premise that’s more upbeat, I tend to be able to get more mileage out of it. This episode really made it clear that you don’t need some intricate, dark and haunting epic to be a good writer (although if that’s what you want to write, then more power to you). Sometimes you just want to write happy shit that’s not super deep, and that holds the same amount of value. Maybe that story is exactly what someone else is looking for.

[@GhostStealth590]

Truth. Many student filmmakers make sad shit for their first film. Sad for the sake of sad kinda short. No fault to their own, it's what we all gravitate towards as it's easy conflict and expected character growth (to us, perhaps not the audience). My first short was dark and bruting, but I compensated by showing off my VFX skills with artificial gunshots/smoke/gun bolt animation. I'm quite incapable of making fictional stories that aren't action/drama oriented, and I know I need to change that sometime soon to expand my creative pallet.

[@frankwest5388]

@@GhostStealth590in my experience almost any creative that says their early work is great is usually an ass. When you start out, you lack a lot of the more technical skill that comes with practice and that’s fine, you can like your early work and value it for what it is but usually it is not very good. And this comes from a guy who threw away about 150 pages of fiction, because he learned that it was just pretentious shit and now, I can proudly say that I write better stufd

[@canvas_125]

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

[@Maria-fz8km]

What I like about her writing Ivy Tran is it's still somewhat about Diane, Ivy has a few similarities to her; Ivy just moved to Chicago and feels out of place, she's Vietnamese American, and her dad recently died. So Diane is still expressing these struggles and difficult emotions, but with a layer of separation that is more comfortable for her.

[@StarrChild.]

Diane believing she needs to use her trauma for something is so relatable to a lot of creative and artists. It's so accepted that people with those kinds of jobs are just depressed and went through stuff and that has to be expressed in their work. But Diane found happiness in writing a comfort piece even though she tried to deny it. The scene with her and PC talking about "good damage" is so well done. I loved what they did with Diane's character.

[@bingo_bunny]

Ikr!! This show makes me wanna cry, it's too accurate.

[@jamiedodger2361]

I loved this story and the point about how you don't have to turn your trauma into art to heal from it. I used to use writing to express a lot of the things I went through, but after a while I found I was stunting my own progress and growth in the name of being edgy and deep. So I changed my approach and wrote about things I enjoyed and then writing became a lot more fun for me.

[@seamusburke639]

I remember flat out ending a project because it'd require me to re-live a horrible break-up I'd gone through. I just didn't have the heart. I knew whatever I did next had to be fun and have a sense of discovery.

[@angusmarch1066]

"A teen moose sidled up all moose-like."

[@pokemonmanic3595]

Oh god that is so stuff you write in the first draft that it hurts how accurate it is 😅

[@StoutShako]

The little walk animation Ivy does when she is first introduced is MESMERIZING... The lil hand swooshes!!!

[@vanillabananacrepe]

Yess

[@martidodger7106]

I know he's a monster of a person but there is something endearing about the "Oh mah gahd, tell me: at 0:35

[@youcantleavethisempty8872]

The idea of a writer trying to produce a searing memoir about her personal demons and coming out on the other end with a goofy tween book is just so delightful to me. I love the incredulous tone as she reads the title, as if someone else wrote it.

[@seamusburke639]

And she's like "What? No, I can't" and just keeps on writing...

[@lililovegood2914]

This is exactly what i searched for. Thank you for uploading this

[@janine2957]

i was like when did i write this comment??? but then i remember it's literally a video of Diane we all should have Diane eating a messy sandwich as a pfp ❤️

[@lililovegood2914]

@@janine2957 oh my god i didn't even realize at first LMAO

[@AccomplishedBoot86]

0:21 it’s because the things are so much smaller when you say them out loud but they build up over time

[@luanminitti1177]

When your narcissistic abuser asks you to point out what exactly They did wrong, this is how it feels. I have all the shit in my head but if I express myself, I just get shot down and told I’m lying and being sensitive. It sucks dude.

[@silverlocket3760]

tell me about it.🙄Just happened to me tonight, when I clearly know how it happened yet, got told no you don't I do. When they were absolutely WRONG!!!

[@luanminitti1177]

What I’ve learned is that people are really suffering various forms of mental illness, and we are just getting sucked into their world because we want to please them, save them, or preserve the idea you had of them. These arguments are not worth having, especially if they’re not gonna hear you. Carry on with your life and heal yourself from this hurt, stop dragging these wicked people with you. And if they’re your parents and you’re potentially still dependent on them, again, work on yourself and try and get out of that situation. Your eyes will open so wide to the world and all the good it has to offer, and you’ll realize that your voice DOES matter

[@Fairygoblet]

Did you guys read the text on her computer screen at the end? I love how even though Diane has clearly found her Niche and this is a major breakthrough for her, this is still very clearly a first draft.

[@pokemonmanic3595]

Right but its so important to get it down on “paper” even if its not perfect you can always fix it later :3

[@gonkdroidincarnate4237]

Ivy Tran sounds like a real middle school novel series

[@chriskalil8381]

The way that ivy just bursts out in full saturated color makes me sob every time

[@asleepyb0i400]

What always struck me odd in that sequence was when Ivy Tran began to talk about what was found in that locker, and Diane’s image of her dad was interested in what she had to say. He might have been very interested into rumors/talking about odd subjects, or maybe Diane is secretly drawn in by that, and wanted to imagine something she and her dad could connect with. Kind of like BoJack and his dad, she potentially made up some things her dad liked. Or maybe I’m just looking too far into it lol. But it is fun to think about!

[@asleepyb0i400]

Ok- after listening again to the locker and the note, I made a small mistake in my guess. Maybe her dad was into mystery/crime novels, fictional or not, or she wanted to connect with him on that as someone who does like mystery novels. Thought I would put that out there :)!

[@iwatodye5670]

I always interpreted it as her train of thought getting derailed, so much so that even the personifications she came up with are getting distracted. This is an interesting headcanon too c:

[@elyselaura9232]

I interpreted it as a manifestation of the genuine interest she always wished her dad would show in her in general

[@unknown_limes]

I love how much the Ivy Tran stuff sounds like a rough draft. It's not perfect, there's a lot of editing and work to be done to flesh it out into a real world that readers can invest themselves in, but it's a good idea for a story Diane can take in a lot of directions.

[@Hekym]

This is the best representation I have ever seen of a person coming out of depression. My jaw was on the floor.

[@jennyderr1426]

it somtimes be like that, writing what your head wants to is a good way to...write something, ivy is dianes...happy story..the one that you write for fun.

[@yalejosie]

I don't think the main point here is a move from darker to lighter stories, but about focusing on writing stories that you feel good about writing. Diane tried to write an autobiography because she wanted to address her damage and try and get something from it. And yet, its the detective story that actually lets her do that. She gets to imagine a world that would treat a girl like her more kindly, and that's super meaningful because now girls like her from all over will be able to also have that escape. I've been focusing on trying to write things that are really sentimental for the last few years, because that's what I thought would be the direction to go in to make my damage good damage. If I was able to inspire others to be kind, then I would be doing my job, right? But working on these stories made me feel more stuck than I've ever felt in my life. I only got unstuck when I wrote something purposefully much more dark than I usually go for a writing workshop focused on morality in fiction. That story hooked me in unlike any other I've written before. Even though it's an intense story, I have such a blast writing it. It means more to me than the other stories did, because now I'm being fully honest about what is most compelling for me to write. It's so nice to have a character who is able to represent the struggle to find your happy place when it comes to writing!!

[@mattgroening8872]

True

[@princessaur]

A good example of how a lot of creators take parts from their real life and put it into their fiction.

[@maddiemcnugget1076]

I really like last season Diane. I kinda wish my first impression of her was this Diane instead of her earlier form but honestly, everybody is on a journey and that journey got ugly bits.

[@vallaby2042]

It's been awhile since I watched the early seasons. what exactly what's bad about early Diane? I can't really remember

[@bobtheball5384]

@@vallaby2042 It's been a while for me too. I used to despised Diane my first watch through (granted I was much younger) but after my second, I think it's because she preached to Bojack about not being self centered but she was the same? Which in all honesty is a flaw a lot of people have, especially when experiencing trauma, at least to my acknowledge. But I feel as though people kinda blew it out of proportion at the same time? Every character in Bojack has flaws, Bojack having the most and arguably the worst, however Diane was somehow a terrible character for it? Which I disagree. I really like Diane's arc.

[@maddiemcnugget1076]

@@vallaby2042 um... it’s a personal thing as to why I don’t like Diane until later seasons. I like her background (terrible Boston family). But I personally don’t like characters that are pessimistic and preachy. In the later seasons she’s on anti depressants and she’s finding her journey out of her trauma. I loved her trip to Vietnam and divorcing Mr. Peanutbutter. I like her story (for the most part. There were some useless things in there), I just didn’t like the pessimistic parts. So that’s weird that you’re asking me “what’s bad about early Diane” like it’s an all encompassing agreed upon statement when it’s just my opinion 😅

[@papasscooperiaworker3649]

@@maddiemcnugget1076 Wdym by pessimistic?

[@janine2957]

@@vallaby2042 I hate to be that person but the only reason I could find for someone to don't agree with Diane actions but being fine with Bojack is... misogyny

[@Player-ht1ur]

I like later in the episode it emphasizes that art doesn’t have to be deep and personal, it can and sometimes Should be for fun. Which is something I and many other artists stuggle with.

[@PlaskiJakDeska]

I'll be honest, when Ivy Tran first appeared in the show I kinda figured out what will happen next, and just started to feel really happy for Diane. She finally found something that she can use her creativity for. And by looking at the nicer, colorful animation, compared to hasty scribblings when she was trying to remember her childhood traumas, you can see that she enjoys writing about Ivy and she is good at it.

[@ursulajoni15]

This might be the first show I've ever seen where the silly lighthearted fluff is the thing that genuinely gives an artist inspiration I feel like in any other show they would go with a story where Diane is being forced to write Ivy Tran and then she'd have this whole big speech about how this is so stupid and meaningless and this is not why she started writing and then have a scene where she tells off her publisher and writes her this super serious down to earth book and I'm SO glad that they didn't. I hate that trope, I hate the people act like any art that is silly or flashy or fun is meaningless it's why people disregard things like Legally Blonde which is actually really fantastic movie depiction of women was WAY ahead of its time.

[@conit4125]

I love the little jokes the characters had all throughout the show like Diane always writing exactly what she was thinking/saying or how Bojack always read out the stage directions.

[@mochaest1994]

Haha I’ve done that! When I think about my traumas and my hurt my brain can’t seem to find the “important “ ones and then I’m like “wait no there’s so much more” you don’t really know where to start

[@vienna-mf8xb]

How you doing now?

[@mochaest1994]

@@vienna-mf8xb sometimes a deep emptiness arises in me and i feel lost again. Currently seeking affordable help, otherwise I am actually quite happy

[@gerardocaballero1558]

Never noticed that behind Ivy on 0:59 there is a horse and a dog as a reference for Bojack and Mr.Peanutbutter.

[@amarsven]

I find the portrait of Diane so credible. Many are traumatized. She writes her autobiographical book so her damage is not just damage. However, it almost always is. We believe we got stronger and we might even hurt others because of that believe. "What doesn't kill you...".

[@AP-ex6qz]

Honestly this was exactly how I felt my recovery from depression with anti depressants felt like. I suddenly stopped writing smaller sad misery poems and the doodles next to them grew bigger, now I'm a full time artist

[@Gooberwares]

Honestly Diane made her own path she grew up while her family stayed the same horrible people who couldn’t even do a funeral right

[@falconeshield]

It helps she had a rich husband

[@nightmime6314]

I related to Diane, a lot. We have similar backgrounds in not really knowing ourselves. Trauma and abuse, family issues and the constant search for a way out. After being treated like ass for ur whole childhood it’s hard to stay optimistic and find a way out because in reality even your own blood will treat you horribly. It’s just making the right choices for yourself once you have that power. I wanted to write a book about my trauma because I was hurt and deeply saddened but Diane made me realize even in her trauma, I don’t have to write about it. I don’t have to force myself to recollect all the things that have been wrong in my life. Another option is just to move on, do something greater for the good of others so a past like mine won’t be repeated again.

[@vienna-mf8xb]

Dude that beautiful. How are you doing now bro if you don't mind me asking?

[@DeathnoteBB]

This is so accurate to how writing can be. Sometimes you hit something that just flows out of you.

[@articwolfclawartandanimati3662]

“I’m trying to write about my childhood trauma. Who are you?” If that doesn’t perfectly sum up being a fiction author I don’t know what does

[@jessebeeson29]

Holy shit, i have to watch this show now. Finally i have a show that describes and directly shows what its like to know whats happened to you but being unable to express or coherently describe the trauma. When she started stuttering when coming up with examples, my heart started breaking

[@TravellerZasha]

As a writer who deals with heavy childhood trauma, this is very relatable. I always write happy endings even if the story is dark because I don't have the heart or mentally can't. It doesn't mean I don't write dark stuff and topics, in my personal writing I write the darkest and mentally messed up stuff for myself but for others I want to write something with a hint of hope in the same way that those cute adventure stories for children/teens did for me.

[@Jyn.Andors]

I had a really bad friend from age 4-16 and when I stopped being friends with her, I was in my own head for a while after thinking: "Maybe I'm wrong to not be friends with her anymore. Maybe I'm the bad one" because I couldn't think of any specific examples that I thought were "good enough" that would "prove" she was toxic. Trauma is a lot to unpack and I'm still working through what happened, but it's okay to go at your own pace :)

[@WC-jd8rn]

Later in the episode Dianne accepts Ivy as her way to work out her trauma. She's fun and easy going just like Dianne keeps telling herself she can't be because of all the damage in her life. "It's not that easy" "yeah I know... But wouldn't it be nice if it was."

[@danielnemesio3388]

Love the overall theme in the show of how entertainment fulls the void inside us away from lonliness and sometimes reality

[@rodolforodriguez4447]

I feel like this is what artists feel like when they have to deal with obnoxious artist that criticize them for not making 'real' art.

[@laylam7979]

100%, this is exactly how I feel.

[@CHR0MEMATIC]

Lol totally. I'm in college for animation rn and the teacher keeps pushing us to make these deeply personal stories...man I just wanna make funni cartoons.

[@marrytouchstone9711]

Am I the only one who wants to read Ivy Tran Food Court Detective? It sounds really cool and fun. I wish it was a real book that I could read

[@malcifer9950]

I just finished the first chapter of writing a piece of teenage transgender YA which isn’t something I ever thought I’d write but I know how significant stories like that were to me a teenager and it’s genuinely been really good for processing a lot of stuff in my childhood

[@tjsmith5276]

Diane says "all the damage I had wasn't good damage...I could have been happy all this time." No, Diane, you learn to find happiness from your trauma. You wandered in the darkness for a long time to find the light.

[@13eetle13omber]

"...sidled up to me, all moose-like." xD

[@AprilSBarnes]

I unironically want to read Ivy Tran: Food Court Detective lol

[@nathanieljefferies5491]

Wish we could all conceptualise more relatable versions of ourselves.

[@theodenmannix4362]

Relate hard on how fictional characters are born. They pop into existence seemingly with a CV and start telling about themselves, completely ready with looks and family history, writer just takes notes.

[@MYLAR.]

The solution for her is writing a book she would’ve needed when she was a teen

[@mariavictoriabrizuela2131]

no bc that's exactly how I felt while trying to explain to my therapist the emotional abuse I've suffered from my dad in my childhood. suddenly u can't explain it, it doesn't even sound that bad even though you /know/ it was and how much it's affected u

[@cryptidsprinkles]

That experience of not being able to specifically give examples of experiences is so anxiety, deflating, shame and embrassment filled. Trauma tends to cause memory dysfunction, and if it's complex enough, can become an incoherent surrealist amalgam. Sometimes with gaps or whole chapters missing. Or sequences out of order, blended or clustered together. And your memories, feelings and ability to recall your own history coherently is difficult if not impossible. This also happens in my day to day life, wherein I know in the moment why each day it is difficult to say fill out some forms, but in the moment when asked why I didn't complete them, I don't or have a hard time summing up all those days. And if I do manage to explain anything, it sounds so inconsequential. This scene nails this perfectly ❤

[@SHIkun9000]

The one thing I don't quite get metaphorically is why Ivy Tran is based off the clerk in Trauma that was rude to her... Or wait, as I write that out, maybe thats it: she's literally taken an agent of her Trauma and making something fun, therefore processing it? Maybe?

[@mchikos]

This part of the show taught me so much

[@carlcarlington7317]

Much of the last season of bojack seemed to be advice for creative types on creating art. The ivy tran story doesn’t ignore Sara Lyn’s trauma or the real issues that Sara wants to write about instead it takes these ideas and covers them in a more palatable coding. Instead of a complex hit piece on what ceos of massive businesses do ivy Tran conveys the same ideas in a way more people could relate to “managers are super annoying” instead of being just about the troubles in the world ivy Tran acknowledges said troubles while empowering the audience.

[@viciousmilk]

This was such a good episode with Diane. Ive always kind of related to her, but i really relate to Chicago Diane and her creative journey. Not everything you create as an artist has to be extremely meaningful or emotional or packed with personal baggage. Sometimes it can just be fun and hopeful with the goal of entertaining. There needs to be a balance for your own sanity and mental health. Took me a while to understand that.

[@EDFHLFLFF]

fucking love her dads "omg tell me"

[@Tylarross123]

“Turn your trauma into treasured gold”…

[@cl3042]

This is so relatable as a writer. Sometimes the story you want to right just can’t be thought out enough/ just isn’t vivid enough to actually be written. (As show when the memoir ideas are all sketchy and messy) but sometimes an idea pops up and it’s so vivid you could right about it for hours. World building down to the atoms. But it’s not the story you really want to write. But you know it’s this not nothing

[@geministrial950]

I have never related to a fictional character so much in my life.

[@captaingreen4116]

I love shows like this. Most of the time it's wacky and insane and so fun, but moments like this are so cleverly woven into the whole narrative that it shocks me every time I see it because a show about a talking horse manages to perfectly reflect my own childhood and relationship with my parents in less than 2 minutes. That's incredible- this show, dude!

[@Tarik360]

Ivy and really her new life in Chicago in general is Diane reconnecting with positivity bit by bit cause her story is that she realizes that there is only so much you can get out of sorrow.

[@GdoubleWB]

0:59 I think the moose is voiced by Randall Park.

[@KindredKeepsake]

Baby Diane being carried by Todd is so cute, and would make a ton of sense considering he has a way with kids. XD

[@courtneyshannon2621]

This is such a dark episode overall, but it always cracks me up with the goblin version of her dad popping out of the locker at 0:33 asking "Oh my god, tell me!" This show was so good at throwing in bits of levity and whimsy into overall-dark themes.

[@czowieksmiechu6652]

Diane is Asian and 21 century "DARIA"

[@schmendrake]

"I don't fetishize my own unhappiness" and again I say "sure"

[@tea-chip-cookies]

These script writers, artists and editors are on another level of making you feel nostalgic for a life you never had.

[@sweetypsycho4895]

Ivy T is my spirit animal here

[@woIf]

I don't think anything could have more inherent comedic value than "Ivy Tran: Food Court Detective"

[@camilogarciaylasaari1857]

If they ever published actual Ivy Tran books, I'd read them. I'd read any book inspired by this show, like One Trick Pony

[@Noobclock666]

Diane is such a good writor, she didn't even know she wrote that.

[@nexus5253]

Any writer with personal issues and insecurities can see parts of their their conceptual processing in this scene.

[@thomasspongeconductor2222]

I’d actually love to read Ivy Tran, or watch it if it was a show.

[@SkullQueen33]

The way I would unironically read Ivy Tran Food Court Detective

[@djprogramer973]

Especially when on antidepressants and then my brain got used to them so idk Edit: gatta remember that your depression may not be the only problem. I had to learn that in a extremely hard way. Therapy isn't the answer and neither is the antidepressants, get people to explain what you're doing that makes them uncomfortable but just accept it as information and nothing more. "Is it valuable or complete bs" that's up to you

[@daphnezhow9962]

I just watched this video in the middle of a writers block and now my mind is blown

[@earfgoddess]

idk why but i really relate to how in Diane's rambling mind goes autopilot random ass people she saw or things she heard just create and start talking and she gets attached to them. as a creative, does this happen to anyone else or are me and diane just kind of crazy,,,,

[@prologue_00]

TIL the voice actress who played Ivy Tran also voices Mizu in Blue Eye Samurai.

[@mileslentz]

I would absolutely read “Ivy Tran: Food Court Detective” if it was a real book

[@historiadelocosJPMorillo]

I want a series about Ivy

[@autismobinch135]

I just now noticed the moose says “based” in response to Ivy saying she’s Vietnamese American and I wish I could unnotice this.

[@tahraethestoryteller6079]

Just gonna ignore how the teen moose worker said his boss was going to mount his head in the wall? This show 😂

[@razzledazzle7112]

Pretty recently my mom killed herself and it kinda fucked me up a lot. I feel like a different more depressing person, I don’t even recognize myself most of the time. Diane writing about this happy, easy going, interesting girl felt to me like “God wouldn’t it just be so much more fun and easy to be that person. I wish I could be that person” it’s like we know what we want but how tf does she get there

[@bingo_bunny]

I'm really sorry that happened, and it's understandable what it would do to your psyche. I hope for this to be a darker side of a tunnel, and there to be light up ahead. Keep going! When my dad died at 13, I felt the same. But I hope it can get brighter like it did for me.