Doctor REACTS to BOJACK HORSEMAN | Psychiatrist Analyzes "The View From Halfway Down" | Dr Elliott

[@PrismOpal64]

Fun little fact about this episode, Bojack realizes he's dying 17 minutes in. That's how long he waited to call for help for Sarah Lynn.

[@rainbowfizz104]

everything i learn about this show just makes me love it that much more

[@darkninjafirefox]

That's actually pretty chilling

[@ae831]

NO omg that makes this all WAY more depressing wtf 😭

[@wtimmins]

It's just a brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT show. I find it hard to watch, but ... brilliant.

[@lissalemonscrafts]

OMG! That gave me chills!

[@Shadow-zf5uc]

The poem the View from Halfway Down was actually inspired by the creators listening to speeches, lectures, and interviews given by people who survived jumping off the golden gate bridge. And the words of other suicide survivors. The showwriters really did their research and it shows

[@akvar02]

Honestly, that whole scene with the view from halfway down terrified me. I had nightmares for days. It really hits different when you’ve stood at the top of those overpasses and bridges. 😢 Hang in there everyone

[@johnbranch6833]

And it was recited by the character who jumped from the bridge, but didn't survive... incredibly deep

[@Stormyweatherthetrueyoutuber]

The poem is also told in 3rd person at first then told in 2nd person then first person.... 3, 2, 1

[@dickwaffle468]

@@Stormyweatherthetrueyoutuber And he visibly holds 4 pages

[@daltonrothchild6569]

This phenomenon has been the one thing stopping me from suicide many times, the idea that I’ll see everything clearly only once it’s too late to climb down.

[@violetleporid]

You astutely noticed that they were all eating their last meals, but may not have noticed that the reason Zach Braff was serving them without eating anything himself is because he was cannibalized, instead of eating a last meal he became one.

[@imogenstarr-lawrence1626]

OMG THIS SHOW IS SO SMART

[@Hamantha]

Holy shit I didn’t even catch that

[@fizzy.milkcan3292]

There’s one part of this episode that not a lot of people talk about. Herb says in the dinner scene that after leaving Horsin’ Around, he considered suicide. But he stayed alive because “The Knicks were having a good season.” And when asked what he would have done if they were having a bad season he says “I don’t know. Gotten into baseball?” This one struck me personally. A lot of being suicidal is finding small, mundane reasons not to harm yourself. The fear of suicide sometimes drives people to look for anything to live for, even if it’s as small as a good basketball season. And I’m surprised that this show was able to tackle that so well in a throwaway conversation. Every single line of this episode is so impactful

[@blunderwomanthemyscira6224]

This makes total sense to me. Turns out, it's definitely something I did in order to stick around. I recite the poem too.

[@readytoenditall]

Such a beautiful moment. Bojack was actually one of those shows for me once upon a time. Told myself I at least needed to see the ending of my favorite show. Thankfully when it did end I found more reasons too.

[@flawedsanity]

TVFHD is tied with Free Churro for my favorite BoJack eps, and this moment is one of the reasons why. I've been chronically suicidal since I was very young. And there's never been any huge reason that I'm still alive - it's things like this. For instance, perhaps I really want to see a movie that's coming out soon... I stay alive for things like that.

[@unhingeddoood]

Mine was that Unus Annus was still going, then that I finally got invited to my first birthday party at 15 or 16. Luckily I figured things out from there.

[@unknowndane4754]

Butterscotch/Secretarian's poem is quite a haunting scene in my opinion, especially with just the door looming ever so closer to him as he describes his descent.

[@ohnowendigos8804]

And the increasing panic and realization in his voice, really well acted

[@rainbowfizz104]

@@ohnowendigos8804 agreed, will arnett's performance in this whole show is top-notch but this episode is particularly incredible

[@AH-vm8yo]

This has been said many times but his poem starts off in third person then goes to second person and then to first. First verse he uses he/his second he uses you/your then the last verse he uses I.

[@AH-vm8yo]

The weak breeze whispers nothing the water screams sublime. HIS feet shift, teeter-totter deep breaths, stand back, it’s time. Toes untouch the overpass soon HE'S water-bound. Eyes locked shut but peek to see the view from halfway down. A little wind, a summer sun a river rich and regal. A flood of fond endorphins brings a calm that knows no equal. YOU'RE flying now,YOU see things much more clear than from the ground. It's all okay, or it would be were YOU not now halfway down. Thrash to break from gravity what now could slow the drop? All I'D give for toes to touch the safety back at top. But this is it, the deed is done silence drowns the sound. Before I leaped I should've seen the view from halfway down. I really should’ve thought about the view from halfway down. I wish I could've known about the view from halfway down.

[@theorangeoof926]

@@AH-vm8yoIt’s a countdown: 3, 2, 1.

[@SCEmissary]

One of the hardest hitting moments in this episodes for me were Herb's last words to Bojack. Bojack: "See you on the other side?" Herb: "Oh Bojack, no, there is no other side. This is it." For Bojack (as an atheist) this was the last chance to find some relief, some hope. And it got crushed completely. He is left alone, no way back, no way to go, nothing he can do. The last confrontation with reality, leaving him to die in desperation. (And countering it by fantasizing about the call with Diane.)

[@blindey]

Same here really.

[@claudiusmaximus4088]

Bojack needs some Jesus in his life

[@Phantomphan613]

​@@claudiusmaximus4088as someone who grew up with it, it doesn't help

[@GlancingChimp2]

One little detail that I love is right at the end of the episode when Bojack has the imaginary phone call with Diane. After realising none of it matters, he asks her how's was your day, and she replies with my day was good. If we go back season 2 episode 10 that's exactly what Diane wants Mr PeanutButter to say to her. Just a nice little call back that shows Bojack does care about her quite deeply despite them eventually going their own separate ways.

[@imogenstarr-lawrence1626]

he was asking her for his own selfish reasons tho, to make him feel at peace.

[@user-sl6gn1ss8p]

@@imogenstarr-lawrence1626 still, her saying she's okay is what helps him feel at peace, could be anything else - could be something about him, for example. Also, I'm not sure I'd call selfish wanting to hear from a friend when everything's gone to shit, but maybe there's a language barrier here

[@imogenstarr-lawrence1626]

@@user-sl6gn1ss8p it literally shows that his actions were selfish and unfair to Diane in the next episode. He called Diane to ask for help when she was in another state meaning she had to feel the guilt of letting him die.

[@user-sl6gn1ss8p]

@@imogenstarr-lawrence1626 it's been a while since I watched, but even then, that's about the actual call that happened, not the imagined call the op was talking about. To be clear, I don't think anyone is saying bojack wasn't repeatedly selfish towards her, but that also doesn't mean he simply didn't at all care (not trying to justify anything either, though).

[@WatashiMachineFullCycle]

One of the parts that always gets me, aside from Herb's "oh Bojack, no, there is no other side. This is it", is Beatrice's performance. It's so tied to crackerjack - the way the ribbons completely encase her and unravel the way her dementia consumed her, and how crackerjack essentially pulled her down with him is just symbolically haunting. Crackerjack died when she was so young, and yet she never had a chance to bounce back from it. His death was the turning point for the worst for her - for such an unlikable character it's really devastating to find that she never had a chance.

[@absolutegarbage4582]

Bojack is crazy in that way- the realistic way where no matter how shitty of a person someone is theres always an unfortunate event that leads to it. Other shows grasp this concept but Bojack actually dives into the snuffed out humanity in people-

[@indigothecat]

There's an important moment at the dinner table where BoJack reveals that he's had this dream sequence before but always wakes up before he can leave the table to go into the auditorium. BoJack's panic and uncertainity doesn't start to set in until he doesn't wake up at the usual time.

[@janvierr9906]

This recurring dream also comes up as a throwaway comment when BoJack is in rehab with Dr Champ. It's amazing the things one notices when rewatching this show.

[@indigothecat]

@Janvier R Oh right! I forgot that he talked about that with Mr. Doctor Champ, the therapy horse.

[@ZakJordan98]

Also, the Narciccus Painting that's been a constant throughout the show. Depicts a horse treading water. When it shows up here, the horse has drowned

[@morganfarr5886]

As someone with C-PTSD and BPD, I see more of myself in Bojack than I'd like to admit, and frankly, the view from Halfway down saved my life. It's something I go back to every time the demons come, it tells me to not jump because I will never see another thing than the view from halfway down.

[@dim307]

bojack has BPD written all over him, for sure. it's rare we see male representation of the disorder.

[@mkon29]

i also have bpd and i never related to any fictional character as strongly as bojack. yes, i can see his flaws and how he may be perceived as a “bad guy” for some. but all i see is a deeply miserable, lost person who is just trying to find someone who will understand and help him with his struggles 💔

[@morganfarr5886]

@@mkon29 Oh I never said he was a bad guy, And I totally agree, But people absolutely should not be looking up to him.

[@brianl7223]

​@@mkon29send you a hugg💙

[@absolutegarbage4582]

I just recently swallowed my pride and told my friends just how much I see myself in bojack. That seems dumb but I remember years ago, when I hadn't actually watched the show, a couple of my friends talking about bojack and coming to the resounding conclusions he was a shitty person. Watching bojack stirred emotions in me that have never been touched by a character before- and while its kinda shitty to realize the best representation of my mental illness is and alcoholic horse who cant seem to keep his shit together- its kinda nice to feel seen.

[@jerryhayes9497]

This show is, seriously, one of the best ever made. And its sad that a lot of people will never see it because they think it's just a silly cartoon and won't even give it a try

[@cheezbiscuit4140]

the silly cartoon aspects of the show are what keeps it from being too much of a bummer to watch.

[@adamvialpando106]

Secretariat's poem is so haunting. After I saw this episode I had some great discussions with others, including a man who worked with depressed and suicidal people. He mentioned to me that among those who had attempted suicide a large amount of them felt regret after they had did the deed, which surprised. He told that people who contemplate suicide don't actually want to die. What they want is for their pain to stop and they view suicide as the only solution. So he helps them through whatever their pain is in order to help show them other options. An overlooked part is also Herb talking about suicide. He mentions that he considered it but he wanted to see how well the Knicks did. And if they weren't well he says he may have gotten into baseball instead. This shows that while he was depressed part of him was looking help and ways to help him continue to live and find joy in life. And I know that all of this is really how Bojack himself felt.

[@the.fatjohnny503]

When you want to kill yourself, you don't necessarily want to die. Your just trying to kill something within you. There are alot of people who know or want health while not at the same time. It's a difficult thing to deal with..

[@imarquezc]

Another detail is that Sarah Lynn starts this episode as a child, and gets older as the episode develops.

[@gillian2325]

the fear in bojack's voice when he's under the table calling diane always gets me. i've made calls like that. the actor and writers did a geat job

[@dennishaganjr]

i’ve never met a person who doesn’t love and appreciate the writing and care that went into making this show. i’ve met people who refuse to watch the show, sure. but out of everyone who HAS seen it, it’s universally praised and i love that.

[@WillowJordan1979]

A bird in a house means someone in that house will die. It's another metaphor for death, although there might be something to the bird being a young "hot" woman. (or that's how I read it anyway) Bojack always had short sexual relationships with young women, but like Herb says, he wasn't anyone's husband or father. The triumph of getting the bird out of the house happens in the "Horsin' Around" kitchen, the show being his one triumph in life. That was when he was young and famous. Throughout the show, he kept watching the DVDs and looking back on that part of his life. Maybe he was happy there for a while, and was never able to feel that again, as he slowly sank into alcoholism and embracing his narcissistic traits. I don't think he was talentless, more like the fame and money ruined him.

[@rokkraljkolesa9317]

he helped Todd with his rock opera back in season 1, and the 2 versions of "Don't Stop Dancing" lead some people to believe he may have a talent for music/songs assuming this is the case, it's likely to have been suppressed due to Beatrice forcing him to do the Lollipop Song in front of others

[@potato_that_tickles_his_pickle]

I think the performances reflect the persons headspace when they died. Sarah-Lynn for example. BoJack always told her when she was a kid to never stop dancing, never stop smiling and to give all of herself to her fans because they're all she'll ever have. And she was probably thinking about that when she died. Secretariats poem speaks for itself, what he was thinking before he hit the ground. Beatrice emotionally died when her brother died, which is why he tied the rope around himself during the performance and jumped, dragging Beatrice down with him. Also all she remembered when she died was being young, because of the dementia. Etc etc you get my point, everything has meaning when it comes to that episode I think. I saw someone else say this btw, and I just feel it makes sense

[@dynatic4384]

1:33 - one small detail, that makes this even more fitting - hydrangeas are very poisonous to cats, dogs and even... horses. Those apologies he's giving turn out to be a poison for others (like Todd said: 'You can't keep doing shitty things, and then feel bad about yourself, like that makes it okay.').

[@popcornastoria]

My little sibling was friends with the streamer/KZbinr Etika, who died by suicide, jumping off of the Manhattan Bridge. After learning of his passing, we went to pay our respects at the memorial that'd been set up on the Manhattan Bridge. A lot of people came and held vigil, wrote something, left offerings and memories. 3 years later, I watched The View From Halfway Down. And I do not yet have the words nor the ability to describe how I felt, having stood where Etika, friend of my little sibling, jumped from the bridge. Maybe what happened in my own mind and heart is too sacred to disclose just yet. All this to say, it profoundly moved me. And if it saved your life, then I am so, so glad you're here. RIP Desmond "Etika" Amofah, you were a real one.

[@WillowJordan1979]

Bojack calls: "Sarah Lynn? Sarah Lynn?" like he did when she died next to him.

[@Jurgan6]

I’m gonna disagree with the comment that Bojack owes his mom an apology. It’s the other way around, she was terrible to him and he was her responsibility. Great analysis overall. I especially liked your comment about dream analysis. It’s like natural selection- there are lots of dreams generated at random but you hold on to the ones that have some value.

[@violentvixen592]

Can I offer a "yes and also" on the first part of your comment? I agree that Beatrice owes Bojack an apology. She was a horrible mother. It's obvious from the show. However, Bojack isn't free here. He, in return, with the wherewithal to know better and be better, treats his mom horribly in return. Many of their adult interactions, particularly in the end, are about Bojacks desire to hurt her in the ways she hurt him. But, with this example of generational trauma, only one side apologizing wouldn't heal either of them in the ways they desire. Unrelated since neither apologized in the end, I do also want to say, it would have been far more likely for Bojack to apologize than Beatrice anyways. Throughout the show, we are giving examples of not just Bojack's desire to change but his occasional willingness to follow through (such as rehab). Beatrice, on the other hand, never changes. Her emotional growth is shown to be stunted.

[@LauraGrrrr5370]

I always felt a bit cheated that we never got to see Bojack's relationship with Butterscotch as an adult. He's conspicuous by his absence in Bojack's adult life - jealous maybe that his son had success in the arts where he didn't? When I first saw this episode and Butterscotch/Secretariat explains to Bojack that he did care but was too afraid to show it, my first thought was that if they'd had more episodes (ie if they hadn't been told that this was the final season) we might have seen that explored properly. But it does work as what Bojack *wishes* his father would have said to him, as a dying hallucination.

[@xoTalim]

@@morgothable Nah, Butterscotch died in 2009. In the Halloween episode Mr. Peanutbutter's Boos, he is on the phone with his mom finding out his father died when Diane goes to talk to him in her ridiculous Halloween costume.

[@Jurgan6]

@@xoTalim I’m sorry, did you say a duel? Who dies in a duel? (Ironically I just got back from a performance of Hamilton.)

[@blouburkette]

I've suffered from SI since I was 8 (now 31). I have to battle this demon every. single. day. (It's easier with meds, but he still hangs around). This episode put me on the path to committing to putting on the gloves to live life. That poem lives rent free in my head to remind me that while that thought might sound enticing in the moment of overwhelm remember how clearly you will be able to see once you make that choice. I then (almost always now) take a step back and start screaming (out loud or in my head) to shut up. Shut up. Shut Up. Shut up. When that does not work I move to my call list. (Support network). Hasn't moved past this in two years. Doing so much better. In no small part to Dr. Elliot here. I hope he remembers my comment from many videos back. I did start meds 6 months ago and I'm doing what the kids call "Better". Haha.

[@onionbubs386]

Glad that you're still here with us. It's not an easy battle to fight, but I'm proud of you.

[@KKarkatVantas]

YES! You are finally doing the best episode of Bojack, and one of the best episodes of anything in general

[@sarahmeredith4853]

I have watched this show 3 or 4 times. I only now realized the poignancy of the plot of “Bojack hates the troops”. The more we know about Bojack, the more we know about why he reacts so loudly and severely to the “seal”

[@Yu7Yu7Me7Yume7]

What do you mean?

[@pastelquartz6857]

​@@Yu7Yu7Me7Yume7I think they were referring to one of the first episodes of the show where Bojack offends a seal.

[@beowulf916]

​@@pastelquartz6857I think think what they are asking is how does knowing more about bojack as a person....horse...thing, make us understand his petty action toward Neal McBeal the Navy Seal in the second episode any more, other than just seeing more of how terrible he is toward everyone around him.

[@kuuderekitten5201]

@@Yu7Yu7Me7Yume7 This is old but I'm pretty sure she means that Bojack was subconsciously spiteful toward crackerjack for pulling his mothers life down. Thats why he doesn't respect people in the armed forces.

[@Yu7Yu7Me7Yume7]

@@kuuderekitten5201 Wow thank you for this response, I never even considered that.

[@e_eyster]

This show on it own is great... but as anyone who has gone through very bad spots in their lives where things get questioned... its very hard to actually watch it more than once, especially the "View from halfway down" poem because of how close to home it hits.

[@ZakJordan98]

One of the details that always gets me being at the dinner everyone is eating the last thing they had before they died Bojack - Pills and Chlorine water Herb - Peanuts from the truck he crashed in to Beatrice - Nursing Home Food Sarah Lynn - Fast Food cause assumingly her and Bojack ate that at some point on their bender. Crackerjack - War Rations Secretariat/Butterscotch - Eggs representing Secretariat's athlete's diet, snd Whiskey to represent Butterscotch's alcoholism Corduroy - A Lemon Zach Braff - He's serving the meals cause they ate him

[@jerryhayes9497]

I might be wrong here , but I always thought that Sarah Lynn would have been denied fast food most of her life because she had to remain skinny as an actress/pop star... So her choice of last meal is an act of defiance, in my opinion

[@ZakJordan98]

@@jerryhayes9497 Probably would have been, for once in her life, and sadly the last time, not being forced to watch her carbs

[@kuuderekitten5201]

There is no way she ate healthy and did like 500 different drugs at the same time. When she went downhill she definitely ate fast food all the time, and it was probably her last meal. Drugs like meth will keep you skinny no matter how much fast food you eat. She did eat healthy while sober (showed when she made the smoothie with goji berries and rhino horn and all that special stuff- but she smashes the blender when bojack calls her to party@@jerryhayes9497

[@builttoscalevideos]

Two things to note that I really like about this episode. 1. Is the immediate acceptance Bojack experiences when Diane says she’s in Chicago, a sense of calm, the way I see it, this could potentially be a callback to something he described in Free Churro, that “Moment of weird calm” he saw happen to his mother, is now happening to him, he’s immediately calmed down cause he realised the chance of him getting rescued at that point is basically zero at that point. And 2. in the credits we hear a Flatline, and about 11 seconds later if you click the “Watch Credits” button. The monitor restarts to a steady beat. And if you ask me, that’s showing us that Bojack was clinically dead for a total of 11 seconds before being revived by a total stroke of luck. And we can see what those 11 seconds taught him when he reflects on his problems in the series finale “Nice While it Lasted” it was the one slap in the face Bojack needed to finally start working on fixing himself for good, which in “Nice While it Lasted” he says is what Prison Time has helping him with.

[@ML-di8lt]

So without being weird, my near death experience made this episode so peaceful to me. It's like I made peace with my mortality forever ago and now it's just a song and dance until we meet again as old friends.

[@PaarthurnaxXCIX]

My interpretation of the black door is that death is both final, uncertain but also peaceful. It is a door we all have to go through and that we have no idea about what is on the other side. The darkness is both terrifying and calming, the same can be said of death. Darkness engulfs everything around it, becoming one and the same. But it is also still and peaceful, and the ultimate finality of everything, including life and the universe.

[@Serryy]

I wouldnt call it peaceful. The idea that death is some kind of relief or peace or whatever is something we tell us so we can cope with our inevitable end. Bojack Horseman doesnt portray the door as some kind of peaceful thing. The black tar devours everyone, whether they are ready or not. And most are not ready. Death is scary in that episode. Bojack runs from it and hes right to do it.

[@dh599]

This is such a powerful episode "If it doesn't matter... can I stay on the phone with you" got me tearing up again. I love this series.

[@Alliecatastrophe]

That poem and the ending phone call, where Bojack realizes its too late, Diane can't save him, the one person he thought could, and he doesnt get angry or lash out or self pity, he just asks how her day was, wants to hear her voice one last time, a solace and anchor and beacon, oof

[@bialynia]

I can't put my finger on why exactly but it hits me hard that all those people, many of whom died prematurely and in stupid and tragic circumstances, went peacefully through the black door but the one who resisted and wasn't ready was the one person who committed suicide and bragged about going on his own terms and choosing his time... Another thing that made a huge impact is that in the very next episode, we learn that that phone to Diane wasn't all that symbolic and imaginary. Bojack had actually called her telling her what he was doing and that he needed her help when she was in another state and unable to do anything.

[@jackiewood973]

If you'd let the final credits carry on, while the "flatlining" noise was the only sound, you would have heard the heartbeat start again, just near the end. Great analysis BTW! x

[@Delta_Aves]

I always thought in the scene where he calls Diane, and realizes what happened, was the moment when he went into full cardiac arrest; the cardinal in the house can be interpreted as his heart, fluttering in the beginning, but near the end, it starts rapid firing before finally getting consumed by the tar. At that moment, his heart was no longer pumping blood, but his brain was still functioning, and it suddenly switched to this eerie calmness because the blood flow stopped; the brain no longer had enough energy to feel anxious and fearful, and when the tar engulfed him and that flare is heard, he was officially dead. Until it started beeping again, and that’s the moment he woke up in the hospital.

[@kuuderekitten5201]

While I like your symbolism, his heart didn't stop until the end. The Heart rate monitor is heard at the end of the episode stopping. Cardinals are symbols life, hope, and vitality though.

[@Weimaraner_crime_araner]

I love this episode so so much. I have the poem printed and framed to help me when im in a dark place. Some people think its morbid, but it helps me remember that I have options, and only one is truly irreversible

[@sumowow]

Dr. Elliot it seems you may not have noticed but after the episode ends and you hear the flatline, if you listen to the ending credits long enough you can hear the point when they bring Bojack back.

[@CatinaLeon]

This is my favorite episode of anything ever, so well done... I hope to see you react to the finale too :)

[@TheMilkMan8008]

Bojack as a whole saved my life. It helped me find myself through my depression and suicidal tendencies, thoughts, and actions. I finished Bojack and saw myself. I didn't want to be like Bojack. It was a teagic story so I realized what my problems were and I got help. Today I can not rewatch Bojack or I relapse in depression thoughts. It is such a deep show and has so much meaning. It is something everybody should watch once. Any more than that and it would probably hurt you. I really recomend an almost 30 minute video called Faces of Depression 1959 Psychiatric Interviews. You have reacted to parts of it, but the whole thing is extraordinarily meaningful. Not because of the video itself, but because of Dr. Heinz Lehmann and his patience and understanding od patients. It connects with many people and i know so many who wluld benifit from feeing it or seeing an expert talk about it.

[@tuneflake8433]

Johny 2Cellos made an amazing Video about this Episode, it's analyzing everything really detailled ^^

[@jeffbrehove2614]

Ah a fellow fan!

[@nathanadler1452]

The tar also represents the corrosive nature of Hollywood; it was referenced in an earlier episode where a character observes that huge chunk of Los Angeles is built over tar pits.

[@doriandavi8955]

To me this episode represents the fear of nothingness ( beside the fear of death). The tar is the nothingness which devours Bojack's world. The discussion about the doing good acts that are selfless is a tribute to an episode of Friends in which Phoebe and Joey have a similar discussion about good deeds. It's emblematic and even more sad that this discussion tributing a sitcom now that Bojack's dying, because it transforms comedy to drama from inside out. It's also emblematic the way he dies: drowning. Depression is often associated with drowning. Is Bojack's depression that is killing him? He sees himself as the tar pit after all. Also an interesting thing: when he calls Diane, her manner of speaking reminds of first season's Diane ( lighthearted and cheerful), not the more aware, mature and sometimes intense Diane that we see in the last season. When he calls Diane he hides under a kitchen table, like he did when he was a child and was hiding from his mother. Right before loosing consciousness he returns briefly to a child like state, helpless and frightened. I think that the words of the producer of Horsin' Around in the previous episode are a well timed setup for this one: "Nothing matters and everything matters tremendously". Every character in the dream describes their world view and values, but in a dialogue that from the pace reminds first the sitcom ( with the bird catching scene which is even cheerful), then a theater play. This is how Bojack makes sense of the world. He is performing together with other characters for the benefit of a public which doesn't exist. His moments of realization are when he goes off script and complains about the tar or the water and eventually interrupts the show to ask real questions. This is when he starts to realize how much these people and his own life matter to him

[@twiztidfreekshow199]

This is in my top 3 favorite episodes. Basically any that are heavy subject matter or involved Beatrice's childhood. They just hit so much harder and so much of this show is so relatable in many of the characters

[@ryepie21]

this is truly my favorite bojack episode

[@MusouInken]

I wish he'd talked a bit about how Beatrice disappeared before going through the door.

[@bobbobbo5278]

This episode always gives me a panic attack because i have terrible death anxiety, i think about it everynight and literally twitch from fear sometimes. I just wish i could accept it

[@brophaner]

I was thinking about how you connected the deceased in this episode and I realised that Crackerjack is the (or one of the major) reason that Beatrice did not get close to BoJack. Honey Sugarman to young Bea: "Beatrice, promise me you will never love anyone as much as I loved Crackerjack." "I promise". And Beatrice kept that promise.

[@cyncinnati]

if you kept watching the credits and heard the machine beeping, you could hear it flicking back to life at the very end

[@WatashiMachineFullCycle]

Omg the finale! This episode is so beautiful. The symbolism throughout is so powerful

[@PlausiblyBryce]

One detail during the performance segment I like was how each person went through the door. And how it related to their deaths. Sarah Lynn: Held her breath as she went through. As heroin overdose cuts off oxygen. Corduroy Jackson: His body hangs in the curtain briefly in a lifeless, limp position. Zach Braff: Shoved towards it without being ready to go. In the show, he was eaten alive. Secretariat: The door looms closer, as did the water when he jumped off a bridge. Crackerjack: Jumps into the void, falling through it at a rapid pace. As his death was instant after the bullet went through his head during WWII. Beatrice: This one is a tad difficult to interpret. I assume it was Crackerjack’s death and her mom’s lobotomy that caused her to become gradually bitter; just as the black ooze from the door gradually overtook her ribbon cocoon. Or maybe she considered death to be a comforting release AKA “the easy part”. Herb: The door hinge becomes fluid, as he could hear his IV drip during his time from battling cancer. Bojack: As Charlotte referred to LA and eventually Bojack as “tar”, that tar is finally enveloping and consuming Bojack in his final moments.

[@tobeornottobe5611]

Can't wait for the finale. Hope there isn't such a big wait this time.

[@darkninjafirefox]

One thing i think is missed when Bojack talks about having the dream before is that hes been that close to death before. Eother through his drug benders, drinking to excess or possibly his motorcycle accident off the side of the building. Hes been so close to death yet never realized it

[@starlight8554]

I *adore* Bojack Horseman. I found it when I needed it, just when my mother was diagnosed with end stage cancer. It helped me work through so many feelings.

[@onionbubs386]

I'm sorry about your mother. I hope you and your family can find healing.

[@jademcl4727]

I think about the poem all the time. It has saved me more times than I'd like to admit..

[@zuleyka_adame]

absolutely love your input on Bojack and Hannibal, keep up the great work!!👍👍

[@jayden.exe420]

CRIMINAL NO EMMY

[@rainbowfizz104]

thanks for this, i finished my umpteenth rewatch of bojack a few days ago and didn't know what to do with myself next. your videos are always so insightful and informative, so i was thrilled when i found your bojack videos because it's one of my favorite shows. if you are planning to do more bojack content, i would love to hear your perspective on bojack and elopement. there are several times in the show where boj straight-up disappears from his problems, and i would be very interested to hear some insight on the psychological side of that coping mechanism. thanks for making such great videos!

[@mg8005]

I dont know if I have recommended this before, but I would suggest songs from Next to Normal! It is a musical from 2008 about a family where the mother struggles with bipolar disorder, and grief/trauma. "Who's Crazy"/ " My Psychopharmacologist and I" is a specific song I would recommend.

[@crystalgemgirl731]

This episode... This... Episode... I have no words.

[@ShaDHP23]

It's really mind-boggling both that many people's life's work is to undo the first few years of their lives and how many people spend their whole life trying to undo the first few years of their life.

[@nitzan3782]

1:30 actually the meaning is far more literal - hydrangeas require a LOT of water to not wilt when cut, which is another allusion to BoJack's cause of (near?-)death. Also the tar is a liquid, which has another meaning - the black nothingness of liquid death is permeating his lungs, choking him slowly. What I took from this episode is that different people face death differently, It goes on a sort of spectrum with Sarah Lynn at one end and Secretariat on the other. Sarah Lynn, like Herb and I believe Beatrice, were freed by death. Sarah Lynn in particular felt there was nothing left of herself in her life, but in her death she returned to her childhood dream of being an architect, dying under a domed structure. As a terminal cancer patient, Herb has made his peace with death and went out with a smile. Beatrice is trickier, having died of dementia(which is the worst death there imo, even worse than Zach Braff's), but after years if not decades of not understanding herself or what's around her, there's bound to be a release in that. Secreteriat, however, killed himself by jumping off the Golden Gate bridge, something the few who survived such jump always reported having regretted as soon as they were off the ground. BoJack didn't intend to commit suicide like Secretariat has, but he definitely agrees with the sentiment.

[@MoondustManwise]

Only thing I don't agree with is that Bojack should apologize to Beatrice. She was a horrible, abusive, toxic parent to Bojack, and even if he is more likely to apologize than she ever is, I don't think he really should.

[@dumbeetle1]

This is it. This is what I've been waiting for!

[@brianmurphy4032]

I've been waiting for this episode of bojack forever!

[@Sailower]

I love the Bojack Horseman videos, I learn so much :]

[@rizkydharma8373]

First time I discovered your video, love this man! I love bojack

[@uekernas]

Love the Bojack reaction videos! Will you be doing the series finale?

[@jamespreston7712]

This didn't win an Emmy. It just .. didn't .. and I don't understand.

[@mariamerigold]

What perfect timing, I was just reminiscing about bojack 🥰

[@chloedelore]

Another interesting fact is hydrangeas are poisonous to horses

[@burningdisco]

one of my favorite details in this episode is the food. sarah lynns meal is a fast food order, she mentions that her mom counted her carbs. bojacks meal is pills, hes an addict. herbs meal is peanuts, hes allergic and theyre what killed him. crackerjacks meal is rations, he served in a war. theres more but those are my favorites

[@wolfhack555]

for me, looking into the clear sky feels like looking into that door, how do i explain this to someone? everyone thinks im just saying this to not go outside bur my heart starts beating and i rush to the next place where i have a roof ontop of my head. in the night its even worse because its black

[@rosalindbennett7393]

I'm agoraphobic due to trauma, but I've also suffered from lifelong acrophobia. One night I went stargazing with some family, ten years ago, before I developed agoraphobia. As I looked up at the black bowl of the sky, vast and overwhelming and studded with cold indifferent lights, I found myself suddenly overwhelmed with terror at the knowledge that gravity alone stopped us from falling into the inhospitable sky and struck by the irrational panic that any moment, gravity would give up it's hold. Dizzy, panicking, and trying to hide what I knew to be an irrational terror from those around me, i sat on a cold metal folding chair shaking, unable to look up at the sky or explain my sudden tense silence. All that to say, I understand. You are not alone. If you can access psychiatry, there are medicines that can help manage the severity of phobias. And don't be afraid to talk to a therapist. Your very real fear is not silly; it is valid, as are you, and you deserve help.

[@wolfhack555]

@@rosalindbennett7393 its not really fear of falling into the sky, its just looking at this black void what horrifies me

[@sleepycowboy18]

I just had whiplash, ive watched bojack years ago, and then fogot for several of years, and then i have my ups and downs but i havent have unaliving thoughts (not related to watching bojack), and now watching some bojack contents again, and it really isnt good for my emotion. It's wild that watching bojack in the past was comforting for me but now it's making me feel down although nostalgic. But really entertaining vid btw!

[@DrSilvestri]

Loved this and every one of your bojack horseman videos… I wonder if you’ve looked into doing Hulu’s The Bear - the season 2 episode 6 one “fishes” is just…. Something else. It’s super intense and there’s a lot going on.

[@borjadecoy25]

The line from Herb, "oh no Bojack, there's no other side, this is" triggers me so much. It's so fear and panic inducing. It's the nothingness, the absolute oblivion, empty void waiting for you that gets me. Not death itself but the complete void that awaits your own conscience. No more thoughs, feelings or memories. No more nothing. I can't stomach the thought.

[@alm2587]

Any chance for a Shameless US reaction? particularly Ian and the portrayal of his bipolar disorder

[@emmamalfoy5486]

One of my favourite Bojack episodes

[@jamesmcelhatten7308]

Those jazz hands fucking got me outta no where 😂

[@michaelroy4442]

Your comment about transitionary points in reference to Herb's comments that being fired for being gay and finding philanthropy is interesting, especially because this isn't actually a conversation Bojack is having with Herb. It's all in Bojack's mind. So it's really Bojack rationalizing away his behavior, not Herb rationalizing losing his job. And while you'd really hope that this would be a transitionary point for Bojack, it wasn't.

[@3ggh3ad]

a bird flying in the house can symbolizr good luck, but also hope and a new beginning, and sometimes death

[@dragonstouch1042]

I believe if the bird dies in the house it symbolizes death

[@rekiiei2419]

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS ONE

[@KayaaaaDe]

This episode especially Secretariat's poem made me pull away from my suicidal ideation.

[@Hawkeye9165]

Great vid as always. I feel that "does life have meaning?" is an easy question to answer though. For me at least, it's the exact same as "Do you believe in a god?". The answer is based on your personal system of belief. But that's just my own view, not suggesting it's right or wrong :o)

[@vojislavS8652]

I don't know if you stated this or i heard it from somewhere else but since the brain is the last organ to shut down it releases hormones of pleasure so that dying goes peacefully without struggle. This way the scenario in people's heads and the memories they relive are pleasent and depend on ones own perception, which is why one person saw god because this thought brought him peace. Please correct me if I'm wrong but i find this theory fascinating.

[@jerryhayes9497]

I love how they used the expression "at deaths door" And put a literal "death door" on the stage😮

[@emmamalfoy5486]

If you listen through the credits you hear his heart start back up again. Took me a few times watching through the show to catch that

[@phoebegordon2444]

i always thought the hydrangea symbolism came from the etymology. hydrangea comes from hydro. hydro means water. he's drowning.

[@DoctorElliottCarthy]

The beauty of this show is that I think everyone will have different interpretations and thats ok.

[@lauraosborne4192]

Already my favourite video learning that Elliott is Irish and the inclusion of one of the greatest viral videos from the last decade. Easily entertained 😅😅

[@Samrules888]

the music when he's chasing the bird was the theme song from his show. a bird flying into your house means good luck and i think also that someone will get married. a bird flying into your house and dying is a bad omen. it means someone in the house will die soon the conversation about sacrifice and the diane subplot about her memoir I think makes a coherent point. struggle itself doesn't weaken you but it doesn't make you stronger by itself either. it is our ability to leave things in the past that determine if we become stronger or weaker for it. diane tried to use her struggles to write a memoir but was still carrying her baggage from childhood. she let go of that struggle by writing a detective story instead. it didnt have a story behind it but it had a story in front of it.

[@arianaink100]

Hydrangeas for Americans are associated as a Mothers Flower- not only do hydrangeas fill a bouquet’s (colors white lime blue or pink) but it’s traditionally a great garden plant meaning women who tend to gardens prefer this plant because of its outrageously large size if grown correctly and it’s multitude of flowers (it can easily clear 8 ft tall if you let it get out of hand) so for many homes and gardeners it’s a prized flower. Once a flower head it cut it won’t grow from that spot the following year (you took the top of the stick which contains all buds year round and the chemicals for making new flowers- by cutting off the flower you cut off the buds it takes a full year for the plant to grow from that point and remake new active buds which will open) it’s a flower that’s tied to the moon and feminine energy. That’s why it’s also considered a females or woman’s flower. It’s a plant that absorbs massive amount of water often comparable to a tree- hydrangea contains hydra the Greek word for water. it’s enough to give to a horse to drink its a sign your gardens or green pastures are healthy and viable (the ph levels of the soil determine color because they absorb so much water, water goes up fast along with anything IN the water IN the soil - if you have epson salts you’ll make blue flowers if you have lime rich soil you’ll have pink flowers - specific breeds are designed to have specific color but any hydrangea can change depending upon its conditions or if it grows enough to remove those nutrients. If you have the soil be acidic and blue flowers over time they make turn purple or pink because the soil has lost its acidity over years. Many wineries and other places which grow a lot of ph specific goods often use hydrangeas as a natural flag on when to fix the soil for your other plants - if you need specific soil for your specific grapes or some other plant (blue berries or smt) a hydrangea will show you in color flowers what level your soil is at - you don’t need a whole ph kit you let you know the problem you look at a plant and let them do that work for you and show you exactly how things are.) They also absorb water through all parts of its system including flower petals and leaves - this is different from most species which absorb water solely through their roots. It also should be noted that Hydrangeas are not exclusively an Asian variety of plants it’s not FROM Japan it exists across the Asian continent and the American continents north and south. Japan was known to cultivate it early on in history and record that info but it’s cultivated everywhere and if often called by a Greek name so it’s pretty wide spread. I think bojack has a huge issue with time and spending that surrounded by others constantly that’s why everyone else mentions their time - for the guy who autoerrotically asphyxiated I think the focus on over and hour is more of a ‘you had an hour alone where someone wasn’t bothering you where you were alone and isolated? That’s literally all the time he had an hour alone to cram in a jerk sesh. And it didn’t take that full hour to die. To bojack death is something so quick that happens when one is alone. Even crackerjack (I saw my friends die and a bullet go through my sargents head then kill me. The only person who died infront of others was bojacks father who tripped on a rock in a duel over a dispute of his work which he loved. He tripped but he was fighting the entire time. He’s not at the dinner why? Because he was not alone in his death it was an action done by the person which took one’s life. For the best friend who wrote the 90s sitcoms he survived cancer but decided to drive in his expensive car which didn’t have a roof and he crashed into a peanut truck which he was allergic to - sometimes it’s just your time you can’t run from it which relates to bojack and his car rides/rides of freedom/running as fast as one can running away. Sometimes you can’t run. The others all had issues with time with their freedom in life and isolation and how they chose to act. That’s why they individually perform in their last moments they’re the only ones that were their for their own deaths they’re the only narrative/pov of the death you could know because no one else was there to know. It’s an autobiography they perform on stage for bojack to come to terms with them dying alone.

[@rainyatsu4588]

Yeah instead of going to therapy I can take notes and self repair! Let’s go!

[@soothingwhitenoisechannel5352]

I would say this episode’s motif is acceptance

[@tenpenthouse]

BANGS!

[@QuikVidGuy]

I find it darkly funny that Herb's last meal is peanuts and almonds, considering he didn't really "eat" them. He crashed into a truck carrying both tree nuts and groundnuts and dies from an allergic reaction. But Bojack still associates them as food.

[@wizardflaps]

Life is loss is the short answer. Not in a derogatary fashion or morse-coded from the void, life is a coping mechanism.

[@Ellie-hu9gj]

at the end of the credits the monitor starts again i always thought that was interesting

[@MajinRoxas1]

The conversation at the dinner table is even more meaningingful if you remember this is all happening in Bojacks head. These are all his thoughts and feelings towards these subjects of suicide, sacrifice, meaning of life, is it worth living? All beautifully tied in to the characters we've grown to know throughout the show that manifest these ideas

[@jsesteves]

Hydrangea symbolism is grief over sudden death!

[@AndyHoward]

Carl Jung for those who were reading the captions 8:27 Possibly "Sour Grapes" (AESOP'S FABLES: The Fox and the grapes)