Posted by This has become one of my favorite shows, not just limited to animated series. I was late to the party and started watching this when four seasons were already released. I binged everything available in about a week and was anxiously anticipating more to come. I was pretty disheartened when I heard it was getting canceled, but, ah well. I would prefer it go out on a high note than drag out a slow progression downhill until it ends poorly.
This season really took artistic animation to new levels. It has always been a little experimental where one or two episodes per season were just a little different, examples being the underwater episode where no one spoke for basically the entire episode… and the one where Bojack has a 30-minute monologue where he’s the only one talking in a single room for the entire show. It’s masterful how this show can take a concept that’s so risky and turning it into something memorable. There were more episodes like that in the last half of this last season and one of my favorites revolved around Diane and her struggle to write. I think anyone here who is a writer, has tried to write or has given the process any thought will recognize and identify with that episode. She’s full of self-doubt and attempting to write a book that expresses who she is, the hardships she’s overcome … something poignant that she’s proud of.
The development and growth of Diane was my favorite arc of the entire show. I love that she’s someone the show displays chronic depression and that it’s unfortunate, but okay, not to be okay. And that sometimes not everything works out just the way you want it to, but you adapt and keep moving. Lots of the arcs were wrapped up in satisfyingly realistic ways. There were other things that were left wide open and will nag me for a long time – but that was the point. It wasn’t an oversight, but definitely intentional to keep some things more open-ended. There are a lot of things that would be spoilers… but this last season made me feel ALL the things. There’s a particular episode revolving a pool, and that episode made me think they were going in one direction and I was so there for it all. It was going to be depressing, but realistic, and then at the last moment it veered in another direction and I was left a bit… I dunno… disappointed? You’ll know the episode when you see it. I wasn’t mad they went in a different direction, but it did make me feel like I had felt all those emotions only to have it all mean nothing in the end.
This show has always had addiction and self-reflection as themes throughout each season. There’s a cyclical motion to depression as well as addiction where someone will get clean, fall of the wagon, and get back on again. This season was no different and some people got annoyed by how certain characters “backtracked their arcs” but I found it more like reality. People will take two steps forward and then take one ….or three steps backward.
This show seems to be a love it or hate it series, and at first, I would fall in the latter category because I didn’t think it would live up to the hype and I’d DNF in the first season. It’s been one of the bigger surprises I’ve had on Netflix and I can’t recommend it enough for people who click with this humor. You should know right away if you do or don’t.
Rating for Season s: 9/10
Final Rating for the series: 8/10