BoJack Horseman Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Introduction

A Horse Walks into a Rehab is the first episode of Season 6 of the Netflix original series BoJack Horseman, and the 61st episode overall. It premiered with the rest of Part 1 of Season 6 on October 25, 2019.

Synopsis[]

BoJack checks into Pastiches, a Malibu rehab facility, where he grapples with memories of Sarah Lynn's death and his own troubled childhood.

Plot[]

There is a flashback from 2016, which shows the circumstances surrounding Sarah Lynn's death. BoJack's voice is heard, calling out Sarah Lynn's name twice. He is then seen standing outside the planetarium. A stretcher is being wheeled into an ambulance.

BoJack then heads over to the hospital where he tells Sarah Lynn's mother, Carol, and stepfather he got a phone call from Sarah Lynn and she sounded a little off. He then says he found Sarah Lynn passed out, and called an ambulance, but he was too late. Carol says it's all her fault, and she's a terrible mother. Her husband tries to comfort her, saying no one is at fault, as they walk away.

BoJack is approached by Meow Meow Fuzzyface, who questions him if he might have any idea where Sarah Lynn might have gotten the heroin from. . BoJack responds he has no idea, however, he does know she was doing a lot of drugs. Fuzzyface says he has no further questions from BoJack. BoJack says that's just who they both were as people. He elaborates, saying they both thought they could party forever, and it wouldn't catch up with them.

BoJack says he was in a bad way of life, and Sarah Lynn followed him down that path because she thought he was a safe place. BoJack questions what he has done. Fuzzyface says he gets what BoJack is saying, but the case is now closed, and BoJack can stop rambling. Fuzzyface then walks off. BoJack says he needs to make changes to his life—starting right then. He then goes to his car and opens the door and drugs, notably heroin, several empty bottles, and a bottle of liquor fall out. BoJack quickly picks up the bottle and chugs the contents.

The episode then goes to the present day, where BoJack is ringing the bell, at the reception desk at Pastiches Malibu Rehabilitation Center. The male groundhog receptionist startles BoJack, by popping up from behind the desk. He then enthusiastically welcomes BoJack to the facility. The receptionist then tells BoJack to pay $100,000 for his six-week package. BoJack then retorts, by asking if every room comes with a free bag of $90,000. The groundhog tells him, that one cannot put a price on clean living. BoJack counters yet, Pastiches has found a way to do just that.

The groundhog then pulls out his camera and asks BoJack for a selfie. BoJack says no to this. The receptionist's face falls, as he tells BoJack that every client takes a picture with him for his corkboard, as a tradition. BoJack then says that he is not in the mood and he looks awful. The groundhog then tells BoJack about other celebrities, who checked into Pastiches and had their pictures taken. He says they were all in the same or worse condition as BoJack when they arrived at the facility. BoJack then asks the groundhog to show him to his room, and leave him alone, so he can begin the process of healing. The groundhog then apologizes.

A montage shows BoJack going through withdrawal symptoms and struggling to get through group activities.

The groundhog once again asks BoJack for the selfie. BoJack refuses, but he spots Sarah Lynn's selfie on the wall. The montage continues, now with BoJack more actively participating in activities such as nature hikes, group discussions, and yoga. BoJack's mental health seems to improve towards the end of the montage.

BoJack is later seen at a group therapy session, where he encourages a woman named Denise to let her feelings out. The therapy horse Doctor Champ, tells them in rehab, there is a saying that "everyone takes a different route to get to Soberopilis, USA." Doctor Champ then asks BoJack about the first time he drank. BoJack deflects this, jokingly saying, "when wasn't the first time I drank?" The group laughs at this.

Later, at a private outdoor session with Doctor Champ, BoJack is questioned about whether he feels good about leaving; as his last day at the facility is tomorrow. BoJack says he feels ready. Doctor Champ presses him further, asking if BoJack is ready to go out into the world. BoJack confirms he feels confident about doing so. Doctor Champ points out to BoJack, that he has a habit of deflecting when it comes to talking about the source of his addiction. BoJack then jokingly deflects this, by complimenting the therapy horse on his tie. Doctor Champ counters this, by saying a joke about deflecting still counts as deflecting.

BoJack then states that he came to rehab to take responsibility for himself. He then says all anyone ever says is that it's not his fault and he is powerless over his addiction. Doctor Champ says that is the first step in overcoming addiction. BoJack then questions why there are twelve steps to the program. The therapy horse then tells him they have a saying in the sober community "what our addictions want us to want, our future is just a house built from the blueprint that is our past." BoJack then says that sayings are supposed to illustrate concepts, via straightforward allegory. He sarcastically says that he admires Doctor Champ's sayings don't do that.

The therapy horse then points out BoJack is deflecting again. BoJack reiterates that he came to rehab to make himself responsible for his own choices. He goes on to say nobody made him drink, that was him alone. Doctor Champ tells BoJack the gate code, saying he can leave whenever he wants, it doesn't have to be tomorrow.

In painting class, Denise compliments BoJack's painting. She says she knows a lot about art because her husband owns a Jackson Pollock. Jameson H., then says her father owns a signed picture of Kevin Pollock. When asked by the therapy horse if he grew up in a home with a lot of art, BoJack sarcastically says, his parents "practiced the art of being terrible parents." The group once again laughs at this.

Doctor Champ tells BoJack he can't joke his way through this, and everyone else is being honest. BoJack then challenges this by saying all the other patients are lying as well and gives examples of this.

BoJack then takes a jab at Jameson, saying she would love to get sober, but her friend McCaitlyn sneaks her water bottles filled with vodka every visiting day. Doctor Champ is shocked to learn Jameson has been smuggling alcohol into the facility. Jameson then blames water for being "vodka-colored." BoJack then points out it's her fifth time in rehab and maybe rehab just isn't working. BoJack further says if anyone checks into rehab more than once, maybe they are a lost cause, or maybe rehab is a money-making industry that does not have people's best interests at heart. He then asks Doctor Champ if that is honest enough for him.

Later, Jameson storms into BoJack's room, accusing him of being a snitch. She goes off on him, saying her dad forces her to be in rehab when she doesn't need to be there at all. Jameson says, he has no idea what she's been through. BoJack says, he knows what she's been through because he has heard her talk about it in group therapy. BoJack tells Jameson that it's not her father's fault she's drinking in rehab. Jameson protests, saying she was sober for most of last year, but her father shipped her to rehab so that she couldn't ruin his new perfect family.

BoJack tells Jameson she can escape rehab, by tying her sheets into a rope and escaping through the window, and then he gives her the pass-code to the gate. He then asks her if that's what she really wants. Jameson scoffs at this and leaves BoJack's room.

There is another flashback that takes place in 1994 on the set of Horsin' Around, a scene was being filmed where Sabrina runs away from home after The Horse has to break it to her that international supermodel Cindy Crawfish wasn't going to be her new mommy. Cindy then tells The Horse that after her private plane crashed in his yard, she had never imagined she would meet someone so special. They kiss and the scene ends.

Backstage, Herb tells BoJack he is doing very well on set. However, his on-screen kiss with Cindy is not getting the reaction they need. They need to get an "ooooh" reaction, and right now they are getting an "awww." BoJack says he feels nervous, since it's his first on-screen kiss, and especially because it's Cindy Crawfish. Herb then tells BoJack, lots of other guys would kill to be him. Herb then says he could demonstrate what the kiss would look like. BoJack nervously rejects this, laughing it off.

Sharona, then offers BoJack orange juice with vodka, to loosen his nerves. BoJack at first nervously refuses. Sharona insists BoJack drink the juice, he does so and goes back out on stage to perform the scene. This time, it gets the reception they were hoping for. BoJack even confidently asks for another take. Cindy flirtatiously says yes, as long as it's for the show. He then calls out to Sharona for more OJ.

BoJack then hears Jameson jumping out the window. He realizes she was trying to escape and catches up to her. Jameson says her friend McCaitlyn told her, that Jameson's boyfriend Dathan was going to break up with her because she gained weight during her junior year of high school. Jameson says she needs to show him she's hot again, get back together with him, then break up again, to show him how shallow he's being. BoJack says she does not need to do that.

BoJack decides to go with her, as he was the one who gave Jameson advice on how to escape. They wind up at Dathan's house party. BoJack says they should not go in as the house and yard looks trashed, and there are drunk teenagers everywhere. Jameson says she'll find Dathan, and crush him with her thigh gap, and then they can leave the party. Jameson calls out for Dathan.

BoJack heads over to a side table, where alcohol is being kept. He has an anxiety attack, and flashes back to a party he attended in high school. BoJack goes into the restroom, flashing back to his younger self when a guy knocks on the door—asking if someone is having sex in the bathroom.

The guy then calls teen BoJack a nerd. Teen BoJack then nervously knocks over a shelf of cassette tapes. He starts picking up the tapes when a girl named Katie from his Spanish 1 class comes over to help him. BoJack's classmate offers him a beer, and BoJack is reluctant since they are still under-aged. BoJack changes his mind when he sees the jock buffalo drinking, and he agrees to take the beer.

BoJack then loosens up and takes jabs at various classmates. He makes fun of Katie's breast size, which causes her to run off crying. Young BoJack then drinks more alcohol.

Present-day BoJack snaps out of his flashback when he hears Jameson screaming. She caught McCaitlyn and Dathan making out on the couch.

BoJack then comforts a crying Jameson on the sidewalk, reminding her she was going to break up with her ex anyway. He also tells her that her friend sucks. Jameson says they are right and she is a mess. BoJack tells her she does not need to drink alcohol, she needs to go back to rehab, and sleep there. Jameson says she'll go to her real home and sleep in her own bed. She says when her father discovers her, asking why she's not at rehab, she'll retort by asking him why he doesn't go to rehab for being a terrible father. BoJack tells her to come back to Pastiches as she promised. He then tells her, if she really wants to go to her dad's, she can steal Dathan's car. Before BoJack can even finish his sentence, Jameson is already driving off.

BoJack calls Diane for help finding out where Jameson's father's house is. Diane says she is sure BoJack has a reason to locate a girl in the middle of the night, however, she can't help him. BoJack then says Todd will help him, and asks Diane to connect them since he can't remember Todd's cell number. Diane then connects him to Todd. BoJack tells Todd he needs a hacker, and Todd tells him he's not the kind of hacker he is looking for. Todd then tells him a story about the time he was accidentally entered into a hacky sack competition, and won by default, because the Russian he was competing against had a heart attack.

Princess Carolyn then calls Todd, asking if he got the black-market porcupine milk. Todd tells her he got it, but he is not looking forward to riding the bus through Porcupine town. Todd then winds up being squished between the quills of two porcupines. Princess Carolyn then gets a call from Mr. Peanutbutter.

Mr. Peanutbutter then tells Princess Carolyn, that the filming for Birthday Dad is going well. However, his model helicopter crashed into the water tower, on the set of former VJ Downtown Julie Brown's new puppet show. He says the flooding ruined Julie Brown's new vintage dress she just bought and ruined the big finale of the show where her puppet plays Beethoven's fifth on the bongos. Princess Carolyn tells him she'll be right down, to help.

Diane then says to BoJack, that it sounds like rehab is going well. BoJack yells no and hangs up. A drunk guy on the ground asks BoJack to give him his phone back. BoJack then asks him if he knows where Jameson went. The guy asks which Jameson he means, as there are apparently several people named Jameson. BoJack asks the guy to direct him to the nearest Jameson.

He eventually finds his way to Jameson's house. There, BoJack asks her if the car on display is the one from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Jameson reveals her father has a love of movie memorabilia. She says the car is her father's baby, or rather was her father's baby, meaning the car is the new Jameson. Jameson then questions, where does that, leaves her, and she concludes saying that leaves her nowhere.

BoJack then asks her what she's talking about. Jameson elaborates that her father threw out all her stuff from her room, and turned it into the baby's room. She then says he got rid of all her softball trophies, but he loves his baseball bat from the film The Natural. Jameson then takes the bat and nearly smashes the car with it. BoJack restrains her, saying that parents are terrible, but destroying things isn't going to change things. Jameson then says he's right, and they should go back to rehab.

BoJack then has another flashback from when he is ten years old. He is standing outside of his father's office, to bring him dinner. BoJack then walks in on his father having sex with his secretary. The secretary scrambles to straighten her clothes, tells BoJack he's cute, and runs out the door. BoJack then questions what his father was doing, and Butterscotch replies by saying it's fun having his son come to the office. Butterscotch is seen acting uncharacteristically nice towards his son and says that BoJack is growing into a man. BoJack questions this.

Butterscotch responds, by saying he thinks BoJack is old enough to have a Jack and Coke. Butterscotch then toasts their first drink together, as father and son. BoJack then blacks out, and he wakes up in the car, as he and Butterscotch are driving home. BoJack questions if he fell asleep, saying he feels sick. His father informs him he went a little wild and made a mess of the carpet, and his mother would be disappointed in him. Butterscotch then says it would be best if they both just forgot everything that happened that night, even saying "okay, buddy" with a smile to further manipulate his son into trusting him. BoJack says okay to this.

This flashback causes BoJack to have an epiphany. He then says screw Jameson's father. He grabs the wooden club from the First Wives Club and proceeds to smash the car. He then says, Jameson is just a kid, why should she be responsible for all the ways he screwed her up. Jameson then joins in destroying the car, saying it's not her fault she was born. They accidentally knock the car off the display stand, and it breaks the window, then rolls forward.

The window-breaking wakes up Jameson's father, who comes out carrying the baby. He says the window they broke was from The Graduate. Jameson then tells her father, she didn't want to leave rehab, but BoJack made her. She then kisses the baby on the head. She then says she'll wait for her father in the car. Jameson then runs off.

BoJack then tries to explain himself to Jameson's father. Her father then asks if BoJack is drunk or high, right at that moment. BoJack confirms he isn't. Her father then apologizes for his daughter roping BoJack into this, saying BoJack is not the first guy to break his daughter out of rehab. He says the guys break into his house and then want him to be quiet about it to the press, so they bribe him with movie memorabilia.

BoJack then offers to send a swag bag from Felicity Huffman's Booty Academy, saying he should probably wash the thong before wearing it. Jameson's father continues to say, he doesn't know what to do with Jameson, as he feels he has done everything. He then says he thought she'd change after she had her baby, gesturing towards the baby. BoJack says change is hard and takes a long time. Her father asks if Jameson wanted to see her boyfriend. BoJack says no, she just wanted to see her baby. Her father expresses how that would be nice, as the baby coos.

Her father then drops them off at rehab in the car from The Flintstones. Jameson then complains about how embarrassing her father is, and BoJack tells her she should consider herself lucky to have a father who cares so much about her well-being. He goes on to say, he wishes someone had cared enough about him when he was her age and had sent him to rehab much earlier in life.

Jameson says they should sneak back in. As she turns around BoJack spots the bottle of vodka tucked into her hoodie. He grabs it from her saying, "seriously?" Jameson says she thought it was worth a try. BoJack then says he is getting too old to sneak into places.

BoJack then goes to the front desk and admits he snuck out of rehab. He asks if there is a punishment like kitchen cleanup duty. The groundhog sarcastically says that everyone who has been in the facility before is humble enough to take a photo with him. BoJack says to sign him up for six weeks, and then finally gives in to taking the selfie.

BoJack goes up to his room, and looks at the vodka filled water bottle, and sees the same galaxy from the night of Sarah Lynn's death at the planetarium.

The episode ends with yet another childhood flashback with BoJack shown at around age six. BoJack's parents are passed out in the living room, presumably intoxicated, and there are party streamers and decorations everywhere. BoJack as a younger child sees a bottle of vodka on the ottoman picks it up and takes a drink. He then crawls into his mother's lap and falls asleep.

Cast[]

Actor Character
Will Arnett ... BoJack Horseman/Butterscotch Horseman
Amy Sedaris ... Princess Carolyn/Sharona
Alison Brie ... Diane Nguyen
Paul F. Tompkins ... Mr. Peanutbutter
Aaron Paul ... Todd Chavez
Kiersey Clemons ... Jameson H.
Tim Meadows ... Jameson H.'s Father
Sam Richardson ... Doctor Champ
Cedric Yarbrough ... Meow Meow Fuzzyface
Jeanne Tripplehorn ... Herself
Jay Hernandez ... Himself
Aisha Tyler ... Carol Himmelfarb-Richardson
Raphael Bob-Waksberg ... Sarah Lynn's Stepfather
Cindy Crawford ... Cindy Crawfish

Trivia[]

  • This episode reveals what happened after Sarah Lynn's death in That's Too Much, Man!, particularly BoJack lying to both Sarah Lynn’s parents and Officer Fuzzyface about his involvement.
  • Jameson insults her ex-boyfriend Dathan by calling him a "buck foy." This seems to be a spoonerism of "fuck boy," modified so as to not break the "one F-bomb per season" rule.
  • During the montage at the beginning of the episode, Jameson can be seen receiving a vodka-filled water bottle from McCaitlyn, during the friends-and-family weekend.
  • When the car from Ferris Bueller's Day Off begins to back into the large glass window behind it, BoJack remarks "Shookah Shookah...oh no." This references the song that played at several points in the film, typically when the car was the focus of the scene.
  • Early in the episode, Doctor Champ asks BoJack when he first drank, and BoJack makes a joke to avoid answering the question. Following this, a series of flashbacks throughout the episode that all feature a young BoJack interacting with alcohol, seemingly answering Doctor Champ's question, only to later be followed by a flashback of an even younger BoJack drinking alcohol:
    • The first flashback is from the Horsin' Around years, when BoJack, after some persuasion, drinks Sharona's spiked OJ.
    • BoJack is seen as a teenager, seemingly trying alcohol for the first time at a party.
    • BoJack is seen drinking as a ten-year-old when he visits his father at work.
    • Lastly, BoJack appears to be only five or six-years-old at the time, drinking from a bottle of vodka that his parents had left out after a party. It is implied this is not his first time drinking either.
  • Todd answers the phone for Princess Carolyn by saying "Spare the Todd, spoil the child." This is a parody of the common saying "spare the rod, spoil the child," which is paraphrased from Proverbs 13:24.
  • The movie slate board used in the transition during the Horsin' Around flashback reveals it took place on July 12, 1989.
  • Among Jameson’s father’s memorabilia is the Ferrari from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the "Wonderboy" baseball bat from The Natural, the window from The Graduate, the shark from Jaws, the golden idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the “Rosebud” sled from Citizen Kane, the baby carriage from The Untouchables, the Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Thor’s hammer from Thor, Wilson from Cast Away, the Overlook Hotel carpet from The Shining, the bus bench and box of chocolates from Forrest Gump, and the Flintmobile from The Flintstones. Also included is a (fictional) club from The First Wives Club, a painting of the scene that introduces Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia, and the helmet of Throg (a lesser-known Marvel character who resembles a frog version of Thor).

Intro Differences[]

  • The intro plays at a very low frame rate and is distorted. One second in, the music slows down and a film burn effect cuts the intro short, starting the episode immediately.
Advertisement