“ | You know, sometimes I think I was born with a leak, and any goodness I started with just slowly spilled out of me and now it's all gone. And I'll never get it back in me. It's too late. Life is a series of closing doors, isn't it? | ” |
—BoJack Horseman, Horse Majeure |
BoJack F. Horseman is the eponymous character of BoJack Horseman. The show primarily follows BoJack and his life after his successful '90s sitcom, Horsin' Around.
Physical Appearance
BoJack is an adult, male, grade/thoroughbred cross horse weighing over 1,200 pounds as revealed in the pilot episode.
He is around 6'7" feet (15.2 hands at the withers, 19.75 at the ears) tall.
He has brown (medium bay) fur and a black mane, with a white snippet on his snout that begins at his upper lip and ends underneath his eyes, a white diamond-shaped mark on his forehead, and a pink spot on his nose.
Despite being a horse, BoJack, like other animals in the BoJack Horseman series, has a humanoid body, and is designed with human feet and hands and does he not have a tail.
2000s-Present Day
For the majority of the series, BoJack was typically seen wearing an unbuttoned gray sports jacket with a blue sweater underneath, cyan blue jeans, and red and white sneakers with white socks. He has bags under his eyes and a potbelly.
In The Face of Depression, in Season 6,it is revealed that BoJack had been dyeing his hair for around twenty years, and he has it cut by Sharona into a shorter grey style. He also gets a new outfit that consists of an olive green jacket with darker green trim, a light blue button-up shirt, and grey jeans after his old everyday attire gets ruined on a plane ride. He keeps his red and white sneakers from his original attire, and in the winter wears a red and brown striped scarf.
1980s-1990s
During his twenties-early thirties, BoJack was much slimmer and he had a longer, thicker mane that somewhat resembled a mullet. His fur also appeared lighter in color, while his eyes appeared to be a bit wider.
On Horsin' Around, BoJack wore an orange sweater with pink apples along the middle and a pink collar and cuffs, along with light blue jeans and red and white sneakers.
In the 80s, BoJack wore a grey collared shirt with a white plaid design with a white tie, a light blue opened jacket, light blue jeans with a white belt, and red and white sneakers.
In Time's Arrow, BoJack is seen briefly in 1999, at the age of thirty-five, he looks almost exactly how he does in his original appearance, although he does not have any wrinkles and his mane is mostly still thicker. It can be noted that in the Horsin' Around finale BoJack looks how he does normally throughout the series, so this depiction of BoJack could be a result of Beatrice's dementia, combining both his past and current appearances.
Older Teen
In BoJack's later teen years, as seen in Thoughts and Prayers and briefly in Time's Arrow, he has a more similar hairstyle/appearance as his young adult self, albeit being shorter and scrawnier, and he still has pimples. He was seen wearing a blue, white, and gold football uniform.
Teenager
In A Horse Walks into a Rehab, BoJack is seen as a teenager sometime around 1980, wearing a dark blue shirt with a yellow stripe and zigzag pattern, brown pants with a light blue belt, and dark yellow shoes. His hair is longer, and a bit messier, slightly starting to resemble the mullet style he would have as an adult, and he had pimples.
Preteen
BoJack is seen as a preteen/older child at the beginning of Free Churro. He is wearing a green and white soccer uniform and appears considerably chubby. He has this appearance later in a flashback in A Horse Walks into a Rehab, although he is seen wearing a collared shirt with a dark purple and maroon stripe pattern on the sleeves, a light blue pullover sweater vest, light brown pants, and dark brown shoes with white socks.
Child
As a child, BoJack wore a blue and white sailor suit, and had small visible eyelashes and a short mane.
Philbert
In Season 5, when he is shooting Philbert, BoJack is seen wearing his John Philbert costume for the show more often as the season progresses, than his regular attire. He wears a beige trench coat over a grey collared shirt, a dark grey tie, dark grey pants with a black belt with a police badge attached to it, and black shoes.
Personality
A curmudgeon described by his ex-girlfriend as a "self-pitying masochist," BoJack Horseman is bitter, depressed, self-loathing, narcissistic, and self-destructive.
BoJack is often bad-tempered and irritable, with little patience for a lot of people around him (notably Mr. Peanutbutter or Todd), who although give BoJack plenty of attention, are constantly insulted and looked down upon by BoJack's very bitter nature.
Although being annoyed by his surroundings, BoJack ironically has a nasty habit of driving some of his closest friends like Princess Carolyn to distraction. Most commonly through his numerous schemes to get his own way, which usually ends up in a disaster.
Despite these struggles and insecurities that he has, BoJack does care about others, such as his friends, can even be insightful, doesn't really want to hurt anybody, and has proven to be more tender-hearted than he appears to be.
BoJack is plagued by his utter self-loathing and struggle to accept himself, this depressed side of his nature often comes out when he is with Diane. However, his sentimental moods have been more common recently, even with people like Mr. Peanutbutter, most notably in Season 2.
In addition, BoJack finds himself haunted by his past, on a regular basis, flashbacks are often seen of BoJack remembering his corrupted relationships—especially his mother and ex-best friend.
While he can seem hostile on the outside, BoJack does have a caring, melancholic side to him, but rarely shows this side of himself to others—partly because of his insecurities to show any weakness others. Fearing that others will catch on that he dislikes himself, he feigns narcissistic behavior. Some examples of this are claiming to have sex as he sees footage of himself and masturbating to his own image.
As a foal, he was inquisitive and keen to earn his father's trust, making him a card which his father referred to as "shoddy craftsmanship."
As a younger horse, he was polite, cheerful, charming but also a lightweight, who consciously avoided all alcohol, in stark contrast to his current boozehound self. His attitude only soured after his Horsin' Around fame, as it didn’t really make him happier, and he became more cynical and depressed.
Added to this, he is not very mannerly—on a date with Princess Carolyn in the first episode he preoccupies himself with eating nine baskets of bread, and later on, he belches while drinking beer and watching old episodes of his show. In Season 3, he belches again after raiding Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's fridge. These episodes of gluttony can be seen as yet more failed attempts to handle his inner turmoil resulting in his appearing inconsiderate and repulsive to others.
In contrast to his perceived ineptitude at being responsible (in one context, for his own breakfast), BoJack has repeatedly demonstrated a masterful command over philosophy, political science, and history. Also, judging by the way his current home is decorated he also has good taste in horse-themed fine art.
This is ironic, considering that one of the main commentaries of the series is that Hollywood (or Hollywoo as it is known in the show) is a "town of shallow, nihilistic people who would be completely incapable in any other industry or lifestyle." For example, in the episode, Let's Find Out, BoJack receives the question "To what extent was feudalism a cause of the French Revolution?"
Even though he is distracted by Princess Carolyn to properly answer the question, what he actually wrote was quite competent. "A continent ravaged by war, coupled with the retreat of the church from secular life..." BoJack is also very principled about his perspectives, too; on one occasion, he sets off a media flame war to defend his critique of the public's automatic treatment of veterans as heroic without regard for their individual characters.
On another, when Ana Spanakopita explains to BoJack that the French are still annoyed with him for what he "said about them in the press," he states he stands by his criticism of revered French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. Elaborating, he states, "his philosophical arguments helped many tyrannical regimes justify overt cruelty," a reference to Sartre's idea that "humans are condemned to be free," and his stated admiration for Stalinists and Maoists.
As the series progresses, BoJack clings onto the people who even remotely comfort him, and goes out of his way to keep them around so he isn't completely alone. Ultimately, most characters avoid or even completely cut ties with him, for his toxic domineer.
This seems to change slightly when he meets Hollyhock, who believes he is her biological father, and a DNA test confirms they are related. While she does get a view of his typical behavior, BoJack does become attached to her, describing her as the one good thing in his life, and attempts to be a good father figure to her, and has a panic attack when he thinks she overdosed on his pills. He then goes through great lengths to find out who her birth mother is, while also discovering his father Butterscotch is actually her father and travels to her home state to give Henrietta's number to her fathers, telling them he doesn’t care if they give him credit or tell her he’s horrible, showing a less self-absorbed side of himself.
BoJack also begrudgingly takes in his dementia ridden elderly mother, Beatrice, at Hollyhock's request after they get her kicked out of her nursing home, and hopes she’ll be able to remember him at some point so he can tell her off for everything she ever did to him. After finding out Beatrice had been drugging Hollyhock with weight loss supplements, he angrily drives her to a bad nursing home. However, it is there she finally recognizes him, and instead of telling her off, he lies to her that they’re at her family's old lake house on a summer night listening to her brother play the piano while eating ice cream, letting go of his resentment of her and letting her have a happy if fake, memory.
Later during a phone call with Hollyhock, she tells him while she doesn’t need him as a father figure, but she’s never had a brother, which makes him extremely happy.
Season 5 however shows BoJack still struggling to better himself. He tries to only drink a small amount of alcohol a day, however as the season progresses his allotted amount goes up to a bottle a day. He keeps in touch with Hollyhock and calls her every Sunday, although he sometimes calls her at other times, like to tell her he liked her Instagram photo at 3 am, showing some clinginess towards her.
Background
History
Born on January 2nd, 1964, BoJack F. Horseman was born and raised in San Francisco, California, and grew up in an abusive and dysfunctional family.
His mother, Beatrice Horseman, was a housewife, formerly a socialite, and the heiress of the Sugarman Sugar Cube Company fortune, while his father Butterscotch Horseman was a failed novelist from a working-class background.
Butterscotch, resented his wife's wealthy upbringing, and initially worked at a fish cannery for low income due to his spite for the upper class until BoJack was six. After that, he begrudgingly took a well-paying job for Beatrice's father's company at his wife's insistence.
Butterscotch was an alcoholic and regularly verbally abused, and sometimes even physically abused, BoJack while he was young. He was also often seen yelling nonsensical ultra-conservative hyperbole, usually to cover up his failures, and "easy comings" in the world, typically blaming it on Democrats, Jews, or Communists. He would also regularly flirt with and commit adultery with various women. He typically avoided his son and wife by secluding himself in his study to drink and chip away at his pipe dream novel, or stay at work late, where he would commonly have affairs, including his secretary.
His mother, Beatrice, was also an alcoholic and a heavy smoker, and resented and hated BoJack for everything he had "done" to her, including being born, saying that she was beautiful before she got pregnant. To her, BoJack was a reminder of all of her bad decisions, and her own traumatic childhood did not help this fact. She and Butterscotch would also constantly get into loud arguments right in front of their child.
Her smoking habits, forceful will, addictions, and constant bickering with Butterscotch made BoJack's formative years difficult and eventually shaped how he turned out as a grownup.
This includes BoJack’s eventual alcoholism, with him having a drink of alcohol when he was just a small child after finding his parents fast asleep from drinking at a house party, in order to be able to cuddle up to his mother and fall asleep—a rare instance where his young self would be able to show her affection. Additionally, due to him being able to swallow it with little problem, it’s hinted he had the taste of alcohol when he was even younger.
To escape from his terrible home life, young BoJack reveled in the fame of Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner. BoJack grew fond of Secretariat and wanted to be just like him. BoJack sent a letter to Secretariat, telling him how much of a fan he is, but also telling him sometimes he gets sad and asking what to do when that happens. Secretariat actually received this letter and he answered BoJack's question while on The Dick Cavett Show, telling him to just keep running forward and never look back or let anyone stop him. While he was watching the interview, his parents started having a loud argument in the other room. BoJack turned up the volume and sat closure to the TV, and listened so intently all he heard was Secretariat's message.[2]
As BoJack became older he turned to comedy for solace after the 1973 suicide of Secretariat.
He also played soccer as a kid, and his parents failed to remember to pick him up on more than one occasion as shown in Downer Ending and Free Churro.
BoJack was introduced to performing in front of audiences at his mother's Sunday supper club parties, where she would force him to sing The Lollipop Song. One time BoJack hid under the kitchen table crying because he didn’t want to sing, but Beatrice berated him saying "No one gives a damn what you feel! You've got an audience out there and they want to hear you sing. Now do you want your mommy to love you? You go out there and do the only thing you’re good for which is singing the goddamn Lollipop Song".
These supper clubs were the only occasion where BoJack saw his mother actually be happy, and at the end she would perform a mesmerizing dance in a beautiful dress that captivated everyone, even Butterscotch, who hated these parties and would lock himself in his study and bang on the walls and yell to quiet down, would even come out and linger in the doorway to watch her.
One time, BoJack went to his dad's office when he failed to come home from dinner, and walked in on Butterscotch having an affair with his secretary. Once the two were alone, Butterscotch uncharacteristically acts nice towards his son and makes him drink a rum and coke for their first drink together as father and son. BoJack passes out after drinking it, and when he comes to in his dad’s car while feeling sick, Butterscotch informs him he "went a little wild" and made a mess on the carpet. He says his mother would be disappointed in him, so it’s best if he doesn’t bring up anything that happened, successfully manipulating BoJack, even saying "Okay, buddy?" with a smile to further manipulate his son into trusting him.
He was in choir in the eighth grade, where after a shaky solo his mother pretended not to know him, and he had to get a ride home from the pianist who "liked to tickle more than just the ivories." When BoJack made it home unscathed Beatrice snarked "Huh. I guess nobody wants you."
BoJack appeared to be unpopular and quite timid in his school years, as evident by his behavior at a high school party, with a jock calling him a nerd. BoJack ended up getting drunk after being offered a beer, which leads him to entertain everyone by making jokes about some of their classmates. However, he ends up upsetting a girl named Katie, who was shown to have a mutual interest in BoJack in an earlier interaction.
In the mid-80s, BoJack left home and headed to Los Angeles and started working on his career as a comedian.
In 1985, while trying hole-in-the-wall comedy clubs, BoJack met Herb Kazzaz, and later Charlotte Moore, Herb's girlfriend at the time. The three became good friends while BoJack and Herb tried to become big stars, with Herb mentoring BoJack on how to better his comedy routines. The two of them also worked as bartenders at Elefanté.
Herb finally landed a show called Horsin' Around, which centered around a young bachelor horse raising three orphans, and convinces the executives to cast BoJack as the star of the show.
Right before this, Charlotte tells BoJack she’s moving to Maine, and that she doesn’t think she’s the person Herb is looking for. She tells BoJack "L.A. is a pretty town on top of a tar pit, and by the time you realize you’re sinking it’s too late."
Charlotte also asks him if he would have made a move on her if Herb wasn't around, and she answers this question by saying she thinks he wouldn't have, because she thinks he's a coward.
Horsin' Around premiered in 1987, and also starred Joelle Clarke as Olivia, Bradley Hitler-Smith as Ethan, and Sarah Lynn as Sabrina.
Despite negative reviews from critics, Horsin' Around is a huge hit, and BoJack quickly rises to fame. However, during the show, BoJack slowly becomes more and more depressed, bitter, and cynical. He also lets fame go to his head.
He turns to smoking and alcohol, the latter of which he used to reject, just like his parents, in order to deal with the pressure and loneliness of becoming famous in Hollywoo.
Another incident that leads to BoJack's alcoholism was during a shooting early into the show's run, on July 12, 1989, where Sharona, the hairdresser and makeup artist, gives BoJack orange juice mixed with alcohol to help steady his nerves for a kissing scene with Cindy Crawfish. It does wind up making him feel more confident on set and he calls out off-screen to Sharona for more orange juice.
His relationship with Herb also became strained, getting into arguments with him about the script fueled by his own ego.
His relationship with his parents didn’t improve either, as Beatrice come to a taping of an episode in 1988, and was not impressed, saying it "wasn’t Ibsen," calling him a clown, and saying she hopes he dies before she does so he’ll never have to know what it’s like to lose a mother.
Around the same time, Mr. Peanutbutter's House, starring Mr. Peanutbutter, premiered, which BoJack rightfully assumed was a Horsin' Around knockoff. Due to this, BoJack considers Mr. Peanutbutter a rival whereas the latter is constantly energetic and cheerful around BoJack, considering him a friend, which just annoys BoJack even more.
Sarah Lynn viewed BoJack as a father figure, as her mother was a controlling stage parent who forced her into the industry at age three and shot down her dreams of being an architect, and her mom's boyfriend, later stepfather, was implied to be a child molester - she noted he was a photographer and she once showed she knew what bear fur tasted like. However, BoJack acted rather apathetic towards her.
One day, in between takes, BoJack tells Sarah Lynn she is nothing without her fans, and if she is good to them they’ll be good to her. He also tells her no one else will ever understand her or love her as much as them. She has to give the people what they want, even if it kills her. While this quote may have been BoJack describing his own worldview, it seems to have affected Sarah Lynn and how she acted later in life.
At one point, BoJack sleeps with Bradley’s mom, which led to his parents getting divorced, but in the present-day BoJack does not remember.
On Halloween 1993, Mr. Peanutbutter and his wife Katrina went to BoJack's house for his Halloween party. BoJack had lied about having his own Halloween party, so he wouldn't have to go to Mr. Peanutbutter's party. Mr. Peanutbutter then ended up bringing his party to BoJack's house. Mr. Peanutbutter would continue to do this every year, despite BoJack hating the parties. BoJack would always get extremely drunk by the end and would always tell the leaving guests to do it again next year.
In 1994, BoJack's agent Marv told him that a Secretariat movie is in the works, and he might have the lead role if he can avoid scandals.
However, around the same time, Herb was caught doing lewd acts in public with another man, which garnered a large negative media reception due to homophobia at the time.
Herb talks to BoJack about how the executives are gunning for him and asks BoJack to back him up and threaten to quit. BoJack, at first hesitant due to what Marv told him, agreed, as he owed all his success to Herb.
Later, Angela Diaz, an ABC network executive talks BoJack into letting Herb go, under the false pretense that his career would be affected as well. Although against it at first, BoJack ends up betraying Herb. He agrees to stay when Angela tells him in "Hollywood you don’t get to be successful or achieve your dreams, especially the Secretariat movie, by being a good friend."
Herb is fired, and BoJack doesn't talk to Herb until 2014 when Herb is on his deathbed from rectal cancer.
BoJack continues the show, which is taken over by Danny Bananas, and the Secretariat movie ended up going into "development hell." The show apparently went downhill during this time, getting worse reviews than before.
One day, Sarah Lynn had Sharona cut her hair in BoJack’s dressing room, to his annoyance, because her stepdad was "being weird." He takes out his frustrations over the Herb situation on her, and Sharona calls him out in it as the two leave the dressing room, leaving a teary-eyed Sarah Lynn alone. BoJack left an unmarked water bottle filled with alcohol (which he got from Sharona) on the vanity, and Sarah Lynn ends up drinking it and getting sick. Danny tells BoJack when she isn’t on set, and that someone has to be held accountable as her mother might sue. BoJack lets Sharona take the blame and she gets fired.
Horsin' Around ends in 1996, the finale features the death of BoJack's character, The Horse, and the doctor telling his adopted orphans that he died of a "broken heart" because they didn't love him enough, and they are sent back to social services.
BoJack didn't get many roles for the next twenty years, mostly due to the fact he had no urge to work again, turning down any offers Marv got for him, and his reputation of being difficult to work with.
The minor exception was The BoJack Horseman Show in 2007, which was critically panned and canceled after one season. It was created by Cuddlywhiskers and was originally titled "Mitch's Life" and was well received by network execs. However, BoJack convinced Cuddlywhiskers to have the two of them rewrite it, as BoJack was scared the show wouldn’t help him break away from his reputation of being "the Horse from Horsin' Around." The end result was a disaster, and BoJack refuses to talk about it in public to this day.
Around the same time, he began an on-again, off-again relationship with his agent, Princess Carolyn, who he had known since 1993 as Marv's secretary (originally intern, she was given his position when he quit), in an effort for both of them to not be alone.
Later that year, BoJack tried to get Sarah Lynn, who had become a world-famous pop star, to be on his show in an attempt to boost ratings. He visited her backstage, where she was initially excited to see him again. She tells him how hard being famous is, reveals everyone who comes to her only wants something out of her, and says she's “this close to falling off the deep end."
BoJack still ends up revealing that he only came to visit her to ask her to be on his show. Sarah Lynn is saddened by this and tells BoJack to leave it next to a large pile of other scripts she was given. She then sadly asks him to leave.
On Halloween, 2009, during BoJack's annual Halloween party, he gets a call from his mother, who tells him that his father, Butterscotch, died from injuries he sustained in a duel.
During this phone call, Mr. Peanutbutter's new girlfriend, Diane Nguyen, awkwardly introduced herself to BoJack, but he rudely shooed her off. Mr. Peanutbutter later assured Diane BoJack would probably not remember her.
That same night, a young slacker named Todd Chavez went to his party. After the party ended, BoJack laments to Todd, the only guest who stayed, that he thought he would feel something when this (one of his parents dying) happened, but he doesn’t. Todd offers to stick around for a bit, and BoJack agrees and tells him to stick around as long as he wants.
Season 1
In 2014, BoJack is still trapped in a cynical, depressed life and spends his days on the couch drinking heavily and binge eating. He also watches reruns of his has-been show in an attempt to live in his past. Todd is still living with him. BoJack actually cares for Todd, despite constantly belittling him. He doesn’t want Todd to leave him, for fear of loneliness.
BoJack is dumped by Princess Carolyn in the first episode, telling him that, besides a lot of other reasons, he’s afraid of commitment and he hates himself too much to let other people love him. However, they still sleep together later in the episode and in Zoës and Zeldas.
He also must still deal with Mr. Peanutbutter and their one-sided rivalry, with Mr. Peanutbutter innocently interrupting the date where Princess Carolyn dumped BoJack.
Reaching utter despair, BoJack is approached by Pinky Penguin of Penguin Publishing to write his biography, as the company is in dire straights. Believing to be up to the task, BoJack promised to write the book himself.
Unable to make any progress on the book after several months, Pinky forced him to hire a ghostwriter, Diane Nguyen, the writer of his hero Secretariat's biography. Already hating her for her supposedly "unpronounceable last name," he doesn't meet her until late into a party hosted by Todd. Attracted to and hitting it off with her immediately, he is disappointed when she reveals that she is dating Mr. Peanutbutter.
In BoJack Hates the Troops, BoJack denies a seal man a box of muffins he had "dibs" on at the grocery store, taking the muffins just to spite him. The seal turned out to be Neal McBeal, a Navy Seal, to the news network MSNBSea to tell about BoJack's behavior.
BoJack compounds the problem by calling into the news network to argue with Neal live. He eventually enters a video interview from home to continue arguing with Neal live on the news station, and is misconstrued when he suggests not all of America's troops are heroes, and that some of them might be jerks.
The following media frenzy starts to affect BoJack, who wants everything to end. Mr. Peanutbutter then suggests BoJack apologize to Neal on his reality TV show, and sets the two to meet in his house. BoJack does well at first but starts to get heated when he points out the nation's hypocritical treatment of politics and the military. He is cut off by Mr. Peanutbutter's antics before he can finish his rant.
Afterward, he agrees to tell Diane the whole truth about himself, warts and all, and for the first time starts to come clean about his abusive upbringing and past shitty behaviors.
BoJack reunited with Sarah Lynn, who played Sabrina, the Horse’s youngest daughter, on Horsin’ Around, in Prickly-Muffin. A few years after the show ended she became a successful pop singer, but her later album tanked. Sarah Lynn showed erotic behavior, turning to drugs and alcohol. After turning thirty her fans lost interest in her for younger pop singers such as Sextina Aquafina.
After meeting Sarah Lynn and attempting to check her into rehab due to a public meltdown due when her boyfriend, Andrew Garfield dumps her, he lets her stay with him for a while. She stays until everyone tires of her throwing chaotic parties. Later, she reveals to him that Herb Kazzaz, his former best friend has “ass cancer."
He works with Todd to help better the latter's rock opera in Zoës and Zeldas, which gets the attention of famous rock opera producer, Virgil Van Cleef. However, not wanting Todd to leave, as he couldn’t handle being alone, BoJack used Character Actress Margo Martindale in a scheme to sabotage Todd's rock opera. He does this by placing a Decapithon video game Todd was once addicted to next to a cash register at a convenience store. As a result, it led to him staying up all night playing it and neglecting in finishing his rock opera.
In Live Fast, Diane Nguyen, BoJack goes to Boston with Diane to attend her father's funeral, who, along with the rest of her family, was "a mean sadistic asshole." BoJack later consoles her by telling her the ways he appreciates her. He reassures her that she does not need to find closure or appreciation from her family since they are horrible to her and that she should concentrate on moving forward and focusing her life on where she's living and simply don't go back to her family.
After returning to L.A., BoJack attempted to reconnect with Herb, who had been diagnosed with terminal rectal cancer, leaving him a voice mail at the end of the episode.
Jealous of Diane's relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter, BoJack stole the "D" from the Hollywood sign in a drunken stupor and finds it on his deck the next day. Mr. Peanutbutter arrives to confirm his suspicions of BoJack having feelings for Diane by stealing the D, but offers to help BoJack return the D secretly under the condition BoJack stops pursuing Diane romantically. BoJack agrees.
The two come up with a plan involving BoJack distracting the people and the media while Mr. Peanutbutter uses his helicopter to take the "D" back. However, BoJack is double-crossed when Mr. Peanutbutter has the "D" delivered to his house instead as a romantic gesture for Diane.
Angered, BoJack calls Princess Carolyn to complain that Mr. Peanutbutter is ripping him off again, much like their rival sitcoms in the past. Princess Carolyn rebuffs, saying while BoJack may start ideas, Mr. Peanutbutter actually carries them out and expresses them clearly. BoJack realizes he has never told Diane about his feelings for her and sets up a memoir interview in order to do so. While he is able to tell her that she should be with someone who understands her better, he stops short when he is reminded he is being recorded for writing purposes.
When Diane returns home to Mr. Peanutbutter, BoJack calls to once again express his feelings, but his call is ignored when Mr. Peanutbutter asks Diane to talk intimately. Mr. Peanutbutter apologizes for his grand gestures and explains how much he loves her despite having different personalities.
Simultaneously, BoJack leaves a heartfelt voicemail about how good she makes him feel. As his voicemail message ends, Mr. Peanutbutter proposes to Diane, and she accepts. Diane then calls BoJack back, telling him the news about her engagement and asking what his voicemail was about. BoJack tells her to delete it, saying it was another drunken message. He goes on a week-long bender, which Princess Carolyn ends by giving him a pep talk, as well as a commercial shoot opportunity, to snap him out of it.
However, to the frustration of Princess Carolyn, who had to deal with her rival Vanessa Gekko as their agencies merged—BoJack abandons his commercial shoot and coming to fawn after her, to which Princess Carolyn points out he does so every time something bad happens to him. However, she finally relents to a date with BoJack after much pestering, to pursue happiness by going on a date with him.
The two enjoy their date but simultaneously get a phone call. Princess Carolyn is called by Vanessa Gekko, telling her that Cate Blanchett, who was previously Princess Carolyn's client, has switched to become Vanessa's client. Dismayed, Princess Carolyn decides to commit to pursuing happiness with BoJack to take her mind off of her career.
BoJack, meanwhile, is called by Herb Kazzaz, who is responding to BoJack's voicemail from the episode Live Fast, Diane Nguyen. Herb scathingly tells BoJack to visit him at his home in Malibu if BoJack has anything to say to him. The call sobers up BoJack, and he admits to Princess Carolyn that she was right earlier when she said they don't love each other and that they're just lonely and trying to hate themselves less.
Princess Carolyn gathers herself after that evening, swearing to become a "heartless, hard career gal." She is called on the way to work by BoJack, who tells her he is on his way to visit Herb and wishes to get work when he returns.
BoJack travels to Malibu to see Herb, with Diane and Todd in tow.
Herb, who now appears very sickly, welcomes BoJack and Diane in but throws barbed jokes at BoJack. Diane eases the tension by getting the two to joke about common topics. Herb also reveals he actually had a good life after getting fired, he started a charity and even met the president. He also kept in touch with Charlotte. Herb ends up admitting it was actually nice to see BoJack again. As BoJack and Diane are about to leave, BoJack complains about the visit not feeling right. Seeking closure, BoJack returns to Herb's bedroom to apologize for the past. Herb accepts but does not forgive BoJack.
When BoJack says this will probably be the last time they’ll see each other, Herb angrily says he’s not giving BoJack closure, and he has to live with the "shitty thing [he] did to him for the rest of his life." He recounts how he felt after his career fell apart, and expected everyone except BoJack to abandon him. He tells BoJack to “get the fuck” out of his house. BoJack solemnly sighs with acceptance.
On his way out, BoJack picks up a telescope on his way out that Herb had given him on the exact day Herb told him Horsin' Around was being picked up. This sets off Herb, demanding BoJack leave the telescope, and when he refuses, the two get into a physical altercation before Diane separates them. Herb then begins to tell BoJack off again, saying while he thinks of himself as "the good guy," he’s actually nothing but a selfish coward who takes what he wants and doesn’t give a shit about who he hurts. BoJack says he doesn’t know why he came here. Herb says “Yes, you do," as his nurse helps him back to his room.
After this, on the way home, BoJack brushes off Princess Carolyn's phone call telling him she got him a gig she spent all day achieving. He pulled over to the side of the road, distraught. Diane gets out and tells him she thought it took a lot of courage to do what he did. BoJack then kisses Diane, who quickly pushes him away.
Things became awkward for BoJack and Diane after this incident, with BoJack plotting to sabotage Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's wedding, and Diane telling him that she has enough information to write the BoJack, in order to indirectly avoid him.
BoJack has Todd get a job as Mr. Peanutbutter’s personal driver, although this and his other attempts to ruin the wedding fail, and the wedding ends up getting pushed to later in the week.
The wedding is then decided to be held at the restaurant BoJack owns on BoJack's suggestion so he has a better vantage to sabotage the wedding. Todd then learns from a personal conversation with Mr. Peanutbutter that he has doubts about his marriage to Diane.
He remarks he sometimes feels relief when he dreams that Diane disappeared from his life. Conflicted, Todd decides not to share this useful information with BoJack when he suspects that BoJack had used Margo Martindale similarly in Zoës and Zeldas to help Todd relapse back into playing video games.
Having been further held up by jury duty on the day of the wedding, June 13, 2014, BoJack is unable to come up with any plans to sabotage the wedding. Spurred on by Margo Martindale at the courthouse to tell Diane his feelings for her, BoJack rushes to the wedding, only to be stopped by an angry Todd reminding BoJack to stop intruding in other people's lives. He attends the wedding without incident and reconciles with Diane about the awkwardness between them
In One Trick Pony, BoJack was cast to play Mr. Peanutbutter in Mr. Peanutbutter's Hollywoo Heist, the movie based on the events of Our A-Story is a "D" Story. During filming, Todd decides to get involved to do something with his life since his failed rock opera launch in Zoës and Zeldas. He begins to suggest ideas to Quentin Tarantulino, and is reciprocated due to Tarantulino's eccentricity. This causes major changes to the script and film and begins to downplay BoJack's screen time and involvement.
BoJack suspects this is the direct result of Todd enacting revenge for BoJack's sabotage of Todd's rock opera. The changes to the film become increasingly drastic until the film is canceled altogether when Quentin and Todd decide the story should be told as a "bi-monthly curated box of snacks." BoJack confronts Todd, accusing him of sabotaging the film to prevent BoJack from relaunching his career similarly to what he did to Todd.
Todd, however, claims it wasn't the case, as he had learned to move on and had been working with Quentin in earnest. He refuses to fully reconcile with a guilty BoJack in the end.
In the meanwhile, Diane had finally completed the first draft of BoJack's memoir One Trick Pony. However, BoJack discovered that Diane honestly portrayed him as a person that was flawed, yet relatable. He angrily demands Diane that she rewrite the book, and she in return goes behind his back and leaks early chapters of the book on Buzzfeed, which led to BoJack firing her.
BoJack tried to write the book himself with the help of doing drugs with Todd and Sarah Lynn. This leads to BoJack having a long drug bender where he realizes how psychologically messed up he is and it could be too late for him to change that. He has a dream where he went with Charlotte to Maine, had a daughter named Harper with her, and lived a long happy life together.
When he wakes up Princess Carolyn calls him to tell him all he wrote was random stuff and gibberish.
At a small convention for ghostwriters, Diane sits at a panel to take questions from a sparse showing. BoJack shows up eventually and apologizes to Diane, saying she knows what she was doing. He goes on to say he doesn't mind her version being published since he doesn't care what people think of him anymore. However, in coming to terms with his faults and failures, BoJack asks Diane to tell him that he is still a good person inside and pleads with her to give him that sense of security. His question catches her off guard and the two stare at each other in silence, giving no answer.
The book won a Golden Globe, for Best Comedy And/Or Musical despite not being either, not even being a film. He decided to do more with his career, and he got the life long dream part of Secretariat, his childhood hero, with Kelsey Jannings directing, Lenny Turteltaub producing, and Diane getting a job as a character consultant.
When he tells Diane this news on the rooftop of Mr. Peanutbutter's house during a party, Diane provides an answer to BoJack's question about if she thinks he's still a good person deep down; that she doesn't believe in a "deep down" and that "people are made up of the things they do." She goes on to tell him that she chose to be a character consultant for the Secretariat movie, which would make them coworkers once shooting begins.
The episode ends with BoJack returning to the Griffith Park Observatory, where his success with Horsin' Around began. He signs an autograph for a young horse who says BoJack is his hero. Surprised at the remark, BoJack continues to stare out at the city.
Season 2
In Season 2, BoJack attempts to better himself, adapting a "brand new attitude," although this is hampered on his first day on set when he can’t deliver the line "What are you doing here?" correctly. An accident on set puts filming on hold for two days, and when he asks Diane for advice she asks him what he did when he acted on Horsin' Around.
BoJack remembered a conversation with Herb he had after he invited his mother to a taping, only for her to continue to criticize and put him down. Herb told him he was good at hitting his mark, and for now, since it was a sitcom he didn’t have to worry at the moment about being a "real actor." In the present, BoJack came to the conclusion that he wasn’t a real actor, and continues to stress over the fact the movie may be his last shot at happiness.
As BoJack sits in his trailer before shooting, he gets a call from a now elderly Beatrice who tells him she read his book, including all the parts about her and how she treated him. She apologizes by telling him that he was "born broken," and nothing he does will ever fill the void. BoJack is then finally able to deliver the line.
After having trouble dating women due to his fame and all his dates bringing up details from his book, BoJack meets Wanda Pierce, an owl woman and MSNBSea network executive who had just woken up from a thirty-year coma, and therefore had no idea who he was.
BoJack is immediately attracted to her because of this, but to his surprise he also actually cares about her and wants to spend time with her, sober, rather than just have sex.
They begin dating, although one of their dates they meet Alex, a man who has also woken up from a thirty-year coma. Wanda and Alex connect because they don’t understand the last thirty years' worth of references. BoJack is jealous, so he spies on Alex and tricks Princess Carolyn to come along, though she leaves, not wanting to participate. Alex makes a call on a radio trying to contact the KGB and BoJack discovers he’s a communist spy.
He tries to expose Alex at a party, but when Alex does admit it he also gains sympathy from everyone when he says he’s made friends and he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to get home to Russia. Wanda is upset BoJack spied on Alex and she leaves with him.
After some motivation from Princess Carolyn who tells him he always sabotages every good thing that happens to him, he goes to Disneyland and apologizes to Wanda, saying that he wants to be better and she makes him better. When she is unsure if she wants to be with him when he’s still trying to get his shit together, he asks her to move in with him, and she agrees.
Herb dies shortly before Still Broken. His cancer had actually gone into remission, but he crashed into a truck full of peanuts, which he was deathly allergic to.
BoJack reconnected with Horsin' Around crew during Herb's funeral, including Sarah Lynn, Joelle Clarke, and Bradley Hitler-Smith. He also reunited with Charlotte, who revealed that she only lived in Maine for a month in the 80s and that she currently lived in Tesuque, New Mexico.
She gives BoJack her business card and tells him he can visit her if he's ever in New Mexico.
The Horsin' Around gang ends up going on a treasure hunt after finding clues that lead them to Herb's storage locker. Inside the locker, they find a briefcase with a letter from Herb's friend, Henry Winkler, talking about a novel Herb wrote. They piece together that Henry murdered Herb for his book. They return to the funeral and confront Henry Winkler. He confesses he did steal it, but only because the book was terrible.
BoJack continued to try and make himself a better person and continued his relationship with Wanda, and showed his care for her, even saying "I Love You" to her however the idea of being actually in love scares him and he almost detracts this statement as soon as he says it.
He was also motivated by Kelsey Jannings, the director of Secretariat. He convinced her to go out and shoot the Richard Nixon scene of the film that was cut, for being too dark and gritty, they both didn't like the direction the film was heading in and shot the scene behind the producer, Lenny Turteltaub's back. Kelsey got fired for this and was replaced with another director, Abe D'Catfish.
BoJack was upset and overstressed with this, and the director was upset that BoJack had insulted the film, thus he continued to pack BoJack with repeated re-shoots of the same scenes. He was so stressed, he got into a fight with Wanda, and they broke up, with Wanda saying she couldn't be with someone as negative as him.
He left California, and traveled to New Mexico, to see Charlotte. He finds out that Charlotte is married to a man named Kyle and has two children with him: a seventeen-year-old deer girl named Penny and a thirteen-year-old human boy named Trip. The business went crazy without him, and Princess Carolyn kept giving excuses to cover him up. He lied to Charlotte, and her family, telling them he was there for a boat show. He really went to see Charlotte.
He got along great with her family, especially her daughter Penny. He made himself at home and even took Penny and her friends to prom when her crush failed to ask her out. He encouraged them to drink. However, when one of her friends, Maddy, passed out, Penny and BoJack took off and returned home. They left Maddy with Penny's other close friend Pete Repeat in the Emergency Room.
Penny wanted to have sex with BoJack, to which he initially refused. He talked with Charlotte, reminiscing about the fun times they had in the 80s with Herb—BoJack confesses he cannot run away from his problems, and especially himself. It's a tender moment that causes BoJack to kiss Charlotte and asks her to run away with him, confessing he loved her all this time. He expresses a desire for wanting Charlotte to leave her husband and life for him.
Charlotte refuses and gets angry, saying she has worked hard for this life for her and her family, and BoJack depresses her. She claims he disrupted her life stating, "[BoJack] came in like a hurricane, all because [they] knew each other for a short time thirty years ago." Charlotte then says he doesn't really know her, telling him he can stay for one more night but must leave the next morning.
BoJack returned to his boat that he purchased to keep the lie going, He found Penny there, still wanting sex, he tells her to go to bed. He goes inside the cabin but leaves the door open. Charlotte, seeing a balloon with a glow stick, that leads to the boat, ends up seeing BoJack and Penny allegedly about to have sex.
She then orders Penny angrily to go to her room, and then tells BoJack that if she ever tried to contact her or her family again, she would "fucking kill him," which is the second relationship BoJack has permanently destroyed, the first being with Herb Kazzaz.
He took the boat back to Hollywoo with him. He found the film has been finished without him, as he was replaced with a computer-generated version of himself. His performance and the film are widely praised and he is offered for more and more roles. He hires a new publicist, Ana Spanakopita, who promises him success with winning an Oscar, as that is what she is well-known for—her nickname being "The Oscar Whisperer."
He jogs once again up a hill for exercise, and the Jogging Baboon told him it gets easier, but he needs to follow a routine of doing it every single day which is the difficult part.
Season 3
In Season 3, BoJack is seen promoting the Secretariat film and gets annoyed with the several interviews. BoJack had hired Ana Spanakopita as his publicist, and they are working on getting him an Oscar nomination.
Most of the interviewers asked BoJack about Horsin' Around and he defended it. Ana told him to stop defending the show, claiming he was more than a sitcom star now. While in New York, New York, he decides to see a play by his old friend Jill Pill. They worked on the BoJack Horseman Show together. Jill asked him to visit Cuddlywhiskers, who created the BoJack Horseman Show.
Doing an interview with Manatee Fair, the interviewer got him drunk after he got upset about everybody asking him what he'll do next. They end up having sex in his hotel room, where he drunkenly talked about the incident with Penny and revealed that he is not in Secretariat, it's just a computer-generated version of him.
The interviewer recorded the conversation. He wakes up the next morning to find she is gone, and panics. However, Ana Spanakopita manages to fix the situation somehow. Later, at a Q&A at a Secretariat screening, he decided to play Ana's game and doesn't defend Horsin' Around.
Back in L.A, he decided to visit Cuddlywhiskers with Diane, who was having marriage problems with Mr. Peanutbutter. They didn't find him right away, instead, they finding a dead female whale in a pool. Her phone showed she had text someone, saying "BoJack is trying to kill me."
BoJack and Diane were interrogated but not arrested due to the lack of evidence. They tried to figure out what happened, it turned out the whale was working at the sketchy Whale World, which was basically a strip club that did not use the term "Strippers" so it was "Family-Friendly."
The club was owned by Ritchie Osbourne, who played the character of Goober on Horsin' Around. He was a sexist person who was arrested previously for raping a dozen Laker Girls. It turned out BoJack was not being framed, but the stripper was addicted to a new type of drug made by Ritchie called "BoJack" because horse meant heroin and he's a horse. Ritchie was arrested. Later, BoJack met Cuddlywhiskers for the first time in eight years.
After returning a seahorse back to his family and unsuccessfully trying to reconnect with Kelsey in the Pacific Ocean while attending the film festival there, BoJack begins to worry when Secretariat is officially released. When the film is a success, he, along with Todd, decides to crash a random wedding—which is really a rehearsal dinner. Todd reconnects with his old girlfriend Emily.
BoJack takes over the dinner, but accidentally convinces one of the brides that they shouldn't get married if they don't know if that's what they want. BoJack also tries to set Todd up with Emily, although Todd backs out of having sex with her, to her disappointment. BoJack eventually set the brides back together when he warns her not to let go of the people close to her, or as he puts it, "Find someone you can halfway tolerate and don't let go." That night, he ended up having sex with Emily, as she was saddened by Todd not wanting her.
BoJack slowly began to lose his confidence as he was losing awards such as The Leonard Maltin awards and The Golden Snowflake awards. BoJack tried to prank Jurj Clooners, who was considered the "King Of Pranks" but found out that Ana was also his publicist. Upon finding out Ana was doing great work for other clients, he fired Ana in anger. BoJack hired Todd as his publicist, but as expected he wasn't good at all. Late at night, BoJack finds Ana in his living room in the dark, revealing she fired all her clients to focus on him. She begins to give him a handjob, cut she begins to strangle his genitals to threaten him to never doubt her again.
Since Todd and Emily had been working on their Uber-like business Cabracadabra they were stationed at BoJack's house. BoJack and Emily were nervous and tried to hide their sex secret from Todd. At the same time, BoJack was upset that he was constantly getting newspapers from The L.A. Gazette, which he never subscribed to.
BoJack vents to The Closer who is trying to convince him to keep the newspapers. He keeps having sex with Ana but realizes he doesn't know her and follows her home one day. He is depressed seeing her lonely life.
He also picks a billboard advertisement for Secretariat that he likes, which is just a reflective piece of Parker that says "You Are Secretariat" but it fails due to not making sense out of context. He finds out Margo Martindale had been living in his boat for months, stealing the food from the house, and lets her steal his boat with no concern. He eventually agrees to keep the newspaper coming to the house.
On December 31st, 2015, BoJack was upset that Bradley Hitler-Smith, his old co-star from Horsin' Around was making a sequel series to Horsin' Around titled Ethan Around and hadn't told him about it. Bradley was ecstatic BoJack is "attached" to the series, although he didn't actually want to do it and was just mad Bradley hadn't told him about it.
Princess Carolyn gave him an offer to do a film called Flight of the Pegasus. BoJack saw this as a chance to get out of Ethan Around. BoJack also got a chance to do another film about a girl who enjoys jelly beans. Even better, it was being directed by Kelsey Jannings.
Princess Carolyn tried to get him to do both films, as he wanted. Meanwhile, Bradley flew over to L.A. that same day, telling BoJack about it. He didn't have the heart to tell Bradley he didn't want to do it. Princess Carolyn ended up accidentally blowing both film deals that night for BoJack.
Not only that, but Ana bluntly told Bradley he didn't wish to do Ethan Around. BoJack had nothing left to do. In early January 2016, roughly around BoJack's fifty-second birthday, he decided to fire Princess Carolyn as his agent for screwing up his film deals. After a long night, that included having them save the restaurant that BoJack owned, BoJack stuck to his decision to fire Princess Carolyn.
Sometime later, early months of 2016, Mr. Peanutbutter was asked to announce the Oscar nominations, but he lost the envelope to the nominations. He and Todd came up with their own nominations, and they included BoJack's performance in Secretariat. He ended up throwing a party and getting drunk and knocked out in a pool after fighting with Diane.
Mr. Peanutbutter saved his life, but it was revealed what actually happened, BoJack was never nominated for an Oscar. Ana was not at the party, she was nowhere to be found and did not answer BoJack's calls. Todd returned home the next morning. Emily had abandoned the Cabracadabra project and told Todd that neither she nor BoJack hadn't been very good friends to Todd.
Todd and BoJack argued once he returned. BoJack eventually revealed he had sex with Emily. BoJack tried to apologize and give an excuse, but Todd didn't want to hear it, saying “You are everything that is wrong with you. It’s not the drugs, or the alcohol, or the shitty things that happened to you in your career, or when you were a kid, it’s you." He then said “Fuck, man. What else is there to say?” and leaves BoJack alone.
BoJack, with nobody still close to him, decides to drink and do drugs with Sarah Lynn after she had been sober for over eight months. They go on an epic bender for a month and end up visiting Ohio State University, which Penny is attending.
They spy on her to see if the incident with BoJack messed her up at all, but she appears to be OK and having a good time at college. However, she ends up seeing BoJack and she becomes terrified. Fans and paparazzi also see BoJack and Sarah Lynn, and the two flee as Penny disappears into the crowd. Sarah Lynn and BoJack return to LA and break down emotionally after doing heroin, and BoJack tells Sarah Lynn they’re going to the planetarium.
While watching the show, Sarah Lynn rests on BoJack’s shoulder and says she wants to be an architect. BoJack then gives a speech about being small specs in the large universe, saying it doesn’t matter what they did in the past or how they’ll be remembered, all that matters is now. Sarah Lynn does not respond. BoJack says her name and nudges her. Sarah Lynn died from a drug overdose at age thirty-one.
BoJack is deeply distraught over Sarah Lynn's overdose. He stays home and watches old episodes of Horsin' Around. Diane visits him after he returns from her funeral and tells him how much Horsin' Around comforted her as a child. He says people need a show like Horsin' Around in their lives.
This inspires BoJack to call Bradley and tells him that he does want to do Ethan Around. BoJack seems to be getting his life back on track. They film the first episode, but when Chloe, the little girl in the show, tells BoJack her dream is to be like him, he panics, remembering Sarah Lynn and flees the building. He drives up the highway, and speeds the car, trying to commit suicide, but he sees several horses running, and he watches them in the distance.
Around this time, while at her new office Princess Carolyn learns from her assistant, Judah, that someone is trying to contact BoJack, and that it sounds like a teenage girl. Princess Carolyn tells him to ignore it, as she doesn’t work for him anymore. We then see who was on the other line: a teenage female horse, who looks sad at not being able to contact BoJack.
Season 4
Season 4 begins with the reveal BoJack has been missing for a while. In the second episode, it picks up at where Season 3 left off. BoJack gets a call from Diane but ignores it. After watching the wild horses leave, he drives further up the highway, across the country. He arrives in Harper's Landing, Michigan, staying at the lake house he and his mother stayed in during their childhood summers, which has become run down and depleted in the last few decades.
He stays there for over a year, not revealing his identity and becoming a legally missing person. He meets Eddie, a dragonfly who lives next door. Although a bit of a grump, he helps BoJack fix up the house. He doesn’t leave the lakefront because he refuses to fly although BoJack says he could take a plane.
By the end of summer the lake house is almost finished, all that’s missing is a weather vane that was stolen by a local restaurant in a barn. While BoJack goes to get the weather vane Eddie distracts everyone by singing I Will Always Think of You on the piano, and in the end, he breaks down crying. BoJack is seen by the owners and the two run off in BoJack’s car. Later, while BoJack puts up the weather vane, he purposely falls off the ladder to get Eddie to fly and catch him. Eddie does end up flying, which enrages him.
He picks BoJack up and they start flying higher, with Eddie revealing he got his wife Lorraine killed because he made the, fly too high and she got sucked into a plane engine. Eddie attempts a murder-suicide with BoJack by trying to get them sucked into a plane engine, but BoJack gets loose and the two fall into the lake. After BoJack rescues Eddie, the latter asks BoJack why he saved him and breaks down crying saying he doesn’t want to live.
BoJack leaves Eddie and goes back inside and calls Diane. He apologizes to her for everything and tells her where he is. He says he can’t come home because he doesn’t belong anywhere. Diane reassured him that everyone belongs in Los Angeles, it has no barriers for entry.
BoJack jokingly agrees with her that L.A. will let in literally anyone. The two then admit they missed each other. The next morning BoJack calls in a demolition team to destroy the lake house. When Eddie asks what's going on, BoJack tells him that he has decided to stop wallowing in the past and move forward in life. As the house is torn down, BoJack drives back to Hollywoo.
Shortly after BoJack returns to Hollywoo, the teenage horse girl who tried to contact him over a year ago also arrives. She knocks out Todd with chloroform, and after he wakes up she introduces herself as Hollyhock Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzerelli-McQuack.
She has eight last names because she was adopted by eight gay men who all live in a gay polyamorous relationship. She explains that ever since she was a baby people have always told her she looked like BoJack Horseman, so she came to Los Angeles to see if he is her biological father. She came to Todd first because BoJack said they lived together in his book.
Todd says they don’t live together anymore, but he agrees to take her to BoJack’s house to find a DNA sample, a strand of hair, to get tested. However, they discover BoJack has returned, and he is passed out on his couch, in his underwear, and is surrounded by garbage.
BoJack is in a deep enough sleep for Hollyhock to yank out a strand of his hair. Hollyhock says “Ok, let’s blow" and the word blow wakes up BoJack, saying to save some for him. BoJack asks who she is and she introduces herself.
Todd says she’s his new maid. BoJack starts to thank Todd and tell him how grateful he is for him, but Todd says they haven’t spoken in a year, and that actually has been working for him. BoJack sadly agrees, but then begins to question why he got him a maid. Hollyhock knocks out BoJack with chloroform and tells Todd to take the hair to get it tested.
However, when Todd gets to the lab he finds out he needs a sample from Hollyhock too, and, after going to a restaurant with Courtney Portnoy he goes back to discover she has not cleaned up at all, instead she has been going through BoJack’s stuff to learn about him.
Hollyhock also ate a box of doughnuts, got sleepy, and took a nap, which makes Todd certain the two are related. She doesn’t want to yank out a strand of hair because it sounds painful and asks if they can just use Todd’s hair. The doctor tells him no and Todd runs back and gets a hair sample from a comb she has.
BoJack complains to Todd his new maid isn’t doing her job and he’ll fire her, and Todd convinces BoJack to get drunk and fall asleep, and while he does that he’ll get the maid to clean. However, Todd ends up cleaning the house while Hollyhock eats, reads a magazine, and goes on her phone, and watches TV. When Todd has to leave again, he tells her to stay there and he’ll get the DNA test later, but he sees that she has fallen asleep.
After multiple shenanigans, the hair is able to be tested, and it is confirmed the DNA is a match. Todd later goes back to BoJack’s house looking for Hollyhock, but instead, he only finds BoJack. Todd tells him that Hollyhock is his daughter. BoJack laments about how he’ll just hurt her like everyone else in his life, like how he hurt Todd by sleeping with Emily, The only person he’s ever seen him in love with. Todd says he doesn’t think he ever loved her and thinks he doesn’t deserve to love. BoJack tells Todd he’s a great person, and he got more of him than he deserved.
Todd confesses he thinks he may be asexual. BoJack says there’s no problem with that, and Todd officially accepts himself as asexual. However, Todd rejects BoJack’s offer to stay at his house again and says he’s not ready to be best friends with him again yet, but they can be more than not friends. Todd welcomes BoJack back before he leaves, and after he leaves Hollyhock returns to BoJack’s house, leaving the two alone.
When BoJack tells her he’ll be a terrible father, Hollyhock reveals she doesn’t want another dad, she wants to know who her birth mom is. While BoJack claims he banged a lot of chicks in 1999, he suspects a woman named Marcy, because she was a “poking holes in the condoms type,” although she was “a nutter” and “a good lay.” BoJack agrees to take her to Marcy’s apartment the next morning to meet her, and Hollyhock says after that she’ll leave him alone. However, she is able to guilt him into letting her stay at his house for the night instead of her hostile, which is in a bad part of town.
The next morning, BoJack wakes up to find that Hollyhock has set the microwave on fire for trying to make him breakfast, a Pop-tart, to thank him for letting her stay there. She kept the tinfoil wrapper on to make it “popcorn style.“ He forgives her however because making food is impossible. He also eats the charred Pop-tart on the way to driving Hollyhock to Marcy’s place.
BoJack explains Marcy was the president of his fan club. They arrive at Marcy’s apartment, and she tells BoJack she knew he would come back and says she did give a baby up for adoption seventeen years ago. Hollyhock hugs her “mother." Marcy says she tied to call BoJack but the number he gave her was for a sandwich shop in Temecula. BoJack lies and says he would have called her, but 9/11 happened.
Later, Marcy shows them a scrapbook of all the women BoJack had been with and their home addresses due to the fact she was so in love with BoJack and he never called back, which made her jealous. Hollyhock excuses herself to use the bathroom and then calls BoJack into the bathroom telling Marcy it’s a dad bathroom thing.
Hollyhock tells BoJack that Marcy is not her mom, because she found a photo of her from the premiere of the movie Autumn in New York, which premiered August of 2000. Hollyhock was born the following month, in September, and Marcy does not show signs of being eight months pregnant in the photo.
She tells BoJack they have to get the scrapbook, as it has every woman BoJack slept with and that will help them find her mom. BoJack agrees to distract Marcy, but as Hollyhock sneaks into the living room to get the book, to her horror and disgust BoJack and Marcy are having sex behind the couch, and BoJack is quizzing Marcy on random and obscure Horsin' Around trivia.
The next woman they go to is Tilda Madison, a hairless cat who is the Timedium on CBS. She did, in fact, get pregnant, but she got an abortion, with BoJack sending her a check for half of it. BoJack says that’s good because, "you don’t want any little BoJacks running around," because the last thing the world needs is more of him. Hollyhock is offended, and BoJack says he likes her but he would go back and try to prevent this. Hollyhock storms out angrily at this comment.
While driving away from Tilda’s set, BoJack tried to apologize, Hollyhock sarcastically apologizes that he has to interact with the women he was shitty towards. BoJack says he doesn’t know why they’re doing it because she’ll never switch bodies with her mom or anything. Hollyhock commands BoJack to pull over, and she says she can find her mom on her own now that she has the book. She leaves and tells BoJack to have a bad life. He responds with “Jokes on you! I already have one!”
However, BoJack returns home and misses her, so he goes to every woman he slept with and asks them if he got them pregnant and gave a baby up for adoption seventeen years ago. Neither he or Hollyhock find her mom.
Late in the day BoJack finds Hollyhock and tells her what he did. Hollyhock says this was stupid and that she shouldn’t have come here because she doesn’t need a Mom because she did great with eight dads.
She gets upset over wanting a mom because that means her dads weren’t good enough for her, but they were. BoJack tells her to give up for looking for enough because it’ll never be enough. Hollyhock starts crying and he, not knowing how to comfort her and asks what her dads tell her. She says they tell her it’s OK to cry and she shouldn’t feel bad about feeling bad. BoJack tells her she can stay with him a little longer, but Hollyhock questions how they’re going to find her mom.
BoJack lies and says her mother is “Carla Mercedes Benz Brown." Hollyhock says that’s a weird name, BoJack retorts by saying Hollyhock is the one with a weird name. Hollyhock hopes that the first thing she and her birth mother could talk about when they finally meet for the first time.
However, he promises that he’ll do everything he can to help her find her birth mom, but from his experience with his mother he says moms aren’t that great. Hollyhock asks if she could meet her, and BoJack lies that she’s dead. He then confesses a few minutes later that she isn’t dead. Hollyhock says she wants to meet her and asks where she lives. He tells her she lives in a luxurious nursing home, but he cannot remember the name, which offends Hollyhock. BoJack reluctantly agrees to take Hollyhock to visit his mother, and he says he won’t lie to her anymore.
While driving, BoJack calls Princess Carolyn for the first time in over a year, to her surprise. He apologizes for his behavior and treatment towards her, but then changes the subject and asks her where his mother’s nursing home is. It is learned she lives at Walnut Springs nursing home in Santa Barbara.
At the nursing home, the two find a now elderly Beatrice, but she doesn’t recognize BoJack and calls him “Henrietta." BoJack is annoyed by this and thinks she is just pretending to not recognize him due to her bitter attitude she always had towards him. However, she somehow recognizes Hollyhock, saying “Oh hello! It’s You!”. BoJack is distraught that his mother cannot recognize him. Hollyhock sits down next across from Beatrice and tells BoJack she’d like some orange juice as well.
Later, when BoJack comes back with the orange juice, he sees Hollyhock talking with Beatrice. Beatrice tells Hollyhock she can’t believe she came back, and that she looks “just like him."
A male doctor tells BoJack that his mother has dementia, and their visit has made her the most responsive she’s been in weeks, and them visiting on a daily basis will help her. BoJack refuses, but the doctor says she will not live for another ten years. BoJack is fine with this and tells Hollyhock it’s time for them to leave. Hollyhock demands they visit her every week because she’s his mother, and dementia is hereditary, so they might have it one day and they would want someone to take care of them. BoJack reluctantly agrees.
The next week, Beatrice shows Hollyhock a photo album, with BoJack still bitter about the fact she can’t remember him. After he leaves out of boredom.
A week later, BoJack brings a DVD set of Horsin' Around and he puts on the episode “I'm Ready For My Close-up, Mr. Dementia" to learn how to deal with Beatrice. To his shock, Beatrice recognizes BoJack on the TV and laughs at the episode, despite in the past criticizing and dismissing it.
During their next visit, BoJack remembers the limo ride to his father’s funeral with his mother a couple of years ago, and how he felt regret over not saying everything he wanted to say to his father.
He goes outside upset over his situation with his mother. Hollyhock wonders how they can get her to connect the BoJack from the show to the BoJack that visits her every week. BoJack then gets the idea to put on a live episode of Horsin’ Around at the nursing home, and when his mother finally recognizes him, he’ll sit next to her, squeeze her hand, and say “Fuck you, Mom." Hollyhock disagrees with this, but BoJack has already set his mind on it.
One week later, BoJack has set up a fake episode of Horsin’ Around, with Hollyhock playing Olivia by wearing a mop for a blonde wig. She is still skeptical and nervous about BoJack’s plan, but he tells her it’ll be ok, as long as she enunciates her lines. After Beatrice arrives they begin, but Beatrice is confused and scared by what they’re doing, and she ends up having a meltdown where she shoves other elders, and she is wheeled out of the room.
Beatrice is kicked out for being violent, and the doctor from before says due to her rapid deterioration, she should live with them. Hollyhock agrees and says Beatrice can have the guest bedroom and she’ll sleep on the couch. BoJack reluctantly agrees.
While Beatrice is being moved in, with the help of her new nurse Tina Bear, BoJack goes out on his deck and Hollyhock follows. He says his mother is going to die and she’ll never know how much he hates her. Hollyhock says she probably did because she read his novel, and assures him Beatrice will have bad days and good days, and maybe one day she will recognize him.
BoJack's self-loathing thoughts are heard throughout Stupid Piece of Sh*t, which is what he constantly calls himself.
These intrusive, self-hating thoughts continue as BoJack has breakfast, which consists of him eating cookies out of the package and then berating himself for eating cookies for breakfast.
Hollyhock tells BoJack they need milk, with Beatrice saying it’s "for the baby," and she asks BoJack if she could take the car.
BoJack's mind starts up again, but this time with distorted animation and crude, cartoony drawings.
His thoughts tell him if Hollyhock leaves he’ll be stuck with his mom and he doesn’t want Hollyhock getting her grubby hands all over his car, but another thought says she’s his daughter and tells him he’s a shitty piece of garbage for thinking that.
However, if Hollyhock does leave, he’s stuck with his mom, but if he leaves, his mother will tell Hollyhock how terrible he is and poison her against him.
BoJack blurts out that he'll get the milk. BoJack instead spends the day at a bar, as we hear his thoughts continue to berate him and spiral out of control. He shows up at his house, ashamed of how he spent his day. Hollyhock answers the door, questions where he’s been all day, and questions if he got the milk. BoJack only replies with "Uhhhh..."
The next day BoJack, after waking up and internally calling himself a "stupid piece of shit" again, goes downstairs where Hollyhock tells him Tina ended up getting the milk and is using it to make breakfast.
Beatrice tells BoJack, still referring to him as "Henrietta," that he should make a healthy breakfast for the baby. He pushes her in her wheelchair into the hallway and says he’s leaving, passing on Hollyhock's offer to eat breakfast with them. BoJack ends up just sitting in his car while parked on the side of Mulholland Drive, and he mentally bereaved himself for doing this instead of spending time with his daughter and dying mother.
He returns home later to find that Hollyhock has given Beatrice a baby doll, who, to BoJack's disgust, is cooing over and acting lovingly towards it like a real baby. Hollyhock tells BoJack that his mom kept asking where the "baby" was, so she got her a doll.
BoJack scoffs at his mom of all people being into a baby doll and tells Hollyhock to not indulge in his mom's delusions. Hollyhock tells him he’s not around a lot and it was getting depressing to look at her.
BoJack's jealousy over his mom's doll increases, due to how horrible and abusive she was to him his whole life. Hollyhock tells him he needs to let go of his grudge against her because she’s just a sweet confused old lady now. BoJack refuses to believe this.
After Beatrice scolds them for yelling in front of her "baby" and tells BoJack ("Henrietta") he’s unfit to be a parent. He sarcastically asks where that insight was fifty years ago, and he takes the doll from her and starts tossing it around, sarcastically asking if neglecting the baby and/or telling it for eighteen years how it embarrasses him and his life would have been better if it wasn’t born would make him a great mother, releasing his resentment towards his mother’s lifelong abuse towards him.
Beatrice tries to get the doll back and called him a worthless waste of her husband’s jizzim. BoJack takes this as a sign that Beatrice does recognize him after all. BoJack then throws the doll over his deck, which leads Beatrice to scream in horror and start sobbing. BoJack is at first pleased with himself, congratulating himself on the "nice throw" but Hollyhock is ashamed of him, and BoJack immediately feels regret.
BoJack starts driving downtown, telling himself he has to get the doll back, although he winds up at the bar again. He thinks to himself he’s making his daughter hate him, which is good, because he hurts everyone who he lets love him, like Herb, Penny, and Sarah Lynn. He decides to go to Diane for help.
He shows up at Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's house, but after Mr. Peanutbutter greets him he decides not to let Diane see him drunk and asking for help. As his mind berates him for doing so, he asks Mr. Peanutbutter for help.
Mr. Peanutbutter sniffs out the doll's scent, which leads them to Felicity Huffman's house. However, she refuses to give them the doll because BoJack has been throwing crap over his balcony for years, and it always ends up in her yard, from cigarette butts to a giant, regurgitated pile of cotton candy. Mr. Peanutbutter is able to meditate their feud and gets BoJack to agree to be on her show, FHBA.
BoJack and Mr. Peanutbutter go to the bar to celebrate getting the doll back. Mr. Peanutbutter asks about Hollyhock, and BoJack says that he's scared he's gonna screw everything up and make her hate him, like what he always does.
Mr. Peanutbutter suggests to not do what he does to make people hate him, but BoJack says that when he looks at Hollyhock and her innocence, he thinks about all the shitty things he’s ever done, and he thinks he doesn’t deserve that kind of love. Mr. Peanutbutter tells him that he doesn’t know much about being governor, but what he does know is that everyone deserves to be loved.
BoJack returns home drunk, and gives the doll back to his mom, who coldly replies "About time, Henrietta." As Tina takes Beatrice to bed, BoJack sees Hollyhock sitting on his deck chairs, lighting matches and throwing them into the pool.
BoJack tells himself to go talk to her, as his intrusive thoughts start up again. The voice tells him his poison is already in her and he’ll destroy her like everyone else in his life, and angrily questions himself what he’s going to do to Hollyhock. BoJack for once ignores his intrusive thoughts, telling them to "shut up," and goes to talk to Hollyhock.
He tells her he got the doll back. She questions where he disappears to all day. He says he just drive around, sometimes he’ll go to a bar, or just stop by the side of the road and stares into the distance. Hollyhock asks why and BoJack just shrugs.
She asks if he would rather do that then spend time with her, and tells him in a frustrated tone she knows he didn’t ask for a "dorky seventeen-year-old" and apologizes for being annoying. BoJack quickly reassures her that he likes having her here, and his shitty behavior is his own fault and not at all hers.
Hollyhock reveals that sometimes she has a tiny voice in the back of her head that says everyone hates her and they’re not wrong to feel that way. BoJack says he knows what she means. Hollyhock then asks “That voice, the one that tells you you're worthless and stupid and ugly? It goes away, right? It's just, like, a dumb teenage-girl thing, but then it goes away?" BoJack says yes.
In Underground, BoJack finally calls Diane for the first time since returning to LA. He tells her he’s back and he should have called her. Diane is not happy to hear from him because of this.
BoJack goes over to her house and learns that they are having a fundraiser for Mr. Peanutbutter's governor campaign.
The security guy won't let him in unless he pays. Mr. Peanutbutter comes over and talks to BoJack but doesn't get him in. BoJack begrudgingly pays $20,000 for a plate, but Diane still tries to avoid him.
Shortly afterward, an earthquake occurs, and the entire house falls into a large sinkhole caused by Mr. Peanutbutter's Fracking, trapping everyone underground.
Diane, who is anti-fracking and furious with Mr. Peanutbutter for not listening to her about it, storms off to their room, where BoJack is hoarded up with all the alcohol. He says she can either be mad at him or get drunk with him, but not both.
As chaos ensues over the next few days in the house, BoJack and Diane continue to get drunk.
At one point, Diane breaks down about how she's going to die trapped underground because of her husband, and surrounded by his ex-wives. BoJack tries to assure her that she has a good life, but this makes Diane realize that she wasn’t happy above ground either. She breaks down crying, saying she’s the problem and she can’t be happy. She calls herself a pit good things fall into. BoJack tries to comfort her, saying she shouldn't feel bad about feeling bad, quoting the advice that one of Hollyhock's fathers gave her.
Diane asks BoJack why he didn't call her when he came back to L.A. after being gone for a year and a half. BoJack says that he wasn't ready, and wanted to be better when she saw him, although he doesn’t think that could ever happen. Diane says that he doesn't have to be better and that he's the only thing that makes sense to her as she cuddles up next to him.
Later, BoJack talks about how the last few years have been rough, and he tells her about his daughter, Hollyhock, and how he’s trying to help her find her mom. Diane tells him he has to contact the adoption agency and send a mutual consent form to make her adoption open, and if her birth mom says the same thing, she can meet her.
BoJack tells Diane the secret to being happy is to pretend to be happy, and eventually, you'll forget that you're pretending. Diane decides that’s not bad advice. Meanwhile, the party guests have turned against Mr. Peanutbutter, and his ex-wife Jessica Biel sets Zach Braff on Fire and claims fire is their god. Mr. Peanutbutter is thrown into their room and explains that fire is the new ruler, and he’ll be fed to it the next day. BoJack and Diane are forced out of the bedroom.
The next day, Mr. Peanutbutter has been tied to a makeshift cross and is about to be burned by Jessica. BoJack and Diane, still a bit drunk, try to figure out what to do, and realize that there might be a well of water beneath them. They start digging despite Woodchuck's, who is tied to the ceiling fan, protests for them not to.
Right when Jessica Biel is about to burn Mr. Peanutbutter, BoJack hits a pipe, and water is released into the room. Everyone rejoices until they realize that the water isn't stopping.
Two days later, The water has almost filled the entire house, with the guests floating just beneath the ceiling. They are about to drown the house when begins to move. Outside, the Ants, whom Princess Carolyn and Todd met and negotiated with earlier, have joined together to bring the house to the surface, as they want them out of there, although it crumbles to pieces immediately afterward.
BoJack starts his guest judging appearance on FHBA in The Judge. Hollyhock comes with him, and it's revealed he told her about the mutual consent adoption form. She says she’s glad to get out of the house because being cooped up in his house makes her feel like she has tiny bugs crawling under her skin. It turns out FHBA stands for Felicity Huffman's Booty Academy: Los Angeles, and it’s about judging other women's butts, although Felicity claims it’s about judging character.
Hollyhock leaves due to the contestant's voluptuous figures making her feel like a blob, and BoJack has to shoot for another ten hours. The intern, Miles, catches up to her and the two agree to hang out.
She returns home the next day, as she spent the night at Miles's dorm, and tells BoJack about him. BoJack tells her he’ll never contact her again, but Miles does in fact text her and she leaves for a date with him. BoJack asks if she wants breakfast, but Hollyhock rejects, saying she’s good with her coffee, and she’ll be home for dinner.
When she returns home later that night, BoJack confronts her about coming home late and insists Miles is bad news. Hollyhock tells him there’s nothing to worry about because they like each other. BoJack retorts they like each other now, and begins to say something but hesitates.
He then says Miles is a teenage boy who's job is to hang around hot women in skimpy outfits, and then says “You think he’s gonna want...” but quickly cuts himself off. Hollyhock questions if he’s implying she’s not attractive enough. BoJack defends himself by saying she’s the one who said she was a blob.
Hollyhock, distraught, asks BoJack if he thinks she’s a blob, and angrily questions why he would call his daughter one. BoJack says she said it too, but she says she felt like a blob. She angrily questions BoJack again if he thinks she’s a blob. BoJack calmly tells her that he just thinks LA is a superficial town and she should be careful. Hollyhock angrily says Miles likes her just the way she is, and that’s the kind of person she wants to spend her time with.
She begins to storm out, but BoJack tries to stop her, saying “wait, wait, wait!," but Hollyhock heard this the wrong way and says “I get it! It’s my weight!” and slams the door as she leaves.
The next day, BoJack goes to Diane for advice. When Diane asks why it’s so hard to believe someone could genuinely like his daughter, BoJack exclaims that she’s like him. Diane tells him he should just apologize to Hollyhock. BoJack ignores her and comes up with his own plan. He tells one of the contestants to seduce the PA but she ends up sleeping with him, and BoJack learns Miles is an intern and not the PA. When the other judges learn about this BoJack is fired.
However, as BoJack leaves, Miles catches up to him and says if he didn’t want him dating Hollyhock he could have told him, and they could’ve worked out some sort of deal. BoJack questions what he means.
Miles says he has his own screenplay that could really go somewhere. He gives it to BoJack and tells him if he gives it to someone he would never talk to Hollyhock again, showing that BoJack was right about Miles being a jerk.
BoJack tells this to Diane, having yet another massage by the pool. He was hoping that he would be wrong about Miles and says he won’t tell Hollyhock, because she’s smart and she’ll figure it out eventually. He then says if she believes someone can love her for who she really is, he won’t take that away from her.
Later that night, BoJack finds Hollyhock on his couch with the TV on. After the two greet each other he apologizes for being an asshole and asks her what she’s doing. She says she’s seeing how fast she can change the TV channels, and earlier she found all the loose change in the house and organized them in alphabetical order by year.
She then asks if a guy like Miles could really ever love a girl like her. BoJack tells her he was just jealous that she was spending so much time with him. She says he hasn’t texted her at all that day, and she’s been trying to distract herself. BoJack tells her to forget him because she’ll meet many more guys who will fall madly in love with her. Hollyhock thinks she might have scared him off.
She asks BoJack if he ever gets the feeling that to know you more is to love you less. BoJack goes on to tell her that she is an amazing woman and to never settle for someone who likes the idea of her. When he tells her she’s funny, kind, and clever, Hollyhock also asks if she’s pretty. BoJack becomes flustered and asks what she wants him to say because obviously he thinks she’s beautiful. Hollyhock is flattered.
BoJack recommends they go get some ice cream, but Hollyhock says no. BoJack then recommends pizza, but Hollyhock says she’s not hungry. The episode ends with Hollyhock going back to flipping channels while BoJack looks at her.
In Ruthie, BoJack has decided to go to the courthouse of Hollywoo to find Hollyhock's birth certificate and brings Diane along as Hollyhock is too busy "counting her teeth." Their efforts turn fruitless, however, as BoJack gets fed up with the long lines and paperwork, and they leave empty-handed.
In Lovin that cali lifestyle!!, BoJack, Hollyhock, Tina, and Beatrice are playing Uno. However, Hollyhock is acting very anxious, she keeps scratching herself, we see her vision is dizzy, and she has lost a lot of weight, added by the fact her clothes are very loose.
She goes to get some water, but her dizziness makes her drop the glass, and she cuts her forehead.
BoJack offers to help her out, but she tells him to wait as she heads upstairs to the bathroom. Her dizziness gets even worse as she stumbles into the bathroom and tries to get a band-aid. Just then, one of her fathers texts her to see how she's doing, and she hides the cut with her hair and sends him a reassuring selfie with the text "lovin that cali lifestyle!!" before collapsing.
BoJack calls an ambulance and Hollyhock is taken to the hospital. At the hospital, he is trying to remember her last names so that he can prove he’s her legal guardian because he is not allowed to see her or get any information about her condition if he can’t.
After failing to bribe the receptionist, he suddenly remembers all of her last names and tells her.
He also says she’s 5'8", is seventeen years old, and her birthday is in September. He goes on to say other things about her, like how she looks like him, that’s she loves apples but hates applesauce, she’s funny but not in a mean way, and how she’s sweet and “has this smile,” showing how BoJack has grown found and attached to her.
The receptionist still refuses to let him see her and tells him to have a seat, much to his frustration. BoJack waits in the waiting room for hours, and he ends up falling asleep.
Hours later, her eight fathers come, and angrily reveal to BoJack that she overdosed on amphetamines, to his disbelief, although the father’s question how he didn’t notice as Hollyhock is now "as thin as a pole". Despite BoJack asking to see Hollyhock, the fathers, who all blame him for Hollyhock's overdose, refuse to let him see her ever again and leave.
BoJack rushes home and to his horror finds some of his pills in his bathroom medicine cabinet spilled out. Thinking Hollyhock was taking them, BoJack throws all of his medication into the toilet, flushing them down before he collapses as he has a panic attack.
One week later, Beatrice asks BoJack where Hollyhock is, but he tells her that she's gone, to which Beatrice replies "Oh yes, I took her didn’t I?" implying she knew Hollyhock was the same baby she took from Henrietta.
BoJack admits that while Beatrice was a terrible mother, he blew it more as a father, and then declares that he and Beatrice deserved each other.
However, when Beatrice said that she made Hollyhock some coffee, BoJack horrifyingly realizes that she did something to the coffee, and upon closer inspection, finds a large bottle of Chub-B-Gone pills in the coffee bag inside the cabinet. BoJack then realizes that Beatrice has been sneaking them into Hollyhock's coffee, and therefore causing Hollyhock to collapse due to weight loss. Beatrice confirms she did, saying "only until she learns to take them herself."
An enraged BoJack lashes out at a frightened Beatrice for ruining the one good thing he had in his life that he never ruined, before declaring that he is not giving her any more chances. BoJack takes Beatrice to a retirement home that is even worse than the last one she was in and puts her in the worst available room.
Before leaving, BoJack spitefully tells Beatrice that this is what her life has ended up to, her living all alone, and says "Best of luck, see ya never!" However, just before he leaves, Beatrice starts to recognize him, much to BoJack's surprise.
The ending continues at the end of Time's Arrow. Beatrice is confused and frightened by her surroundings, and BoJack bluntly tells her that this is where she lives now.
Beatrice does not believe this and asks again where she is. BoJack starts to tell her again where she is and presumably give her his planned “Fuck you mom” speech, but he hesitates for a bit, and says she’s in Michigan, at the lake house. He then goes on to narrate a pleasant scenario at the lake house, which pleases his mother:
BoJack: And it's..uh..a warm summer night, and the fireflies are dancing in the sky, and....your whole family is here...and they're telling you that everything is gonna be alright.
Beatrice: Yes, that's right. What else?
BoJack: The crickets are chirping, and the lake is still, and the night is full of stars.
Beatrice: I can see it, it's so clear! Wh...What are we doing here, BoJack?
BoJack: We're sitting on the back porch, and we're listening to your brother play the piano, and we're eating ice cream. Vanilla ice cream.
Beatrice: Yes, that's right! Oh, it's all so marvelous
BoJack asks his mother if she can taste the ice cream. Beatrice’s smile fades as she responds to this, as she never got to have ice cream, so she lies and says “Oh BoJack, it’s so....delicious."
In the meantime, Princess Carolyn, who had been going through a rough time as she miscarried and broke up with her boyfriend, Ralph, and has been drinking heavily to cope, was pitched a TV show by aspiring writer Flip McVicker.
She is uninterested at first until she reads the title, "Philbert," which would have been the name of the baby she miscarried.
She becomes determined to greenlight the project as a producer, but Lenny Turteltaub won’t accept it unless she has a lead actor.
She quickly listed multiple actors, but Lenny isn’t interested in any of them. She then blurts out BoJack Horseman's name, who Lenny thinks would be perfect for, although he ran out on both Secretariat and Ethan Around. He tells Princess Carolyn to make BoJack sign a contract to finish the deal (and to ensure he won’t run off again).
He tells her to pitch the show to WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com, a website that tells people what time it is but is looking to become a streaming website. However, Princess Carolyn procrastinated in asking BoJack to sign the contract, and when she tries to call him he hangs up, as at that time he was angrily driving Beatrice to the crappy nursing home. Desperate, Princess Carolyn forges BoJack's signature.
In What Time Is It Right Now BoJack returns home and tries to call Hollyhock, but her fathers answer and hang up on him despite trying to explain what happened. BoJack becomes melancholy due to the absence of Hollyhock.
Meanwhile, Princess Carolyn and Flip pitch "Philbert" to WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com. Flip explains the show is about follows John Philbert, or Philbert for short, an old-fashioned detective living in a time he doesn’t understand, a time where he’s alone - but he’s possibly always been alone. After describing the plot, the executives approve the show especially happy that BoJack Horseman is the lead, though Princess Carolyn is feeling guilty that she had to forge BoJack's signature and he is unaware of the show.
She meets with BoJack at Bellican's Bar and tries to pitch him the Philbert show script, though he's too distracted by the previous events. When she mentions other actors interested in the role such as Matthew Perry, he recalls a time when Hollyhock was trying to figure out a picture to send to the adoption agency to find her mother and mentions an SNL sketch called "Chandler's List" when Perry hosted an episode.
This causes him to have an epiphany and he rushes back home to search through Beatrice's remaining stuff. He finds a pink envelope which is the mail Hollyhock sent returned to her birth mother, Henrietta Platchkey, no longer lives at the address on record.
BoJack makes his way down to Wichita, Kansas, and visits Hollyhock's Fathers. He then tells the still angry fathers that he has figured out the truth of Hollyhock's parentage, and they begrudgingly agree to hear him out. BoJack reveals that he went to every hospital and county clerks in Los Angeles, but he couldn't find any record of a baby horse born in 2000 in Los Angeles.
This causes him to realize that his father Butterscotch might have knocked up one of the family maids, so he went back to San Francisco and found Hollyhock's birth certificate with Henrietta's name on it. He then looked her up on Facebook and found her living in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her phone number attached to her account.
BoJack shows the fathers the number saying he wants Hollyhock to have it, even stating he doesn't mind if they don't tell her how they got it. After conversing in their own Dad Language, the fathers reluctantly agree to give it to her, but order BoJack to leave.
BoJack is back home as Princess Carolyn comes by. She reveals the truth about her actions, but BoJack agrees to do the show, which Princess Carolyn is thankful for. The two then converse over what has happened in the past months, with BoJack suggesting that Princess Carolyn should consider adoption, because the world needs more good moms. Princess Carolyn decides to go with that suggestion and leaves with their friendship restored.
Later on, as BoJack is reading the script, with his annoyed reaction implying that it's not good) he gets a call from Hollyhock. She reveals that her fathers gave her the phone number, which she knew that BoJack was the one to find it, as she understands their "dad language."
She adds on that she's been talking with Henrietta, and says she's leaving for Minneapolis to visit her. She also rants on how the airport charged her ten dollars for a fruit cup, and its 90% honeydew, and the two agree on how terrible honeydew is.
BoJack then apologizes for any trouble he caused and offers to help with her travels and a better fruit cup without honeydew, but she reassures him that it's not his fault and the travel plans have been taken care of. She then says she’s told him that she doesn’t need another dad, as she has eight of them, but she’s never had a brother. This comment makes BoJack, for the first time, smile for real and he is deeply touched by finally making a loving family connection, something he never really had before.
Season 5
BoJack is the star of Philbert, which is premiering as the first original show on WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com's new streaming service. He is also trying to cut back on alcohol, only drinking a bottle a week by marking his allotted amounts for each day on the bottles. He and Hollyhock, who is now attending college at Wesleyan University, call each other every Sunday.
While her divorce with Mr. Peanutbutter is being finalized, BoJack helps Diane move into a shabby studio apartment, which he teases her over. After telling her she can crash at his place any time she wants, he accepts her invite to Mr. Peanutbutter 's housewarming party.
Diane does end up showing up at his house, as the crappiness of her apartment distracted her from doing any work. The two of them end up spending the night getting drunk.
BoJack reveals he’s trying to sober up for his new show, so he has a new system for drinking, where he only drinks a little bit everyday. He claims today is his cheat day.
Diane asks if it’s weird the both of them are single at the same time, but when BoJack doesn’t agree they drop the subject.
BoJack offers for her to stay overnight in the guest room but Diane says she can't stay here again because last time she was a mess, and mentions how he left for Michigan.
BoJack corrects her and says it was New Mexico, and begins to tell her about what he did, but says all that happened was that he stayed with a family he knew, got a boat, and came back. Diane passes out by this point, and BoJack covers her with a blanket. The next morning Diane, after seeing a passed out BoJack on the chair next to her, sneaks out.
When BoJack arrives at her apartment to take her to Mr. Peanutbutter's housewarming party, Diane is now wearing a new outfit and has cut her hair into a very short bob.
BoJack tries to give her a compliment, but Diane's aloof response is taken the wrong way. She tells him they should leave, but BoJack is frustrated because he thinks she's acting weird since she hates parties. BoJack leaves after telling her that her new haircut looks great and Mr. Peanutbutter will love it.
Shortly afterward, BoJack begins shooting Philbert, which is showcased in the season premiere.
However, Flip is revealed to be rather pretentious and arrogant, and his writing quality is no better. After shooting a scene, BoJack tries to voice his misgivings about the script, especially his character, but he and Flip are interrupted by Mr. Peanutbutter, who goes on about playing Julius Caesar in a commercial next door. Flip tells BoJack to talk to him the next morning.
BoJack and his costar, Gina Cazador, have sex. When she is about to leave, he asks her if she’s confident in the show and the way their characters are written. Gina says she's not particularly fond of her character, Sassy Malone, who hates bras and loves cold rooms, saying it feels gratuitous and male gaze-y, but she’s done dozens of shows like Philbert and she keeps getting hired because she just goes with it, and it helps pay for her mortgage. BoJack tells Gina she can stay with him if she wants to, but Gina says she likes being alone.
BoJack goes out to his kitchen, and once the clock on his stove hits midnight he drinks his allotted amount of alcohol. He then calls Hollyhock, who is attending college at Wesleyan, after liking one of her Instagram photos just to tell her that he liked it. He tells her that he misses her, although he says he doesn’t mean it, and then redacts on that statement as well. Hollyhock tells him that she misses him too and she'll call him Sunday afternoon like they always do.
The next day BoJack tries to talk to Flip again about the script, but Flip blankly assures him it's all necessary and gets the idea from BoJack to cut a stripper scene and to only draw Gina naked, as it'll be more motivated by character.
BoJack later tries to protest this, telling Flip to not punish Gina just because he criticized the script. However, Flip denies this being his intention, he just wants to make a great show, and he's the only one with a problem. Gina even denies having a problem with the scene. However, while they argue Flip comes up with the idea to have BoJack star in his own nude scene where he gets on a stool and does a full body rotation while screwing in a light bulb.
Flip says that he'll go back to how things were before if BoJack admits that he's only giving suggestions to hear himself talk. BoJack doesn't say anything so Flip tells him that they'll shoot the scene tomorrow.
Todd returns to Princess Carolyn’s apartment later that night to find BoJack waiting for her to confront her. After Todd reveals he’s looking for a job and pulls up a job search site with a listing for a janitor job at WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com, BoJack gets the idea to have Todd sneak into the executive’s office to send an e-mail to Flip telling him to not shoot anymore nude scenes.
However, this plan fails when Todd is overqualified for the janitor job and is instead made President of Ad Sales, and the demands of his job prevents him from helping BoJack other than advising him to just talk to Flip.
BoJack, wearing a robe, goes into Flip’s office and tells him he isn’t doing the nude scene. This leads to a confrontation between the two, where after Flip tries to force BoJack to undress while questioning him why he won’t cooperate, BoJack declares the show is dumb - it’s confusing and boring and has nothing to say. Flip, in an intimidating manner, tells BoJack he is his God, and if he doesn’t shoot the scene, and by extension doesn’t do what he wants for the show, he’ll take him to court.
While she is at her adoption agency, Princess Carolyn gets a call from Flip telling her about his fight with BoJack, and that he isn’t anywhere on set. BoJack is then heard honking his car horn and shouting for Princess Carolyn. Once she gets outside he confronts her about everything, although she retorts back he promised to do the show for her as a friend. BoJack then admits he doesn’t like Philbert, because he’s a drunk asshole. Princess Carolyn reassures BoJack that Philbert is just a character he has to play for a show, and at the end of the day, he can take the costume off and be BoJack. She asks him to get through these ten weeks for her.
BoJack does the nude lightbulb scene, and later that night has a house party, where he makes up with Flip, who assures BoJack to not take things too personally.
BoJack and Gina continue their sexual relationship, although Gina wants to keep their relationship at that and not take things further, seemingly to BoJack’s dismay.
One day on set, BoJack tries talking to Gina at the snack table, but she has earbuds in. He pulls one out and learns that she's listening to a corny musical's soundtrack, and he teases her about it.
Later that day, after continuing to tease her about it, Gina reveals the musical is called A Kernel of Truth - a bad Broadway Show her mother took her to see when she was six. Nevertheless, she loved it and dreamed of performing on Broadway. However, she assumed she wasn't good enough and never made it, although she still listens to the musical to remind her of a time when she felt good. BoJack apologizes but turns his apology into teasing her again, making Gina storm off angrily.
BoJack later apologizes to her for real—only to reveal her arranged an audition for her to sing for a nightclub scene in Philbert. Gina is initially angry he did this, as she doesn't have much faith in herself, but BoJack assures her that it's her dream and that if she doesn't try now she'll always wonder what if. Gina agrees to do it, and she hugs and kisses him before she goes to get ready.
However, Gina, who sings a song from A Kernel of Truth in front of Flip and Princess Carolyn and BoJack, blows her audition, as due to being nervous and unrehearsed her singing is hesitant and a bit stilted, and she cracks on the final note. Gina apologizes awkwardly and leaves with tears in her eyes. Princess Carolyn tells BoJack that what he did was mean, to Gina and themselves, but BoJack insists he was trying to do a nice thing.
Gina is later seen deleting the A Kernel of Truth soundtrack from her phone. Later at night, she is seen in BoJack's bedroom, where he tries to apologize, but she stops him, saying that he was right—if she hadn't sung she would've wondered what if. Gina goes to bed, telling him he can have sex with her if he wants to.
Flip and Princess Carolyn decide to cast actor Vance Waggoner, who has a long history of scandalous and abusive behavior and remarks, as Philbert's dead partner, Fritz. BoJack, Princess Carolyn, and Diane, the latter of whom is appalled that Princess Carolyn would give someone like Vance a job, attend The Forgivie Awards, where Vance is being honored. However, BoJack is caught making a disgusted face when Vance goes to accept his award due to smelling bad cheese. This gets media attention, with people assuming BoJack is disgusted by Vance being “forgiven” for his scandalous actions.
Princess Carolyn has BoJack go on the talk show The Squawk to clear things up, but he ends up loving the positive attention the audience gives him for stating things like "Don’t choke women," and fully accepts the public’s view of him as a feminist. Princess Carolyn is initially annoyed he didn’t follow through with their plan, but after Vance drops out of the show due to getting better job offers, she sides with BoJack to take Vance down and enlists Diane to educate him about feminism.
Diane tries to teach BoJack, about the media cycle, and how pop culture normalizes things—for good and bad. However, BoJack is bored and doesn't really take it seriously.
Diane leaves and goes to her car. Inside waiting for her is Ana Spanakopita, who wants her to stop harassing Vance because he's her client. Diane goes off on Ana, saying all Hollywoo does is let men like Vance off the hook over and over again. As a result, they never learn, and people who support them are culpable for their actions. Ana calmly tells Diane she's given her a lot to think about, and leaves.
The next day, when BoJack is on MSNBC discussing feminism, it is announced Vance Wagner is now a feminist, and that he left Philbert because the show is sexist.
Diane later admits to BoJack the show is sexist and isn’t really subverting toxic masculinity like it acts like it’s doing, which BoJack agrees with (along with it being confusing) but he needs help claiming that it’s not. She then vents about how more people will watch Philbert than read anything she writes, and how being a woman isn't just a hobby, and men get a lot more advantages than women do.
While on Deep Dive with A Ryan Seacrest Type, BoJack tries to explain how the audience isn't supposed to like Philbert as a character, or agree with anything he does, and realizes that what the show is doing is normalizing Philbert's behavior.
BoJack leaves and goes back to Diane's, and convinces her to work on the show. However, when she arrives on set, Flip tells her to just sit in his office, don't bother him, and collect her paycheck; and get recognition for being a woman working on a TV show so that people won't think it's sexist.
Diane goes into her car, where Ana is waiting for her again. She tells Diane she was right about Vance, as he created another controversy. Ana dropped him, he's finished with show business, for a few years—until the public decides to forgive him yet again. Ana also tells Diane, she was right about how men are always given cover for the bad things they do, over and over again.
She pulls out a tape recorder and tells Diane to listen; it's the recording of BoJack telling Heather, the Manatee Fair writer, about what he almost did to Penny in New Mexico from Start Spreading The News.
In The Amelia Earhart Story, BoJack is jealous of all the attention Mr. Peanutbutter, who got cast as Fritz due to his good reputation, is getting on set, which he complains about to Princess Carolyn, who at the time is in North Carolina. Diane, with the help of Princess Carolyn, manages to convince Flip into adding a scene with motorcycle stunts on a rooftop into the script. After learning Mr. Peanutbutter was going to do his own stunts, BoJack tries to do so as well, but he ends up falling off a building and landing on a car, severely hurting his back. Todd calls Princess Carolyn to tell her this, and she mentions hooking him up with a specialist to get him to heal as soon as possible. BoJack is seen toward the end of the episode in the hospital calling Princess Carolyn to tell her he feels great, and in the following episode is revealed to have been given prescription opioids for his back pain.
Beatrice Horseman dies sometime in October 2018 at age of 80. BoJack gives a eulogy at her funeral, where he reminisces on his mother and even his father, and how they constantly let him down. He mentions she wanted an open casket, but her death face was so gruesome he assumed closed would be for the best. He also talks about the final moments with his mother in the intensive care unit and how her last words were "I see you." He brings this up a few times wondering what she could have meant, but he eventually realizes they were in the ICU, and she was likely just reading a sign. He comes to the conclusion that now his mother is dead he’ll never have a mother who looks across the room and says "BoJack Horseman, I see you," but it’s good to know he can’t depend on anyone. He ends the eulogy by stating it's likely all his mother wanted was to be seen, so he opens the casket. He looks inside and reaches for a funeral pamphlet in his pocket. He then sees that the audience is a bunch of lizard people, and asks if he's in the right funeral parlor - revealing he was at the wrong funeral the whole time.
The next time BoJack is on set he tells everyone his mom died but he doesn’t need any condolences. Everyone listens to him, but BoJack is still offended no one wants to talk about it—indicating he is in denial about his grief.
However, after Mr. Peanutbutter realizes his mom is dead when for the longest time he thought she just went to a farm, everyone gives him their sympathy, furthering BoJack’s annoyance. However, whenever Diane asks if he wants to talk about it he aggressively rejects. Throughout the episode, no one has anything to do as Flip has writers block and refuses help.
Meanwhile, Diane confides in her therapist, Dr. Indira, about the BoJack tape, wondering who the girl is and why BoJack wouldn’t tell her. Dr. Indira advises her to get some space from BoJack. After Diane tells him her therapist doesn’t want her talking to him, BoJack ends up going to her office to confront her but ends up spending 45 minutes talking to her, and she schedules him for an appointment the following week.
However, Diane says Dr. Indira is her therapist, and one of the few things she has for herself, so she asks BoJack to not see her. He agrees, but he goes back to Dr. Indira and tells her they can see each other behind Diane's back.
Diane catches him during his next session and says he ruined her safe space. This leads Dr. Indira to decide Diane doesn’t need her anymore, and she leaves. However, when she tries to get BoJack to talk about his mom, to get to the bottom of how he can get help, BoJack freaks out and says she's helped him and doesn't need her anymore, and he quickly leaves.
Later on set, Diane apologizes to BoJack and tells him he can use her therapist, but he admits he only went there to have someone to talk to during lunch since she stopped talking to him, and claims he doesn’t need therapy, saying he’s too intelligent. This upsets Diane, and she sternly tells BoJack "You say you want to get better and you don’t know how. Well, here's me, your friend, telling you how: get therapy. Otherwise, don’t waste my time." BoJack says that Dr. Indira said they didn't need her and that they both are equally screwed up—they're the same. Diane is shocked and angrily rebuts that they are not the same.
Fed up with him, she writes the incident described on the tape into Philbert, and due to losing time they shoot the scene all at once with cue cards, with BoJack recognizing the dialogue and coming to the realization Diane knows about the confession tape. At the end of shooting he looks at her with guilt while she glares at him.
BoJack has his Halloween party again, once again to his chagrin over how he keeps letting it happen. Gina leaves to get a Halloween costume. During the party, BoJack runs into Diane, who only came to drop off scripts. The two are tense around each other now due to the submarine scene Diane wrote for BoJack in the previous episode. BoJack brings this up but denies to Diane he wants to talk about it. When she walks away, he swallows a couple of his painkillers for his back. The party eventually dies off, and a drunk BoJack once again announces to do it all again next year. Gina finally returns with an elaborate witch costume she made from random objects and is annoyed that she missed the party and goes to bed.
Shooting for the first season of Philbert wraps up a few weeks later. Gina tells BoJack she does not what to continue their relationship of sleeping together in between shooting takes. At this time, BoJack has been seen taking pain killers more and more often, and despite wrapping up filming he still wears his costume
Hollyhock visits BoJack, but she experiences anxiety upon entering his house, due to trauma over being drugged by his mom. He assures her nothing bad will happen again.
Later that night, she goes in his fridge and finds his vodka bottles labeled with the days of the week—BoJack explains its a new system he's trying, he's down to one bottle a day. Hollyhock asks if it's "an AA thing," but BoJack snaps he doesn't need AA. Hollyhock asks to take his car to the ice cream. He refuses, but she attempts to grab what she thinks are the keys from inside his coat. However, she ended up grabbing his prescription opioids. She begins panicking, thinking BoJack put them in her pizza, and she dumps them down the garbage disposal. BoJack reveals they were for his back, making Hollyhock feel guilty.
BoJack ends up spending the rest of his night with Hollyhock trying to find more pills, as he can’t get more opioids from the pharmacy because they’ll assume he’s an addict.
They try Dr. Hu’s Office, who after Sarah Lynn’s death got clean at Pastiches rehab and became a pediatrician, and then Gina’s house, who catches BoJack on her front porch, and in order to distract her from seeing Hollyhock sneaking in lies and says he came to get back together with her, which flatters Gina, as no one she’s ever hooked up with on one of her shows has wanted to continue a relationship.
Throughout the night BoJack keeps bringing up his back pain and making side comments to Hollyhock on how it’s technically her fault.
Their last stop is under a shady underpass, where the dealer gets busted by the cops, forcing the two to make a run for it. They get corned in an alleyway divided by a fence. However, BoJack is able to boost Hollyhock and himself over the fence, which surprises Hollyhock—as BoJack was complaining the entire night his back was hurting.
Hollyhock questions him about this when they get back to his car, which eventually leads him to snap and tell her she doesn’t understand because she had one bad experience with his mom, but he’s been in pain his whole life. Hollyhock asks him to drive her to the airport.
When they arrive at the airport, BoJack apologizes and confesses that it's possible that he doesn't really need the pills. Hollyhock offers to take a semester off to be with him, but BoJack stops her and insists that she live her own life at college and that he'll be fine.
Hollyhock makes him promise to not take drugs again unless he gets hurt again and the drugs from a real doctor. She tells him that she loves him, but he doesn't say it back, still struggling to get close to anyone—he only smiles sadly. She gets out of the car, and they wave goodbye to each other.
BoJack begins suffering withdrawal symptoms while at a red light, and, in order to hurt himself for painkillers, slams on the gas and crashes his car into ongoing traffic.
57 days later, after spending time in the hospital, BoJack has his right arm in a sling and is popping pain killers more than before, which Gina notices as they get ready to go to the Philbert premier.
Philbert has received great reviews so far, especially for Gina’s performance, to her surprise. BoJack gives her a pair of earrings to thank her for visiting him in the hospital and because he likes her. However, on the drive there he says he doesn’t want to reveal they’re dating to the public yet.
At the premier, BoJack gets on the front stage with Flip, and after the latter introduces his show BoJack, after accidentally calling Flip "Herb", begins a speech of his own, saying how everyone has a Philbert in their lives, or they are Philbert. They’ve all done terrible things they regret, especially himself, but he thinks the show is saying that everyone is terrible, so it’s OK. Diane is shocked to hear this.
The first episode gets a standing ovation.
As Diane is leaving, she runs into BoJack, who is sitting on the steps outside. She asks if he really meant what he said on stage. BoJack brushes this off and says it's not a big deal, and she did a great job on the show. Diane angrily says she doesn't want him or anyone else justifying their shitty behavior because of the show.
They begin to get into an argument, and Diane says that she barely knows him anymore. BoJack scoffs at this and says he does, but then Diane asks him what happened in New Mexico. BoJack initially looks shocked, but then begins to tell Diane she doesn't know anything.
Diane, in fact, says she doesn't, all she knows is that something happened with him and a girl in New Mexico and he came home with a boat. She also knows his old friend Charlotte lives in New Mexico, as he left her business card lying around the house. Her daughter Penny is currently a senior at Oberlin College, which he and Sarah Lynn went to during their bender three years ago because the people who saw them took pictures and posted them on social media.
BoJack angrily questions why "she's so obsessed with him." She says she isn't, but she wants to know what happened and angrily questions him again about what happened in New Mexico. BoJack asks why she needs to know about every shitty thing he's ever done.
Diane says it's because she's his friend and she cares about him, and she wrote a book about him and she wrote for his show. She says that they are publicly friends, and if he's doing creepy things then it reflects badly on her. BoJack sarcastically apologizes for hurting her brand and says he'll tell her every single horrible thing he's ever done—even though many of them happened years ago, and he was usually high or drunk when he did them.
Diane questions if he even feels any guilt for those actions. BoJack says he's had to spend his entire life feeling bad, and the people/women he hurt probably don't even remember what he did to them. He then says he’s the victim, he’s the one who's suffered the most because he has to live with the guilt of his actions.
Diane is shocked and repulsed that BoJack thinks he's the victim. She questions him about Sarah Lynn, and how her overdose was hard for him. BoJack tells her to shut up.
She tells him he was Sarah Lynn's only father figure when she came to him for help he had sex with her, and after she was sober he took her on a month-long bender and she died. But he's alive, with a living girlfriend, and a new TV show. Diane questions how all of that is hard for him, the "main character in this story."
BoJack angrily questions why she's bringing this up, and questions if it's fun for her to rub it in his face. Diane says it isn't. BoJack angrily tells her she won the argument, but he doesn't care, because he's trying to move forward with his life, but Diane says that he hasn't changed at all.
BoJack says that she's right, but he's not going to change, because when she wrote her book about him he was depressed, but when she was finished with it the book made him realize it's ok to be the way he is. Diane tells him that if that's what he's gotten out of their relationship, then their relationship isn't good for either of them, and she begins to walk away.
BoJack finally begins to tell her what happened in New Mexico. He tells her he went to see Charlotte, and she was married and had a daughter. He then tries to explain what happened with Penny, and how he didn't actually do anything, how she was the age of consent and her mom walked in at the worst time, but nothing happened—yet.
Diane storms off, but BoJack grabs her arm and tries to stop her from leaving, saying in a pleading tone he told her everything. Diane tells BoJack he's hurting her, and to let go. He does, and she leaves. BoJack then pops a few more painkillers, and the imagery around him becomes blurry and becomes a nighttime sky, that is similar to the one of the night of his incident with Penny, as he walks away.
Gina is being interviewed, when BoJack, after popping more pills and taking off his sling, makes his way through the crowd and passionately kisses her in front of all the cameras. The imagery around him becomes disoriented with fireworks, and a big balloon of him floating away.
Season One of Philbert is a huge hit, and the new CEO of WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com Henry Fondle renews it for a second season at the premier, although the writing, especially the dialogue, has gotten a downgrade due to Diane not returning and Flip being the head writer again. BoJack and Gina are also still going strong after a few months.
However, BoJack’s painkiller addiction has gotten worse, he keeps stashes of pills all around his house, he has flashes of hallucinations, including the big balloon of him and a staircase in an empty set leading toward a bright light, and he begins to mistake reality for what’s happening in Philbert, and he grows paranoid.
One day, someone slips a flyer under his door with cutout magazine letters saying "You Did A Bad Thing And I’m Going To Tell." Not wanting to have the show ruined for Gina, BoJack spends the episode trying to figure out who sent it in a detective-style manner as he loses his sense of reality, and starts to believe the entire show, which most of his friends are involved with, was an elaborate plan to reveal his secrets. At one point he even imagines a musical number performed by Gina.
Gina confronts BoJack on his balcony over the stashes of his painkillers she fo8und around the house, and he chases her down for them. He tells her that she doesn't understand and that someone is trying to blackmail him. He shows her the note—but she reveals that everyone got a copy of that note because it's part of the show.
BoJack says he doesn't remember filming that scene, and Gina retorts back it's because he's been high. She angrily tells BoJack he's a mess and it's going to ruin her show. This sets BoJack off, as he sarcastically apologizes for his debilitating drug problem ruining her show. He continues to demand she give him his pills back, even punching a hole in the wall and trying to wrestle them out of her hands.
She storms out and tells BoJack to stay away from her, and get help, or not, because she doesn't care anymore. She leaves, and BoJack swallows a few more pills.
During this, a scene from Philbert is juxtaposed along with it, and the scene ends with Philbert pinning Sassy down and violently strangling her.
However, BoJack continues to strangle her even after Flip yells cut.
Mr. Peanutbutter tells Flip he thinks he's actually strangling her. Flip tells the cameraman to turn the camera back on.
As Gina is gasping for breath, Mr. Peanutbutter intervenes, saying "OK, that's enough." Mr. Peanutbutter and a few crew members then pull BoJack off of her.
Gina's eyes are watery and bloodshot, and she has dark red bruises around her neck. As BoJack is struggling against the crew members, Gina says "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Thus ending their relationship.
BoJack is sent back to the golden staircase again. This time, he goes up to them, heading towards the light. After he enters the light, he is in a pale green/blue space, and the stairs are now two dimensional and crudely drawn. BoJack looks up, and he sees the big balloon of him floating above and staring back at him.
The show is put on hiatus due to this. Todd is angry with Flip and Princess Carolyn for stopping production on Philbert, due to, as they put it, someone (Gina) getting "a little strangled," which some crew members filmed and might leak to the press. Todd wants to pull the plug on production to "cut losses." However, after Flip and Princess Carolyn protest, he reluctantly agrees to give them one more chance to fix things.
When Princess Carolyn visits BoJack, who was in a hungover state earlier, at his house, BoJack has no memory of what happened with Gina. Princess Carolyn explains that Gina got injured, footage of it got leaked, and some people may have the impression that he was trying to hurt her. She set up an interview for him and Gina with Biscuits Braxby to convince Biscuits, and everyone else, they were just doing their job as actors—nothing more, and nothing less.
Later on set, in his trailer, BoJack begs Princess Carolyn to let him see the video of the incident, so that he knows what he's talking about. She reluctantly does, and BoJack learns that he nearly strangled Gina to death while high on pills.
BoJack arrives on set and notices Gina already sitting down. He greets her and says she looks good, but Gina blankly says the makeup covers up the bruises, and she just wants to get the interview done. BoJack tells Gina he's going to come clean about everything.
Gina angrily demands he doesn't—he assaulted her, and if there was any justice he'd be in jail, but her career is finally taking off, and she doesn't want to be known as "the girl that got strangled by BoJack Horseman." She'll be amicable and professional towards him on set, but other than that she doesn't want anything to do with him.
Biscuits arrives and they begin the interview, where BoJack and Gina lie about the incident and even have to pretend to still be dating. After the interview, Gina angrily leaves the room.
Later that day, allegations come out against Henry Fondle, which leads to his firing, and WhatTimeIsItRightNow is forced to scale back, refocusing itself as a website that tells you what time it is, which leads to most of its employees getting fired, and Philbert getting canceled.
BoJack goes to Diane’s apartment later that day, asking her to write one of her take-downs about him, but to leave Gina out of it. Diane refuses, saying she's done writing about or for him. BoJack pleads that the world needs to know he’s a bad guy, but she tells him "There's no such thing as "bad guys" or "good guys! We're all just guys who do good stuff sometimes and bad stuff sometimes. And all we can do is try to do less bad stuff and more good stuff, but you're never going to be good. Because you're not bad. So, you need to stop using that as an excuse."
BoJack wants to be held accountable, but Diane sternly tells him that no one is going to do that for him, and he has to take responsibility for himself. BoJack, frustrated, says he doesn't know how to do that—as he goes in his coat pocket and pours more pain killers into his hand. He pauses and looks at them solemnly, in a moment of realization.
BoJack has Diane drive him to Pastiches Rehab. They talk outside in the parking lot while smoking. BoJack is worried that he’ll still be an asshole when he leaves, but just sober. Diane tells him rehab isn't immediately going to make him a good person, which gives BoJack second thoughts, but she says he can “either go to rehab and do it their way or go home and do it his way like he's been doing for his whole life.”
BoJack doesn't understand why she's being so nice to him, after everything she's learned about him, and everything he's put her through.
Diane tells him the story, of how her best friend Abby abandoned her in high school for the popular girls and made her life miserable. Abby's mom got really sick one summer, so while her popular friends went on vacation, Diane stayed with her. Diane explains, "I hated her, and I will never forgive her, but she needed me and she was my best friend and I loved her." She tells BoJack that he's here, and she hates him, but he's her best friend—and he needs her.
BoJack inhales and then he begins to walk to the rehab center. Diane asks if he knows what he's going to say. He tells her he's going to say "Hello. I am BoJack Horseman. Obviously, you know who I am, because I'm very famous, and also we called ahead. And I am here because...I need help."
He then continues to walk to the rehab center.
Season 6
In A Horse Walks into a Rehab, BoJack checks himself into rehab and goes through withdrawal symptoms and isn't really able to do the activities at rehab, like everyone else. BoJack is shown to be doing somewhat better, and there is a montage of him doing activities such as nature hikes, group discussions, and yoga.
BoJack is then later seen at a group therapy session where 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.
BoJack is seen continually deflecting the source of his addiction. This is observed by Doctor Champ who counters this, by saying jokingly deflecting, still counts as deflecting.
BoJack then states he came to rehab to take responsibility for himself. He then says all anyone says 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 then 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 an art class Doctor Champ asks BoJack 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. Jameson then says BoJack is right, and the other clients at the rehab facility suck.
BoJack then takes a jab 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 vodka for being "water colored." BoJack then points out it's her fifth time in rehab and maybe rehab just isn't working.
Jameson later goes off on BoJack for being a snitch. 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.
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 passcode to the gate. He then asks her if that's what she really wants. Jameson scoffs at this and leaves BoJack's room. BoJack later hears her trying to escape and 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 then 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 then 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 Dathon'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 finds his way to Jameson's house, where Jameson tells BoJack her father has replaced her with the new baby and he likes collecting movie memorabilia. 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 a flashback about visiting his father's office as a child. The 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.
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. The groundhog sarcastically says that everyone who has been in the facility before is humble enough to take a photo with him. BoJack then says to sign him up for six weeks.
In The New Client, Princess Carolyn is driving to work. The baby starts crying, as she gets a phone call from BoJack, who is at rehab. BoJack then tells her he is making a list of people he wants to make amends to. BoJack then tells Princess Carolyn that he is not going to waste time apologizing to her again. Princess Carolyn sarcastically says that's very thoughtful of him.
BoJack then asks her the name of an assistant, from twenty years ago, who he screamed at for giving him a room temperature Capri Sun and told to quit the business. He says he wonders what happened to that guy. Princess Carolyn says his name was Derrick, and she thinks he quit the business. Princess Carolyn then asks what BoJack thinks of the name Riley for a girl. BoJack says it's no good because he slept with a Riley. He then tells Princess Carolyn that asking him about women's names, is not a good idea, in general.
Princess Carolyn later gets another phone call from BoJack, who stole Mr. Peanutbutter's phone, to make a phone call. Princess Carolyn, thinking she is talking to Mr. Peanutbutter, refers to him as her favorite client. BoJack expresses resentment at Mr. Peanutbutter being her favorite client. BoJack asks Princess Carolyn, to pick up Mr. Peanutbutter from rehab, as he came to visit on the friends and family day and now won't leave.
Princess Carolyn then arrives at Pastiches Malibu, looking for Mr. Peanutbutter. The receptionist notices Princess Carolyn's arm has poke marks from needles. She explains they are from her baby's needles. Princess Carolyn is then offered chamomile tea and meditation by the receptionist. She says a quick break couldn't hurt. Princess Carolyn then changes into a Pastiches robe and falls asleep on a chair outdoors. She is awakened by BoJack, who informs her she has been asleep, for a really long time. Princess Carolyn then asks where Mr. Peanutbutter is. BoJack then says, "oh yeah, Mr. Peanutbutter."
Mr. Peanutbutter then shows up at Pastiches, on the visiting day. He then runs into BoJack, who says this can not be happening. Doctor Champ shows up and asks if Mr. Peanutbutter is here for the visit day meeting. Doctor Champ says Mr. Peanutbutter is the first friend BoJack has invited.
Mr. Peanutbutter says he wasn't even aware he was invited. BoJack tries to say, he did not invite Mr. Peanutbutter but is interrupted by Doctor Champ introducing himself to Mr. Peanutbutter. He then says he's proud of BoJack for inviting someone. They bond over the fact that they are named Mr. and Doctor. BoJack then asks if Doctor is just his name, and is he not a doctor.
Doctor Champ then gives everyone a five minute warning time to gather. Mr. Peanutbutter then tells BoJack they should find good seats. BoJack points out they are sitting in a circle, and therefore they are all good seats. While sitting in a circle listening to Doug tell a story about lying, cheating, and stealing, Mr. Peanutbutter asks if Doug ever told his wife about the cheating. When Doctor Champ tells Mr. Peanutbutter that they don’t interrupt others while sharing, Mr. Peanutbutter tells Doctor Champ that he was just looking for a little context, and BoJack sarcastically tells Mr. Peanutbutter to look for the context in his car.
Mr. Peanutbutter tells Doug that in order to move forward with his wife he needs to be honest with her. Although Doug agrees with him, Mr. Peanutbutter backtracks saying that confessing to cheating might just be his guilt talking, and maybe it would be better if he “let sleeping dogs lie." Mr. Peanutbutter proposes a scenario in which Doug’s fiancé, whom he calls “Pickles," doesn’t know that he cheated and she’s happy not knowing, asking if confessing would just cause additional pain, to which the other people in the room agree with him.
When Doug asks if it’s better not to tell his wife about him cheating on her, Mr. Peanutbutter gets mad and tells Doug that not telling her would be really convenient for him, going on to call him stupid selfish and inconsiderate. Although it makes Doug cry, Doug admits that he needed to hear it and gives Mr. Peanutbutter a hug and then thanks him.
BoJack then goes and finds Mr. Peanutbutter, and tells him he doesn't know what's going on with him, though it is implied he knows Mr. Peanutbutter cheated on Pickles from listening to him in the group session. BoJack says he understands what it's like to have guilt bottled up inside you, and not burden other people with it. He goes on to say you think you are protecting them, but it comes out in other ways, and it infects everything. Mr. Peanutbutter says he needs a drink and asks if there is a bar. BoJack then reminds Mr. Peanutbutter that he was in a rehab facility, and Mr. Peanutbutter subsequently leaves.
He then reveals to Princess Carolyn, all this happened two days ago. She looks shocked, having completely forgotten about the gala and her daughter. She then leaves Pastiches.
In Feel-Good Story, Diane is in her hotel as she is getting ready for the day, there is a voice-over of BoJack's letter to her. BoJack (as a voice-over) tells Diane that this is the letter he wrote. He says rehab is making him write a letter to a friend because letter writing is supposed to be therapeutic. He says he hears it did wonders for the Zodiac Killer. He says rehab has a lot of movie nights, hikes, and yoga. In general, he feels like it's going fine. BoJack says he thinks next week they are doing a color war. BoJack goes on to say, while it is good he is no longer under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he feels like his time in rehab is like summer camp. It's temporary and easy. He knows he'll someday have to enter the real world again.
Diane and Guy are packing up. Guy tries calling his son who refuses to talk to his father. Guy is seen kicking his suitcase in frustration. BoJack (as a voice-over) says he's not even sure if he'll send the letter. He says if Diane is reading it he guesses that means he sent it
As she is getting ready for the day, there is a voice-over of BoJack's letter to her. BoJack (as a voice-over) tells Diane that this is the letter he wrote. He says rehab is making him write a letter to a friend because letter writing is supposed to be therapeutic. He says rehab has a lot of movie nights, hikes, and yoga. In general, he feels like it's going fine. BoJack goes on to say, while it is good he is no longer under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he feels like his time in rehab is like summer camp. It's temporary and easy. He knows he'll someday have to enter the real world again.
Diane and Guy are packing up. BoJack (as a voice-over) says he's not even sure if he'll send the letter. He says if Diane is reading it he guesses that means he sent it.
BoJack (as a voice-over) tells about a woman at Pastiches, named Beverly, who stole his snack kit. BoJack explains they build their snack kits as a team-building exercise, for their morning hikes. BoJack says he put an extra bag of candied nuts in the snack pack. BoJack says he even labeled them with his initials so that everybody would know they were his.
BoJack then says Beverly saw the 'B' and assumed it was for her, thinking she had a secret admirer, and the 'B' stood for Beverly. BoJack then says he should never expect anything nice, such as an extra bag of candied nuts. BoJack then asks Diane what's new with her. He then says he's just kidding, and he knows she can't answer since this is a letter.
BoJack (as a voice-over) continues the story of Beverly stealing his snack kits. He says Beverly thought the initials "BH" stood for Beverly here you go. BoJack sys Beverly can't even eat the nuts, because she's allergic, and she usually just ends up giving them to BoJack. BoJack then says Doctor Champ would say it means something, that the universe has a way of looking out for us. BoJack finally concludes it is working for him. He says he hopes everything is working out for Diane too.
Diane finally arrives back in L.A. While she is in the taxi home, BoJack (as a voice-over) says it was Beverly's last day. He talks about how everyone was really excited for her, but Beverly was really disappointed, in never finding out who her secret admirer was. BoJack finally admits Beverly's "secret admirer" was him.
Beverly is disappointed at this, as she was hoping it was Mario, and everybody else made BoJack feel guilty for making Beverly cry on her last day. This causes BoJack to wonder if it was worth it to keep Beverly happy for a little bit, even though it ended up being sad. He then wonders if it would have been better, if the whole thing never happened, to begin with.
BoJack continues to say, every time someone leaves rehab, it makes you think about your own progress. He says some days he feels like he is not progressing at all, and other days only a little. He then goes on to say how he feels stupid, for not doing this sooner. BoJack says he wasted so many years being miserable, because he assumed that was the only way to be, and he doesn't want to do that anymore. He also asks is he crazy, or has he gotten really good at writing letters.
While BoJack is narrating this, Diane walks into her apartment and sees the letter from him. She reads it and then calls Guy.
In Surprise!, BoJack goes to Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles surprise wedding with his sober companion Eduardo. While at the party, he finds out from Diane that she's moving to Chicago. After Todd announces Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles are home, Diane panics and runs upstairs. BoJack follows her asking why Chicago.
While they are upstairs and sneaking around they try to help Pickles and Mr. Peanutbutter by joining her Livestream. They also try to prevent Ruthie from being discovered as she had wandered away from Princess Carolyn and Todd.
They eventually manage to get out on to the roof from the window but they drop the rope.
Mr. Peanutbutter is upstairs and he puts down the ring on the dresser sadly. He then takes a whole bunch of coins from a bowl and asks the electronic coin sorter to sort them out. Mr. Peanutbutter then confides in the coin sorter, saying he wishes someone could sort his problems in a similar fashion.
Outside, BoJack pretends to be the coin sorter and in a robotic voice tells him to go to Pickles. Mr. Peanutbutter thinks maybe he should wait for Pickles to come to him. Diane then jumps in, pretending to be the thermostat. She tells Mr. Peanutbutter, he comes across as dismissive when he tries to make problems go away. Diane tells him to really listen to Pickles, and not talk so much. Mr. Peanutbutter says OK and leaves the room. After he is gone, Diane and BoJack go back inside the bedroom, through the broken window.
BoJack asks if this whole mess is why she's moving to Chicago. She says she is moving for herself. She tells BoJack that she needs to hear him say he'll be OK. BoJack tells her he'll be OK. Diane says she doesn't want anything bad to happen to him while she's in Chicago. He tells her "that's not a friendship, it's a hostage situation." He encourages her to go to Chicago, as he touches her shoulder and says he'll be fine. Diane thanks him.
BoJack carries out Eduardo from the party, as he fainted in the thunder room.
In A Little Uneven, Is All, BoJack is telling a story to Dr. Champ about Danny Bananas and Sharona. Doctor Champ tells him BoJack has already told him that story. BoJack brings up various other stories from his life and Doctor Champ says he has already heard them all. He then tells BoJack he needs to leave rehab and go home.
Doctor Champ then asks BoJack, if he thought about what they talked about yesterday about BoJack leaving Pastiches. BoJack says things are kind of working for him. He says he's staying out of trouble, he's got the fancy room, and finally perfected his omelet order. He says the secret to a good omelet is the egg yellows. BoJack then goes on to tell Doctor Champ he might do another six weeks.
Doctor Champ reminds BoJack he has already re-upped three times. Doctor Champ explains this place is for people in crisis. Doctor Champ tells BoJack that it's perfectly natural for him to be terrified. He tells his own personal experience of being terrified of leaving rehab. He says he knew even the smallest drop of alcohol would send him spiraling back into addiction. BoJack then sarcastically says Doctor Champ did end up back in rehab. Doctor Champ then says he'll miss their comedy routines. Doctor Champ says he looks at a lot of cases, like Denise, who he thinks aren't going to make it. He says BoJack is a special case, because he's done the work, and he's ready.
BoJack is leaving Pastiches when he finds out from the paparazzi that he is being replaced by Joey Pogo. BoJack then runs up the hill and interrupts Doctor Champ's session with Brad another patient. He tries to get out a zinger but can't because he's out of breath. BoJack then tells them to check this out. He finally says, "BoHo go bye-bye for JoJo Pogo? That's a no go, bro." BoJack then faints, lifts his head up, and says, "worth it" with a raspy voice.
At Pastiches, BoJack is one again packing his belongings in his room. Doctor Champ walks in and asks what happened and why BoJack is packing his things backward. Doctor Champ then starts assisting in BoJack's packing. He says Doctor Champ gave him a whole spiel when in reality he was trying to get rid of him to make room for a new high profile client. Doctor Champ then says he thought they had made strides with BoJack's jealously issues.
Joey Pogo opens the door and peeks his head in. BoJack stands with his arms crossed and tells Joey not now. Joey then apologizes, asking if he's interrupting something, and he was informed he would be in the fancy room. Doctor Champ tells Joey to come back tomorrow, as they are rearranging some things.
Joey says tomorrow is jammed because he is shooting a video for his new single, titled "Lace Up." He asks if they could just "do rehab," right now and quickly. BoJack says one can not just "do rehab quickly," that's not how it works. Doctor Champ then gives him a condensed version of rehab: "life is precious, God is religious or merely the idea of human connection. Don't do drugs. Say you're sorry." Joey tells him that is powerful stuff, and he has found a new lease on life. He then says Doctor Champ should stay cool and thanks.
BoJack says that's the problem when things are said in rehab, it's much easier, whereas in the real world things are harder and confusing. Doctor Champ reminds him of all his friends waiting for him, saying BoJack is not alone, and he has a wonderful support system. Doctor Champ states that BoJack's friends will love him as much as he loves them. BoJack clenches his fist and groans uncomfortably at this.
He calls Todd who explains to him he recently hired twelve assistants. BoJack tells him he's leaving rehab, and Todd sends over a woman named Casey to be his assistant.
BoJack says he's good, then admits that's kind of thoughtful. Casey explains, Todd said she'd be ideal, because he could be mean to her, and he wouldn't have to feel bad—because that's what she's getting paid for. She says she is flexible and can make herself into whatever BoJack needs.
Casey picks the vodka-filled water bottle and asks for a sip. BoJack stops her, and snatches it away, telling her not to drink it. She then says she must earn hydration, and apologizes. BoJack explains the bottle is filled with vodka. She asks with concern if he thinks it's a good idea, to keep vodka in rehab. She then smiles and says it is a good idea if BoJack thinks it is.
He explains it's not for drinking, he keeps it as a reminder. Casey asks what it is supposed to be a reminder of.
BoJack sadly looks at the bottle. He then tells Casey that he keeps it, because he thinks he's special and the rules don't apply to him, and he keeps thinking that repeatedly. Casey cheerily tells him that he is special. BoJack tells her he's terrible, and that all her past bosses are terrible.
He says she soothes their egos and lets them abuse her. Casey takes a step back and says she's terrible. BoJack tells her that's not his point, he then harshly tells her to have some respect for herself. She sheepishly apologizes and says she's just happy to be a part of things. BoJack then tells her that's how they get you. He then apologizes and says it's not her fault. He then asks her to get him Funyuns, but she refuses and walks out while texting on her phone. BoJack says he likes her energy but doesn't understand what's happening.
Doctor Champ finds BoJack hiding under the covers, in his room. He begs Doctor Champ to let him stay, saying he doesn't know what he's like in the real world. Doctor Champ harshly says he won't coddle this anymore. He says if BoJack is scared, that is good. He should go to AA meetings and a psychiatrist. Doctor Champ says he is angry at the fact that BoJack is taking a bed, that could help someone else.
BoJack asks if he could stay at the facility indefinitely. Dr. Champ says he's not that special, and once again commands him to pack his things. BoJack angrily clenches his fists, and sniffs the water bottle, he takes a sip and spits it out, coming back to his senses. He asks himself what he's doing, and he throws the bottle out the window, and it lands in a crate of identical water bottles from a delivery.
BoJack runs down to the front desk, into the art class, and tells everyone not to drink the water from the bottles. Doctor Champ finishes his bottle.
BoJack has brought Doctor Champ into his room. Doctor Champ is sitting in a chair, drunkenly rambling. BoJack apologizes, admitting the bottle had vodka, and Doctor Champ drunkenly acknowledges this. He then gets out of the chair and starts singing off-key that he's drunk. He jumps on the bed, saying he forgot how fun it was. BoJack then attempts to get him to settle down, so the other patients don't find out Doctor Champ is intoxicated.
He tells Doctor Champ to spend the night in his room, so he can sober up. Doctor Champ slurs his words saying "look who thinks it's easy to be sober, it's very easy." Doctor Champ then falls asleep on BoJack's bed.
BoJack says he's screwed. Doctor Champ is awake and tells BoJack they need to be very quiet, as no one can find out he's drunk. BoJack agrees with this. Doctor Champ then asks BoJack not to leave him, as he doesn't want to be alone in his current condition, and BoJack says he'll stay with him. Doctor Champ repeats he needs to stay.
In The Kidney Stays in the Picture, at Pastiches, Doctor Champ is passed out from being hungover, in BoJack's bed from the previous episode. He looks at BoJack and asks if he really drank last night. BoJack apologizes. Doctor Champ asks BoJack if anyone saw him, as BoJack was with him all night. Doctor Champ tells BoJack nobody can know about this. He then frantically states there are twenty struggling addicts who are counting on him. BoJack agrees and says of course. He is going to go home and take a shower. He questions how he'll get out without anyone seeing him.
Doctor Champ is then seen climbing out the window, with a rope made from bedsheets. He swings from the rope and BoJack tells him not to, and Doctor Champ falls on top of him, and then thanks BoJack for being there to catch him. He then runs to his van and drives off and BoJack stands there watching him.
At Pastiches BoJack is walking out of his room, with his belongings. He says goodbye to everyone and everything, and heads outside, where a Cabaracadabra driver is waiting for him. The driver asks him where he wants to go, and he tells her he guesses he wants to go home. They then leave the facility. They drive by Bellicans and BoJack recognizes Doctor Champ's van. He asks the driver to stop there.
BoJack then finds Doctor Champ who is at the bar having a drink. BoJack runs over to him and asks what Doctor Champ is doing. Doctor Champ says he is unsure about the whole mood of never having a drop of alcohol again. He then asks whatever happened to moderation. BoJack then asks Doctor Champ, if that's the case, why did he pay for the guiding philosophy of rehab for the last six months.
Doctor Champ responds that BoJack should do what works for him. Doctor Champ asks for the check and the bartender hands him the check. Doctor Champ then says it's a figure of speech and he doesn't actually want the check. Doctor Champ then asks for another margarita, while BoJack stares at him.
BoJack asks Doctor Champ what his plan is.
Doctor Champ says he will drink enough to be steady. He then says BoJack can take him back to Pastiches and keep him out of trouble and that way BoJack won't have to go home. Doctor Champ continues on to say he can be a good therapy horse, all his clients will get sober, and he is a winner, and his picture will be on magazines.
BoJack tells Doctor Champ he can't let him go back to Pastiches drunk. Doctor Champ then retorts that BoJack doesn't care about him. He gestures to BoJack and tells him he is actually scared of himself. Doctor Champ starts walking away saying he can't help anyone else unless he is honest with himself. He then asks BoJack if he knows what he means and BoJack says he never knows what Doctor Champ means.
BoJack then says maybe he wouldn't have been so scared if Dr. Champ had actually given him real therapy, over the last six months, instead of folksy aphorisms. Doctor Champ defensively says he's not a therapist but a therapy horse, a subtle but legally important distinction. He then goes on to say he knows BoJack would not accept real therapy from him anyway.
BoJack then asks why he thinks that is. Doctor Champ says it's because he's a horse, and therefore he reminds him of his father, and therefore he simultaneously resents him and craves approval from him. Doctor Champ starts talking about what would happen if he did get said approval. BoJack interjects saying that he would dismiss it immediately and then use it as an excuse to resent Doctor Champ even more. He then asks Doctor Champ what his point is.
Doctor Champ tells BoJack his point is that he is stunted from being able having healthy relationships with other horses. BoJack counters if that were true he would have no other horses in his life. Doctor Champ then points out BoJack's loved ones and friends are mostly dogs, humans, or cats. BoJack then asks what about the one horse he does care about, his half-sister Hollyhock, who is also a reminder of his father. Doctor Champ tells BoJack, Hollyhock reminds him of the one horse he hates the most, himself.
BoJack finally says Doctor Champ got him figured out, his parents gave him an internalized self-hatred of horses, and his horse body is a prison he can never escape from. BoJack then says this manifests in rotten behavior because he subconsciously believes he deserves to be punished, but being famous he is never punished, and therefore he acts out more. BoJack then says that since this pattern is so woven into his identity, it is unfathomable it can ever be curbed, so instead, he drinks.
BoJack continues on to say the only way he can progress is to return to life as a sober man and finally hold himself accountable for his actions, past, and future. BoJack then raises his hands in the air and asks if this is what therapy is. Doctor Champ who has fallen asleep at the booth, asks why people keep bringing him checks. BoJack then looks at Doctor Champ, who has his head on the table and says his name.
Doctor Champ wakes up and questions where he is. BoJack tells him he's at Partridges, another rehab facility. Doctor Champ asks what about Pastiches and BoJack says he already informed them he's checking him Partridges. Doctor Champ asks why BoJack did that, saying the patients of Pastiches need him to be an example of success. BoJack then tells him he can't help anybody unless he is honest with himself first. BoJack then says a wise man once told him that.
Doctor Champ asks what wise man. BoJack tells him Doctor Champ it was him. Doctor Champ retorts that BoJack shouldn't listen to him because he's a drunk. BoJack says the first step is admitting it. Doctor Champ tells BoJack he has destroyed him, and he can never go back to Pastiches now. Doctor Champ says his husband will leave him, as he promised to never drink again after what happened with their daughter.
BoJack asks what happened with his daughter, but instead of answering Doctor Champ tells him he knows nothing about his life. Doctor Champ reminds BoJack the only reason he got drunk in the first place was because of his contraband vodka. BoJack does admit that is technically true. Doctor Champ says, of course, BoJack did this to him because Doctor Champ cared about him and BoJack ruins people who care about him. BoJack wishes him best of luck and Doctor Champ tells him to remember what he did to him. BoJack solemnly says he remembers everything because he is sober now.
In The Face of Depression, BoJack finally returns home from rehab, but as he cleans up rotting food in his kitchen he is haunted by his past horrible actions that occurred in his house. He leaves and drives to an AA meeting, where he recognizes an older Sharona by her tattoos. At the AA meeting, BoJack is asked to introduce himself to the group. Everyone except Sharona, who is understandably still bitter towards him and sits with her arms crossed, greets him.
At the AA meeting, BoJack tries to greet Sharona, but she ignores him and walks out.
BoJack then meets Todd at Silver Spoon Diner. He says his house is a reminder of how awful he's been, which Todd agrees to. Todd then takes a bunch of selfies which he says are for his asexual dating app, he explains he wants to stay current, for when someone besides himself joins. He also brings up how much he’s into being a nanny and how it’s amazing holding a baby and thinking they’re perfect—and how someone at one point did the same to him, leaving him to sadly what happened.
When BoJack questions what he means by this Todd just replies moms are weird. Todd then questions if BoJack will keep seeing friends for lunch. BoJack then brings up a stewardess at his AA meeting who talked about waking up in a different place every day, and how great that would be since with each city you have a clean slate.
BoJack is seen at the airport looking at the flight listings. BoJack then goes to the Cinnabunny. He orders a Cinnabunny and coffee. Maude, the barista takes his cash. She then gives BoJack his change back and dramatically wishes the change farewell.
In Chicago, Diane, still in her pajamas and surrounded by empty pizza boxes, coffee cups, and beer bottles watching Mr. Peanutbutter and Joey's PSA for depression as she eats a bag of potato chips. She hears the doorbell and to her surprise it’s BoJack. He asks if he can come in, but, not wanting him to see her messy living room, Diane lies that the heat is broken and suggests they go for a walk.
They go to Parmadillo's where Diane insists that she’s doing great when BoJack asks, but when BoJack asks if he can stay at her place for the night she abruptly yells no. There is a cut back to the two of them in Diane's messy living room. Diane admits she thinks she depressed.
She goes on to say it started when she was having difficulty starting her book which then snowballed into her boyfriend saying she should take antidepressants. She explains she doesn’t see a point in taking them because she worries it’ll just be like flipping over something only to find a bunch of "nothings." She even says Guy will probably dump her soon anyways because he probably can’t take that much more of "the real her." When BoJack questions what she means by "the real her" she gestures around the messy room.
BoJack tells her someone got mad at him and told him he ruins everything and that's just what he is, but actually hearing that out loud made him realize how stupid it sounds, even though he believed it for a long time and thought he couldn’t change. He then thanks Diane for believing in him, when he didn't believe in himself, and encouraging him to get help.
The next morning, BoJack wakes up and cleans up the living room. He then leaves the apartment and takes a scarf hanging on the coat rack as he does.
BoJack arrives in Connecticut where Hollyhock greets him at the airport with a hug, to which BoJack returns. While driving in her car, Hollyhock invites BoJack to go to a concert with her and her best friend, Tawnie, who unbeknownst to BoJack was in the backseat, due to her and Hollyhock apparently being in a fight.
At the concert, Hollyhock and BoJack both agree they think the music is terrible, and Hollyhock admits she only came to cheer up Tawnie. She explains their fight started because they canceled all the drama classes, due to the acting professor quitting as he got cast in a regional commercial, and now Tawnie has to change her major.
BoJack comments that a lot of actors would love to teach in a place like this, and wonders if they’re looking for a replacement. Tawnie comes up to Hollyhock, and after the two talk it out they make up and hug. BoJack, Hollyhock, and Tawnie head out to the dance floor and Hollyhock asks BoJack where he'll go next. BoJack asks where it isn’t winter, but he dislikes Hollyhock and Tawnie's suggestions.
BoJack arrives back in California. He goes back to the Cinnabunny, where Maude is on the phone with her mom talking about what she thinks is a genius business venture—a "Cinna-Bungalow," so people won’t have to leave their homes to come to Cinnabunny. She gives BoJack his order again and is convinced that he thinks it’s a great idea too. She then tells her mom in an annoyed tone that she isn’t dating anyone.
BoJack shows up at Princess Carolyn's door. He gives her the painting that he had hanging up in his office, saying it’s a “baby shower gift” and that he’s trying to get rid of things in his house that remind him of the past. He also asks her to lie about him like she’s done for the last twenty years and be his reference for a job recommendation for a drama professor position at Wesleyan University. She tells him she'll be back in the office tomorrow and to have them call her cell because her assistant is terrible.
BoJack then notices Ruthie has started walking, and Princess Carolyn tells him she started a few days ago. She starts crying, explaining they have a real mother-daughter connection now and worries it'll go away when she goes back to work. BoJack suggests not going back, but Princess Carolyn insists she loves her job, and abandoning it is not an option.
BoJack questions why she is juggling so many things on her own when she's the boss, and he tells her she needs her own Princess Carolyn to take care of her. Just then Ruthie backs into the painting and rips it with her quills. BoJack remarks it was priceless and Princess Carolyn says they'll just tape it up and call it a Rauchenberg.
Two months later, BoJack is seen talking to the Dean at Wesleyan, questioning why he hasn’t heard anything back yet. She explains they have other applicants being considered for the job.
At the AA meeting, BoJack confesses he still can't get comfortable in his house—it's huge and perfect but it feels like the worst place on earth. He says he doesn't want to be the horse he was before, but it's the same house and the same city, and nothing has changed. He then wonders what he's supposed to do.
Sharona seems to emphasize with him, and when the meeting ends she walks up to him. She tells him last time she saw him was her rock bottom, she's been sober ever since, and everything worked out for her. BoJack asks her to let him apologize and she does. She then asks "What do you say? Once more for old time's sake?"
At BoJack's house, Sharona cuts his hair and discovers he’s been dyeing it all these years. When she’s finished, BoJack's hair is now shorter and grey. He replies he looks old. BoJack then gets a call from the Wesleyan Dean, telling him he got the job, and the spring semester starts next week. BoJack smiles and accepts, saying he'll be on the next plane.
At the airport, BoJack heads to the Cinnabunny again, and witnesses Maude having an argument with a guy she dated, the implication being she didn’t want to have sex with him. The guy is confused as to why she went out with him in the first place and keeps asking if it’s "a Jesus thing." An annoyed Maude finally says it is "a Jesus thing" just to get him to leave, and after he does she insists on BoJack it isn’t. BoJack believes her, and says he doesn't want to assume anything, but he then recommends her Todd's dating app.
BoJack's flight gets grounded in DC due to the icy weather, and the luggage doors apparently froze shut so everyone’s bags are gone forever. As the PA on the plane announces this as BoJack gets coffee, ketchup, and mustard spilled on him, and in the next scene, he gets a new outfit at a clothing store at a mall.
BoJack takes a selfie outside of the Capital building and posts it on Instagram, and the first comment is from Mr. Peanutbutter telling him to turn around. Mr. Peanutbutter appears behind him and after BoJack questions why he’s here, he explains he’s the new face of depression, to BoJack’s confusion.
Mr. Peanutbutter then takes BoJack to the Smithsonian, where he shows him that his old sweater from Horsin’ Around is on display.
Mr. Peanutbutter then notices the entire kitchen set from Mr. Peanutbutter's House. As the two approach it, BoJack says with a smile "Well looks like you finally got your crossover episode," to Mr. Peanutbutter's utter excitement. BoJack and Mr. Peanutbutter then begin to act out a crossover episode of their shows, but Mr. Peanutbutter gets too emotional over the moment and begins crying, not being able to stay in character for his part.
BoJack walks into his hotel, listening to a message from the airline that his flight to Connecticut will leave tomorrow morning. He picks up a pamphlet for Old Town Horseberg.
The episode ends with BoJack goes to the horse town where he finds a church. He attends a reenactment of an early horse service. BoJack shakes hands and offers peace to the other horses around him. The minister observes BoJack found solace in their show. He invites BoJack to stay, as the show starts again in thirty minutes.
In A Quick One, While He's Away, BoJack isn't seen or mentioned by name. However, it is implied other characters are talking about him, as reporters investigate the details surrounding Sarah Lynn's death.
In Intermediate Scene Study w/ BoJack Horseman, begins with BoJack rehearsing his first lecture at Wesleyan University in the mirror. He then leaves his room and rides his bike to the lecture hall. In the classroom, he writes his name on the board and continues to practice.
The episode then cuts to BoJack's first day of class where he introduces himself to his new students. He then proceeds to ask the class what is acting. Everyone then proceeds to raise their hands at once. BoJack calls on a few of them and they each give their interpretation of what acting is.
A student expresses concern that the class is becoming too theoretical and another student asks him what acting is. BoJack acts like he doesn't know what acting is and then pretends to be leaving the class in defeat. He then turns around and tells them he's not quitting, he was just acting. He then tells the class they are dismissed and a student points out there is an hour and twenty minutes left in the lecture. He then once again tells them he was acting. A different student tells BoJack he sounded serious. BoJack retorts that instead of judging his acting, he should judge the students instead.
Tawnie then suggests they could show him the scenes they were working on in the previous semester. The students then show him their scenes and he gives them pointers of where they need to improve. They wind up working overtime and being twenty minutes late to their next class. BoJack then dismisses them for the day.
In BoJack's office, he is talking to a student named Whitfield. He tells Whitfield they've been in class for six weeks and questions him on how it has been going. Whitfield says he thinks he's crushing class so far. BoJack tells him he admires his confidence but, he should take other classes besides acting as a safety net in case acting doesn't work out. Whitfield misunderstands and tells BoJack he will prove to him that he is a wonderful actor.
Later, when BoJack is at an AA meeting, Whitfield shows up with a shopping cart filled with bottles of alcohol. He then tells the people at the meeting he is a drunk. BoJack for a second believes Whitfield is an alcoholic and says he had no idea. Whitfield then says alcohol took everything from him. BoJack then realizes Whitfield is trying to impress him by acting. BoJack then apologizes to the other people at the meeting explaining Whitfield is one of his students. Whitfield continues to act while BoJack says this performance is disrespectful. He concludes his performance and the AA members applaud his performance.
At a rugby game, BoJack cheers on Hollyhock, who is playing, from the stands. BoJack sees women tossing women in the game and doesn't understand that is how the game is played. Another spectator in the stands explains that is how the game is supposed to be played. After the game, BoJack congratulates Hollyhock on playing really well. She tells him he doesn't have to come if it's not his thing. BoJack says he's happy to support her and she reiterates it's OK if they are doing different things. BoJack asks if Hollyhock wants to get something to eat.
Hollyhock then tells him she is going to a bar with friends to celebrate since her team won the game. BoJack offers to come along and she tells him he shouldn't since there will be alcohol and underage girls there. He questions what that has to do with anything and Hollyhock simply responds that she is stating a fact. BoJack then tells Hollyhock she's cool and she thanks him as she walks off.
In class, BoJack asks Tawnie if she understands why Hollyhock is now into playing rugby. Tawnie tells him she doesn't get it and Hollyhock became super aggressive after spring break and decided rugby was what she was all about. BoJack then tells her he is going to get on board with Hollyhock playing rugby.
At another game, BoJack continues to cheer Hollyhock on. He learns what a try means in rugby.
Later, he is seen reading up on the sport to understand how it's played. He goes to cheer Hollyhock on for several more games.
Unbeknownst to BoJack, Hollyhock has quit the team all of a sudden. He finds out and goes to her dorm and asks her why. She replies she has realized she is in college to learn and wants to focus on school. BoJack then protests rugby was their thing. Hollyhock replies her thing should be being a student and his thing should be being a professor. BoJack questions if she's feeling OK. She hesitantly tells him she'll be at his showcase before shutting the door.
In his office, BoJack gets a call from his accountant Gaz. Gaz tells him he noticed BoJack spent a lot of money on rehab last year. Gaz then suggests BoJack will be fine if he makes another movie. BoJack says he's not working on another movie as he is now a college professor. Gaz sounding shocked asks him if he hates money. Gaz then suggests unloading some assets and suggests BoJack sells Elefante.
BoJack says he'd love to get rid of Elefante but he doesn't know who'd buy it.
In class, BoJack tells Terry he can't use an old man's voice for every character. Terry explains the voice is his gimmick. BoJack says that in show business they cast real old men to play old men characters. Terry then runs out of the room telling BoJack he'll show him. BoJack tells him not to and that they have twenty minutes of class left.
At BoJack's AA meeting, Terry walks in and starts doing his old man routine. BoJack once again explains that Terry is one of his acting students trying to impress him and apologizes for it. Whitfield then comes in and joins the act pretending to be Terry's son. Terry then hugs Whitfield concluding their act and the AA members applaud them.
Later, in class, BoJack has Princess Carolyn teach the class the business side of acting. The students then ask her various questions about getting discovered. A student named Stan, who was sitting in the back, and the only one not asking a question catches the eye of Princess Carolyn.
After class, Princess Carolyn asks BoJack about Stan and tells him she thinks he's got the looks and potential. She then tells BoJack she wants to sign Stan and BoJack counters he needs to finish school as he is a Sophomore. Princess Carolyn states this is perfect because he's a legal adult who looks young and therefore can play roles that other young actors can't because they keep going to rehab or getting in legal trouble.
BoJack once again states he thinks it's a bad idea. Princess Carolyn then says they should let Stan decide for himself.
In BoJack's office, Princess Carolyn tells Stan she wants to be his manager. BoJack tells him L.A.'s not going anywhere and that he needs school to keep him grounded. Princess Carolyn tells him he has a great opportunity and he's done with school. BoJack tells Stan that one day he'll realize that these were the last days he was truly free and in the brutal world of show business there is nothing to protect him. Princess Carolyn tells him he will get a Birthday Dad jacket for being in the show.
BoJack once again tells him the campus is a safe space and that his whole career he wanted to get someplace like where they are and he didn't know it and not to make the same mistake he did. Princess Carolyn then offers Stan a chair with his name on it. He then gets excited and runs over to Princess Carolyn who tells him he's a good boy and they are getting his teeth fixed.
ackstage, BoJack sees the seat reserved for Hollyhock is empty and wonders where she is. The students tell BoJack they are ready when he is. He tells them to dim the lights. BoJack heads out and introduces the show saying the students have come a long way and he's proud of them. The performance begins. BoJack then heads backstage again and calls Hollyhock. She does not pick up the call. He then heads to her dorm and she tells him she forgot about the showcase. He tells her people came from California and Chicago to see him and that he is upset she couldn't come across campus to see him.
Hollyhock tells him it was her world before he got there and he could have asked her before taking the position. BoJack then says that his sister could have supported him and Hollyhock says they don't really know each other. She continues to say they both had lives before they met. BoJack says he doesn't want to be that person that he used to be and then apologizes for coming to Wesleyan before asking Hollyhock if it was OK and admits it was selfish of him. Hollyhock accepts this apology.
BoJack tells her he doesn't have to come back next semester if it's too weird having him around and he can get a different job somewhere else. Hollyhock tells him Tawnie said he was a really good teacher and it could be fine with her if he comes back next semester. BoJack then tells her he needs to get back to the show. She tells him they need to take their relationship slow which BoJack agrees to.
BoJack then runs back to the showcase as Terry is finishing his act. The students then tell him to join them on stage. One of them hands him flowers and BoJack thanks everyone for coming. The students then take a bow.
BoJack suddenly gets a call from Charlotte and he goes into a panic seeing her number on the screen of his phone. He then heads outside to take the call. He answers and Charlotte angrily demands he stops the reporters from talking to Penny. Charlotte says she does not want herself or her daughter to be included in whatever's happening. He questions what reporters and says he has no idea what she's referring to. She tells BoJack to figure it out before hanging up.
In Good Damage, Diane is struggling to write her memoir. She then gets a call from BoJack. Diane answers the call at a mall food court and BoJack invites her to his showcase for his students at the end of the semester. BoJack tells her it probably won't be very good but he wants to pack the house with familiar faces. She tells him she will be there.
BoJack then asks how the book is coming along. She then tells him she is working on it at the mall. He questions why she's at the mall and she explains it's the only place she can sit for ten hours and get work done. Diane says she has many stories to tell but she is not sure what the book is yet. BoJack questions if she's written any stories about him and Diane replies she feels she has written about him enough. BoJack protests that no one else is as good at it and Diane says she is sure someone will rise to the occasion.
The reporters Paige and Max are still in New Mexico trying to get information about BoJack and Sarah Lynn from Penny Carson who is now working as a waitress at a diner. The reporters follow her home and try to get information out of her and her mother Charlotte.
At Wesleyan, BoJack then comes out and introduces the show.
BoJack later gets a phone call from Charlotte saying she does not want herself or her daughter involved in whatever the reporters are investigating. BoJack tells her he has no idea what she's talking about. Charlotte tells him to figure it out before hanging up.
Todd heads outside with Ruthie and sees BoJack talking to Charlotte on the phone. He tries to congratulate BoJack on the showcase but BoJack who is hyperventilating in a panic then faints. Todd yells out his name.
In Sunk Cost and All That, Princess Carolyn and Diane are seen dragging an unconscious BoJack inside of his office. They are followed by Todd and Ruthie.
After Todd shuts the door Diane asks what happened. Todd tells her he saw BoJack getting off a phone call and he tried to give constructive criticism about his play but then BoJack fainted. BoJack suddenly startled comes out of his unconscious state. They question him on what happened and BoJack says no one can know about this or talk to any reporters. Diane reassures him it'll be OK.
The scene cuts to Mr. Peanutbutter who is with Max and Paige. He tells them he'd be delighted to answer questions about his good friend BoJack.
In BoJack's office, he narrates what happened with Penny and Charlotte in New Mexico. Princess Carolyn says that's not a story because BoJack did nothing illegal and even the not legal thing, he didn't do. BoJack counters that yet, this thing continues to haunt him. Diane then points out it's not about the legality and Todd says BoJack has been acting sketchy.
BoJack then agrees and admits he has been acting sketchy. Diane suggests New Mexico is not the story and the reporters are working on something bigger. Todd then asks him about before rehab to which BoJack replies they can't get him for old things he did in the past. Diane suggests it could be a combination of things. Princess Carolyn then says they should make a list of every bad thing he did.
In BoJack's office, BoJack starts making a list of all the bad things he did on a whiteboard. Princess Carolyn points out that none of the things he wrote are big stories. BoJack then asks what's the point of working on himself and getting better and sober if people out there trying to tear him down. He then questions who the reporters are and wonders if that maybe they can dig up dirt on them in order to teach them a lesson about not considering the fact he may have changed.
Todd then questions if he's really changed because this feels like the old BoJack and he likes the new BoJack who directs plays and is thoughtful. He then says he's putting Ruthie to bed and to call him when the new BoJack is back.
In BoJack's office, Diane, BoJack, Princess Carolyn continue to make a list of all of BoJack's past wrongdoings on two whiteboards. BoJack says they are not going to figure this out tonight and maybe he should go to the cast party. He is interrupted by Diane getting a phone call from Paige asking if she knows BoJack and what night she saw BoJack with Sarah Lynn. Diane then pretends to have sliced her finger in a bagel guillotine and says she requires medical attention and then hangs up on Paige.
Diane then tells BoJack and Princess Carolyn the story the reporters are trying to cover is about BoJack and Sarah Lynn.
In BoJack's office, Princess Carolyn says they can find some way to spin the Sarah Lynn story so BoJack looks good. Diane asks what are they spinning. She goes on to say that BoJack went on a drug bender with Sarah Lynn and at some point, they split up and she died. Princess Carolyn says if BoJack wants them to help he needs to tell them what's coming.
Diane then says the first thing she thought when she heard Sarah Lynn died was how sad it was BoJack had to find her like that. Princess Carolyn says "poor BoJack" should be the angle. Diane goes on to say she kept thinking about it. Sarah Lynn died of a heroin overdose and BoJack had BoJack brand heroin in his glove compartment. She then asks BoJack if he gave it to Sarah Lynn and BoJack admits he did. Diane then asks if BoJack left her with the heroin and BoJack admits he was with her up until the time she died in the planetarium and that he left and came back and pretended he had found Sarah Lynn that way.
Princess Carolyn asks if the reporters know that and BoJack responds he doesn't know how they could as he covered his tracks. Diane asks how he covered his tracks but they are interrupted by a knock on the door. A student tells BoJack they are doing end of the year superlatives and it would be cool if BoJack came out and read some. BoJack shuts the door and tells Diane and Princess Carolyn he is trying to figure things out and he wants just this one night with his students as this was supposed to be a celebration.
BoJack goes out and gives thanks to the students for a great semester and announces the superlatives. He then tells them they should cherish their time in college as it does not last forever.
BoJack then asks what he's supposed to do when the story comes out. Princess Carolyn says he'll release a statement saying how sorry he is about certain parts of the story but other parts of the story aren't true. She then goes on to say that in everyone's head BoJack has apologized for the really bad stuff without legally implicating himself. BoJack then asks if that works and Princess Carolyn says all the time.
Diane then asks why Princess Carolyn is telling BoJack to lie. Princess Carolyn says that this BoJack is good. She says this is working, but it's so precarious. BoJack questions if he'll lose his job at Wesleyan saying that has nothing to do with this.
Diane tells him he's about to be pushed out of a plane and Princess Carolyn and BoJack are talking about ways to get back on the plan but they can't because the plane is gone. Princess Carolyn counters she is speaking in absolutes and they can wriggle their way out of this. BoJack tells Diane he's asking her for help because this job is his lifeline. Diane tells him he should do the hard thing and be honest. She tells him things will get worse before they get better but he won't have to spend the rest of his life waiting for the other shoe to drop.
BoJack then gets a call from Paige who asks him questions about Sarah Lynn saying they are running a story about Sarah Lynn and his relationship with her next Thursday. BoJack denies the allegations against him. After BoJack hangs up Diane asks him what happened to being honest. He says he didn't think it would happen so fast. Princess Carolyn says they have a week to plan in order to minimize the damage.
Diane says she no longer wants any part in this as she has her book to write as she leaves the office.
Princess Carolyn asks him what he has written for his apology. BoJack reads what he has written and says there is no way to not sound insincere. BoJack then says Wesleyan and rehab were supposed to be fresh starts for him. He goes on to say no matter how many fresh starts he gets there is always the same ending—everything falls apart and he ends up alone.
Princess Carolyn then tells him she's still here. BoJack then questions why. She says she doesn't know it's probably because she's a fool and he was her first client. She says she has loved BoJack for twenty-five years and when she tells her daughter the story of the great love of her life she wants it to have a happy ending. BoJack asks if it's possible letting him go is the happy ending. She tells him she has gone with him this far "sunk cost and all that."
BoJack then says Diane is right and he needs to take responsibility. BoJack says he wants to so that Princess Carolyn can tell her daughter she helped him do the right thing. BoJack tells her he's looking forward to it. She then asks if he's sure. He hesitates and then says no. She laughs at this. BoJack then shuts out the lights and leaves his office for the night.
In Xerox of a Xerox, a news segment where Tom Jumbo-Grumbo announces a segment about BoJack's involvement in Sarah Lynn's overdose. There is then a cut to Biscuits Braxby who talks about her exclusive interview with BoJack that is airing later that day.
Paige Sinclair is at her wedding when she sees the announcement on the TV. She confides in her sister Patience that she can't believe she got side-tracked by a second rate celebrity suck up. Patience tells her to relax saying that her story is clearly doing something if they are scrambling to do damage control this soon.
At VIM, Princess Carolyn and Judah are preparing BoJack for the interview and telling him what to say when Mr. Peanutbutter walks in and asks BoJack to mention Birthday Dad in his interview and to welcome him to the MBN Thursday night family. However, he specifies BoJack should bring it up only if the interview is going well. Just then, Todd walks in with Ruthie and asks BoJack if he is ready for his interview. Todd then tells BoJack he has his work cut out because people hate him right now. BoJack says he's aware.
After everyone else has left, BoJack asks Princess Carolyn where they are taping the segment. She tells BoJack she had the old Philbert set dug up so then they can have the intimacy and vulnerability of his home and they are making it look like it's night since they are pretaping the segment in the afternoon. BoJack shrugs and says that makes sense.
At the interview segment with Biscuits, she asks him about the story that came out about the last days of Sarah Lynn and his feelings about it. BoJack says he feels good not having to lie anymore. Biscuits goes on to ask if the allegations in the story are true. BoJack says they are. He tells Biscuits he and Sarah Lynn went on a drug bender together after he invited her. They spiraled together for a little over a month and then she overdosed.
Biscuits then says in his original statement to the police BoJack said he found Sarah Lynn at the planetarium after she called him and questions whether this was a lie. BoJack admits it was a lie. Biscuits then questions whether Sarah Lynn was BoJack's rock bottom and he responds that he doesn't believe in rock bottoms. BoJack says that he's had a lot of rock bottoms only to discover a rockier rock bottom underneath. BoJack then says he decided to stop waiting for something to change him and then he realized he had to make the change for himself which is why he went to rehab. He then tells Biscuits he's proud to be sober one year next month.
Biscuits then asks if Sarah Lynn dying was part of his decision to go to rehab. BoJack replies that it was part of the reason. BoJack then goes on to say he has made a lot of mistakes. Biscuits then asks if he's willing to share some of the other mistakes. BoJack says he doesn't think that would be fair to the people involved all of whom he apologized to in private. Biscuits then asks if he thinks he'll stop making these mistakes and BoJack says he thinks he will. BoJack continues to say it's been a lot of work but when he looks back at the old BoJack and asks "Who is that?"
Biscuits then asks who was the old BoJack. BoJack then says he came from a broken home and he used to feel like his whole life was an acting job doing an impression of the people he saw on television which was just a projection of equally screwed up actors and writers. BoJack then says he felt like a Xerox of a Xerox of a person and now he just feels like himself.
Biscuits says it must have been difficult to see those same patterns repeat in Sarah Lynn. BoJack remarks that's why he thought her death was so scary and he didn't want to confront it because she reminded him of herself. Biscuits then asks about how he feels about Sarah Lynn's mother exploiting her daughter's death. BoJack responds it makes him sad and angry. Biscuits asks what he would say to her mother right now and BoJack says he would tell her how sorry he is.
As BoJack and Princess Carolyn walk out of the interview BoJack congratulates himself on how he did. Princess Carolyn hesitantly agrees it was good and BoJack asks if she thinks people are going to like it. Princess Carolyn says they'll find out in three hours when it airs.
The next day, BoJack gets a text from Princess Carolyn letting him know he nailed the interview. BoJack gets good publicity after this and he is invited to teach at Wesleyan again by the Dean.
At VIM, Princess Carolyn gets a call from Pinky Penguin who tells her the ratings are some of the best MBN has seen in years. He tells Princess Carolyn that BoJack should do a Part 2 of the interview to which Princess Carolyn says there is no Part 2 because the interview was called "The Last Days of Sarah Lynn." Pinky says BoJack should tell a few more colorful anecdotes before the Birthday Dad finale. Princess Carolyn says they got what they wanted out of this and shouldn't push it.
BoJack says he's starting a dialogue that could help people and if his openness and candor could help people he would be an awful person for not doing another interview.
At BoJack's second interview with Biscuits she starts by asking him about Sarah Lynn. She questions BoJack about him telling the police he wasn't with her when she died and that she had called him from the planetarium. BoJack admits he lied. Biscuits then asks if BoJack was afraid the police would check the phone records. Biscuits said his story checked out because there was a call to Sarah Lynn's phone seventeen minutes before he called 911. Biscuits ask if he was with her how does he explain the phone call. BoJack then admits he called himself from her phone because he panicked so it would look like she called him.
Biscuits asks what BoJack did after that and BoJack tells her he went out to the parking lot. Biscuits then says BoJack just waited outside for seventeen minutes. BoJack then questions why he's asking her this.
There is then a cut to six hours earlier when Biscuits is in her office when Paige walks in. Paige tells Biscuits her disgusting display of soft-pedaling sycophancy sickens her. Biscuits says she got BoJack to talk about the worst moment of his life for huge ratings and the Biscuits brand is keeping things light. She says celebrities go on her show because she makes them look good and that's what keeps her relevant.
Paige then counters this by asking what good is her relevance if it's squandered away in public relations and with the advent of social media celebrities don't need Biscuits to make them look good. Biscuits questions this by saying what would she ask if she wanted to do a hard-hitting interview and Paige tells her she has a few ideas.
There is then a cut back to the interview. Biscuits asks BoJack why he keeps looking over at his manager. Biscuits asks if his relationship with Princess Carolyn ever got complicated with her while maintaining a sexual relationship. BoJack then tells Biscuits that Princess Carolyn is good at keeping her personal and professional like separate.
Biscuits then asks BoJack if he has an established pattern of inappropriate relationships with women. She then brings up examples like
the former president of his fan club and Penny Carson. BoJack tells her he doesn't know what having power over women means and says he barely has power over himself. Biscuits then suggests he abuses his power over people repeatedly and grooms women.
BoJack says he is an addict and one of the things he had to do was accept his own powerlessness and he knows what he did was wrong. BoJack says he's not denying that. He tells Biscuits that she's trying to paint a picture of him being a bad guy and he isn't.
Biscuits then brings the conversation back to Sarah Lynn and asks if BoJack ever gave her alcohol. Biscuits then says the first time Sarah Lynn drank alcohol as a child was vodka. BoJack questions how she knows about that. Biscuits then mentions BoJack bringing vodka to the set of Horsin' Around. BoJack then questions whether Sharona told her that.
The scene then cuts to four hours earlier when Paige and Biscuits are talking to Doctor Champ at the bar. Doctor Champ says seeing BoJack in that interview like he's a victim disgusts him but if the world only knew what he knew it would be a different story. Paige then asks Doctor Champ if being a therapist he is not at liberty to discuss what his client told him in confidence. Doctor Champ clarifies that he's a therapy horse, not a therapist and therefore there is an important legal distinction and he can tell the reporters everything.
There is then a cut back to the interview and BoJack says there was no connection between Sarah Lynn and those other women and Sarah Lynn was like a daughter to him. He says he did not get Sarah Lynn drunk for the purpose of taking advantage of her because she was ten and they didn't have sex till she was thirty.
Biscuits then says she keeps thinking about those seventeen minutes and BoJack waiting in the parking lot after she died however, she wasn't actually dead yet she died in the hospital. Biscuits then asks BoJack if he wonders what would have happened if he didn't take those seventeen minutes and Sarah Lynn might still be alive.
Biscuits then recaps by saying BoJack gave Sarah Lynn alcohol when she was a child, then she became an addict. BoJack interjects by saying a lot of things happened in between. Biscuits then tells him she's the one talking right now not him. She tells BoJack he had sex with her when she was intoxicated, then when she was sober BoJack gave her the heroin that killed her. In an effort to cover himself he waited to call the paramedics that might have saved her life. Biscuits then pointedly says BoJack doesn't think he has any power over women.
After the interview, Princess Carolyn hesitantly says the interview didn't go great. BoJack says that the gross part is Biscuits didn't even care as the interview was leverage for ratings and her next paycheck. BoJack then says Biscuits was all over the place and people will see she was out to get him. Princess Carolyn says they will find out tonight. BoJack then says Biscuits kept talking about him hurting a lot of women but he has also hurt a lot of men.
Princess Carolyn then tells him he should have done the one interview and gone back to Connecticut. Princess Carolyn says she is going home to her daughter and BoJack should think about what he wants to do with the time he has before the interview aires and his whole world changes.
BoJack drives till he reaches The Laugh Shack. He walks up to a wall by the dumpster and sees an outline of his younger self drawn on the wall. He steps inside of the outline and the scene flashes back to a younger Herb and BoJack back in the 80s where Herb is tracing an outline of BoJack while he stands by the wall. BoJack states he is ready to never do stand up comedy again and he asks Herb if he'll put him in his TV show and Herb reassures him that the network loves him.
Herb just goes on to tell him the network needs him to do a screen test as a formality. BoJack questions why he has to do it and Heb asks if he thinks he's too good for it. BoJack says it's fine. Herb then tells BoJack to hold still so he can finish drawing the outline. He says BoJack may never get a star on the walk of fame or a wax statue but this way he'll be immortalized forever.
Back in present-day, BoJack walks up to a Wall of Fame where pictures of previous guests who performed at The Laugh Shack are showcased. BoJack walks up and finds his own picture. He is then approached by another male horse who tells him he hated Horsin' Around. He then tells BoJack his baby brother loved it and anytime he hears about the show it reminds him of his brother's laugh.
The other horse then asks him if he wants to go up on stage and perform a comedy routine and BoJack tells him he hasn't done any standup comedy in years. The horse goes on to say even if BoJack isn't very good now people will eat it up because he's a celebrity. BoJack declines the offer and the other horse walks off.
BoJack then notices his interview with Biscuits is airing on the TV at the bar he then sighs sadly as he walks off.
BoJack is seen doing a stand-up routine at The Laugh Shack.
In The Horny Unicorn, BoJack driving in his car and attempting to leave Hollyhock a voice mail but he can't reach her. Meanwhile, everyone in town acts hostile towards BoJack months after his second interview with Biscuits Braxby comes out. It is revealed he settled with Sarah Lynn's family in court for five million dollars.
BoJack goes to an AA meeting where everyone is hostile towards him. After, he is greeted by Vance Waggoner who offers to be his sponsor.
BoJack is sitting at home in his living room watching TV. He then gets a phone call from Gaz his accountant and his lawyer Chaz. Chaz and Gaz tell BoJack the good news is that the Sarah Lynn settlement isn't going to kill them. BoJack then questions them on what the bad news is. They tell him he is being sued for a hundred million dollars by the Xerox company for using their brand name being implicated in his untoward behavior in the Biscuits interview. BoJack then asks what their next move is and Gaz tells him it's funny he mentioned the word "move."
The doorbell rings and BoJack finds out his home has been sold to a family. He is then handed his mail as he is kicked out. BoJack goes through the mail and sees an envelope from Hollyhock. He holds the envelope to the sun and realizes there is a letter inside. BoJack's hands start to shake and he looks around nervously. He then tucks the envelope in his jacket pocket before walking away from his former home.
At VIM, BoJack tells Princess Carolyn he needs a job seeing that he is now broke and homeless. Princess Carolyn tells him there are no offers. BoJack asks her to check and ask around. She finally tells him she can get him a small role on Birthday Dad. BoJack then tells her to have his pages delivered at the fancy hotel he's staying at. Princess Carolyn then tells him he's not staying at a fancy hotel because he just told her he's broke and homeless. BoJack then questions who else would have him.
BoJack then shows up at Mr. Peanutbutter's house. Mr. Peanutbutter answers the door and enthusiastically says that BoJack can live with him forever.
The next morning BoJack wakes up to Mr. Peanutbutter cooking breakfast. Mr. Peanutbutter tells BoJack he took the liberty of doing his laundry for him and found a letter in his jacket pocket. BoJack explains that the letter is from Hollyhock and he can't open it because he's afraid she'll tell him she never wants to speak to him or see him again.
BoJack then once again tries to call Hollyhock and then leaves her a voicemail and tells her he hasn't read her letter yet. Mr. Peanutbutter asks BoJack if he's ready to go. BoJack then asks what about breakfast and Mr. Peanutbutter tells him they don't have time for that and BoJack can feed him on the way.
On the set of Birthday Dad, BoJack and Mr. Peanutbutter are filming a war scene and BoJack is cast as a dead soldier. In between takes, Mr. Peanutbutter remarks how much fun they are having filming together. BoJack is then told he needs to move his head away from the camera by the director. After BoJack is done filming for the day he asks Mr. Peanutbutter if he wants to get dinner. Mr. Peanutbutter then tells him he has five more scenes to shoot for the day and then after work he is going to Todd's fancy party.
After Mr. Peanutbutter walks away BoJack once again pulls out Hollyhock's unopened letter from his jacket, looks at it, and his hands shake. He then puts it back in his pocket unopened. BoJack then calls Vance who answers the phone and sounds excited to hear from him.
At the diner, BoJack gets dinner with Vance. He shows Vance Hollyhock's letter and tells him he is scared to open it and as long as he doesn't open it Hollyhock is still in his life. Vance tells BoJack it's good to have people in his life to remind him of why he's sober and that's what his daughter is for him.
The cow waitress then hands BoJack his moldy sandwich and tells him the chef made it just for him. Inside the sandwich is a note that reads "DROP DEAD" in block red letters. BoJack then asks Vance if he has a horn because people keep looking at him like he's a freak. Vance then tells BoJack if that's the case he's the ugliest unicorn he has ever seen. This then leads them to joke about "The Horny Unicorn." Vance tells BoJack that is brilliant and they should turn it into a movie. He'll direct it and BoJack will star as The Horny Unicorn.
BoJack then tells Vance he's not exactly the guy people want to see in movies right now. Vance then tells him people don't want to see him as Secretariat or raising orphans but they would love to see him in a movie being a rude character saying things that polite society does not have the courage to say. Vance then tells BoJack this is how he gets adoration back and finds his way back in.
He goes on to tell BoJack that deep down the Horny Unicorn character is wounded and misunderstood. It's not his fault he is the way he is and people are going to see that. Vance tells him he knows BoJack needs the money and asks when will he stop punishing himself. BoJack then smiles at this.
BoJack and Vance show up at Todd and Maude's apartment with a plant as a gift. Maude answers the door and gets Todd. Todd tells BoJack he can't risk anything happening at the party because he hasn't seen his mom in ten years. BoJack asks what Todd thinks is going to happen and Todd replies he doesn't know as BoJack is always dealing with his own stuff. BoJack replies he is now sober and nothing will happen. Vance drops the plant and Todd tells BoJack he'll see him around before shutting the door. Vance then remarks they paid thirty bucks for the plant.
In the car, BoJack asks Vance what he's supposed to do. He knows he has made mistakes but wonders if that implies he needs to go away forever. Vance then tells BoJack this is the part when he figures out who his real friends are and leaving behind all the people who can't stop seeing him for his past mistakes. Vance then tells him that's why they need to make The Horny Unicorn because it'll make a billion dollars and drive all those people crazy. BoJack finally admits it would be good to have something to keep him busy.
Vance then gets a text from his daughter and tells BoJack she's in trouble. BoJack sounding concerned asks what it is. Vance then asks BoJack to come with him to his daughter's college campus. BoJack tells him he doesn't want to go to a college campus seeing that he wants to keep a low profile right now. Vance then tells BoJack his daughter is the one thing keeping him sober and that he was there when BoJack needed him. BoJack finally says he's in.
Vance and BoJack head to Vance's daughter's college. Vance then yells out for his daughter Jagger. Jagger opens her dorm window and questions why her father is here. Vance then yells at her for liking one of her mother's Instagram posts with her new boyfriend.
A male student on campus recognizes BoJack and he walks off. Vance and Jagger continue to argue while the student tells BoJack he believes that BoJack got massively sandbagged in the interview with Biscuits. The student tells BoJack he recognizes he was trying to apologize and that the campus is a safe space. He then invites BoJack to come with him to the Delta house saying the guys there would be "super stoked" to meet him.
Vance approaches them and says his daughter sucks and he's ready to go. BoJack then says they should make one more stop.
BoJack and Vance are at a frat party when Vance says he wants to leave with a girl. Vance then tells him to relax and that they'll set up The Horny Unicorn tomorrow. A student takes a picture of BoJack on his phone and BoJack says he shouldn't be at the party. He heads outside where he tries to call Hollhock and finds out her number has been disconnected. He then pulls out her letter and finally reads it. He sadly sighs as he drops Hollhock's letter on the porch and heads back inside.
BoJack ends up sitting on the couch while the party goes on around him and various people are taking pictures of him. BoJack then winds up with a bottle of alcohol in hand and then he looks at it.
In Angela, Angela meets with Herb and tells him they are trying to sell the network to Disney. Herb then asks if Michael Eisner really cares about who he goes to bed with. Angela then tells him "We don't need to bring Eisner into this. Obviously, Michael Eisner is a compassionate and progressive individual. This isn't about him." Herb then tells Angela to tell him he's fired if he's fired. Angela then tells Herb he's fired. Angela then tells him all they need is The Horse. Herb replies by saying if Angela wants BoJack to betray him she's going to need a good pitch. Angela then says OK to this.
In present-day BoJack is in his trailer on the set of The Horny Unicorn where he gets a call from Angela. She tells him they've met before. There is then a brief flashback to Angela talking BoJack out of leaving Horsin' Around after Herb is fired. BoJack then says he remembers her. Angela tells him his interview with Biscuits made her nostalgic and she invites him over to her house. She then tells BoJack there is something she's been meaning to ask him. BoJack asks what it is and Angela asks if he'd like to find out before hanging up.
BoJack goes to Angela's home. Angela lets BoJack inside and tells him she fell and now has to walk with a cane. She then advises him not to get old and BoJack says he'll see what he can do about that. Angela then apologizes for making him do the BoJack Dance at the '94 upfronts. BoJack then questions if that's why she wanted to see him. Angela tells BoJack it's because she needed him to reach a box in the hall closet because he's tall.
At Angela's house, BoJack takes down a cardboard box from a shelf. Angela tells him to open it. BoJack opens it and sees a bunch of Horsin' Around Blu-rays inside. Angela tells him the studio could no longer give the Blu-rays away because of his interview with Biscuits. Angela then says it's a shame the show will be forgotten and BoJack remarks that maybe it's for the best. Angela then says Sarah Lynn was good and it's tragic she won't be remembered for it. BoJack then asks "Well, there is nothing we can do about it now, right?"
Angela tells him how Cosby was cut from The Cosby Show and tells him they want to do something similar to Horsin' Around so the show will just be about three orphans living together without adult supervision. BoJack comments that it sounds like they have it all figured out and asks what they need him for. Angela tells him people are not going to watch the show if they think he's still profiting off of it as she hands him the contract. BoJack tells her he needs the money now more than ever. Angela tells him they want to buy him out. She explains that it'll be a one-time payment and then he'll be divorced from the show forever.
Angela then tells him to do it for Sarah Lynn asking "Doesn't [she] deserve to be remembered as more than the girl [BoJack] killed." BoJack then asks if Angela has seen the episodes without him and questions if they are good. Angela tells him he won't need to worry about that ever again once he signs the contract. Angela then says they should drink and BoJack says he's fine with his water bottle. Angela tells him he's not fooling her with the bottle and offers to fix him a real drink. BoJack agrees to one drink.
Later, BoJack is singing his Do the BoJack song for Angela while holding a Vodka bottle. Angela then tells him there is a time she was scared he'd leave the show and never thought there would be a day when she would be asking him to. BoJack then questions why she was scared he'd leave. Angela tells him it was because Herb was gay and BoJack needed convincing to let her fire him. Angela then says she was hoping BoJack would call her out on her bluff.
BoJack then angrily says all this time he thought there was nothing he could do. He then tells Angela he's not taking the deal and wrestles her for the contract, and attempts to throw it in the fireplace. BoJack then continues to say Angela took everything from him and she counters her job was on the line. BoJack then says every bad decision he made was because of her. Angela tells him to grow up and says they did what they had to do and questions what BoJack has to do now.
He puts the contract down and slumps onto a chair in defeat.
Finally, BoJack tells her he is going home. He also tells Angela he's taking her car since she can't drive it and the Horsin' Around Blu-rays.
BoJack breaks into his old home forgetting he no longer lives there. He steals chips, a vodka bottle, and some drugs.
The episode ends with BoJack watching his screen test in his old living room for Horsin' Around. A younger Herb gives young BoJack pointers when he is nervous and recites Ethan's lines instead of his own. Young BoJack then gets the scene right and Herb tells him his life is about to start. BoJack then turns off the TV and his reflection is seen on the TV screen.
In The View from Halfway Down, in BoJack’s dream, he arrives at his mother’s house with a child Sarah Lynn and with a hydrangea plant in hand as a gift. A younger Beatrice invites them in and Beatrice announces BoJack’s arrival as Sarah Lynn runs into the living room. BoJack gives his mother the hydrangeas and she sarcastically thanks him. She puts the plant on the table as black tar starts dripping on the plant from the ceiling. Beatrice tells BoJack that he arrived just in time as a Cardinal bird had flown in through the window and they’re having trouble getting her out of the house.
In the living room, the other dinner party guests are other people who have predeceased BoJack; Herb Kazzaz, Corduroy Jackson Jackson, and Crackerjack Sugarman. The other guests including Sarah Lynn are chasing around the bird trying to get her out of the house, seemingly while having fun while doing it.
Beatrice’s butler tells her someone is on the phone for her, and BoJack is surprised that Zach Braff is her butler. BoJack tries to explain to Beatrice who Zach Braff is but she simply asks “You mean my butler?” When Beatrice takes the phone call in the kitchen she tells BoJack to help with the bird. BoJack has a brief conversation with Herb who expresses joy at the fact BoJack came to the party. BoJack tells Herb that he kept having a recurring dream about having a dinner party with everyone who had died so he decided to do it for real.
He then has a brief but pleasant interaction with his uncle Crackerjack who tries to help BoJack hit the bird with a pillow until she flies off and Crackerjack moves on. BoJack then has an awkward interaction with Corduroy who asks him if he was still weirded out because the last time he saw Corduroy was when he was “...naked, hanging from [my] iPhone charger, holding a lemon, with a very erect penis despite being deceased in [my] trailer for over an hour." When BoJack answers “Yep," Corduroy tells BoJack that he needs to get over it. When Corduroy tries wrapping a rope that he’s holding around his neck, BoJack stops him and Corduroy stops, stating that he forgot where he was for a second.
Sarah Lynn runs up to BoJack with a poker asking if it will help get the bird out of the house. BoJack starts chasing the bird around the living room while the others watch and cheer him on. BoJack chases the bird into the kitchen and she flies out of the window and everyone except Beatrice celebrates. Beatrice informs the group that her husband is going to be late and they are going to start dinner without him. Crackerjack asks if he’s going to be in time for the showcase, and Beatrice says “He better be” and she leads them into the dining room.
Everyone is in the dining room and BoJack is sitting at the head of the table. Everyone is going around the table talking about the best and worst moments of their lives. Sarah Lynn, who has aged up to her eighteen-year-old self, says the best moment of her life was being asked for her autograph for the first time and since she was so young she didn’t know how to write her name so she just drew a squiggly line. While she’s talking, BoJack is given water. As Sarah Lynn describes giving autographs as being more of a chore after the first time, the house starts to rumble and BoJack notices black tar forming a pool on the ceiling. When trying to stand up asking what the black tar is, Zach Braff sits BoJack back down and serves him a plate of pills.
Crackerjack says his best moment was when he enlisted in the army. As Crackerjack continues to talk, Beatrice asks BoJack if he’s ready to sing The Lollipop Song in the showcase, and BoJack tells Beatrice that he never makes it to the showcase. Crackerjack continues, saying he didn’t know that enlisting in the army would lead to the two worst moments of his life. Corduroy is surprised by this, saying that he didn’t know that they can pick two worst moments, while Herb tells Corduroy that it’s a conversation, not an assignment.
Corduroy then goes on to say that he has three worst moments of his life that he wants to share and Herb tells him that’s way too many. Zach Braff continues to serve everyone their dinners. Sarah Lynn is given a hamburger and fries, Herb is given peanuts, Corduroy, a lemon, Crackerjack, food rations, and Beatrice low-grade cafeteria food.
Crackerjack goes on to reveal that the two worst parts of his life were having to say goodbye to his mother and watching his general get shot in the face before that very same bullet hit Crackerjack in the head subsequently killing him, and Crackerjack moves his hair to reveal a bullet hole in his forehead. Herb tells Crackerjack that at least his death was instantaneous as Herb recalls the loud drips of his IV from when he had cancer. Suddenly the black tar on the ceiling starts dripping down on BoJack’s head.
When asked about the best and worst parts of his life, BoJack says the worst part of his life was right before he found himself at the dinner party since he went to Angela Diaz’s house. He interrupts himself by taking a drink of water but he spits it out asking if anybody else has water that tastes like chlorine and asks Zach Braff for different water. Corduroy asks Crackerjack if he believes his death meant something since it was for a greater cause. Crackerjack says that question is too big for someone like him to answer, while Beatrice tells Corduroy that Crackerjack’s death did mean something saying that her brother gave the ultimate sacrifice. BoJack says that when people valorize the idea of sacrifice, loss, and suffering people tend to internalize the idea that being happy is selfish but sacrifice doesn’t mean anything.
Sarah Lynn, who has aged up to her thirty-one-year-old self, says that sacrifice does mean something. BoJack says that sacrifice in the service of something greater might mean something but questions what’s the good in sacrifice in and of itself. Sarah Lynn says that there is a lot of good to come from sacrifice, saying that she sacrificed a lot and she was “freaking awesome." Beatrice questions what did Sarah Lynn ever sacrifice and Sarah Lynn said she gave her whole life. Beatrice dismisses Sarah Lynn saying that she died in a hedonistic bender. Sarah Lynn clarifies that she’s not talking about her death but she’s talking about her life, saying that she gave her whole life.
Herb says that if they talk about everyone’s whole life then they are going to be at the table all night trying to steer the conversation back to the original point. Sarah Lynn says that the worst part of her life was the 2007 “Sexually Confident Virgin Tour." She goes on to explain that her manager had leaked nude pictures of her on the internet to get more tour dates added and her mom pointed out every carb she ever ate, but it gave millions of fans a show they won’t ever forget. As Sarah Lynn continues to talk, the black tar continues to drip on BoJack’s head. Corduroy tells Sarah Lynn that her exploits as a pop star were just a high she chased, saying that it doesn’t compare to Crackerjack’s time in the military, the comparison making Crackerjack visibly uncomfortable. Sarah Lynn turns to Herb hoping that he would back her up. Herb says that he used to believe that the work he did and the joy he brought meant something, saying that he was so close to winning an Emmy before he lost it all.
As the black tar continues to drip, BoJack asks if anyone is noticing the leak. Beatrice says that they’ll get a bucket but since the tar is falling on BoJack he’s going to have to hold the bucket. Herb continues, saying that when he got fired from Horsin’ Around he was able to become his true authentic self being out of the closet as a gay man in the 90s. Sarah Lynn questions what does being authentic has to do with anything. Herb then explains that when he was not hiding behind a façade he was able to be at peace with himself which is when he decided to get into philanthropy.
When Corduroy asked if he could ask Herb something, Herb pokes fun at the fact that Corduroy is asking Herb if he can ask him a question, and BoJack jumps in much to the annoyance of everyone except Crackerjack. Corduroy asks if Herb really got pleasure out of his charity work, and Herb says his philanthropy dwarfed every other joy in his life. Corduroy then goes on to say that it doesn’t count then since he got pleasure out of it then it wasn’t a selfless act, and good deeds are only good if it’s selfless.
As Corduroy talks, Sarah Lynn continues drinking her soda while BoJack plays with the pills on his plate. Herb asks who made that rule up saying that he helped people also going on to ask who cares if it made him feel good. Corduroy then goes on to say that feeling good is inherently selfish. Corduroy then goes on to mention Christ before being interrupted by Beatrice who tells him that she doesn’t appreciate the talk of religion in her house. Corduroy continues, saying that he was constantly trying to feel good and always looking for maximum pleasure, and that was one of the worst parts of his life.
As the tar continues to drip on his head, BoJack says that for him, discovering Corduroy in his trailer was one of the top five worst moments of his life. Sarah Lynn goes on to state that she helped a lot of people and she wasn’t a bad person. Sarah Lynn goes on to accuse everyone of accusing her of being a bad person with their charity work, being authentic, and killing Nazis.
Crackerjack clarifies that he never actually killed a Nazi and all of his kills were friendly fire much to everyone’s shock. Crackerjack goes on to say he never liberated any camps either. He then goes on to reveal that he doesn’t actually know what he did during his time in the military. Just then, Zach Braff hands BoJack a bucket to hold over his head to catch the drips of tar. He also informs Beatrice that her husband has arrived—much to BoJack’s shock. BoJack then claims that his father has never made it to dinner before. Sarah Lynn then asks the group if anyone has ever had a song of theirs played in outer space saying that her hit single No, No, No (No Means Yes) made its way to Mars. She goes on to say that it has to mean something since she will be remembered.
Just then, Beatrice‘s husband walks in. Although Beatrice was married to Butterscotch Horseman, her husband takes the form of BoJack’s childhood hero Secretariat. Beatrice passive aggressively tells Secretariat that he didn’t miss anything and she asks him why shouldn’t they just bend themselves to his schedule. Secretariat gets annoyed saying that he had already apologized for being late and that he had been running. Secretariat and Beatrice get into a brief argument before settling back into their seats. Secretariat is presented with two sunny side up eggs, coffee, and alcohol.
Herb tells Secretariat that they’re playing the best part/the worst part. Herb says that the best part of his life was doing work in Machu Picchu. He confesses that after he was fired off of Horsin’ Around he thought about killing himself much to BoJack’s dismay. Herb says that he didn’t because the Knicks were having a good season and he wanted to see how the year ended for them. BoJack is surprised, asking Herb what he would’ve done had the Knicks not been having a good season and Herb says he would’ve just switched to baseball. Secretariat admonishes Herb for his lack of follow-through, saying that Herb wasn’t serious about killing himself. Herb goes on to say that he was glad that he didn’t and that when he was in Machu Picchu he realized that there was so much more he could be doing with his life.
Secretariat cuts in and says that the worst part of his life was on August 22, 1973, when he was banned from racing ever again. He goes on to explain that racing was the only thing that made sense to him and since he was no longer allowed to do that he was nobody. As Secretariat talks, BoJack starts eating his pills but ends up spitting them out. Secretariat says that his best part was committing suicide by jumping off off the bridge, going on to explain that it was his choice and he got to go out on his own terms and there are not many people that can say that.
As Secretariat continues by admiring the view while he was standing on the bridge moments before he jumped, BoJack spits black tar out onto the table much to everyone’s amusement. He says it must’ve come from swimming earlier. As he tries to remember when he went swimming, Secretariat tells BoJack not to think about it and asks him what the best part of his life was. BoJack says the best part of his life was when he took a teaching job at Wesleyan University in the drama department and he helped a student work through a scene he was having trouble with. BoJack goes on to explain that the reason that moment was special to him is it felt good to help someone do something, and he liked it because it reminded him of when he was younger and first starting out in the acting business. BoJack tells Herb that it also reminded him of when the two of them did stand-up at comedy clubs, and that might’ve been the best time of his life. As dinner concludes Beatrice asks if they’re ready to start the show.
Everyone leaves for the theater in the other room, and BoJack says goodbye to everyone. When Sarah Lynn asks if BoJack is coming, BoJack tells Sarah Lynn that this is the part in the dream where he normally wakes up. Sarah Lynn follows the others into the theater saying that maybe BoJack would be able to come to the showcase next time. Zach Braff reaches over and grabs BoJack’s plate before walking off. Much to BoJack’s confusion he’s still in the dream and hasn’t woken up yet.
As BoJack has not woken up from the dream yet he decides to go to the showcase which is hosted by Herb. Herb introduces the opening act which is Sarah Lynn. Before her performance, Sarah Lynn decides to dedicate her performance to BoJack. When the Spotlight shifts to BoJack he proceeds to apologize for everything that happened to Sarah Lynn but she interrupts him before going back to the piano to start her song. Sarah Lynn starts to play Don’t Stop Dancing ‘Til The Curtains Call which quickly transitions into a song to the tune of her song Prickly Muffin. Towards the end, the song transitions back to Don’t Stop Dancing ‘Til The Curtain Call. Suddenly a door frame appears and Sarah Lynn walks towards it. As she finishes the song the door opens revealing nothing but darkness.
As she repeats the last two lines of the song twice more “Don’t stop dancing," she holds her breath and falls backward into the darkness behind the door frame and vanishes completely. BoJack runs to the door looking for Sarah Lynn but she’s gone and Herb introduces Corduroy’s aerial act. While Corduroy performs his piece, BoJack tries to ask Herb where does the door leads, and Herb tells him that he should sit down and he’ll get a chance to perform. Before they can finish the conversation, Corduroy swings himself into the door frame and disappears into the darkness. BoJack sits back down next to Secretariat and Herb introduces Zach Braff. Shortly thereafter, BoJack leaves with Secretariat to smoke.
BoJack and Secretariat walk outside onto a bridge, the same bridge Secretariat jumped off of when he committed suicide. BoJack asks Secretariat what is behind the door and Secretariat ignores the question entirely and expresses annoyance towards Herb, saying that he doesn’t believe that Herb truly found peace when he was in Machu Picchu. BoJack says that he believes Herb but Secretariat assures BoJack that every single person in the theater would go back and live their lives over if they could. He says that peace is someone trying to convince themselves that life has meaning or purpose, and if you do everything the right way then there’s a parting gift at the end.
Secretariat goes on to explain that all that time that the others spent trying to make a name for themselves or do good deeds in the world, landed them in the same place as him as he did none of that stuff. BoJack tells Secretariat that he was the fastest runner in the world and he was an inspiration to millions, but Secretariat says that despite that he ended up in the same place as BoJack. BoJack asks Secretariat if he could go back and do things differently what would he do.
Secretariat says that he wouldn’t have cared so much about everything. Secretariat, speaking in Butterscotch's voice tells BoJack that he did care. BoJack brushes off this sentiment saying that all he cared about was his book, getting drunk, and telling people how miserable he was. Secretariat insists that he cared a great deal about BoJack and Beatrice and he wanted BoJack to love him and respect him but he was so afraid of BoJack knowing that.
BoJack regrets the fact that he and his father never got to speak like that to each other in real life but at the very least they were able to do it before he woke up. Secretariat insists that BoJack really doesn’t get it before tossing his cigarette over the bridge and returning to the theater. BoJack looks over the edge of the bridge and spots the silhouette of his body floating in the pool of his old house. Reality starts setting in for BoJack when he realizes this is the reason he hasn’t woken up yet.
Back at the theater, Zach Braff is about to perform his roller skate routine when BoJack bursts in and tells him to stop the show, asking what is going on. Zach Braff tells BoJack that he’s being rude and he’s about to perform form his rollerskating routine. Secretariat and Zach try to get BoJack to calm down, and Zach tries to get BoJack to sit down put BoJack pushes Zach backward and Zach slowly slides towards the open door. As he’s sliding towards the door, Zach expresses regret for all the things he didn’t get to do such as direct his “Backdraft” remake “Zach Braff’s Backdraft," finish his memoir “I Started A Zach Which Started The Whole World Braffing," or license Zach Braff short stack breakfast attack at Shake shack.
Before he finishes he falls backward into the door frame and disappears into the darkness. As BoJack continues to panic, he asks Herb how he got there and Herb replies “How the hell should I know?“ BoJack tries retracing his steps, recalling that he broke into his old house, he was watching the Horsin’ Around Blu-ray, and he drank and took some pills and then he went swimming. Just then the image of BoJack‘s body floating in the pool appears on the ceiling of the theater. Then BoJack remembers he got out of the pool and called Diane. Herb tries to tell BoJack that they’re trying to do a show.
However, BoJack continues to retrace his steps saying that he called Diane and he couldn’t have drowned in the pool if he had gotten out of the pool to call Diane. BoJack wants to finish his conversation with Diane and tries to leave the room to find a phone but the exit disappears. As BoJack continues to panic, Herb invites Secretariat to the stage. Crackerjack tries to calm BoJack down and guides him back to his seat saying that freaking out isn’t going to change anything, while Beatrice tells BoJack that something like this was bound to happen to him sooner or later.
Secretariat takes the stage and starts reading his poem “The View From Halfway Down." When he’s partway through, the spotlight reveals the open door behind Secretariat, but Secretariat assures the audience that he’s not finished yet. When he gets to the part of his poem where he starts expressing regret for committing suicide in the first place, Secretariat starts to panic and the door inches its way closer to him. Secretariat continues to panic saying he's changed his mind as Herb tries to console him. As Secretariat regrets not admiring the view from halfway down after he jumped off the bridge he stumbles backward and falls through the door frame and disappears into the darkness.
BoJack panics and tries to run through the exit, which had reappeared, but he ends up on stage instead. Crackerjack, bleeding through the bullet wound in his forehead, tells BoJack that nothing he does it is going to matter, while a slightly aged Beatrice tells BoJack that all his screaming and struggling isn’t going to pull his body out of the pool and Herb tells BoJack he needs to sit down. Herb tells BoJack that there’s a possibility that somebody’s going to find him and save him and there’s also a possibility that someone won’t. BoJack asks Herb if anyone’s ever come back from “this place," and Herb tells BoJack there is no “place," his brain is just going through what it feels like it needs to go through and all he can do now is sit back and enjoy the show.
Herb returns to the stage and introduces Beatrice Horseman and Crackerjack Sugarman. Crackerjack starts to play I Will Always Think of You on the trumpet while Beatrice starts to dance. Partly through her dance, Beatrice starts dancing with a ribbon baton and jumps into the audience. Towards the end of her dance, Beatrice manages to suspend her self in the air while spinning and her ribbon gets longer. Crackerjack stops playing the trumpet although the music keeps going while his trumpet is suspended in the air. Beatrice wraps herself in the ribbon as she keeps spinning and Crackerjack ties the end of the ribbon to his waist and jumps into the door frame and disappears. As Beatrice keeps spinning black tar reaches out from the door frame and consumes Beatrice and she vanishes too. Just then Beatrice’s ribbon falls to the ground as does Crackerjack’s trumpet and the music stops.
Herb then goes on to introduce BoJack describing him as “The star of ‘Horsin’ Around’ and ‘The BoJack Horseman Show’! ‘Philbert’! ‘Secretariat’! The upcoming ‘Horny Unicorn’! Son of Butterscotch and Beatrice! Husband to no one! Father to none, that we know of! Standup comedian, actor, crippling alcoholic! A talented charmer and a stupid piece of shit.” BoJack then takes the stage and approaches the open door and asks if it’s terrifying. Herb says that he doesn’t think it’s scary saying that everything must come to an end at some point. BoJack says that he’ll see Herb on the other side. As Herb is consumed by the black tar that starts to leak from inside the door, he says that there is no other side and this is the end, before vanishing.
BoJack states that he needs to make a phone call before running out of the theater and through the dining room. As he runs through the dining room he hears indistinct chatter as he’s being chased by the black tar. He runs to the living room and tries to bolt to the exit but the plant he had given his mother earlier had mutated and blocked the door. He runs to the bird he had chased out earlier who had somehow found her way back in the house, telling her that he’s looking for a phone. The bird turns around and her head begins to emerge from her mouth on a continuous loop. As the house continues to fill with black tar, the bird makes its way towards BoJack who takes a poker and chases her into the kitchen. As the bird struggles to make its way out of the window, the black tar consumes her.
In a panic, BoJack takes the kitchen phone and Diane answers much to his relief. Frantic, BoJack asks Diane if she’s going to save him since he called her, and he asks if she’s coming to get him. Diane asks BoJack why did he call her and reminds him that she’s in Chicago and she can’t save him. BoJack, seemingly at peace, realizes that when he got out of the pool to call Diane she didn’t pick up the phone and it went to voicemail and after he left her a voice message he went back in the pool.
BoJack leaves the house and walks back onto the bridge as Diane tells him it’s too late and what’s done is done. As BoJack watches the black tar consume the silhouette of his body floating in the pool, Diane tells BoJack there’s nothing she can do as she is not real and nothing that’s happening is real either. BoJack asks Diane what he should do and she tells him it doesn’t matter. BoJack asks Diane that since it doesn’t matter can he stay on the phone with her and she allows him to. As the black tar consumes him he simply talks to Diane about her day. Diane says she had a good day and the black tar consumes BoJack completely. The screen goes black and a heart rate monitor goes flat but then starts beeping again indicating BoJack is still alive.
In Nice While It Lasted, the episode starts out with BoJack and Diane looking up to the sky and a heart monitor beeping from the previous episode. The living room of BoJack's old house is seen with the series finale of Horsin' Around playing on the TV. There is a mess of shards of broken glass, a bag of spilled chips, drugs, a stack of Horsin' Around Blu-rays on the couch, and a bottle of vodka.
The new family who lives there arrives, and is shocked to find the mess. Outside of the window BoJack is seen floating unconscious in the pool.
BoJack wakes up at the hospital to find himself under arrest for breaking and entering. The news then runs a segment for BoJack's trial.
BoJack is sentenced to Super-Max Prison for fourteen months. A year later, BoJack is seen directing a prison production of Hedda Gabler with his inmates. A security guard comes and allows him to leave for the weekend to go see Princess Carolyn and Judah's wedding. He is then picked up from prison by Mr. Peanutbutter.
During the car ride, Mr. Peanutbutter asks BoJack if he's going to wear his everyday attire to the wedding. BoJack explains these are the clothes he went in with and didn't realize he would be going to a wedding in a year. Mr. Peanutbutter then takes BoJack to a store to buy him a suit. While in the store, Mr. Peanutbutter asks him what he's in for. BoJack replies officially it's breaking and entering but he believes it's kind of for everything. BoJack then says he's hungry and suggests they go to the diner for lunch.
At the diner, BoJack asks if Mr. Peanutbutter spends a lot of time with Judah and Princess Carolyn as a couple. Mr. Peanutbutter tells BoJack he sees Princess Carolyn a lot at Birthday Dad events. Mr. Peanutbutter then tells him Judah mostly stays home with Ruthie. Mr. Peanutbutter questions if he thought Princess Carolyn would marry BoJack. BoJack responds he thought it would be with no one because he wasted the best years of her life.
Mr. Peauntbutter responds that the best years of her life are happening now and BoJack says the joke's on him because he couldn't even waste the correct best years of her life. BoJack says he was shocked Princess Carolyn managed to get him out of prison for the weekend. Mr. Peanutbutter asks when he's getting out for real and BoJack responds that it'll be a few months.
Mr. Peanutbutter asks what his plans are once he gets out. BoJack says his only goal currently is not to screw up this weekend. Mr. Peanutbutter reassures him he won't screw it up. BoJack replies he's sure he'll find a way to mess things up. He then splatters his meatball sandwich on his new suit and then asks Mr. Peanutbutter to buy him another suit.
Back in the car, BoJack asks if Mr. Peanutbutter thinks Diane is going to be there to which Mr. Peanutbutter replies that everyone will be there seeing that it's the party of the year. BoJack asks if Mr. Peanutbutter is seeing anyone to which Mr. Peanutbutter replies he's busy with his show and wants to focus on himself right now.
They drive up to Griffith Park Observatory and BoJack questions if this is where the wedding is happening. Mr. Peanutbutter explains they are here for a press conference that is on the way to the wedding. BoJack then says he can't be there as the paparazzi snap pictures of them.
Mr. Peanutbutter then announces that the "D" in the Hollywood sign will be replaced. Mr. Peanutbutter intended to get another "D" but the unveiling reveals it's a "B," turning Hollywoo into "Hollywoob."
Mr. Peanutbutter then gets back in the car and BoJack tells him he wants to go back to prison as he doesn't feel like he can be around people. Mr. Peanutbutter tells him he'll be fine and he questions what BoJack thinks will happen at the wedding. BoJack says he doesn't know just that something bad will happen. Mr. Peanutbutter reassures him he will stay with him unless he sees his good friend Erica and notices some notable aspect of her physical appearance and decides to talk to her. Mr. Peanutbutter then questions what the odds of that happening are.
At the wedding, BoJack is alone and starts to head to the door leading up to the roof but he is interrupted by Todd. Todd tells him the fireworks are starting in ten minutes, they need to head down to the beach, and Todd needs to sit on his shoulders. He then tells BoJack there is no time to explain. The two of them head down to the beach and BoJack questions why they had to go down to the beach. Todd tells him he seemed really overwhelmed at the party and he needed to be on BoJack's shoulders to get a better view of the fireworks. BoJack then tells him to get off his shoulders.
Todd then asks how BoJack got out of jail. BoJack explains he's just here for the wedding and he's going back tomorrow. He then tells Todd he feels the routine is good for him as it keeps him out of trouble and he can set little goals for himself like breaking his record for the most months he has ever been sober. Todd congratulates him on this.
BoJack worries about relapsing and Todd tells him he can set new goals and get sober again. Todd then tells him about how he was at the office the other day doing the "Hokey Pokey" with his work associates and he mentions how the song "Hokey Pokey" can be used to help turn things around.
Todd then talks about his relationship with his mother and how it's possible they are both trying to change. Todd then says it's like the lyrics of the song say "you got to turn yourself around." BoJack remarks he doesn't think the songwriters put that much thought into the existential meaning of the lyrics considering they rhymed "about" with "about." BoJack then says Todd might have had something in his analysis of the song but then he lost it. Todd and BoJack agree it was nice while it lasted. They then rekindle their friendship.
BoJack then comes across Princess Carolyn and tells her the wedding was incredible. Princess Carolyn asks if it wasn't too much with the fireworks, cirque performers, and procession of exotic peafowl. BoJack tells her she did a great job producing it. BoJack then congratulates her and Judah and asks where Judah is. She tells him Judah is putting together some contracts. BoJack then questions why the groom would be doing paperwork at his wedding.
Princess Carolyn explains that their real wedding was a week ago and this one is for the industry. She goes on to explain she invited the town's top talent, took away their phones, and shuffled them together. Princess Carolyn says she gave them alcohol and got them chatty and the next day they call her to put them in touch with someone and that's how she attaches herself as a producer.
BoJack says he's offended he wasn't important enough for her real wedding but he's flattered to be invited to her industry one. Princess Carolyn tells him The Horny Unicorn is trending like crazy and all of Hollywoob is buzzing about his comeback. BoJack tells her he's not sure he should start any more projects and tells her he started a drama program at prison and he's thinking about volunteering there when he gets out. Princess Carolyn tells him that sounds fabulous.
He then starts talking about other opportunities and he didn't think he had any because a year ago people in this town hated him. Princess Carolyn tells him people have short-term memories and she's sure he'll come to a decision.
BoJack then asks her if she wants to dance as the music starts to play. The two dance together. BoJack then tells her when he got here he thought there would be a disaster, like a sitcom disaster. BoJack tells Princess Carolyn he thought he would cause it. He then gives the example of no one but him being able to find Princess Carolyn before the wedding. He tells her he would find her in a special spot and say "it's time to go." BoJack then says he would talk her into going through with the wedding as a symbol of how much he's grown.
BoJack then asks what she would be afraid of in this fictional situation created by him. Princess Carolyn tells him she would be afraid to lose some part of herself and if she lets someone else take care of her she won't feel like herself anymore and this thing that's supposed to make her happy doesn't make her as happy as it should. BoJack tells her those are some good arguments but perhaps she should be focused on being happy now.
Princess Carolyn jokingly asks if it's that easy. BoJack tells her it isn't but that's what Princess Carolyn wanted for herself, she's the smartest woman he knows, and that's why she ought to listen to herself. They then conclude BoJack wasn't really needed to tell her any of those things which she already knew.
BoJack asks her if she can get him some recognition once he gets out of prison and someone to look out for him. She then says she can recommend some "excellent people." The two of them then exchange a hug.
BoJack then goes up to the roof where Diane went out for a smoke. They greet each other and she tells him she's trying to quit. BoJack asks if she's doing OK and she confirms she is doing fine. She tells him about the middle-grade fiction series she is working on. He then talks about his new movie with Vance Waggoner and says he is still currently in prison. BoJack says he knows she thinks he's a sellout and she angrily tells him not to tell her what she thinks. Diane then tells him she just came out for a smoke and isn't going to help him work through whatever it is he's trying to work through.
Diane tells him he came to her. BoJack protests that he just wanted to talk to her because he misses talking to her. Diane then says she wishes she had her phone right now. BoJack misunderstands and says he knows what she means and he never knows what to do with his hands at parties. She tells him no it's because she wants to play him the last voicemail he left her. Diane then asks if BoJack remembers the voicemail.
Diane says in the voicemail BoJack told her he was sober. She tells him things were good in her life and she was thinking about her future. Then one day she got this voicemail and BoJack sounded happy in it. Diane then tells him he told her he was going swimming and that nothing matters and nobody cares about him. Diane then tells him he told her to call him back if she doesn't want to go swimming otherwise he'd just assume nobody cares. Diane says she thought he was dead.
Diane then questions why he called her knowing she was in Chicago. BoJack tells her he was drunk and high and wanted to talk to her. Diane tells him when she found out he wasn't dead she was angry. She was relieved he was still alive but also angry that she'd given him that power over her. Diane then says she wishes she had been the person he thought she was—the person who would save him. BoJack tells her that was never her job. Diane questions why he always made her feel like it was her job to save him. She then says maybe it's everyone's job to save each other. She finally tells BoJack she's glad he's alive. He admits he is glad as well.
BoJack then questions if Diane is still in Chicago. Diane says her boyfriend at the time wanted her to move to Houston with him. Diane says she also wanted to move with him. However, she got scared and didn't trust herself after she got BoJack's voicemail. She then tells him her boyfriend moved without her and they tried long-distance but it was really hard. BoJack then asks if they broke up.
Diane says no she moved to Houston to be with her boyfriend. BoJack questions if he's not her boyfriend anymore. Diane then shows him her ring indicating she and Guy are now married. BoJack asks how she learned to trust the happiness. Diane says she didn't but she trusted Guy.
BoJack remarks it's hard to picture her in Houston. Diane says she's a completely different person now. She says she smiles more and wears fewer jackets. Diane says she looks back at her L.A. years and wonders who was that person. BoJack asks if the old Diane ever comes back. Diane says sometimes and she could feel the old version of herself when she came back to L.A. for the wedding or right at that moment talking to BoJack.
Diane then admits she was terrified of coming back to L.A. BoJack asks her what she think would happen and she says she thought she would spin out and questioning everything. BoJack points out that didn't happen and Diane agrees. BoJack then asks her if she wishes it had and she admits a little part of her did. BoJack asks her if she misses the mess and Diane says she's glad to have lived in L.A. but is not nostalgic for it. She then says she is glad to have known Mr. Peanutbutter even though he's not in her life anymore.
Diane goes on to say she believes there are people who help you become the person you end up being and you can be grateful to them even if they are never meant to be in your life forever. Diane finally says she is glad to have known BoJack as well. BoJack then asks if it would be funny if this is the last night they spoke to each other. Diane then says she needs to tell him something and BoJack says she doesn't owe him anything. She finally thanks him and tells him it's going to be OK.
Diane then starts to get up and leave but BoJack tells her to wait. He then tells her he wants to tell her a funny story. She agrees to listen. BoJack starts telling her about the movie night at prison and how the system is rigged so that they always watch Big Andy's favorite movie which is The Family Stone. BoJack explains that every week Big Andy gets his guys to vote for the movie so that they wind up watching it every week.
Diane questions whose favorite movie is The Family Stone. BoJack says it's a perfectly fine movie. Diane then questions watching it every week and BoJack says that's what he's saying. Diane questions whether movie night is mandatory and BoJack says no but he likes to support the arts. BoJack then says he knows the guy who volunteers at the library which is where they keep the DVDs. BoJack then said he offers to give the guy his Jell-O for a month if The Family Stone goes missing.
BoJack says the next time movie night comes around the DVD has gone missing which riles up Big Andy and his guys. BoJack then says he suggests they watch Pieces of April this week. BoJack then says Big Andy then falls in love with Pieces of April so that's now what they watch every week.
Diane then remarks BoJack made his bed with that one. She then laughs and says that sounds awful. BoJack then asks "What are you going to do? Sometimes life's a bitch and then you die." Diane agrees but then responds with "Sometimes life's a bitch and you keep on living." Diane then remarks it's a nice night. BoJack then smiles, agrees, and says the time they are spending together is nice.
The series ends in a moment of silence as Diane and BoJack, both of them struggling to say something but choosing not to, looking at the stars in the sky.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Secretariat | Secretariat | Digitally added |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987-1996 | Horsin' Around | The Horse | |
2007 | The BoJack Horseman Show | Himself | |
2015 | HSAC!WDTK?DTKT??LFO! | Himself | Contestant |
2016 | Ethan Around | The Horse | Unknown Results |
2017 | Felicity Huffman's Booty Academy: Los Angeles | Judge | Guest Judge |
2018 | Philbert | John Philbert | Canceled |
Trivia
- As of the setting of the series, BoJack weighs some 1,200 lbs (544 kg), and is 6'6 (198 cm) or 19.75 hands tall.
- Despite being 1200 pounds, other characters do not have much trouble dragging BoJack or lifting him up.
- One time, at a Christmas party, BoJack sneezed on Marisa Tomei. Embarrassed, he jumped off the balcony and ended up in a full-body cast.
- The picture of him sneezing is used whenever he is talked about on the news or other related presentations as a running gag in the series.
- Netflix also has this image of BoJack for their BoJack Horseman account icons.
- The picture of him sneezing is used whenever he is talked about on the news or other related presentations as a running gag in the series.
- According to the BoJack Horseman art blog on Tumblr (BojartHorseblog), BoJack is 15.2 hands at the withers and is close to 19.75 hands tall if he is being measured to the top of his ears, which BoJack prefers
- BoJack hates honeydew, and once a season he, or sometimes another character, will be seen mentioning it, showing disgust for it, or ranting about it.
- In the Season 1 episode One Trick Pony, he complains how on set there is too much honeydew in the fruit bowl.
- It is also revealed Princess Carolyn also hates it, calling it garbage fruit, although later Mr. Peanutbutter is revealed to love it.
- In the Season 2 episode Hank After Dark, while talking to Wanda on the phone he gets distracted by honeydew on the fruit plates backstage at MSNBSea and angrily rants about how "whenever cantalope gets invited to a party it thinks it can bring its lame friend honeydew."
- Later in the same episode. Princess Carolyn is disgusted by the honeydew on the fruit plates at Manatee Fair.
- In the Season 3 episode Stop the Presses, Ana reveals to BoJack her favorite fruit is honeydew, to which BoJack reacts in disgust.
- In the Season 4 episode What Time is It Right Now, Hollyhock mentions during her call to BoJack that the airport she’s at charged her ten dollars for a fruit cup and it’s mostly honeydew, which angers BoJack. Hollyhock also expresses her disgust, calling it the worst part of everything it’s in - the Jared Leto of fruits
- In the Season 5 episode Planned Obsolescence, BoJack is offended Gina would rather listen to her music than listen to him rant about the fruit spread. Gina questions if it’s honeydew related, BoJack says it’s in the honeydew area but the specifics keep it fresh.
- In part one of Season 6, in The Face of Depression, BoJack notices the entire fruit plate at the AA meeting is honeydew. He begins to say "goddamn" as the opening credits start.
- In part two of Season 6, in the finale Nice While It Lasted, BoJack actually tries honeydew at Princess Carolyn and Judah’s wedding and finally admits it’s not bad.
- In the Season 1 episode One Trick Pony, he complains how on set there is too much honeydew in the fruit bowl.
- The centerfold of BoJack from the 90s is parodied after a centerfold Burt Reynolds took for Cosmopolitan in April 1972.
- BoJack's house contains animal parodies of art:
- In his bedroom, he has a triptych of three horseshoe paintings that reference Andy Warhol's work
- The horse painting to the right of his front door references Blue Horse by Franz Marc.
- BoJack's hair in the 80s and on Horsin' Around is reminiscent of the character Uncle Jesse from Full House, which Horsin' Around parodies.
- BoJack made $30K an episode on Horsin' Around, and he continued to receive royalty checks until Angela.
- The only episodes BoJack has not appeared in are See Mr. Peanutbutter Run and A Quick One, While He's Away.
- Based on its views of Downtown L.A.'s skyline and close proximity to the Hollywood Sign (as demonstrated in Our A-Story is a "D" Story among other episodes), BoJack's house seems to be located just east of Hollywood Reservoir perched above Bronson Canyon.
- Incidentally, the neighborhood is home to Sunset Ranch, which is well-known for horseback riding. It's also quite close to Griffith Observatory, which was of great sentimental significance to BoJack and Herb Kazzaz as well as the location of Sarah Lynn's overdose.
- BoJack is neighbors with Channing Tatum andFelicity Huffman, as revealed in Hooray! Todd Episode! and Stupid Piece of Sh*t, respectively.
- Incidentally, the neighborhood is home to Sunset Ranch, which is well-known for horseback riding. It's also quite close to Griffith Observatory, which was of great sentimental significance to BoJack and Herb Kazzaz as well as the location of Sarah Lynn's overdose.
- The writers have stated that they only have someone say the f word once per season, and it only happens when BoJack has permanently ruined a relationship:
- In Season 1 it was Herb Kazzaz in The Telescope, when he was going to die soon from rectal cancer and he rejected BoJack’s apology for abandoning him in the 90s after the network executives fired him for being caught in a gay-related scandal. Herb wasn’t upset about getting fired, but the fact that BoJack betrayed him, and he says “Now get the fuck out of my house!”
- Season 2 was Charlotte Moore in Escape from L.A., after she caught him in bed (on his boat) with Penny, with Penny about to undress him. This scene happens after BoJack and Charlotte kiss and he begs her to run away with him and confesses he’s loved her all this time, and she rejected him and tells him to leave because he makes her too sad. After Charlotte orders Penny to go to her room she tells BoJack to leave in 30 minutes or she’ll call the police, and “if you ever try to contact me or my family again, I will fucking kill you."
- Season 3 was Todd Chavez in It's You, after BoJack reveals that he slept with Emily, whom Todd had been trying to figure out his feelings for. BoJack tries to apologize, but Todd says feeling bad for the shitty things doesn’t make them ok (which is what BoJack keeps doing). He also tells BoJack “You are everything that is wrong with you. It’s not the drugs, or the alcohol, or the shitty things that happened to you in your career, or when you were a kid. It’s you.” He then says “Fuck, man. What else is there to say?”
- Season 4 is actually BoJack’s himself, in Thoughts and Prayers. He takes Hollyhock to visits Beatrice at her nursing home and discovers she has dementia and no longer recognizes him. He cooks up a plan to get her to recognize him, and he says when she does, he’ll squeeze her hand, get real close, and say “Fuck You, Mom!," in order to tell her off for being a horrible mother to him.
- Season 5 was Gina Cazador in The Showstopper, after BoJack, after having mistaken his show Philbert and reality for each other for the entire episode under the influence of pills and alcohol despite her best efforts, almost strangles her to death while shooting a scene. After they are pulled apart by the crew, Gina says "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
- BoJack bears a strong resemblance to his late uncle Crackerjack, his mom's brother. The two share similar facial features, dark brown fur, and a white snippet and pink spot on their noses and lips.
- One Trick Pony, which took place in 2014, has BoJack reveal he is fifty-years-old, which also indirectly reveals he was born in 1964.
- His birthday is revealed to be January 2nd, 1964 in Stop the Presses.
- This retcons BoJack Hates the Troops, where a flashback to BoJack’s birthday as a child shows Butterscotch reading a newspaper announcing The Beatles split, which would have set his birthday in April.
- Stop the Presses reveals several things about BoJack through his L.A. Gazette account:
- He was born on January 2nd, 1964.
- He is a Grade/thoroughbred cross horse with medium bay fur and a star and snip marking.
- He weighs 1,200 lbs.
- He is 19.75 hands tall
- He has a buck knee, splay foot, ewe neck, wall eye, pot belly, and sweet tooth.
- His temperament is related 9/10, and is mentioned he is spooky, stubborn, unpredictable, and suffers from substance abuse.
- He has had more than 100 sexual partners throughout his life.
- BoJack still has the sweater he wore on Horsin' Around, but now his stomach hangs out of it, due to him being much slimmer during those years.
- In Thoughts and Prayers, it revealed that BoJack played football when he was a teenager.
- The episode also revealed that in 8th grade he was in choir. He describes his solo a bit "shaky", and his mother pretended not to know him and forces him to get a ride home from the pianist who according to BoJack, "liked to tickle more than just the ivories." When BoJack came home safe, his mother said "I guess nobody wants you."
- This is why he is skeptical of her dementia at first.
- The episode also revealed that in 8th grade he was in choir. He describes his solo a bit "shaky", and his mother pretended not to know him and forces him to get a ride home from the pianist who according to BoJack, "liked to tickle more than just the ivories." When BoJack came home safe, his mother said "I guess nobody wants you."
- Hooray! Todd Episode! reveals he has multiple strains of herpes.
- Some of the medicine in BoJack’s medicine cabinet (as seen in Stupid Piece of Sh*t and Lovin that cali lifestyle!!) includes:
- Menoxidil: forehead reducer. This is used for certain types of baldness
- Heart Burn medicine
- Avanafil, a medicine used for erectile dysfunction
- Fluvastatin, a medicine that lowers high cholesterol
- Bupropion, a medicine used to help quit smoking and/or help prevent types of depression, namely seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- The blue pentagon-shaped pills are likely a form of dexamethasone, which treats inflammation
- Pain Free, which is likely just ibuprofen (pain killers)
- In The View from Halfway Down, during the dinner, Zach Braff serves BoJack pills. Since everyone's meals are what they ate or encountered right before they died, BoJack is served pills because he died from a drug overdose.
- The other character's meals are; Sarah Lynn's burger and fries, Herb Kazzaz's peanuts, Beatrice's nursery home meal, and Butterscotch in Secretariat's body whiskey and eggs.
- BoJack and Diane are the only main characters to have design changes within the series:
- In BoJack's case, in The Face of Depression he gets a new outfit and he stops dying his hair and has it cut shorter.
- BoJack was a Scientologist for a brief period in the 90s.