(TRIGGER WARNING – this article contains mentions of addiction, mental illness, and suicide)
“Back in the 90s I was in a very famous tv show…
I’m Bojack the horse, don’t act like you don’t know”
If you haven’t yet been introduced to the wild witty world of Bojack Horseman, let me give you a rundown. It’s a sitcom, dark comedy, psychological drama, and pretty much every television genre ever invented melded into one beautiful cocaine-dusted creation. The Netflix series takes place in a world inhabited by both humans and socially adept animals (think Zootopia but with more human people, and fewer family-friendly themes) It follows the life of a has-been celebrity dwindling down the sinkhole of depression and substance abuse, among other things, all while trying to restore his career to its former glory.
I stumbled upon the show during the stress of finals’s week; The clock was ticking, there were assignments to submit and meetings to attend. My impending doom was fast approaching. It sounded like the perfect time to…binge-watch a six season netflix series about a dysfunctional anthropomorphic horse. Well, that’s exactly what I did, and it definitely helped me through a lot of struggles.
1. Self-doubt is okay
“Sometimes I Feel Like I Was Born With A Leak, And Any Goodness I Started With Just Slowly Spilled Out Of Me, And Now It’s All Gone.” (Quote from Season 1, Episode 9)
The show’s protagonist and namesake, Bojack Horseman, is possibly the single most real character I have ever seen portrayed on television, let alone in an animated series. Bojack’s incredibly flawed disposition represents the parts of us that we want to fix, or that we conceal from an unforgiving world. The show unpacks the feelings of self-doubt that everyone has grappled with at some point in their lives, and blends that less-than palatable feeling with doses of humour. Bojack’s life is riddled with guilt, self-loathing, a dash of self-pity, and a heaping spoonful of regret. We see him struggle with everything from procrastination to workplace conflict to addiction, along with the very real consequences that these issues can yield. Contrary to the sitcoms and films he acts in, Bojack doesn’t always get back on his feet, or hooves, so to speak. But that’s okay, because life must go on.
2. Harming yourself isn’t the answer
“Before I leapt, I should have seen the view from halfway down.”( Quote from Season 6, Episode 15)
This quote in particular has really stayed with me, and it sort of echoes in my head, as a reminder every now and then. Tough times can make you adopt damaging ways of coping. This is explored by the show in many forms such as, addiction, self-harm, and suicide. Sometimes harming yourself can just be speaking poorly of yourself. It is only in retrospect that Bojack and the show’s other characters realise that there are better, healthier ways to cope with their struggles.
3. It might just get worse before it gets better
“I’ve Had A Lot Of What I Thought Were Rock Bottoms, Only To Discover Another, Rockier Bottom Underneath.” (Quote from Season 6, Episode 12)
Life isn’t a tacky sitcom with a linear script, it’s rather unpredictable, and oftentimes, it sucks. Things might be bad for a long, unprecedented time, and you can’t fast forward to the end. There is no single monumental event that is going to suddenly give you a life-changing epiphany, or set your life back on track. Bojack Horseman has helped me realize that change takes time and effort. Things may go from bad to worse and maybe just bad again, before they get better. Finding the right help is an important but often painful process that isn’t a magical cure-all, but a supportive crutch. We see Bojack go in and out of rehab and different phases of his life, illustrating how unstable progress can truly be.
And so, if you’re struggling with anything at all, today or ever, I leave you with this quote from the show:
– “It Gets Easier. Every Day, It Gets A Little Easier. But You Gotta Do It Every Day. That’s The Hard Part.” (Quote from Season 2, Episode 12)