The Horseman Effect (Massive Bojack Horseman Spoilers)

Bojack Horseman, over the course of 6 seasons has made some... questionable decisions. With these decisions we see over and over how his past comes to haunt him. Whether it be his childhood, or the decisions he made in the show, they always find a way to grab him.

Childhood:

Throughout Bojack's childhood he suffered from immense generational trauma. We actually get an amazing and well thought out monologue from Butterscotch Horseman in the beginning of the episode "Free Churro" (Season 5, Episode 6). Butterscotch is upset because he has to pick up his own son from soccer practice, which is his "wife's duty as a mother." This is a pivotal moment in Bojack's life as he takes this power imbalance and applies it later in life. We don't know much about Butterscotch, but this simple moment was enough to understand his mentality. Butterscotch actually had an affair with his maid Henryetta, more about his daughter later though.

Beatrice Horseman, while being reserved and a little stuck up in her earlier years, also had her own share of trauma. Beatrice's mother was Lobotomized after the death of Crackerjack, Beatrice's brother. Beatrice was told to never love anyone as much as her mother loved Crackerjack and she fully interalized this as evident of the episodes "The Old Sugarman Place" and "Time's Arrow" (Season 4, Episodes 2 and 11). Beatrice actually instilled a desire to perform in Bojack, she used to make him do "The Lollipop Song" for her dinner parties. Beatrice told Bojack that nobody cares what he wants, and that as long as he performs he has meaning. Bojack would later internalize this and push it onto Sarah Lynn. Beatrice was cold, and unforgiving to Bojack, continually telling him how little he meant to her. Neither of Bojack's parents were truly there for him. Bojack even speaks up about this in "Free Churro" when he states the following: "Me and my mom and my dad, as screwed up as we all were, we did understand each other. My mother, she knew what it’s like to feel your entire life like you’re drowning, with the exception of these moments, these very rare, brief instances, in which you suddenly remember… you can swim."

Horsin Around:

Horsin Around was a show that starred young Bojack Horseman as a father figure to 3 orphans. While most of this was irrelevant honestly, it's still part of Bojack's life. Herb Kazzaz, the producer and writer for the show was Bojack's best friend, who also turned out to be gay... which led to him being fired off the show due to legal issues. It was the 90s so the LGBT community had little rights. :/

Herb and Bojack had started their careers doing stand up and just trying to find their big break. Herb was always there, he was Bojack's biggest fan and never gave up on him. During the process of getting Herb fired, Angela Diaz a higher up with the network that carried Horsin Around, had to convince Bojack to let them fire him. Herb warned Bojack about this, and still allowed it to happen. Bojack never reached out to Herb after he got fired from the show. Herb died from his peanut allergy in season 2, but before this Herb was battling cancer. Herb had asked to see Bojack one last time before his death. In the episode "The Telescope" (Season 1, Episode 8), Bojack had recieved a call from Herb asking to see him. Bojack being Bojack arrives at his house and begins to apologize. Herb after seeing someone who continually hurt him refuses to accept it. After getting into a massive fight, Herb tells Bojack he can't fix what he did, and he doesn't deserve closure.

Remember Angela Diaz? Yeah well she was totally bluffing when she said they had to fire Herb. The show could've actually done just fine with Herb still on it. Bojack finally realizes this in the episode "Angela" (Season 6, Episode 14), and this exact moment is what leads us to the events of the episode "The View From Halfway Down" (Season 6, Episode 15).

Bojack met one more very important character through Horsin Around, and possibly the most influencial one in his life, Sarah Lynn. Sarah Lynn played young Sabrina on Horsin Around, and looked up to Bojack because he was famous, something her mother forced upon her and wanted for her.

Power Over Women:

Sarah Lynn, Penny Carson, Diane Nyugen, Wanda Pierce, Princess Carolyn, Hollyhock Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzerelli-McQuack (yes she's an actual character) are only some of the women affected by Bojack's actions. Sarah Lynn and Penny Carson are probably the most affected by these actions just because of the severity of their situations. Sarah Lynn looked to Bojack for comfort and stability, because it was something she was never provided from her mother or step father. In fact Bojack even went as far as to enable her, and even slept with her at one point in season 1.

Sarah Lynn and Bojack went on multiple benders throughout the series, but the most notable one was when Sarah Lynn was 9 months sober. Bojack just recently falling into a depressive spiral calls Sarah Lynn asking if she wants to get high at the beginning of the episode "That's Too Much, Man!" During this bender Bojack begins blacking out while Sarah Lynn remains fully awake. Sarah Lynn brings Bojack to one of her 12 Step Meetings, during this Bojack freaks out and tells everyone the story of New Mexico, but more on that in a bit. Sarah Lynn continually asks Bojack to visit the planetarium. Bojack never actually complies to this till they're sitting in a hotel room, watching the oscars and Sarah Lynn won. Watching this milestone pass and her not being able to be there she spirals, that's when Bojack finally takes her to the planetarium. Here Sarah Lynn would finally relax and drift to sleep before taking her final breaths. Then waited 17 long minutes before calling the ambulance that would've saved her life. That's only one of the many, many terrible things Bojack has allowed to happen.

A smaller event that happened, which actually wasn't exactly Bojack's fault, but he certainly played into it was Hollyhock. Hollyhock is Henryetta's and Butterscotch's daughter. Hollyhock was adopted by 8 men all in a relationship, and they're pretty irrelevant outside of them telling her that Bojack Horseman is her actual dad. In an effort to find her father Hollyhock finds Bojack in L.A. When Hollyhock arrives at Bojack's house, Bojack's "roommate" Todd actually convinces Bojack that Hollyhock is a maid. It would later be proved that Hollyhock was infact Bojack's sister. After the initial shock of this, Bojack accepted Hollyhock into his home where his mother Beatrice would later join them. After several months Beatrice turned out to be drugging the coffee she was giving Hollyhock. Hollyhock would later suffer an overdose.

Penny Carson, the daughter of Charlotte Carson, one of Bojack's old friends, and Herb's ex. Bojack was always into Charlotte, he even imagined a future where they are married and have a daughter. Charlotte moved to Maine then New Mexico sometime in the 90s and early 2000s, but it's not clear when exactly. At Herb's Funeral Bojack runs into Charlotte again, this is when she invites him to her house if he's ever near Tesuque. Of course Bojack being Bojack drives to Tesuque just to see a random woman he knew 20 years ago, totally sane. In New Mexico is where this dream of having a family with Charlotte falls apart. Bojack meets Charlotte's husband Kyle, and her kids Trip and Penny. Penny is a high school student, 16 year old, this is important later. Bojack spends about a month at the Carson's house, and during this he becomes extremely close to the family, even taking Penny for driving lessons and eventually taking her to prom.

Prom night Bojack, Penny, and two of Penny's friends go with them to the event. A bit later they all leave and go to a water tower in the middle of nowhere. Bojack and Penny share a dance on top of this water tower, where he states how beautiful he thinks she is. Another event happens but that's for a different time. Bojack and Penny head home, and Penny finally says something about the legal age of consent in New Mexico being 16. Bojack immediately shuts her down and tells her to go to sleep. Bojack heads to the back of the house to find Charlotte alone. Talking about their friendship and reminiscing on the past, Bojack kisses Charlotte. Charlotte immediately says that was a mistake, and tells him to go to bed. That's where Bojack sees Penny standing outside his door and takes her up on her offer.

Luckily Charlotte caught them before anything terrible happened, but this incident continually haunts the Carson family for the rest of the series. ("Escape From L.A." Season 2, Episode 11) Bojack was actually exposed for both of these incidents by a reporter named Paige Sinclair in season 6. Paige is actually what led to the episode "Xerox Of A Xerox" (Season 6, Episode 12) where Bojack was interviewed twice for his choices during these situations, and his addictions.

Addiction:

Bojack throughout the series is proven to be a struggling alcoholic. It was present from a young age and manifested itself into his everyday routine as an adult. Bojack would watch his mother and father drink nearly everyday, and Butterscotch even offered drinks to Bojack one night. Bojack used drinking to cover up the pain he had as a struggling actor, and it just became a coping mechanism for him over the years.

Bojack built a tolerance over time to alcohol, plus he is a horse that can weigh almost 1,000 pounds, so he sought out alternative options. Bojack uses a number of hard substances it would be impossible to count. Though some of his more relevant ones are being addicted to painkillers through season 5, his alcoholism, and while he wasn't addicted to it, it's what killed Sarah Lynn, a line of heroin called "Bojack". Bojack never seeks help till the episode "A Horse Walks Into A Rehab" (Season 6, Episode 1) when he checks into a rehab facility for 6 months.

Healing:

We never see Bojack do a single selfless act till the episode "The Face Of Depression" (Season 6, Episode 7). This episode is right after Bojack is checked out of the rehab facility and back on his own. Bojack visits his friends and family, and even does some considerate things for them. Throughout this entire series Bojack wouldn't give these people the time of day, and now we see this character finally recognizing them. This episode really proves that Bojack is capable of healing. That Bojack though everything that has happened can change. Sadly, this episode is nothing but calm before the storm.

Repercussions:

Paige Sinclair in the episode "Xerox Of A Xerox" makes Biscuits Braxby, an Oprah type character, interview Bojack on her show. Bojack has his first interview, which isn't genuine at all but life continues as normal. Everything is fine, because he lied. After this interview is aired on TV Paige Sinclair forces Biscuits to do another interview. In this second interview Biscuits doesn't let anything slide. Biscuits brings up everything Bojack ever did. This is when Bojack gets defensive, and ruins his entire career with this simple moment. This is also where we get this incredible quote from Biscuits talking about Sarah Lynn: "I'm talking now. You're not talking. When she was intoxicated, you had sex with her, and when she was sober, you gave her the heroin that killed her. Then in an effort to cover for yourself, you waited to call the paramedics that might have saved her life. And you don't think you have any power over women."

After this we see Bojack's life fall apart in front of us. Bojack is considered canceled now, and everyone hates him. In the episodes "Angela" and "The View From Halfway Down" (Season 6, Episode 14), we watch Bojack enter a house he no longer owns and go swimming. Being drunk and high, Bojack nearly drowns in this pool. After being found by the new owners of this house Bojack is arrested.

In conclusion, it's kind of depressing isn't it? I mean obviously with a show like this we can't just have the main character die a sudden death. Something that's been drilled into both ours and Bojack's head since the beginning of the series was "...theres always more show." Even with all of this though Bojack is still Bojack, as much as we wanted to see him get better he continues to mess up. Bojack's decisions aren't because of his parents, or his failed loves, or his friends, it's because he's continually making those decisions, and he'll keep making those decisions over and over. Bojack has to choose to get better, and even in a time of need when he really couldn't be selfish, he still was. We know Bojack is capable of change, yet he continues to ignore it, continually hurting the people closest to him. Even writing papers like this we continue to feed that addiction.