Secretariat as a Suicide Narrative in BoJack Horseman

Secretariat as a Suicide Narrative in BoJack Horseman

Originally published in Jelly Bucket (iss. 14).

You can't talk to me about television for too long without hearing about BoJack Horseman. I've been a huge fan since I binged the first season the day it was released, back in 2014. BoJack is an original animated television show starring Will Arnett as the titular character, a 50-something anthropomorphic horse. BoJack is an actor. He played a dad for nine seasons of a 1990s sitcom. But with his heyday in past, he is left to come to terms with a lifetime of addiction, trauma, and abuse—both suffered and perpetrated. BoJack is depressed, self-destructive, and often suicidal, and this gives the show—ostensibly a comedy—a thread of sadness and heartbreak that allows it to delve into serious topics.

I will pause here to note that the rest of this essay contains heavy spoilers. Here's your last chance to bail if you don't want to know what happens.

sxr gripp

sxr gripp

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