With its colorful animation,talking animals and Hollywood glamour
Bojack might look like your typical happy-go-lucky cartoon, but this is far from case.
The show's lighthearted veneer hides a dark and downright depressing reality ,which is fitting given its focus on the disillusionment that inevitably comes when you look beneath the surface.
Bojack reveals the ugly,narcissistic(自我陶醉的) reality that lies behind the dazzling facade of Hollywood.
From Peanutbutter's feigned(假装的) interest, to studio executives only focused on money,to meaningless award ceremonies that only reward those with established names.
But the show goes far deeper.
Hollywoo could be considered a metaphor for existence in general.
Just like the facade of Hollywoo covers up the reality of an ugly hollow(空洞的) industry, the trappings of our daily lives covers up the meaninglessness of existence itself.
This idea, known as Existential Nihilism(虚无存在主义) is foundational to Bojack Horseman.
If life is truly meaningless,then how are we supposed to deal with it.
Part one: Distract Yourself
A key way to cope with the anguish of a meaningless world is to simply distract yourself.
Princess Carolyn persistently distracts herself with her job and her compulsive need to fix the life of those who she cares about.
Despite complaining about the work dominating her life, she can't handle the free time that comes without it (work).
When her agency folds, she finally has time for the relationship she always wanted, but still finds a way to get right back to the hollywoo grindstone.
Todd, Bojack's best friend and perpetual mooch(揩油), is happy as long as he has something to do.
The one time we do see Todd without anything to do, he immediately starts to spiral into existential despair before finding something to take his mind off it.
Todd may not have much direction or commen sense, but he manages to keep himself busy: He can compose a space opera,build his own Disneyland,and start a number of businesses.
Similarly, Mr.Peanutbutter spends his life in a constant state of distraction.
Though he may seem like a moron(傻瓜).
Mr.Peanutbutter is more self aware than most.
And then there's Bojack.Bojack's whole life is a series of distractions.
The way Bojack spends his days is so trivial.
And the show often makes a joke of not showing us what he is doing half the time.
In fact, in the years since "Horsin's Around",Bojack has been able to drift through life in a near constant state of distraction.
But in first episode Bojack has mild anxiety attack that sends him to the hospital.The doctor tell him he need take it easier.
The show ask a question commonly directed at celebrities.
They have everything, so how could they not be happy?
This question was addressed by 17th Century philosopher Blaise Pascal who is considered by many to be precursor to the Existentialist.
For Pascal,when given much time to think, human eventually contemplate their own insignificance,which inevitably bums them out.
Or as Pascal puts it:"I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact:they can't stay quietly in their own clamber.I found that there is one very real reason.Namely, the natural poverty of our feeble and mortal condition so miserable that nothing can comfort us when we think of it closely"
For Pascal,human has a natural psychological defense mechanism that keeps thoughts at bay.
We are really easily distracted.And when we are distracted, we stop thinking about our existence,and can be,if not happy,at least functional.
Pascal directly addressed the unhappy celebrity question.though he use kings instead of movie stars.
Yet we can imagine a king attended with every pleasure he can feel.If he can be without diversion and be left to considered and reflect on what he is, this feeble happiness will not sustain him.
Like a king, Bojack has no serious struggle to occupy his life.Instead,he spend all of his time trying to distract himself,so that he never has to think about the reality of his situation.Although he succeeds in doing that for years, the whole charade(伪装) comes crashing down,when he reads Diane'book One Trick Pony.
In this book,Bojack sees a honest reflection of himself, wart and all.He is forced to face all the thing that he really is and isn't, and to confront the extent of his self-deception.
So what should Bojack do now that his distraction has crumbled ?
For Pascal,once you've passed the critical point where diversion will no longer sustain you.The only resource is to turn to god.
But for Bojack this isn't an option.
It seems that Hollywoo is a Post-God-Is-Dead world.
In the Christmas special, the show use Santa Claus as a stand-in to discuss the non-existence of God.
But if there is no god, where are we supposed to turn?
For Bojack the first choice is right back to distraction.
The show provides two separate case studies of what happens when you try to force distraction after illusion
has been broken and neither ends will.First,Secretariat gives a young Bojack advice that basically amounts to
"Don't think about it!"
But once he's disqualified from racing and can no longer keep the thoughts at bay.The second case is Sarah Lynn.Bojack drags Sarah lynn on a months long bender(狂饮作乐) that only ends when she OD's on,well, Bojack.The heroin not the horse. Looking back on it, that might have been a bit on nose.
If trying to reclaim his distraction state doomed to end in tragedy, what other options does Bojack have?
Part two: Radical Freedom
From the beginning,Bojack rejects responsibility.
He wants to escape the realities of his own terrible life choice.
Bojack is afraid of radical freedom which is a major focus of his philosophy Existentialism.
If Existentialism has a catchphrase,it would be: Existence precedes Essence.And for Sartre,An object's essence can be thought of as its purpose.
Bojack is not like a hammer,Bojack's existence has no purpose, and nothing he meat to do.
Bojack has total control over every choice he makes,which is definitely not supposed to be comforting.
Man is condemned to be free，we can't create ourselves but we are at liberty.
And from the moment that he was thrown into the world, he must be responsible for everything he does.
You are the everything you have done so far(defined by).There is no other "yourself" deep down.
He has the freedom to change his actions and himself.But it is entirely up to him to do so.
It's never too late to be the person you want to be.You need chose your life you want.
The show use water as a metaphor for Radical Freedom.Bojack ofen finds him overwhelmed by water,but he realize what water is in season 3.It is a magic incredible opportunity.
Part three:Embrace The Absurd
Come to work, clock in,you put sugar in your coffee.Watch it slowly disappear,into nothingness.But the sugar doesn't know why,sugar didn't ask to be born
None of this matter!
Only after you give up everything,can you begin to find a way to be happy.
For Camus,the universe is meaningless and irrational, and yet humans are desperate to find reason and meaning in it.
Three choice:
One: return to the cycle of your daily life and don't think about it.
Two:Commit suicide
Three:Rebellion,in other words accept absurd and be happy anyway.(like 西西弗)
It gets easier.Everyday it gets little easier.But you gonna do it everyday,That's the hard part.
Driving has repeatedly served as a way for Bojack to try to escape the absurd.
When he leaving the steering wheel,he gives in.Submitting himself to absurd and to suicide,However,when he sees the wild horses,they represent for him a alternative: Embrace the absurd.-----Carry out your meaningless work and be happy in spite of it.
Part four:Family
Bojack wants family,but family may not be able to fill void.