Ahhh, The Power of Friendship.
Tuca & Bertie is Bojack Horseman on anti-depressants. It's no surprise that it's quite a bit more heartwarming than its cousin show.
General
- In a roundabout way, the show's depiction of more dramatic things like strained relationships and sexism in ways that, while not downplaying their drama, are still first-and-foremost funny. It's like an Accidental Aesop about how, as awful as these things can be, nothing is so bad that you can't still have a good laugh about it.
- In many shows, Tuca and Speckle wouldn't get along for the sake of easy plot conflict. However, the pair get along well and consider each other friends outside of their connection through Bertie, despite their differing personalities.
Season 1
The Sugar Bowl- Bertie's very first scene has her calling Tuca and saying "I miss you," presumably only a day or so after Tuca has moved out into the upstairs apartment.
- Tuca mentioning that she's proof that a mother can over-love her child, foreshadowing her devotion to her deceased mother.
- Even while they're having an argument, Tuca is more than willing to help Bertie get her sugar bowl back from Pete."We're having a big fight right now, but she's still my best friend!"
- Later, when they're making up, we get a cute little moment of them goofing around where Tuca lets Bertie punch her frustrations out on some dough, then pretends to get scared when Bertie just playfully pokes it.
- Speckle assuring Bertie that he's not going to break up with her over her mistake and why. It's enough to make Bertie ugly-cry and cuddle his thought balloon."Y'know when you're coming home late at night, and everything inside looks so warm and yellow and everything outside is so blue? I love thinking about how, from now on, this little piece of yellow is for us. Our warm home together."
- Followed by Tuca pulling them into a group hug.
- Draca sharing a croissant with one of her turtles in The Stinger.
The Promotion
- A small moment when we first meet Holland, Bertie's boss. Tuca sarcastically remarks that he probably doesn't even remember Bertie among the many faces at her office, but when Bertie speaks to him in the next scene, he cheerfully addresses her by name and actually engages in her small talk.
- The best part about this is that Bertie herself wasn't expecting Holland to want to listen to her make small talk about going to the beach. Not only does he engage with her by asking if she went to the beach, but he sounds genuinely interested.
- The understandably concerned tone of Speckle's voice when he asks what happened to Bertie's chest the first time he sees her after her breast runs off.
- When she finds out that her best friend is having trouble at her job, Tuca doesn't just drop everything to help her. She gets a job at Bertie's office so she can help from the inside.
- While Tuca jumping on the board room table and screaming in Dirk's face, calling it "the alarm that sounds when no women have spoken for three minutes," is Played for Laughs, the approving chuckle and warm smile Holland gives Bertie afterwards, encouraging her to speak, shows that he understands.
- The implication that Bertie calling out Dirk on his sexual misconduct was what gave the other women in the office the courage to do the same.
- As soon as she makes it clear that Dirk sexually harassed her, Holland doesn't hesitate for a second to punish Dirk.
- Bertie earning her promotion at the end.
The Deli Guy
- Holland emailing Bertie a cheesy meme for "morale." As lame as it is, it continues to show that he cares.
- While Tuca's date goes downhill once her anxieties get the better of her, the Deli Guy clearly enjoys her company and finds their trip to the glowworm exhibit romantic.
- At one point, she's afraid she's scared him off, but it turns out he was going to get her a souvenir: a bouquet of rainbow-colored worm toys that have the same colors as her makeup.
- Later, he turns out to have the same idea of keeping deli meats in a desk drawer as she does, which Tuca is clearly touched by, calling it "a billion dollar idea." Sadly, she brushes it off because she's too scared to get close to him.
- Speckle's absolutely adorable role play which he creates based on the romantic dramas Bertie finds so sexy.
Plumage
- After admitting that they never spend time together independent of Bertie, Tuca and Speckle get on like a house on fire while spending the day together.
- After Tuca worries aloud that her abusive aunt will be right in the end and she'll end up alone, Speckle assures her that she has Bertie and himself, and that they're a family.
Yeast Week
- One of the players in Tuca's virtual prostitution game coming to help her when it's clear she's in pain. While it's played as a joke, as the two of them acknowledge, it's pretty noble that a complete stranger on the internet would drop everything he's doing and drive seven hours to help someone the second he sees they're in pain. As he points out, Tuca yelled out her address for anyone in the game to hear. He didn't have to be the one to do it, but he was.
Season 2
Bird Mechanics- Bertie's realization of her self image after repeatedly comparing herself to a haunted house: "Speckle is an architect. He loves getting inside crappy old houses to fix them up. And Tuca loves messy and dangerous places. Maybe they don't mind that I'm haunted!"
Nighttime Friend
- After a night of exploring the city together, Kara singing Tuca to sleep as Tuca lays her head in her lap. Also the very subtle call back to Speckle describing his and Bertie's home together as a little patch of yellow light welcoming him against the nighttime blue; Kara lives in a lighthouse. This only makes it sadder in subsequent episodes when their relationship quickly ceases to be cute.
Vibe Check
- Bertie confesses to Speckle that she's been having unwanted sexual fantasies about Pastry Pete despite the fact he abused her. Speckle listens to Bertie, understands that her trauma sounds upsetting, and helps her realize that these urges do not reflect her actual feelings towards Pete or make her a bad person at all. He even confesses that he has taboo interests of his own (namely, a fetish for baking). Neither of them judge each other, and they open up to incorporating these "taboo" sexual interests into a healthier intimate setting.
Sleepovers
- Tuca's little smile in the flashback when Speckle responded to her overprotectiveness by joining her in the joke and assuring her he understood. She didn't start liking him then and there, but at least seemed impressed he wasn't put off by her closeness to Bertie.
- Speckle's response to Bertie bringing a very protective Tuca along on their first date, especially when held up next to Kara's behavior in the present. He's completely fine with it and says that if Tuca is part of the package, sign him up.
Corpse Week
- Tuca's visit to her family ends with another fight with Terry, and it seems like the two sisters will never really reconcile. However, after the visit to Bertie's parents, Tuca realizes she'd rather talk out her problems with her sister as opposed to just bottling things up until they explode. So she invites Terry to a cafe, pretending they're strangers meeting for the first time, so they can have a mature conversation. It ends with Terry not only admitting she knows she's a "huge bitch" who is just as much to blame for the friction as Tuca, but that she is impressed with Tuca staying sober. Terry admits that their clashing personalities will mean they'll likely always fight, but Tuca reassures her that that's just part of being in their family. The sisters part on good terms. Considering it's brother-show, Bojack Horseman, this is a welcome change of pace from the permanently-damanged relationships.
- Tuca's interactions with her niece, Tulip - telling her spooky stories, taking her out for yum or yell, reassuring her when she accidentally frightens the poor kid, and trying to give her a bath when it's discovered she's allergic to beets and breaks out in hives. Terry admits that Tulip absolutely adores Tuca, and wishes she would visit more often.
- A small one, but when Desmond notices that Tuca and Terry's arguing is stressing Bertie out, he silently hands her a book and gives her a small, warm smile. She gladly accepts it and starts to read to calm herself.
The Dance
- Although it makes Tuca's controlling, abusive relationship with Kara all the sadder to watch, Bertie and Speckle's interactions at the fair are adorable. They laugh, playfully tease each other, work together as a team, and compromise effortlessly, enjoying one another's company and happy as can be. One particularly cute scene sees Speckle trying to bring Bertie out to dance and kiss in the rain so they can be like a cute movie couple; she doesn't want to because it's too cold, so they meet halfway by kissing under a heat lamp.
- Tuca has a surreal imagine spot in which Kara refuses to allow Tuca (both represented by translucent figures) to dance and literally makes her feel small. Suddenly, the stark blacks and whites are blown away by a translucent Bertie who swoops in and fills the scene with bright red color — the vibrant ketchup red Kara hates — and together with Tuca, they dance in joyful, perfect harmony.
- Bruce of all people gets one when he tells Tuca that a relationship should involve compromise from both sides, and that Tuca — sober or otherwise — is a wild, sexy bird who Kara should be proud showing off.
The Flood
- Bertie and Tuca finally talk about the "Bertie is keeping me alone" cup, after Kara reveals once and for all that she's a truly terrible person. Bertie apologizes for holding Tuca back, but Tuca reassures Bertie that it was never really her fault; Tuca herself was the biggest hurtle, and was using Bertie as an excuse to not try. Now that she has tried with Kara, she thinks it might be a lost cause to continue dating, but Bertie assures her that she's just as worthy of love as anyone else, and just because Kara didn't appreciate her doesn't mean someone out there won't.
- Speckle is stranded at his and Bertie's house, the flood having finally made its way to him. Tuca immediately launches a rescue mission for "our Speckle", with help from the vibrator fish. Speckle was right on the money back in season one - they're a family.
Season 3
The Pain Garden- Figgy carrying Tuca to bed, offering her some tea or to put on a show she likes, covering her up with a blanket, and assuring her that he likes caring for people, so she never has to worry about being too much for him.
Salad Days
- Bertie is initially mad that Chef Winter Garcia is collaborating with Pastry Pete, but slowly starts to empathize when she realizes how much sexism she's had to endure over the course of her career. In the end, Gracia decides to abandon Pastry Pete, growing closer to her new employee for the first time.
Fledgling Day
- Tuca picks up a prescription at the hospital and runs into Figgy, who's suffering from root rot and needs to abstain from alcohol for a month. While their reunion is extremely friendly, upon seeing how flippantly he's treating this, she goes off on him for neglecting his health and storms out. Out on the street, she gets a text, and it's a genuine apology from Figgy, who concedes that she's right. Her warm little smile says it all.
Somebirdy's Getting Married
- The reveal that Kara's gotten a new girlfriend, behaved in the same controlling way, was about to ghost her the way she ghosted Tuca, only to realize she couldn't, at which point the two went to therapy, allowing Kara to work out her issues. Tuca's cut deeply to learn this, but it seems they just weren't right the people to help each other. When Tuca succumbs to her pain and needs an ambulance, Kara jumps to her aid.
- Tuca and Figgy admitting they still have feelings for one another; Figgy in particular calls her the only thing getting him through his period of enforced sobriety. Tuca asks whether they can make it work and Figgy hesitates, looks at all the drinks at the wedding lit up in yellow...then back to Tuca, glowing twice as brightly. He picks Tuca.
