"Because if I don't, that means all the damage I got isn't good damage, it's just damage."
— Diane
Diane's mental state improves, but she struggles to write her book of essays even as it becomes obvious that she enjoys writing a middle-grade series, Ivy Tran, Food Court Detective.
Meanwhile, Paige and Maximillian have tracked down Penny.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In-Universe: The store clerk that inspires Ivy Tran is a rude, unhelpful Jerkass who cares more about talking to her friend than helping customers, Diane's interpretation is kind, bubbly and comforts Diane's avatar at the end of the episode.
- Art Shift: Diane's inner monologue is illustrated in a sketch-y style with captions styled like a typewriter.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Penny visits her parent's house the second time, she tells Charlotte that she didn't feel comfortable with what happened with the reporters. Not because their questioning dredged up some bad memories but because Penny wasn't able to tell the reporters everything that happened that night before Charlotte got them to leave.
- The Bus Came Back: Penny returns since Season 3, still remembering BoJack showing up at her college.
- Call-Back:
- Penny ends up telling Paige and Max about BoJack getting Maddy alcohol poisoning, and she also seriously considers telling them what nearly happened between her and BoJack (though the audience never finds out if she did). She does mention she saw both BoJack and Sarah Lynn the same night the latter died, much to her mom's shock, before telling the former to leave.
- Diane's coffee cup while working at the mall has Blarn scrawled on.
- Central Theme: Trying to spin one's damage into something "good". Diane struggles to write her memoirs so she can prove that something worthwhile has come out of her trauma, while Penny considers telling the reporters about her experiences with BoJack since it could help other people who have gone through similar experiences and/or warn people about trusting people like BoJack. Charlotte warns Penny that it can cause as much harm to her as it does good, but respects her decision to go through with it if she ever does.
- Cozy Mystery: Ivy Tran, Food Court Detective gives off the vibes for this kind of series, with a female protagonist, and lighthearted mysteries that don't dwell into the darker aspects of mystery stories.
- Dramatic Irony: Penny asks the journalists if BoJack got Sarah Lynn drunk, just like he did to Maddy. Considering how Sarah Lynn was more than drunk, the question seems very naive.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Paige and Max had no trouble following Penny to get information about BoJack, but once Charlotte gives them the hint to leave, they do so and leave Penny with their card in case Penny does want to talk about it.
- Paige is also clearly shocked when Penny tells her that BoJack was living with her in her house for two months.
- Exact Words: Near the end of the episode, Diane confesses to Princess Carolyn that she feels she needs to write her depressing memoir so that other lonely young girls like her can "feel less alone." PC gently points out that she can do the same with her fun and light-hearted middle school girl detective story, which is what convinces her to get that story published.
- Faint in Shock: BoJack faints at the end of the episode after Charlotte's phone call out of shock because he thinks some reporters found out what he nearly did to Penny.
- Hard Truth Aesop: Your mental health struggles and past trauma do not make you special or any deeper than anyone else around you. Sometimes suffering has no meaning or value; it doesn’t teach lessons or build character, and it can’t be redeemed through art. And needing your suffering to mean something might be what's stopping you from moving on.Diane: That means that all the damage I got isn't "good damage". It's just damage. I have gotten nothing out of it and all those years I was miserable was for nothing. I could have been happy this whole time and written books about girl detectives and been cheerful and popular and had good parents, is that what you're saying? What was it all for?!
- In-Universe Catharsis: Defied. Diane tries very hard to show that her family was abusive, painting her father and bullies in a bad light. It doesn't make her feel better; what does is Ivy Tran solving mysteries.
- It Makes Sense in Context: In Diane's reoccurring thought sequences, the concept of kintsugi
(the Japanese art of repairing broken dishes with gold to highlight the mistakes as part of their history rather than hiding them) comes up a couple times. At the end, after Diane's antidepressant withdrawal, she confides with Guy that she "just [wants to] be a beautiful salad bowl". Guy, not being privy to Diane's thoughts, doesn't understand the statement but goes along with it. - Mad Artist: Deconstructed. Diane spends the episode trying to write her memoirs but has trouble focusing and begins to worry that her traumas aren't interesting enough. Eventually, she tries going off her meds and not only does this do nothing with her writer's block, she suffers a breakdown and withdrawal symptoms. The Ivy Tran story, something Princess Carolyn thinks she's having fun with, came much easier for her while on her meds.
- Misery Builds Character: Deconstructed. Diane thought that her past trauma could make her a better person, but trying to relive this trauma doesn't help her emotionally nor in her writing career. Embracing the thing that makes her happy, the Ivy Tran book, is what helps her soul.
- My Greatest Failure: Charlotte trusting BoJack and letting him live in her house for two months is this, because if she didn't do those two things he most likely would never have gotten close enough to her daughter enough to nearly have sex with her.
- Reasonable Authority Figure:
- Charlotte proves to be this. She shoos the journalists out of her house and talks seriously with Penny about what BoJack did. Penny does want to go forward with what happened, but Charlotte suggests that she wait a few days and seriously consider all the consequences about doing so because Charlotte doesn't want Penny's trauma to reawaken as a result of the story becoming public. Her concern is for Penny's wellbeing, but she knows her daughter is an adult and free to make her own choices so she doesn't outright ban her from talking to the reporters if she chooses to do so.
- Princess Carolyn is also this about Diane's book. She is quite right to tell Diane to not miss her deadline and submit the book ASAP after six months; after all, Diane isn't George R.R. Martin. When Guy sends an email with an explanation that Diane is ill as well as the Ivy Tran manuscript, Princess Carolyn switches gears and praises Diane's new book, because she sees it is financially lucrative and well-written. She comforts Diane when the latter realizes that she can't write her memoirs, telling her Ivy Tran will make little girls like them feel less alone and Diane doesn't have to make herself suffer.
- Rule of Symbolism: In-Universe, Diane latches on to kintsugi (a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with shiny metal lacquer so the cracks are visible) as a metaphor for her struggles and damage.
- Shout-Out: During one of Diane's attempts to write an illustration of herself is seated in front of a typewriter, stroking the keys similar to Schroeder at his piano.
- Stylistic Suck: Diane's thinking process is illustrated by badly drawn scribbles and narrated by poorly written monologues, showing how she's having a hard time coming up with ideas for her memoirs. Ivy Tran, on the other hand, is more colorful and better animated, which shows that writing her is coming to Diane much more easily.
- Stress Vomit: Diane, after trying to write without the help of her antidepressants, spends a whole day frozen over her laptop in bed. When Guy points this out, she breaks down crying (possibly also suffering from withdrawal) and runs to the toilet to vomit...into the plant next to the toilet.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Diane tries to go off her meds to write her book. Guy identifies her as going through withdrawal as she has a breakdown since she talks about hating herself, loses track of time while trying to write, and throws up.
- Synchronous Episodes: With Intermediate Scene Study w/ BoJack Horseman.
- Take That!: The episode takes a jab at people with the Kintsugi mentality, people who believe suffering makes you stronger or makes you unique. Life doesn't work like that; trauma is just trauma and you'll drive yourself crazy in trying to find meaning in your own suffering, or you'll drive yourself crazy by trying to make your suffering mean something.
- The Reveal: Penny's story in the episode reveals why Charlotte called BoJack at the end of last episode and his reaction when she hangs up at the end of this one.
- This Is Reality: Charlotte tells this to Penny. The story could very well do good by revealing what BoJack and Penny nearly did, but it could easily go the other way since Penny may not be painted in a good light and reawaken her trauma.
- Title Drop: By Princess Carolyn and Diane.
- True Art Is Angsty: Deconstructed In-Universe. The reason why Diane wants to write her memoir about her abusive childhood is that she wants to make women like her "feel less alone", but she has a lot of trouble trying to put her trauma on the page because it dredges up a ton of bad memories. The middle school detective story, on the other hand, comes easily to Diane because not only is the story much lighter emotionally, she's able to put some distance between herself and Ivy Tran. And when Princess Carolyn gently points out that Diane can just as easily accomplish her goal to make "girls feel less alone" with the Ivy Tran series, Diane is convinced to give it a chance.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: When Diane realizes she's wasted a whole day without writing anything, she goes to vomit offscreen from stress and antidepressant withdrawal.
- Write What You Know: In-Universe, the character Ivy Tran is a Vietnamese-American girl who moves to Chicago from L.A., just like Diane herself. The seeds that become Ivy Tran are planted when she tries to write at the mall, as Diane spends a lot of time in the food court and later overhears a couple of mall employees gossiping about stolen wallets among their coworkers. Ivy's appearance is even based on one of the mall employees, and is named directly after her.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Comes from Princess Carolyn of all people. When Diane feels like a failure that she can't write her book of essays and thus she worries she can't help others with their trauma, Princess Carolyn tells her that Ivy Tran can do just that by being fun.
