WMG / Bojack Horseman Post Season 6 Part 2

The contents of Hollyhock's letter

What did Hollyhock write to Bojack that broke him emotionally?

• A nasty letter that told Bojack "fuck off."
  • Hollyhock's letter was a scathing attack on Bojack for all his horrible actions, and she wants nothing to do with him anymore. She caps it off with "fuck you" and "beat it, Horseman."
• A more polite letter saying she needs to "take a break" from Bojack.
  • Deep down, Hollyhock does love Bojack. Bojack did help her reconnect with her biological mother after all, and wants to be there for him. But Bojack has far, far too many issues for someone like her to put up with. Despite all that Bojack's done for her, Hollyhock needs to worry about her own life, especially now that she is in college and trying to sort herself out. The letter isn't a blank "fuck off", it is more "I need to build my own life and your kind of a train wreck." She tells Bojack she will come back to his life one day, and hopes that Bojack will sort himself out by then. But she notes that it isn't likely. Bojack's despair is because he thinks Hollyhock won't talk to him at all, since he's driven away so many other people, that he takes Hollyhock's rejection much worse than he ought to.
• Or it was somewhere in-between.
  • We've seen that Hollyhock loves Bojack and that she's the single most rational character on the show, so even if she didn't disown him, she was drawing a hard line that she would only talk to him again when she was ready. She only disconnected her phone because Bojack wouldn't take the hint and kept spamming her voicemail, but that also means that he'll only ever hear from her again if she decides to call his cell phone. It's also still possible that the letter contained a Precision F-Strike, but it was something more casual like "Thing are a little too fucked up right now for us to be a part of each other's lives" or "I love you, but [thing you did] was kinda fucked up]."
• Or there was no f-bomb in the letter, meaning either she wasn't disowning him or, if she was, she was letting him down gently.
• It was a promise to spend more time with him during the school year if he promised not to call her during the summer. Hollyhock was giving him an ultimatum and the fact that he continued to call her for days told her that he either didn't read the letter or was disregarding it, which was The Last Straw for her. It fits with the running theme of Bojack realizing too late that he's made a catastrophic, irreversible mistake.
• A simple Restraining Order. Because after everything Bojack put her through, he doesn't get anything personal.

Hollyhock sent her letter before Bojack's controversies became public.

It had nothing to do with the things she'd heard about him doing. It was just about their relationship.

Regarding Pete Repeat telling Hollyhock about the Penny incident.

Either...

• Hollyhock didn't believe him until Bojack confirmed it, at which point she decided it was wise to cut ties with him.
• Hollyhock believed him or at least took his word for it, but didn't confront Bojack about it for whatever reason before deciding it wasn't worth it to stay in touch with him once she found out Pete was right (similar to how rumors of sexual harassment usually won't end a celebrity's career but conformation will).
• Pete didn't actually tell her. There's only an implication and no In-Universe confirmation that he did.
• Pete misremembered Bojack's name, so Hollyhock had no idea that the guy in his story and Bojack were the same person until Bojack confessed and she put the pieces together, at which point she changed her number.

There was no Precision F-Strike in Hollyhock's letter. Instead, it was...

• ...Bojack thinking it to himself.
• ...the viewer saying it to Bojack.
• ...not there. There was already one in the first half of season 6, so once they were combined, it accounted for both halves.

Hollyhock had mixed feelings about Bojack's controversies and it was only after listening to the second opinions of her friends and family that she cut ties with him.

Hollyhock may be the most rational character on the show, but she's still very young and is dealing with anxiety problems, so she'd obviously have just as hard a time, if not harder, coming to terms with the fact that someone she loved did something unforgivable. She also has a massive support system of friends and family who go out of their way to do what's best for her, and they probably all agreed that, in this case, distancing herself from Bojack was what was best for her (and since she was on what appeared to be a very progressive college campus, she might have even been giving into peer pressure with how unpopular Bojack had become).

Bojack really did drown in the end, and the final episode is just a Dying Dream.

There are a few subtle elements in the final episode which, depending on your interpretation, seem to imply that Bojack may actually be dead after all, and that the finale is simply one last dying dream of his. The last shot of Diane and Bojack sitting on the roof in silence also appears as the first shot of the episode - just before a fade into a flatlining heart monitor. Bojack's conversations with Mr. Peanutbutter, Todd, Princess Carolyn and Diane during the episode also carry a sense of him making a sort of peace with the people he truly cared for the most before he passes on for good. The name of the episode, "It Was Nice While It Lasted" also seems to reaffirm this motif.This would also serve to explain some of the seeming plot holes in the episode, such as why a supermax security prison would let Bojack out to attend a wedding, or why he would even be sentenced to a supermax prison in the first place.

Both Bojack's life and conscious thought ended in "The View From Halfway Down", and "Nice While It Lasted" is the other characters sorting out their final feelings / thinking what they would say to him.

As the above theory notes, certain things don't make sense, like why Bojack would be let out for a wedding or why he would even be in a supermax. At the same time, the idea of Bojack still dreaming would conflict some things, like Bojack's acceptance and the flatline at the end of "The View From Halfway Down". Instead, the other characters could be trying to resolve their feelings about Bojack, a major influence on their lives, through thinking what they would say to him if he somehow came to the wedding. This makes extra sense with Diane, who had a VERY complicated relationship and final talk with Bojack, and who may be experiencing a rush of memories/emotions that would come with seeing everyone in LA again.

Bojack will never truly conquer his alcoholism.

Even he stated that he wasn't so sure if he could actually stay sober during the finale.

• That's more or less the point of Diane telling Bojack that "Sometimes, life's a bitch and then you just keep on living." It's not like there's a limit on how many times one can get sober, so if Bojack falls off the wagon, he has the rest of his life to get sober as many times as he needs to (though money may be an issue, seeing as the last episode leaves him broke with little to no income, which is unfortunately Truth in Television for the American health care system: like any illness, addiction can go untreated if those suffering from it can't afford treatment). And it ties into a greater theme of the show that you can't change the past: Bojack can't un-become an addict, he can only live sober in the present and take whatever the future brings as it comes.
• And if you want to get really technical, one can never be "cured" of addiction. Addiction itself is a disease, but like depression, it's closer to that of a chronic illness: once you have it, you have it forever and just need to take the necessary precautions to ensure it never comes back. So in a literal sense, of course he's never going to truly conquer it because addiction can't be conquered, only controlled.

The elephant in the daycare center is Sextina's baby.

It appeared again during the series finale when Ruthie chased it, which was also the only appearance of Sextina since "Braap Braap Pew Pew." If she ever had her baby, it would probably be only about a year older than Ruthie, so it checks out.

BoJack will actively only take/audition for small parts in films

Even though Hollywoo...b big shots have forgiven BoJack, he hasn't. He'll try and stay under the radar by keeping to the sidelines while still making a living. It may be a good way to avoid further controversy if he isn't a big name anymore.

Piggybacking off of the above: the general public eventually came back to Bojack's side over his controversies, but his star is still tarnished for good.

As we all know, media-consumers have become more skeptical in recent years. It's possibly that nobody forgot about Bojack's controversies after a while so much as people started giving the situation a fair analysis once the hype died down. Eventually, a Silent Majority concluded that Bojack's apology still held up and recognized that his second interview with Biscuits Braxby was just her putting words in his mouth. However, that skepticism also means a Vocal Minority who still don't accept his apology and want him to remain "canceled," and since no casting agent or producer wants to get stuck with the responsibility putting that fire out, the chanced of Bojack getting any more work beyond low-budget schlock and directing prison talent shows are slim to none.

Bojack's going to be relatively okay.

He'll struggle with his issued the rest of his life, as the best of us do, but he's going to stay in touch with his friends, work to remain sober, continue to do his volunteer work, keep a low profile and just generally spend the rest of his life in relative peace as a normal person.

Bojack and Hollyhock will reconnect. Eventually.

Maybe when she gets a little older and decides enough time has passed and she's well adjusted enough to give him another chance, or maybe when he's dying and she finds out from one of his friends (probably Todd), so she'll want to make peace with him before he goes.

The skunk that was in Bojack's jail cell was both the skunk in the tracksuit with a joint in his mouth◊ that is in the background of several episodes, as well as the skunk who skunked Mr. Peanutbutter and Todd.

Rick Riordan is a fan of Diane's middle-grade mysteries

Diane rhetorically asks if she's Rick Riordan when talking with Bojack about her writing career. Given that Riordan in real life has spearheaded a publishing division for #ownvoices books, it's possible he is a fan of a Vietnamese-American woman writing about Ivy Tran so that girls growing up like her feel less alone. Heck, perhaps she'll publish some new novels under his division when she feels the world has enough food court mysteries.

Diane isn't ending her friendship with Bojack...completely

It is clear that Diane has had it with Bojack's behavior. But here is the key thing: she hasn't given him a "fuck" which would be the sign that their relationship has ruptured completely.

I can picture her talking to Bojack from time to time. But she will no longer give up as much time for Bojack as she did before, now that she is married and writing girl novels.

• There's no concrete indication that Diane is cutting Bojack out of her life. It's only implied that she'll be less readily available to talk to him should he want to and won't be able to drop everything and help him when he needs her. HOWEVER, it's also all but stated that Diane thinks of Bojack as her best friend whom she does love, but doesn't want to be vulnerable enough to tell him so or is too inarticulate to say so, and both of them are too emotionally immature to deal with those feelings properly. She's keeping him at a healthy distance so she can focus on her own well being, but there's no indication that she doesn't want to be Bojack's friend any more.

Bojack trying honeydew and liking it could be a sign that his relationship with Hollyhock might come back

Honeydew formed a strange part of Bojack and Hollyhock's initial bond, namely their mutual disgust with it. Now that bond has seemingly collapsed under the weight of Bojack's transgressions and Hollyhock decides she no longer likes Bojack anymore. But Bojack trying honeydew and liking means that perhaps Hollyhock will come back into Bojack's life and like him, that is if Bojack can remain less toxic.

Theories on the hypothetical season 7 if they had the extra season as intended.

1. We'd see Bojack and his prison life. While there, he'd learn about the suffering his fellow prisoners have gone through, see people who are worse versions of himself, and see his conversations with a prison therapist. For the first time in his life, he'll learn lessons that will stick with him...only for another shadow of his past to come back to haunt him.
2. We will see Diane living her life in Houston, her developing relationship with Guy and Sonny, writing kids books, her written correspondance with Mr. Peanutbutter and Bojack, and her reconnecting with her estranged relatives after her biological mother dies.
3. Angela Diaz's will die. Angela was physically infirm by the time Bojack saw her, so it is possible that she might die over the course of the season. Bojack will go there, only to discover it is either a Lonely Funeral, or that the only people there are Diaz's professional acquaintances who don't actually care about her. This will instill in Bojack a fear of Dying Alone, and he'll try and do everything to prevent it, only to accidentally drive more people away from him.
4. Todd building a family and reconnecting with his estranged family.
5. Princess Carolyn building her own family and career and seeing her try and juggle work and life.
6. Hollyhock working on her college degree. While officially pushing away Bojack, she'll still read about his exploits in the paper, including the signs of his rehabilitation. She'll ponder over whether or not she should contact him again.

In that hypothetical season 7, we would see Bojack truly has changed... for good

In each of the above scenarios, Bojack would show his growth as a person:

1. If the shadow of his past, maybe a jilted lover or something, came back to haunt him, Bojack wouldn't dodge, obfuscate, or lie his way out of trouble. Not only has that not worked for him, but he's also too jaded and tired to try. So instead of lying, he publically admits his mistake and offers to make amends to his aggressor.
2. It is possible Diane's brothers finally come to regret their mistreatment of her, after feeling an emptiness from their mom not being there. Diane does forgive them...but he brings Guy with her as insurance, making it clear to them that she isn't their punching bag anymore. Diane has learned the difference between "forgiveness" and "being a doormat", and this will make it easier for her to navigate her relationship with Bojack and Mr. Peanutbutter.
3. Going to Angela's funeral, Bojack will come to the realization that while her deception was inexcusable, he also committed messed-up acts in his desire for fame. Perhaps he might catch her when she's still alive and says...I forgive you for your mistakes, and I can't blame you for everything that went wrong in my life. In the end, Angela will be so moved, she gives him the apology he needs.
4. Bojack might help Todd in his relationship with Maude, offering him romantic tips.
5. Bojack will take Princess Carolyn out to a dinner with no strings attached.
6. Hollyhock will waver between cutting Bojack out of her life and seeing him again. Hollyhock will settle for sending letters back and forth with him. Hollyhock will still have Bojack in her life while keeping a distance from him, deciding when to go further on her terms and when both are in a more stable place in life.

Hank Hippopotamus will be exposed for the bastard he is

Considering Bojack got punished for bad behavior, it likely means that other entertainers will also not get as much leeway as they used to. Eventually, Hank will slip up and his skeletons will fall out of the closet.

Diane decides to adopt Sonny, with his blessing

She acknowledges that she can't be a mother to Sonny, since he already has one and initially mistook her for another rescue that his dad needed to do. After they bond over her writing Ivy Tran, however, Sonny comes to realize that having Diane in his life doesn't mean he's freezing out his mother and that they can be friends at least. They had a brief disagreement when she said she needed time to think about moving to Houston with his father, following BoJack's suicide attempt and incarceration, but during the interim they stayed in contact. BoJack's actions also made Diane fret briefly about what would happen to Sonny if his father or mother ever got seriously injured or killed, and it made her realize that she wanted to adopt Sonny, as her son. Sonny agrees to it, after they talk about it and she makes it clear she's not replacing his mom, but preparing to be a parent if he ever needs her.

There might be a subplot devoted to Butterscotch's backstory

While Beatrice got a lot of character development, Butterscotch's own family history was hardly mentioned. In this season, we might see how he went from being the wannabe beatnik to the bitter old man who killed himself in a stupid duel. The plot will be concurrent with Bojack's last months in prison, with the theme being Bojack learning from the mistakes of his elders.

• This show already officially ended with Season 6, so we're not likely to see anything about Butterscotch's backstory barring some spin-off revolving around that idea.