History Characters / BojackHorsemanTheMooreCarsons

** A darker/more extreme example: [[spoiler:When she spots Bojack at her college in Mexico, a year after the boat incident. Her increasingly frightened attitude and backing away makes it clear she has absolutely no interest in reliving that moment, let alone see him. The fact he ''somehow'' knew where she was (thanks to Sarah Lynn), and the trench coat he wore made the encounter no less terrifying.]]

* MadeOfTemptation: Penny represents a chance for Bojack to have his cake and eat it after finding out Charlotte is married : she looks just like her mother, Charlotte; she's single and, more than that, trusts and considers him a true friend. It doesn't take a lot for Bojack to reject her (at first), but it's clear it's more out of scruples than not having interest.

* GoToYourRoom: A darker example than the rest. Penny gets yelled by Charlotte to go to her room not because she misbehaved, but because she's just catched her and [=BoJack=] in some rather intimate circumstances and is about to let [=BoJack=] have it.

* EroticEating: {{Discussed}} when in an attempt to convince Bojack to have sex, Penny mentions [[FreudWasRight her ability to put a condom in a banana.]]

* BrokenPedestal: [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheMooreCarsons [=BoJack=]]]. [[BreakTheCutie Dear lord]], ''[[FreakOut BOJACK]]''. Penny becomes good friends with him during his time in Tesuque and even takes her to the prom after Diego, her crush, turns her down. However, the tragedies surrounding the evening become more and more troubling for her (drunk driving, possible intoxication, irresponsability galore), until she almost sleeps with [=BoJack=] believing he's the only adult who understands her, something he avoids until he's too depressed to even care. [[spoiler:By the time they reencounter, Penny is now scared of [=BoJack=] and is traumatized by the possibility that he's been following her..[[note]]which he has, but for good (if horribly misguided) reasons[[/note]]]]

* CoolKidAndLoserFriendship: {{Played|With}}. She's most definitely this with Allison Flierl, the school's resident {{nerd}}. However, Allison, judging by comments, is more of a CoolLoser and Penny, while higher in the social hierarchy, is not that popular. After two months and being with the cool kids, Penny eventually denies being friends with her at all, putting the state of their current relationship in question.

[[index]]
* [[Characters/BojackHorsemanCharlotteMooreCarson Charlotte Moore-Carson]]
[[/index]]

[[folder: Charlotte Moore-Carson]]
[[quoteright:176:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/charlotte1.jpg]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/OliviaWilde

A doe who had been good friends with Bojack and TheBeard for Herb, Bojack still harbours feelings for her. After Herb and Bojack became famous she left Los Angeles to pursue her life, initially moving to Maine before settling down in New Mexico.

* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: When Bojack meets her again, almost 20 years later, she looks almost unchanged save a few wrinkles here and there. She could even pass as Penny's sister instead of mother.
* AmbitionIsEvil: [[InUniverse Her interpretation]] of Los Angeles, and by extension the pilot of what would become ''JustForFun/HorsinAround'', back when she was young[[note]]As an adult, she has now [[EnemyWithin a different mindset]] of what might trigger [[WalkingWasteland such a change]][[/note]]. She just has this hunch about how things will turn out, changing everything once [=BoJack=] and Herb are let loose into the plastic world of fantasies that is Hollywoo and she's not gonna stay and see the hubris. Unlike most females in the series, she outright {{defied|Trope}} this trope and settles first in Maine, then New Mexico with a family and not too much of a focus in standing out, finding happiness on other things.
* TheBeard: She was this to Herb. The realization was what drove her to leave L.A.
* BerserkButton: Bojack pressed it hard when he almost [[AmbiguousSituation slept?]] with her daughter, Penny.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Threatens to kill Bojack if he shows up around Tesuque or near her family again.
* BrokenPedestal: Charlotte's appreciation and concern for [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorseHimself [=BoJack=]]] was shattered when she found him about to have sex with her daughter. Only one will be able to guess how will she react when she finds out [[spoiler:[=BoJack=] followed Penny to her college to try to apologize despite her threats.]]
* BrutalHonesty: Absolutely no filter or sugarcoating what she wants or needs to say, the truth and nothing more than it even if it's as raw as possible. Her speech to [=BoJack=] about Hollywood (and one)'s toxic nature is full of this. And one of the first things she says to [=BoJack=] when meeting in Tesuque after a while?
-->''When's the last time you slept? You look like shit.''
* BurningTheShips: Once she finds out that [=BoJack=] was more likely to sleep with her daughter Penny, she immediately sends her to her room and then tells [=BoJack=] to get out of her house, intending to call the cops if he doesn't oblige. Needless to say, the implication is that she doesn't want to see him ever again.
* CharacterDevelopment: Just from the TimeSkip and the subtle differences in Charlotte when [=BoJack=] sees her again, one gets the sense that Charlotte has matured from being that pessimistic 20-year-old seen in {{Flashback}}s off-screen, of all things and, sadly, that ''not all the changes have been for the better''.
** When she's first introduced in "The Telescope", she's peppy, easily impressed by all the advances of the era and has clearly a tight, if limited and biased, grasp on the way certain situations tend to play out: more specifically, how Hollywood tends to change people and how people like Herb and [=BoJack=] really are deep down and how that's gonna change once they make it big. She also has a more idealistic sense of how people are, wanting to give [=BoJack=] one last chance to tell her how he really feels about her before stopping and deciding that he might as well never do it.
** Come the present, she's now a doting, down to earth mother who tries to take things as relaxed as possible, offers advice to her children about their problems and now believes that some people regardless of the environment are just inherently toxic and running away from that is only making the situation worse. She's quite patient and open minded about [=BoJack=] staying with the family, doesn't care too much about her business since "anyone can get turquoise shit anywhere in New Mexico" and tries to give Penny some advice about how to deal with life (especially things she knows and has lived through). The downfall to this mindset change is that because she hasn't seen or interacted with [=BoJack=] for a while, she's oblivious to how much, or how little, he has changed, still believing him to be the same person she knows and therefore doesn't notice the glaring signs of disaster until it's too late.
* ChekhovsBoomerang: Through the series, Charlotte goes back and forth between being mentioned or occasionally appearing in {{Flashback}}s. Then in the 2nd season, she finally makes two actual appearances: one at Herb's funeral in "Still Broken" and a major and tragic role in "Escape From L.A."
* ChekhovsGunman: She's mentioned and shown in a {{Flashback}} in "The Telescope" as Herb's girlfriend and someone who [=BoJack=] had a secret (and unconfessed) crush on. She returns for a brief cameo at Herb's funeral, exchanging some catch-up with [=BoJack=] and suggesting that he may visit her some time. Then comes the 2nd season episode "[[DramaBomb Escape From L.A.]]"...
* CigaretteOfAnxiety: Uses this as an excuse to skip the rest of Herb's funeral in "Still Broken", since she doesn't want to stay and be reminded of him. That's when [=BoJack=] catches her and they start to reconnect..
* ChubbyMamaSkinnyPapa: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with her husband, Kyle. She's slim and fit, while Kyle's a BigBeautifulMan.
* CountryMouse: She's adapted herself quite well to the life in the countryside, not having the desire of getting involved into any Hollywoo business.
* CrossingTheBurntBridge: Bojack's clearly not over her yet, but it's doubtful she will want to see him ever again.
* DeadpanSnarker: While Charlotte's not given enough screen time to shine this aspect of hers, it still pops up from time to time. Some examples include:
** "Still Broken": Her response to [=BoJack=]'s question about whether Herb talked about their meeting when the two meet again at his funeral:
-->'''[=BoJack=]''': Did he tell you anything else?
-->'''Charlotte''': No, we talked about cancer, how hard it is living with cancer, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking about the L.A. Kings]], and [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment then back to cancer.]]
-->'''[=BoJack=]''': Probably--
-->'''Charlotte''': [[NoExceptYes Then I read that chapter in your book about how he never forgave you and he tried to kick you out of the house and you ended up wrestling on the floor over a telescope.]]
-->'''[=BoJack=]''': Oh, you did read that part?
-->'''Charlotte''': (friendly taunting) Yeah.
* DueToTheDead: She returns briefly to L.A. to attend Herb's funeral.
* EarlyBirdCameo: She first appears in "The Telescope" as a friend and apparent background character in [=BoJack=] and Herb's relationship on whom the horse had a crush. Then in "Downer Ending", it becomes clear how much Charlotte's memory both tortures and enlightens [=BoJack=] as a long gone possibility for a happy future.
* ExhaustedEyebags: In the present, she has some. It's about the only sign contrasting her earlier appearance back in the eighties and indicates that she's older nowadays.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: In a different sense than our L.A. protagonists. Unlike [[WhiteDwarfStarlet [=BoJack=]]] or [[NervousWreck Diane]] or [[IronLady Princess Carolyn]], Charlotte has experienced enough outside Hollywoo to know which things are important to have in your life and how it's best to keep them. Leading a simple, uncompromised life is just the beginning; there's no [[{{Workaholic}} "I am my job and the dedication I put into it will reap some benefits, making me some recognition"]]: she's well aware that her shop doesn't offer anything different to the others in Tesuque and [[HonestyIsTheBestPolicy doesn't even try to boast it as anything other than what it truly is]], she keeps her mind focused on other issues like family, friends and day-to-day life. That doesn't mean she has never wondered about the past and different paths she could have taken: she just doesn't allow it to cloud her present.
* FreakOut: After discovering [=BoJack=] and Penny in the boat's bed.
* AFriendInNeed: The reason why she allows Bojack to stay with her family. She knows he needs some support right now and she's willing to give it. Of course, [[UnresolvedSexualTension there may have been something else there....]]
* GetOut: She tells this to [=BoJack=] after catching him in a compromising situation with her daughter.
* GoToYourRoom: A darker example than the rest. Charlotte yells at Penny to get to her room not because she misbehaved, but because she's just catched her and [=BoJack=] in some rather intimate circumstances and is about to let [=BoJack=] have it.
* HappilyMarried: Revealed to be this in "Escape From L.A." to Bojack's regret.
* HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster: A variated, non-supernatural [[JustifiedTrope justified]] and PlayedWith example. During a talk at a fireside, Charlotte tells [=BoJack=] as much, even if she does not outright say it. A far cry from her statement back in TheEighties, Charlotte has stopped seeing the environment as toxic and more the person who continually feels that way. As she explains, Bojack might try to escape as much as he wants from what he does or who he is, but the only way he will stop screwing up good things is if he truly makes a change; otherwise, it will follow him wherever he goes. A truly hard-earned change, no shortcuts included. For her, changing and adapting is the only way to stop screwing up. However, well, see [[Characters/BojackHorsemanBojackHorseman Bojack]]'s character page for how bad such thing may work out.
-->'''Charlotte''': I'm just saying, like it doesn't matter where you are, it's who you are, and that's not gonna change whether you're in California or Maine or New Mexico. You know, you can't escape you.
* HelpfulHallucination: In "Downer Ending", when a vision of her continually appears to [=BoJack=] to guide through ways he could get out of the [[HorribleHollywood "tar pit"]] and help him picture a possible life outside of it, including a country life in Maine and having a daughter named Harper, spending the days simply living. Then, she gently reminds him [[AwfulTruth he shouldn't be living with such stress in his life and could have had peace if]] ''[[AwfulTruth he]]'' [[AwfulTruth had decided to take it when he could]].
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Hangs around the edges, living her life with only occasional references or pictures of her until her actual appearance in person in "Still Broken".
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: {{Zigzagged|Trope}}. Charlotte's glad to see [=BoJack=] visiting her, which makes her ignore some rather questionable signs of his true intentions like him moving next to the Carsons's house for two months and even allowing him to take Penny to the prom. She ''does'', however, notice something is troubling him and even has a heart to heart with [=BoJack=] in which she realizes how sad and lonely he is and how much trouble he could cause if he stays. {{Justified}} since Charlotte hasn't seen [=BoJack=] in a while and is at a loss of how much he has devolved since. It doesn't help they never sorted out their feelings in person and that [=BoJack=] [[ObliviouslyEvil isn't the kind of person anyone would expect to sink that low]].
* IHatePastMe: Once [=BoJack=] mentions their last conversation and her thoughts on Hollywood and how it changes people, Charlotte simply blushes in embarrassment and even smiles. So little she knew back then about everything, especially people.
* IllKillYou: Add ''[[PrecisionFStrike fucking]]'' inbetween lines and you got an effective ship-burning as far as [=BoJack=] and the closeness of his relationship with the Carsons is concerned.
* InkSuitActor: Not entirely, for obvious reasons. But her eyes were explicitly drawn to resemble Olivia Wilde's.
* IncompatibleOrientation: She used to date Herb, who was StraightGay and more interested in [=BoJack=]. As she slowly realized that they had different goals, Charlotte decided to leave Hollywood since she noted that "she isn't the person Herb is looking for".
* InterspeciesRomance: She (a doe) was in a relationship with Herb (a human), and now is married to Kyle, another human.
* {{Irony}}: Charlotte's idyllic life in New Mexico is ruined by [=BoJack=] trying to impose ''his'' own version of an idyllic life together.
* JustFriends: Twice she attempts this with people from her past, with varied results.
** "The Telescope" reveals that she and Herb never really lost touch after she left L.A. and continue talking to each other. Herb advises [=BoJack=] to give her a call.
** She tries this with [=BoJack=] after reuniting in "Escape From L.A.", but through a mixture of him trying to replicate his dream life with her by hanging on to her Family and her unwillingness to think too hard about the past and what could have been, it collapses instead.
* LiquidCourage: {{Invoked|Trope}} from her part in "The Telescope". When [=BoJack=]'s about to go up on stage to do his stand-up act, Charlotte secretly slips him a beer behing her boss's back for some reassurance. [[DefiedTrope He refuses]]. Go figure.
* LittleNo: Said word by word after she opens the boat's door and finds Penny in [=BoJack=]'s bed undressing him.
* MamaBear: She threatens to kill Bojack if he tries to contact her daughter again after he nearly sleeps with her.
* MellowFellow: GenderFlipped version. Very calm, rarely gets worked about something and tries to defuse conflicts as much as she can. That being said, when the fuse is short of exploding, this trope goes out of the window and it '''shows''.
* MyCard: She gives Bojack her card and direction after Herb's funeral in case he wants to visit.
* MumLooksLikeASister: 20 years passing and ExhaustedEyebags not withstanding, she looks the exact same way she used to be other than a few wrinkles here and there. She and Penny could even pass up as sisters.
* NiceGirl: She's always helpful, kind and caring. When [=BoJack=] shows up at Tesuque to visit her, she offers him to stay a while at her house after seeing how tired he is. Of course, that doesn't mean she won't threaten to kill you if you try to sleep with her daughter.
* OlderAndWiser: Somewhat. She's certainly accommodated into normalcy, is more mature than she was back in the day and even has a better grasp on people around her than 20 years ago. That being said, she's not exactly used to reevaluating people after several years of knowing them, as she can attest to [=BoJack=]'s disastrous visit to Tesuque.
* OldFriend: One of [=BoJack=]'s friends from TheEighties, as well as an [[OldFlame Old]] [[{{UST}} Possible]] [[OldFlame Flame]]. By season 2, she's the last friend he has left from around that era. {{Deconstruction}} ensues that inevitably lead to its collapse in "Escape From L.A."
* TheOneThatGotAway: Bojack is still incredibly hung up on her to the point that he eventually goes to New Mexico just to find her and realizes that she has truly gotten away for the better.
* TheOneWhoMadeItOut: Out of the three friends from Hollywood, she's the only one who was smart enough to leave Hollywood when she could, and turned out all the better because of it. Too bad she invited that toxic side back into her life..
* OnlySaneWoman: Out of the group of friends [=BoJack=] had in TheEighties. She has backpedaled from this in the present, but it still crops up from time to time, such as dealing with [=BoJack=].
* OnlyShopInTown: {{Averted|Trope}}. Charlotte can get up and leave in the middle of the day just like when [=BoJack=] visits her at the shop and, of course, the place being New Mexico, it's not like they have a shortage of textile shops.
-->'''Charlotte''': (about people wanting to buy fabric in her shop) It's New Mexico. They'll find it.
* ParentsWalkInAtTheWorstTime: In one of the most horrible examples of the trope, Charlotte ends up walking into an (apparent) intimate moment between [=BoJack=] and Penny aboard the ship.
* PeerlessLoveInterest: For [=BoJack=], Charlotte will always be that special someone who left, that shine of light that makes him reminisce about the good times in TheEighties, that high standard that is always held to comparison against other romantic relationships in his life. Too bad they never really dated or get to know each other that well, [[LovingAShadow since that makes him over exaggerate Charlotte's friendship into one with such high standards]] that every single romantic attachment, with its flaws and all, [[DeconstructedTrope ends coming short and feeling hollow]]. Eventually, when they reunite and he finds out that his fantasy Charlotte's life is very different from the real one's, his eventual lashing out collapses any friendship left between the two.
* PurpleEyes: A pair, which point to her importance by being TheOneThatGotAway and an major friend of [=BoJack=] in the past and her reappearance leading to one of the most devastating moments in both of their lives.
* PrecisionFStrike: In a show with so many awful people that tends to freeball with profanity, the nicest person dropping the F bomb is a kick to the gut. And you know the rules about this in this show: One F-Bomb per season, whenever Bojack irreparably destroys a relationship.
* RelativeButton: A little advice: Don't mess with her daughter.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Female variant. Charlotte's, compared to the mayority of women in Hollywoo, not exceptionally beautiful or standing out in any way. She makes up for it for being genuine and upstanding, virtudes [=BoJack=] craves.
* SawStarWarsTwentySevenTimes: In her first {{Flashback}} appearance from TheEighties, Charlotte mentions to [=BoJack=] that she and Herb later are heading to watch Film/BackToTheFuture ''again'' when passing through the comedy club.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Her reaction to Herb scoring the television project and [=BoJack=] simply being content with what he has. Since they both seem to have their own plans and they deviate from any kind of group thing, Charlotte decides she has to leave in order to find her own path.
* SelfMadeWoman: Nowadays, she owns and works in a textile store in the streets of Tesuque, New Mexico and seems to get a reliable income from it, even if she admits it's not the only textile store in town.
* ShipSinking: Any chance Bojack had to reunite with Charlotte was shot and left to bleed out when he discovered she was married. And it was put out of its misery when she caught him with her daughter.
* ShipTease: Charlotte's interactions with [=BoJack=] back in the day had shades of this, with her often dropping hints about a reciprocating attraction towards him and often hanging out with him more than Herb. One interpretation for her final speech to him before leaving L.A. and before discovering him with her daughter is Charlotte reminding herself that as much attraction as there is between them, [=BoJack=] is ''not'' a viable romantic partner.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: In the present, she has settled down with Kyle Carson, a good guy and supportive husband who clearly makes her happy. This is why she refutes [=BoJack=]'s attempts to get her to run away with him.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Before leaving L.A., Charlotte gave [=BoJack=] a short, but painful and accurate one. Worst of all, it didn't came out of hatred or exasperation, but of disappointment:
-->''Hey, do you ever wonder what would have happened if you'd met me before Herb did? Would you have made a move on me? [...] I don't think you would have. You know why? I think you're a coward.''
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: Charlotte now owns a hand-woven crafts shop filled with blankets and other stuff called "Your Deer Friend" in Tesuque, although she's not over enthusiastic about it and admits that there are a lot of shops like that around.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Had this with [=BoJack=] back in TheEighties, since it's clear from their interactions that Charlotte and him have much more chemistry than she and Herb, not to say about how she often confides more into him than Herb. From their last interaction, it's revealed that Herb spotted her first and actually had the guts to go talk to her (despite being gay), while [=BoJack=] who was interested, never moved a finger. Charlotte catches around this and decides to shoot down a possible relationship when she decides to leave L.A. based on his supposed cowardly nature. When they're reunited 20 years later, she seems to be a little more supportive of him than she should, and when his attraction is made evident, the arguments she gives to stop are more like reminders for herself rather than outright dismissals.
* WalkingSpoiler: Charlotte's role and arc through the series end up revealing some major twists along the way.
* WhatBeautifulEyes: Modeled after Creator/OliviaWilde's according to WordOfGod.
* YamatoNadeshiko: A rare western example. Her family, Kyle especially, can attest to that and no mistake on her part to prefer it that way. Calm and nurturing, Charlotte is certainly firm in situations that call for it and holds a presence in the room without being overbearing making it less sudden the moments when she steps her foot down. She can go back forth between playfully crass and softly supporting without missing a beat or making that big of change in her demeanor.
* YourCheatingHeart: Flirted around with, but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted.]]
* YourMakeupIsRunning: {{Discussed}}. She explains to [=BoJack=] that this is the reason why she doesn't like attending funerals: the tears that swell up in her eyes usually ruin her mascara and she doesn't want to make an scene at Herb's funeral.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Kyle Carson]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escape_from_la_bojack_horseman23.jpg]]
!!!'''Played by''': Creator/EdHelms.

Charlotte's human husband and Trip and Penny's father.
----

* WhatBeautifulEyes: Modeled after Creator/OliviaWilde 's herself, according to WordOfGod.

* CountryMouse: She's adaptes herself quite well to the life in the countryside, not having the desire of getting involved into any Hollywoo business.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: {{Zigzagged|Trope}}. Charlotte's glad to see [=BoJack=] visiting her, which makes her ignore some rather questionable signs of his true intentions like him moving next to the Carsons's house for two months and even allowing him to take Penny to the prom, she ''does'', however, notice something is troubling him and even has a heart to heart with [=BoJack=] in which she realizes how sad and lonely he is and how much trouble he could cause if he stays. {{Justified}} since Charlotte hasn't seen [=BoJack=] in a while and is at a loss of how much he has devolved since. It doesn't help they never sorted out their feelings in person and that [=BoJack=] [[ObliviouslyEvil isn't the kind of person anyone would expect to sink that low]].