History Fridge / BoJackHorseman

** Way back in Season 1, during his bender with Sarah Lynn and Todd, BoJack suggests his memoir should end with him taking "one last swim". Clearly, the idea of suicide-by-drowning has been on his mind for a long time.

** So would that make him [[JustForPun Pedo]] [[DudeNotFunny Bear]]?

* In S04E01, Katrina successfully gets an amendment to California's constitution passed that makes it legal for anyone to challenge the governor of California to a ski race where the winner would become the new governor. Although in the season the governor is ultimately chosen via an election, but this still means it's possible for anyone to become the governor of California as long as they're good at skiing.

*** One wonders if a lifetime of substance abuse, on top of his depression and emotional trauma, has also damaged [=BoJack=]'s brain beyond repair.

* Of ''course'' Todd plays a triangle in the orchestra; a triangle in white and purple is one of the symbols for UsefulNotes/{{Asexuality}}!

** Joseph holding views that are pretty similar to fascism isn't all that surprising: mucgh of Nazi ideology was inspired by American racial policies.

* It is easy to mistake Joseph as some kind of old school conservative with an outdated worldview. But his opinions go well beyond the right-wing. Despite having a son who fought in World War II, Joseph's worldview [[TheHorseshoeTheory is quite fascistic and reactionary]].

** [=BoJack=] can actually say sorry. While these apologies are insincere, and he still makes excuses, it shows he understands concepts like shame. Thus he's able to make a more sincere apology to Todd, and accept that Todd will still keep a distance from him.

** Less charitably, if she was still somewhat lucid in her final moments, she may have deliberately given her son one last moment of spite. Tricking him into thinking she was saying something nice only for him to realize it wasn't wouldn't be out of character for her. She was horrible enough that her last act of life would be one final dig at her son.

* Mr. Peanutbutter being still in top physical shape even as he's pushing fifty can be easily linked to his fear of death. He surely cares way more about his health than any other main character, as the only instance of him being drunk so far has been the mirror accident in Season 2 premiere. Also, he probably sees physical exercise as good way to keep himself busy so he won't think about the cold, unfeeling universe around him.

* The inside of [=BoJack=]'s head as seen in "Stupid Piece of Sh*t" and "What Time Is It Right Now?" resembles child's drawings because he is mentally a child. [[https://twitter.com/lemurmcfemur/status/907298847315025920 Confirmed by the director.]]

** In a flashback to Bojack's childhood, his father mentions Beatrice saw A Doll's House and "got ideas", so this is definitely intentional.
* [=BoJack=]'s ears, like his father's, are seldom seen pointing forward in the manner of a horse that's relaxed and at ease -- the only time he consistently does this is when he's a child. They'll draw back tighter when he's really distressed, but for the most part, they're lightly tilted backwards. When do horses do this? When they're listening to what's behind them.

* In the last four episodes of season three, Bojack loses Princess Carolyn (Best Thing That Ever Happened), then Todd (It's You), then finally Diane (That Went Well). In the BittersweetEnding Bojack has a final conversation with them in that exact order.

* Tori Spelling's ghostwriter is a parrot. Of course parrots would make natural ghostwriters since they can learn to mimic speech of others.

** It goes on to ring true in the very next episode for another one of [=BoJack=]'s relationships: Penny. When he takes her to prom, she sees him as a guy she can connect with, who listens to her and provided her with this wonderful experience, failing to notice that he takes advantage of her vulnerability. When [=BoJack=] shows up drunk and high at her college a year later, she sees him for who he really is.
* This show's universe doesn't have any pets since every animal is anthropormorphic, but there seems to be a dynamic between Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter that resembles a human and her pet, implying that such a dynamic between two individuals is still commonplace even though humans and animals have the same amount of independence. This could explain how Kelsey treats Todd: she sees him as akin to a cute pet, and this viewpoint is normal since a human is on par with a dog in this universe.

* The disaster in the last episode came as the result of [[DisasterDominoes several ridiculous things Bojack had done in the last two seasons coming together]] and it was resolved by [[DeusExMachina several ridiculous things Mr. Peanutbutter had done coming together.]] Even indirectly everything [[BornUnlucky Bojack]] dose turns to shit and everything [[BornLucky Mr Peanutbutter]] dose somehow works out.

* In a similar vein, in the aftermath of Sarah Lynn’s death we see Bojack take his hands off the car’s steering wheel when driving down an empty road, risking a collision. After the party in the wake of Crackerjack’s death, Honey stomps on the gas pedal, causing an actual crash. Like grandmother, like grandson.

* The reason Beatrice treats Doll better than she treated young Bojack? Beatrice's memories of her mother are incomplete as all she can really think about was her mother's lobotomy as shown by memories of her mom being replaced by a silhouette, with only the scar plainly visible. It's entirely likely that she forgot the promise she made to her mother to never truly love anyone as much as her mother loved Crackerjack.

* This is the season we find out that Bojack is originally San Franciscan (his parents just never stopped acting like they were living on the East Coast) making him, and possibly Todd, the only born and raised Californians in the main cast. This makes a lot of sense as previously Bojack's jaded remarks sometimes extended to the entire state where everyone else's only got as far as the LA area.

* Bojack breaking the TheChainOfHarm by comforting his senile mother was already foreshadowed by the fact that while Bojack has many of his parents' bad habits, he isn't consumed by them.
** Bojack shares the abrasiveness of his mom...but he actually notices the negative effects his behavior has on Hollyhock, and assures her that she's wonderful person that that him acting shitty isn't her fault. Unlike Beatrice, who not only mistreated Bojack, but blamed him for everything that went wrong in her life.
** Bojack can actually say sorry. While these apologies are insincere, and he still makes excuses, it shows he understands concepts like shame. Thus he's able to make a more sincere apology to Todd, and accepting that Todd will still keep a distance from him.
* Hollyhock, Bojack, and Beatrice's story are a walking demonstration of NatureVersusNurture (about whether our upbringing shapes our character or if genetics shape our character) and the answer appears to be nuture. Beatrice insists that Bojack was "born broken" and [[NeverMyFault was destined to be a screw up]], but through Hollyhock we that isn't the case at all.
** Hollyhack is genetically Butterscotch's daughter, seems to have Bojack's depression, and she ends up (unwittingly) hooked on weight loss supplements. However, unlike Bojack, Hollyhock had eight parental figures who deeply cared about her a lot. Having a loving support network her entire life prevents Hollyhock from being consumed by whatever issues have plagued the Horseman family.
** While Bojack is a deeply flawed person, he is far from a total screw up: he managed to become a successful sitcom star and shows occasional artistic talent. Because he had Herb, a supportive friend, to help him rise to the top. While his life has never been perfect, he has had some kind of support network to pick him up when he's down. Bojack may drive people away from him through his behavior, but the fact is these relationships are why Bojack has moments of decency, regret, and atonement, however fleeting they may be.
** While it doesn't excuse her actions one bit, Beatrice has had ''no'' healthy relationships to speak of: her loving older brother died in war, her loving mother was lobotomized, her father was a misogynistic asshole who thought she was only good for being a housewife, her peers bullied her, and she was married to a man she didn't love. Unlike Bojack and Hollyhock, Beatrice had no support network to help her through her troubles, and thus no drive to become better.
* Bojack's treatment of Beatrice in her last moment of lucidity is both similar and different to his last moments with Herb and Charlotte.
** The rule of the show is when someone says the word "fuck", it means Bojack has ruined a relationship. Bojack said "fuck you Mom", which foreshadows him finally throwing his mom out of his life for good. He does that by dumping her in a crappy retirement home. This reflects how Herb and Charlotte threw Bojack out of their lives. Like Charlotte, Bojack did it because Beatrice harmed someone close to him after he welcomed Beatrice into his home.
** However, unlike Herb or Charlotte, Bojack does try to give Beatrice one happy moment. He reeled from the fact that Herb didn't give him closure, so he's willing to give some to Beatrice.

** Bojack's arc is learning to swallow his pride for the greater good. Whereas his grandfather would be the kind of person who chooses to berate Beatrice, Bojack rises above that and gives his mom a little bit of empathy and ends up better off for it.

* Don't know if this belongs in Fridge Brilliance or Fridge Horror, but watching season 5 surprisingly gives a little more depth to Anna Spanikopita. In season 3 [=BoJack=] and Ana dated while she was working on his Oscar campaign, and even though he wanted to continue the relationship when it was over she broke up with him. At the time it looked like she was just being a typical cold Hollywoo publicist, but there's actually more to unpack than that. Ana had the tape about what [=BoJack=] did in New Mexico. She showed that tape to Dianne at the end of the episode "[=BoJack=] The Feminist" only after her conscience began to bother her. Clearly, this information bothered Ana even back in season 3 if she held onto it for two years. She was also acutely aware of the weeks long drug bender that claimed the life of Sarah Lynn because [=BoJack=] and Sarah Lynn kept barging into her house. Therefore, she didn't want to date Bojack in a serious way because she was aware of how self-destructive and hurtful he could be.

* The boom mic operator on "Philbert" is a snake, that closely resembles a boa constrictor. Could this be a foreshadowing to what [=BoJack=] does to Gina at the end of the season?
* In "Free Churro", Bojack mentions going to a friend's father's funeral and how she had conflicted feelings about said death, not unlike how he was feeling himself with Beatrice's death. It was most likely Diane he was talking about in that moment.
* The musical number that was brought on during Bojack's drug trip has a ton of [[CallBack references]] to many moments and characters throughout the show, but perhaps the subtlest of all is one seemingly random line where Gina sings "Aw, shucks". Since after all, Gina is a fan of musicals, specifically a corn themed one.
* In the opening of the episode "Free Churro" Butterscotch mentions that Bojack’s mother locked herself in her room to weep after seeing the play "A Doll’s House" with her friends. Earlier we learned that Beatrice was taught never to cry and passed that toxic trait onto Bojack. So, what would be so powerful in that play to make her cry? The play is about a wife and mother who discovers her husband is selfish and doesn’t love her, and the protagonist [[spoiler: leaves her unfulfilling life and family.]] Beatrice’s values would never allow her to [[spoiler: leave Butterscotch though]], so she feels trapped.
* In "Mr. Peanutbutter's Boos", Diane chastises Mr. Peanutbutter for never listening to his spouses, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint he misinterprets her message]] and he even scoffs at the suggestion of dating a woman his own age [[note]]Even Bojack at least tried with Wanda[[/note]]. It's a major example of how, for all his charisma and popularity, Mr. Peanutbutter and Bojack are not so different after all. The only major distinction is that Bojack is more open about his sleaziness and is more likely to be held to scrutiny for it.

* Beatrice's last words were apparently her reading the [=ICU=] sign. Why did she fail to give Bojack one moment of decency, instead choosing to read a sign?

* The two reporters investigating Sarah Lynn's death are dressed in attire similar to that seen in the 1930s-1940s. While on the surface it could be seen as a throwback to early cinematic comedies, the duos appearances become more symbolic when you realize that TheChainOfHarm for Bojack and the previous two generations in his family happened in the '''1940s''' thanks to the death of Crackerjack (who decided to go to war while embracing TheAllAmericanBoy archetype idealized back then; a personality trait that made him walk into danger ignorantly and to his death) as well as a grieving Honey Sugarman being lobotomized by her uncaring husband (who was just acting as a "modern American man" and later felt using a lobotomy on Beatrice would be justified if she ever showed too much emotion again, creating her callous personality). Now, after seven decades it looks as if things are coming full circle for Bojack and for all the drama and suffering he both caused and experienced.
** Once Bojack's actions are revealed, things do end up coming full circle for the whole Sugarman-Horseman lineage. Just like how Crackerjack's death tore his family and everything around them apart, Bojack's actions (especially his involvement in Sarah Lynn's fatal overdose) not only got him plenty of hate in Hollywoo but also put a severe strain on the people around him (to the point where his closest friends kept their distance for the time being). Also, at the start of TheChainOfHarm, one of the the Horsemans (Beatrice) permanently lost contact with a loved one (Honey Sugarman) while the DisasterDominoes were still falling, while Bojack's actions decades later end up causing Hollyhock (his only living biological family member) to cut all ties with him amid his fall from grace, [[HistoryRepeats meaning that someone in the lineage lost someone they cared about decades apart.]]
** To summarize: why do the reporters talk and act like they are from the distant past? Because they are ''the past catching up to Bojack''.

** It could also symbolize Bojack's newfound self-awareness after going to rehab and therapy. He is no longer ignoring the past nor is he trying to dull his trauma with narcotics.

** And, considering Kelsey wrote Fireflame as a lesbian, Gina was persumably able to perform without getting too up closer and personal with a physically imposing man as her romantic lead, thus preventing her nervous triggers.

** Crackerjack remarks that all his kills were friendly fire. This could be true (although considering how much the family idealised him, it’s unlikely that this kind of information would make its way to Bojack) but since this is all happening in Bojack’s head, there’s also the distinct possibility that this is Bojack’s rather spiteful way of pushing back against the idealisation of Crackerjack, by constructing a reality where his uncle wasn’t all he was [[{{Pun}} cracked]] up to be.

* The cattle-human family who bought Bojack's house had moved to Hollywoo because the youngest son had landed a role in a TV show - unaware that the show was already being cancelled. So, when Bojack breaks into the house and the kid becomes a youtube sensation, he's trying to milk the fame for all its worth, even scoring a reality show, because the family has bills to pay.
* In Bojack’s dream in "The View From Halfway Down" Sarah Lynn says the worst moment of her life was her 2007 concert tour, and mentions in detail why it was so bad for her. This is Bojack’s dream though, so how would he know that? Because he actually went to her 2007 concert to try to get her to guest star on his new show, which further fractured their friendship. We’ll never know which concert was hardest on Sarah Lynn, but for Bojack 2007 was the worst one...for him.
* In "The View From Halfway Down" Secretariat and Butterscotch are presented as the same person, which could be seen as a reflection of Bojack's view of them both. Butterscotch was his biological father, but was distant and emotionally abusive. Whereas Bojack idolised Secretariat as both a child and an adult, making him the closest thing Bojack had to a positive parent figure growing up.
** The fact that Butterscotch is the ''voice'' coming from Secretariat adds a layer of irony to his reading of the titular poem. Bojack knew Butterscotch was a terrible writer, but a part of him still wished that his father would succeed at his dreams.
** Secretariat/Butterscotch also has a heart-to-heart with Bojack and explains that he always cared for Bojack but was too afraid to ever show it. Since this is a DyingDream the conversation is Bojack's mind giving him something he always wanted; recognition from his childhood hero and affection from the father he could never please.

* In the episode "Sunk Cost & All That" the acting students throw a party, and Princess Carolyn mentions that "They didn’t even buy alcohol! Just a disco ball and some capes!". They were likely keeping booze away from the party intentionally because they all knew Bojack was a recovering alcoholic and wanted to be supportive.
* Hollyhock kicking Bojack out of her life isn't just because of him. Considering that a senile Beatrice [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished repaid her kindness by spiking her drink]], Hollyhock sees the whole Horseman family as trouble she no longer wishes to be a part of.
* There could be another reason everyone in Bojack's AA meeting is so hostile to him in "The Horny Unicorn". In his second interview, he mentioned Sharona, a member of an Alcoholics '''Anonymous''' group, as an alcoholic ''by name'' on national television. Breaking AA confidentiality on that kind of scope definitely wouldn't have helped his already shattered reputation there.
** Additionally, Sharona is not present at the meeting where everyone gives Bojack the cold shoulder, which likely means one of two things. Bojack's second betrayal either led her to join a different group elsewhere, [[DrowningMySorrows or it caused her to start drinking again]].
* In "A Quick One While He's Away" we see the importance of "nurture over nature": Hollyhock, like Bojack, suffers a severe panic attack. Unlike Bojack, she has a nice person, Pete, to help her through her anxiety. Hollyhock does have some of Bojack's issues, but unlike Bojack, she can find supportive people to help her overcome them.
* Pete, when talking about the trauma he endured at the hands of Bojack, does not bring up several key facts: that he and his friends ''wanted to drink'', that they brought vodka and Red Bull, and Bojack gave them bourbon because he thought it was safer. Pete, like Bojack, also tries to deflect responsibility for his own actions while putting himself in decent light.
* In season two, while crashing at [=BoJack=]'s house, Diane imagines an ideal conversation between her and Mr. Peanutbutter: "And I wouldn't have to say, 'I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I made things so difficult. I'm sorry I'm not the person I thought I was.' I would just say, 'My day was good.'" This is referenced in [=BoJack=]'s DyingDream, where he imagines Diane telling him her day was good instead of all the things she could have said: "I'm sorry I left" for Chicago, "I'm sorry I made things so difficult" by making you promise me you'd be okay, "I'm sorry I'm not the person I thought I was" who would be okay no matter what happened to you. Diane even says in the finale, "I wish I could have been the person you thought I was, the person who would save you."

* Some people had trouble wrapping their head around [=BoJack=] confessing to have an internalized hatred for horses due to parent upbringing due to his idol (Secretariat) literally being a horse. Then 'The View From Half-way down premiered' where his dad shows up in his hallucinations as secretariat, this help show fans that [=BoJack=], sees the two as the same; except Secretariat is an idea of a person [=BoJack=] can fill with little concessions to make a more idealized father figure. This helps explains how [=BoJack=], can still have that internalized hatred yet still see Secretariat as an idol.
* "Waa-Waa, the Baby Human" drinking poison seems like a ridiculously arbitrary and nonsensical stereotype to apply to humans, but in the real world humans are omnivores and there a several types of food that are perfectly edible for humans but could never be consumed by other species such as chocolate for dogs. In a world where species that have strong dietary restrictions are fully sentient, they would equate humans lack of restrictions to "drinking poison".
* While Bojack's close friendship with Diane is more or less over, his final meeting with Diane proves he has truly changed for the better:
** Bojack saying "you don't owe me anything" is a sign that he is no longer treating the people around him as something he is entitled too but as human beings with their own wants and needs.
** Diane doesn't use the seasonal PrecisonFStrike on Bojack.

** This also makes the fact she ended up sleeping with [=BoJack=], her stage father and overall closest thing to a father figure, HarsherInHindsight (and it was already pretty creepy to begin with). As does the nonchalant way she ponders how Penny could have been traumatized by Bojack, given for all we know, Sarah Lynn could have had those same behaviors she suggests for Penny.
** Then in season 6, we see that ten-year-old Sarah Lynn can't be in her dressing room because her stepfather is "being weird." [=BoJack=] just brushes it off like as an inconvenience for him. Not only is poor Sarah Lynn being abused, but it's apparently an open secret that [[BystanderEffect nobody seems to care about]]- which is sadly TruthInTelevision regarding pedophilia in Hollywood.

** Her manager "leaked" her nudes. We know she's not into fame in her private life, so what nudes could she have been taking as an underage popstar who couldn't have been openly dating someone her own age to preserve her sexually-confident virgin personaly? Probably her stepdad, he's a photographer.

** The Chicken farmers wife begged Diane to take her with them when they escaped because she hated her husband. Why couldn't she just ask him for a divorce? Maybe because he's a chicken farmer and she knows if he took it badly he'd have a perfect way to dispose of her body.

** The fact that in a world where all species have the same level of intelligence humans are still treated as the "defult" species carries negative implications.

* When Diane is pregnant and considering an abortion, the doctor brings up the possibility of her having a litter. It's never further discussed, but the fact humans breeding with anthropormorphic animals increases the possibility of a litter is pretty concerning- that's obviously a ''lot'' more strain on a woman in labor. Are human bodies in this universe better adjusted to that, or are we to assume not as many human woman (or any species not fit to carry litters) make it out of childbirth alive and well?

* After Hollyhock's overdose, [=BoJack=] manages to put together the pieces about Beatrice slipping appetite suppressants in Hollyhock's coffee despite her giving him very little to work with, mostly her being insistent on giving Hollyhock her coffee. He gives a LittleNo, ''immediately'' runs to the coffee pot, and demands to know what Beatrice put in it. How would [=BoJack=] have known that's what Beatrice was doing? His "of course it was you", and the fact [=BoJack=] has suffered with body images issues throughout the entire show, makes it pretty clear that she not only has done it before, but has done it to [=BoJack=].

* Going off on the above, Bojack has ingested dangerous substances into his body from a young age.

*** One wonders if a lifetime of substance abuse, on top of his depression and emotional trauma, has also damaged Bojack's brain beyond repair.

** Another small bit in regards to Sarah Lynn – by the time we see the flashback to her in 2007, she's on 23, but she's already been in the industry for ''twenty years'' and was ''still'' giving instead of receiving. That being said, there's a certain degree of understanding when it comes to her massive break-down in the middle of a home improvement store following her breakup with Andrew Garfield. Was it really just about him? Or was it because she doesn't know ''any other way of living'' except for in fame and she's suddenly been cast out, all on her own?

** Also, the murder law only applies to literal billionaires. Bojack is rich but not ''that'' rich.

* In "The View From Half Way Down" Bojack implies that he has this "dream" often. It's soon revealed that the "dream" is actually the way his brain is processing his final thoughts as he's slowly drowning to death after attempting suicide. If he has this dream often, just how long has suicide been on his mind? His last meeting with Angela may have been the final straw, but considering he's been a pariah for months at this point, he's probably been contemplating suicide for some time now.
** Back in the first half of season 6, Doctor Champ mentions Bojack has told him about the "dream about the dinner party". So it may have begun as far back as when Bojack began his rehab and started getting sober. Though, perhaps more horrifyingly, it could stem back even further.
** Dr. Champ tends to speak to the patients in clichés and folk wisdom, indicating he's not a profesional therapist way before he's revealed as a simple therapy horse.
* Dr. Champ, and by extension Pastiches as a whole, has no medical or therapist qualifications and the resulting lack of any any kind of confidentiality is not revealed to the patients until way too late. It not only explains how ineffective they are, but it also suggests they probably do a brisk trade in blackmail.

*** Considering how hyper-sexual the character eventually becomes (an unfortunate side effect of child molestation is the victim convincing themselves that physical sex is the only proper form of love), the fact that her stepfather is modeled after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Richardson a real-life alleged rapist]] and the show's themea around the extremely damaging side effects of abuse, it's safe to assume that Sarah Lynn's physical interactions with her stepfather went beyond hugging and kissing.

*** That's bad enough, but what was the world like ''before hormone treatment was invented?''