Line #27 Recap/BojackHorsemanS3E08OldAcquaintance


1	In this New Year episode, Princess Carolyn and Gekko-Rabitowitz vie to get their respective clients the lead role in a big-budget fantasy dystopian YA trilogy. Diane and Mister Peanutbutter visit the latter's family in the Labrador Peninsula.
2
3	----
4	!!Tropes:
5	* AllOrNothing: With [=VIM=] and Gekko-Rabitowitz both facing financial issues, their success banks on who can secure the starring role for the ''Pegasus'' movie.
6	* BackFromTheDead: Discussed. When [=BoJack=] hears about ''Ethan Around'', he feels that he should be involved in some way, and suggests several ways to write around the fact that The Horse died at the end of ''Horsin' Around''. He suggests [[AllJustADream that it was a dream]], [[BackupTwin that he had a secret twin brother]], [[RobotMe a robot version of the Horse...]]
7	* BaitAndSwitch: The episode begins with Dr. Janet, Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane's relationship therapist, praising a couple for the progress they've made on their marriage. The shot then widens to show not Mr. PB and Diane, but Rutabaga Rabitowitz and his wife Katie.
8	* TheBadGuyWins: All the deals for Princess Carolyn and [=BoJack=] go sideways, and her rivals Gekko and Rabitowitz come out on top. Ironically, the episode is partially book-ended with Rabitowitz as a FamilyMan, and he proclaims early on that they'll win because they're the "good guys". Given that they play everything completely straight while Carolyn tries every lie and dirty trick she can, he has something of a point.
9	* BorrowedCatchphrase:
10	** After Captain Peanutbutter tells his brother about his upcoming surgery, the two cry and he says "What is this? A VerySpecialEpisode?"
11	** Earlier In the episode when the brothers first meet, Captain Peanut says "what is this? A flashback episode?"
12	* BrutalHonesty: [=BoJack=] consistently puts off telling Bradley that he doesn't want to do the latter's spinoff. Eventually, Ana has to do it for him, telling Bradley off in ''very'' strongly-worded language.
13	* TheBusCameBack: Laura, Princess Carolyn's assistant from season one, returns and serves as a plot point.
14	* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Bradley is just about to finalize his move to Hollywoo until Ana scathingly tells him that [=BoJack=] isn't interested in making a ''Horsin Around'' spin-off with him. He then rushes to cancel his move in the middle of the night. It was likely he never thought about a backup plan.
15	* DownerEnding: Princess Carolyn ends up losing all of the parts, costing [=BoJack=] his chance to reconnect with Kelsey in the process.
16	* DoubleMeaningTitle: "Old Acquaintance" -- a bunch of recurring and oneshot characters show up in this one, most notably Laura and Kelsey. The phrase "auld acquaintance" is also tied to the new year, as this is a New Year's episode.
17	* DyeingForYourArt: InUniverse, Gekko-Rabitowitz mention that they can paint over their zebra client's stripes so he can play the part of a horse (or pegasus, in any case).
18	* FurryReminder: Captain Peanutbutter's nose is pinkish instead of brown, a subtle foreshadowing that he's sick.
19	* IronicEcho: When trying to get her old assistant Laura to get [=BoJack=] into the new movie, Princess Carolyn said ''"I did everything I could"'', reminding her when she tried to help her get a promotion. At the end of the episode, Laura repeats those words after [=BoJack=] gets rejected, when she discovers that not only Princess Carolyn didn't do everything, but actually asked her boss to NOT promote Laura.
20	* LaserGuidedKarma: Princess Carolyn called upon her former assistant Laura to help her secure a movie role for [=BoJack=]. After ''Gekko-Rabitowitz'' reveal to her an old email, of the cat recommending their old boss into not giving Laura a promotion in their old job, despite promising to do so, the betrayed Laura helps ''them'' instead.
21	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Mister Peanutbutter is understandably upset about his brother's situation. Beforehand, he snaps at Diane for being worried about Captain Peanutbutter's nihilistic attitude, which he initially thought was nothing.
22	* PoliticalOvercorrectness: When Diane first meets her nephews, she tells their father how cute they are... then hastily backtracks and says she doesn't make any assumptions about their personalities based on their appearances.
23	* PoorCommunicationKills: Kelsey offers [=BoJack=] a role for an independent movie, and he seems very interested. Unfortunately, Venessa and Princess Carolyn begin arguing about [=BoJack=]'s possible salary during its production, all while keeping him LockedOutOfTheLoop. When the time window closes, Kelsey furiously tells [=BoJack=] that the deal is off the table before severing ties with him for good, leaving him in confusion.
24	* RunningGag: Mr. Peanutbutter’s family continues the tradition of being unable to properly dictate signs, with the banner in his room reading “'''WELCOME HOME LITTLE BRO! OH ALSO I HAVE A GROUPON'''”
25	* SpinOffspring: Bradley is interested in creating one of these for ''Horsin' Around'' called ''Ethan Around'', focusing on Ethan adopting 3 horse children.
26	* StepfordSmiler: Captain Peanutbutter puts up a front as cheerful and carefree, but Diane keeps seeing signs that he's actually deeply unhappy about something.
27	* SympatheticPOV: This episode is a major deconstruction, as it deliberately takes the Sympathetic P.O.V. away from the main characters and gives it instead to a group of people we've previously seen as antagonists to whom we weren't meant to be sympathetic. With the Sympathetic P.O.V., Princess Carolyn comes across as a determined badass agent who is willing to do anything for her clients. Without it, she becomes a self-serving manipulative jerk who's prepared to throw anybody under the bus if it furthers her own goal. Conversely, people like Vanessa Gecko and Rutabaga don't look so bad if they're portrayed as human beings with home lives, wants, needs and fears of their own. This episode is a stark reminder that nobody is the villain of their own story.
28	* TakeThat: [=BoJack=] calls out Bradley for wanting to expand on the ''Horsin' Around'' series. It takes a jab at studios that attempt to expand classic or popular TV shows with spinoffs that focus on co-stars. It doesn't always go beyond the first few episodes, let alone a first season, however. [=BoJack=] calling it the ''Horsin' Around Cinematic Universe'' is a take on the popular ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'', which has many movies taking place in the same continuity.
29	* ThirdPartyDealBreaker: [=BoJack=]'s plan to star in a small independent movie is sabotaged by his manager, Princess Carolyn, who wants to sign him to a big-budget film trilogy, and thus demands more money from the indie in order to scare them off. When he finds out about it, he's pissed and decides to fire her.
30	* TruthInTelevision: Captain Peanutbutter reveals to his brother that he has to get surgery for a twisted spleen, a very common condition for golden retrievers.
31	* VisualPun: The Labrador Peninsula is actually Labrador, Canada, with its shape altered to look more like a Labrador's head.

Context Recap / BojackHorsemanS3E08OldAcquaintance