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From season five BoJack Horseman episode "Free Churro".
Photo: Netflix
"But there is nothing more realistic than that. You never get a happy ending because there are always more shows. I suppose, until there is not one.
BoJack Horseman is a television show that not only fears the topics it tells, but also the way it tells them. The series has almost made an unofficial tradition of presenting a "big" episode each season, particularly ambitious in terms of structure. These experiences have resulted in episodes of silence, non-linear inputs that explore the disorder of addiction or a devastating response to mental illness. Despite all these previous achievements, Bojack & # 39; s "Free Churro" of its fifth season is particularly risky and unique.
Death may not seem like a natural subject for comedies, but it is an important area that deserves study. There have been many memorable episodes of sitcoms that deal with death significantly, such as The beautiful years & # 39; "Goodbye," The Mary Tyler Moore ShowChuckles Bites the Dust, or even something more creative like How did I meet your mother"S "Last words". That said, BoJack Horseman looks into the subject in an honest and uncomfortable way that has probably never been done before in a comedy or drama, by the way.
Perhaps the closest to another comedy to what BoJack Horseman realizes with "Free Churro" is either NewsRadio"S heartbreaking "Bill Moves On" or Community"S "Cooperative Polygraphy". These are two bottle episodes that allow their characters to feed off their grief during a lost life (and in the case of the former, the actual death of a cast member). BoJack Horseman goes further with his goal: he does not focus only on the praise of a character, but the episode East praise of the character throughout the race time. It is a 25-minute one-man show where a character delivers a powerful and moving monologue on death and loss that does not allow a respite.
But "Free Churro" did not even come to the funeral. according to Bojack The creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who wrote the episode, starred. "We discussed other ideas that BoJack could talk to for half an hour, but once we got the praise, it felt right," he said. "The idea of a one-person show was a good opportunity in BoJack's history to praise his mother and to honor that difficult relationship and the different things that he would feel after.
This slice of BoJack Horseman operates on a provocative and challenging literary scale, but then strives to push the boundaries. BoJack comments on his mother's eulogy at the death of his father: "My husband is dead and everything is worse now." The meaning of his words escapes him completely as BoJack tries to interpret. This moment and many others ask questions about grief, loss and bereavement, without relieving answers. An insurmountable amount of doubt arises as the episode continues, and he eloquently comments on how nobody really has the answers about death.
"Free Churro" presents a unique quality of flow of consciousness that gives the crudity of the episode an added benefit. When she devotes a ten-minute conversation to the various meanings and interpretations behind a simple phrase such as "I see you," one has the impression that the precarious tightrope could end up in disarray at any moment. The episode does not prevent BoJack's grief, and opts for a dark and morbid monologue instead of a respectful eulogy, but sometimes he succeeds both. The praise of BoJack turns into an uncomfortable stand-up, with shots and sound effects. It's a performance. BoJack is a character who is so rooted and raised by television that the medium has become his way of dealing with pain and deeper emotions.
BoJack tries at one point to recall a touching memory that concerns his mother. After telling a comforting story of his teenage years, he reveals that not only is the whole story a lie, but it is also the plot of an episode of Maude He can not remember good memories with his mother, so he turns to those television he can remember and hide behind. He basically equates death with the cancellation of a long television show. "I really appreciate the mix of pop culture ephemera and take it really seriously," says Bob-Waksberg. "I like to see what it can mean in a different context."
Of course, the rules that television establishes are impossible to respect in real life. Television makes us believe that parents are infallible and that they will be good and considerate, but the reality is never so clear. Perhaps even BoJack has lived a life in network television to finally reach that picturesque family impossible in real life. If sitcoms are not allowed to have a happy ending because they are supposed to work forever, then BoJack Horseman at least dissects the nature of happiness and growth. BoJack could put an end to his eulogy, but this show is special because it will never give up this happy ending.
In addition, the first scene of the episode, which is the only moment that exists outside the funeral home, refers to an important moment in BoJack's youth. This means that despite the relationship between "Free Churro" and BoJack with his mother, this scene is an exchange between a young BoJack and his father, Butterscotch (also voiced by Arnett). Rather than juxtaposing a memory of BoJack's mother with his eulogy, the episode chooses the most severe decision not to present it at all. She may not be in this opening scene with BoJack and her husband, but the first thing Butterscotch says is, "Your mother has another episode," before leaving for "the black hole that gave birth to BoJack. "Is really the subject of ridicule. The fact that Beatrice is not there to defend herself – whether in the car with her husband or during BoJack's eulogy – is emblematic of her life as a whole.
"There was a discussion if we needed this cold. We could start the episode at the funeral home and the churro story could be cold, but it was nice to shed light on this, "admits Bob-Waksberg. He adds, "It's a beautiful prologue that introduces some themes from the episode, but I like the fact that it's sure BoJack's mother, but you do not see his mother."
Despite the marginalization of Béatrice Horseman in this episode, her most beautiful moment may be to celebrate it with a brief and stylistic departure. As BoJack reflects on his mother's dance – the only act that could reunite his fractured family – the beauty of it almost lifts him from the funeral home and transports him into a dance recital, but he can not quite prevail. "It's amazing how much cinematic is right now, and it's just a camera push and a shadow on the wall," says Bob-Waksberg.
Even if "Free Churro" never leaves the funeral home, Raphael Bob-Waksberg considers that they have considered alternative ideas. "We had plans B in case it would not work. We talked about the idea of perhaps showing flashbacks to the things that BoJack was describing. It would always be Will's voice, so it would always be him for the whole episode and be special that way. The more we worked on the main version, the better she felt and we did not want her to reduce it at all. "
As BoJack finishes his thoughts, the long and crucial anecdote "I see you" ends in a stormy conclusion. BoJack discovers that his mother does not recognize him at all, but comments on his status in the intensive care unit – the UTI. All that BoJack has always wanted in his life is that his mother sees him, and it is this act of praise that makes him understand that she never really did. The last words his mother told BoJack gave him incredible clarity, but in the end it did not matter if he misinterpreted them. This is the honest, messy and erroneous way that BoJack laments for his mother, and everything he does right now will be authentic because no "good" way to cry.
"Free Churro" is a triumph of BoJack Horseman and television in general because it addresses the incredibly personal process of mourning with unfailing openness and honesty. He does not ask his audience how to praise him perfectly, and the death of BoJack's mother does not irrevocably change him to anyone else. This is an episode that proves loss and sorrow should be messy and imperfect and reflections of ourselves. "Free Churro" is not the saddest episode of BoJack Horseman, and it's certainly not the funniest, but it's honest about the uncertain and uncertain sorrow in our lives that ends up affecting everyone.
Before BoJack Horseman, no one ever told the world that when your mother dies, you get a free churro, or that losing a parent looks a lot like Ted Danson's sitcom Becker. As stupid as it may seem, it's also a surprisingly perfect preparation for the big unknown.
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