Pretty solid first chapter. I don't laugh often with TV shows, but this first episode of season 5 made me laugh a lot. BoJack Horseman never ceases to amaze me. Great dialogue and pacing, good image for an animated series, and very good jokes. I think season five will be fantastic. I hope it gets even better. Bah, I'm sure it will.
5 Reviews
A Strong Debut
More-horse-than-a-man198714 September 2018
8
Edvis-19972 February 2020
Didn't quite capture the Bojack magic.
chrisespostkasse19 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The season premiere starts in medias res, with an absurdly confusing mass of people at the "Philbert" film set, which is fittingly identical to Bojacks residence. Though this perk works as a setup for later in the season, it is quite confusing and meaningless most of the time. When we last saw Bojack in season 4, he was on the path of healing and development, but rather than picking up from the dynamical character developments in end season 4, the show "resets" from zero, with Bojack asking numerous questions about the current circumstances, practically telling the viewers, that nothing has changed.
The whole "Philbert" (the show, not the baby) storyline doesn't fit the shows aesthetic, the characters (Flip, Gina) are quite stale and unambiguous and the overall vibe is that we have just seen it before. The whole unpleasant, "out to get you" director-part was more or less completely rehashed from season 3. And it didn't even do it as good. The "female counterpart in the film world" part felt pretty rehashed aswell, as per Kelsey Jannings role in season 3. For a show where the magic lies in character complexity, the season premiere feels vague and hazy.
Like it or not, Bojack is back to being Bojack, which feels wrong after the previous seasons. He is back to being cynically depresing, but without any real conflict this season. Most of what drove the narcissism in Bojack forward, was resolved the last couple of seasons, and it feels weird that Bojack seemingly haven't developed at all.
What saves the premiere (and season in generel) from being a total failure, are the Mr. Peanutbutter and Princess Carolyn storylines, that deliver the beloved wittiness and lighthearted existential approach to an animated television series, which makes the new season feel like home.
The whole "Philbert" (the show, not the baby) storyline doesn't fit the shows aesthetic, the characters (Flip, Gina) are quite stale and unambiguous and the overall vibe is that we have just seen it before. The whole unpleasant, "out to get you" director-part was more or less completely rehashed from season 3. And it didn't even do it as good. The "female counterpart in the film world" part felt pretty rehashed aswell, as per Kelsey Jannings role in season 3. For a show where the magic lies in character complexity, the season premiere feels vague and hazy.
Like it or not, Bojack is back to being Bojack, which feels wrong after the previous seasons. He is back to being cynically depresing, but without any real conflict this season. Most of what drove the narcissism in Bojack forward, was resolved the last couple of seasons, and it feels weird that Bojack seemingly haven't developed at all.
What saves the premiere (and season in generel) from being a total failure, are the Mr. Peanutbutter and Princess Carolyn storylines, that deliver the beloved wittiness and lighthearted existential approach to an animated television series, which makes the new season feel like home.
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