I think BoJack Horseman is about facing the truth. The truth of the society, the truth of life, and the truth of oneself.
BoJack facing his deeply flawed personality is a big part of the show. It shows us how he ends up in terrible situations because of his fault, how he struggles during the darkest of times, and how he eventually faces his own problems instead of ignoring them or blaming them on others. Just like what Todd said, "You are all the things that are wrong with you", this show essentially shows us how BoJack comes to realization of it.
Another theme of the show is the Hollywood culture and how it affects people. In the show we see Sarah Lynn entering Hollywood as a child and eventually being destroyed partly because of it. Of course, BoJack is another example of how Hollywood culture destroys people. "The most important thing is, you got to give the people what they want, even if it kills you, even if it empties you out until there's nothing left to empty. No matter what happens, no matter how much it hurts, you don't stop dancing, and you don't stop smiling, and you give those people what they want. " Even though BoJack is blaming his fault on the society, we can see the society, namely Hollywood, does take some responsibility. What's more, Diane's attempt at exposing Hank's wrongdoing, as well as her failure in the end, shows yet another disturbing truth of the society, i.e. people are reluctant to admit the wrongdoing of powerful or famous people, and it's extremely difficult for normal people to combat those in power. Finally, as the public turns their attention away, Diane has no alternative but to admit this fact. The Hank quote pretty much sums it up: "Sweetheart, everyone knows who I am. I'm Hank Hippopopalous. Who the hell are you?"
Yet another theme of the show is nihilism. BoJack, an actor in a sitcom back in the '90s, doesn't have anything to do at present. He tries to realize his childhood dream, playing Secretariat, but when the movie is actually finished, he feels the same. He questions whether people can truly achieve happiness, or they will just feel the same after achieving their goals. The show depicts the void after success and the fleeting nature of happiness. It shows us the truth of life, that it's difficult, and there's no way of achieving everlasting happiness. Even if we can ignore it temporarily, the truth of life will be unavoidable eventually. "No, because that’s just theatre. It allows you to think you’re in control but the whole idea of control is a myth. The universe is a wild beast. You can’t tame it. All you can do is try to live inside it."
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BoJack facing his deeply flawed personality is a big part of the show. It shows us how he ends up in terrible situations because of his fault, how he struggles during the darkest of times, and how he eventually faces his own problems instead of ignoring them or blaming them on others. Just like what Todd said, "You are all the things that are wrong with you", this show essentially shows us how BoJack comes to realization of it.
Another theme of the show is the Hollywood culture and how it affects people. In the show we see Sarah Lynn entering Hollywood as a child and eventually being destroyed partly because of it. Of course, BoJack is another example of how Hollywood culture destroys people. "The most important thing is, you got to give the people what they want, even if it kills you, even if it empties you out until there's nothing left to empty. No matter what happens, no matter how much it hurts, you don't stop dancing, and you don't stop smiling, and you give those people what they want. " Even though BoJack is blaming his fault on the society, we can see the society, namely Hollywood, does take some responsibility. What's more, Diane's attempt at exposing Hank's wrongdoing, as well as her failure in the end, shows yet another disturbing truth of the society, i.e. people are reluctant to admit the wrongdoing of powerful or famous people, and it's extremely difficult for normal people to combat those in power. Finally, as the public turns their attention away, Diane has no alternative but to admit this fact. The Hank quote pretty much sums it up: "Sweetheart, everyone knows who I am. I'm Hank Hippopopalous. Who the hell are you?"
Yet another theme of the show is nihilism. BoJack, an actor in a sitcom back in the '90s, doesn't have anything to do at present. He tries to realize his childhood dream, playing Secretariat, but when the movie is actually finished, he feels the same. He questions whether people can truly achieve happiness, or they will just feel the same after achieving their goals. The show depicts the void after success and the fleeting nature of happiness. It shows us the truth of life, that it's difficult, and there's no way of achieving everlasting happiness. Even if we can ignore it temporarily, the truth of life will be unavoidable eventually. "No, because that’s just theatre. It allows you to think you’re in control but the whole idea of control is a myth. The universe is a wild beast. You can’t tame it. All you can do is try to live inside it."