‘Bojack Horseman’ Parallels Real Life and Raises Questions

In the new season of ‘Bojack Horseman,’ the similarities to the characters’ struggles and the #MeToo movement are uncanny, considering the writer’s claim that the season was in the works well before Harvey Weinstein. There are episodes engaging with the real-world issues of abusing power, silencing women, and forgiving men. Many of the situations raised in these episodes remind viewers of situations we have seen in the news in the last year, and even in the last week.

Some character arcs answer questions, others raise them. There is a story of an abused woman who doesn’t want the story to leak because she doesn’t want this event to be what she’s known for. This sheds some light on one possible reason victims do not come forward, especially in such public cases. On the other hand, there is the story of Bojack’s abuse of authority and Diane’s struggle with how to see him after finding out. This raises the question, do we forgive the people we love for things they have done in the past? Many questions remain unanswered at the end of the season, and many more seem unanswerable even in our real lives. That being said, this season certainly examined some hard topics, and the reviews seem to be positive. This show is one example of how to raise difficult questions in the media.