“If I don’t write my book of essays now, that means all the damage I got, isn’t good damage. It’s just damage. I have gotten nothing out of it, and all of those years, I was miserable for nothing. I could have been happy this whole time and written a book about girl detectives and been cheerful and popular and had good parents, is that what you’re saying? What was it all for?!”
Bojack Horseman Episode - Good Damage (Season 6, Episode 10)
It gets easier. Every day getting your shit together gets a little easier. But you got to get your shit together every day. That’s the hard part. But it does get easier.
Cinematic(What is this a crossover episode?) Parallels - Bojack Horseman X Rick and Morty
“ Sometimes, i feel like… if i could start everything over, knowing what i know now, i’d do it right this time. but other times i think… no i wouldn’t. “
I think it’s quite hard hitting how much we see PC drink herself out of it this season. In retrospect, that’s usually something we are familiar with Bojack doing, and to some extent Diane. So it wasn’t unusual to see them drinking their problems away in ‘Underground’. But to see PC break down to the point were she can’t even bear to be sober enough to do anything; to see Princess “get your shit together” Carolyn take on Bojack’s self-destructive tendencies, was harrowing. What breaks my heart as well, is that PC has always been the most pragmatic on the show, always matter-of-fact and strong. And the ending of her episode showed how even she relies on make-believe, on those little lies we tell ourselves to feel better. She clings to a fictitious future vision to keep herself going. The uncertainty of that is pointed out by Bojack. The tragic irony of which is obvious, its always been Bojack trying to live out fantasies: of still being relevant, of being a good person, of how it could have been. Yet even he can see the falseness of her dream. To leave the episode on that note was deeply poignant and depressing.
A big theme featured in this season for me was ‘choice’, which seemed to be at odds with the symbolism that the past is perhaps cyclical and echoes into the present. For me, the moment when Ralph openly defies his parents and declares his love for Princess Carolyn is a direct parallel to the finale when Hollyhock chooses to keep Bojack in her life. Both PC and Bojack have been damaged by past experiences: Bojack has never had any positive or healthy relationships with family members and PC has never dated anyone who really cared about her and wasn’t an asshole. In both scenes, we see their first reaction is surprise. Neither character expects to be chosen or wanted, they’re so hardened by past hurts that to hear someone choose them for who they are, or despite who they are, is shocking. In this scene, PC is thinking that the past is repeating, another relationship has failed and she is going to be alone. Only for Ralph to wholeheartedly choose her over his family and to blast her past experiences out of the water. In their respective moments we see a prolonged focus on the emotions flashing across their faces. And for once we see them both truly and purely happy.
Coming from the abortion storyline of Season 3, I think it’s extremely important that the writers included so much on Princess Carolyn’s miscarriages. The shame-free portrayal of Diane’s abortion directly contrasts with PC’s experience, especially as she struggles alone. I think it’s significant that everybody has an opinion in the abortion episode, everybody has some anecdote or comfort to give. Whereas PC is offered little to no direct support or acknowledgement. Her doctor treats her as callously and devoid of empathy as Diane’s did to her, except here we had no one speaking up, no one speaking back. She is given blame and no actual advice or help, emphasising the complete lack of support on offer for a lot of women who suffer miscarriages. Even well-meaning Todd is at a loss for words when trying to think what he should say to her at the apartment. Most heartbreaking of all perhaps, is that PC is well aware of the connotations of what has happened to her, she expects to be judged, she expects to be seen as weak and pitiful and incapable. PC’s storyline emphasises how far we still have to come in making a ‘miscarriage’ more than just some dirty word or something that women feel they have to hide.
