Sorry if this is a stupid question but I genuinely want to find out.

Why does Bojack keep doing bad stuff when he seems (in most cases at least) to not actively want to cause any harm?

Like is it because he never thinks anything through? I had a friend very similar to Bojack, and they kept saying mean shit, but to them it was just “being sincere” and to them it felt like having to filter or think through every single thing they say in order to not be an asshole would take a lot of effort. So maybe it’s like that for Bojack, just automatically doing bad things because he acts on impulses and it’s basically natural to him?

I’d really like to hear what you guys think

  • DetroitLionsSBChamps@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I actually think this is a great, thoughtful question.

    A lot of people even in this sub will just say “Bojack is a bad person” and I think they are missing the entire point of the show.

    Bojack is dealing trauma. The trauma is generational and deeply affects his daily life. We get glimpses into his mind throughout the show and it is not pretty. The “stupid piece of shit” monologue is only one episode but the show makes it clear that that’s how his brain works all the time.

    Almost every bad thing Bojack does is in search of relief from that negative, awful chatter. He just constantly does so in bad ways. Namely through drugs and alcohol. And mixing that all together makes for some extremely bad decision making. I think Bojack’s self loathing also “gives him permission” to do bad things, and sometimes I think he does bad things because he hates himself and thinks “this is what a shitty person would do.”

    The show’s greatest achievement imo is presenting all of this and showing Bojack as a character in pain and as a vulnerable human, but also making it extremely clear that this does not make it okay that he does what he does. He’s not given permission or even necessarily forgiven. It can be understood but not condoned. He is a victim in many ways and hurt people hurt people, but it doesn’t give him the right or make it okay to be shitty. He still has to do better.