In this video essay, I explore ethics in BoJack Horseman and the intentions of the people behind it.

Follow me on Instagram:   / sloanstowe  

Chapters:
00:00-01:42 preface
01:43-03:23 hollywood morality
03:24-06:44 princess carolyn's ethics
06:45-12:34 pc selfish vs. selfless
12:35-15:13 good and bad
15:14-16:42 what is too far?
16:43-18:48 the writers' mistake
18:49-22:59 misinterpreting bojack
23:00-26:22 philbert parallels
26:23-31:21 diane's ethics
31:22-35:00 diane's worst act
35:01-37:16 diane's growth
37:17-39:37 showrunner ethics
39:38-41:54 writers' hypocrisy
41:55-45:08 redemption
45:09-45:50 closing

Art by:   / joyblivion  

Sources:
McDonnell, Chris. Bojack Horseman: The Art Before the Horse. Abrams, 2018.
Temple, Matthew. Male Characters and Masculine Representation in the Era of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Hollywood. August 2023. (pdf below; I didn’t actually end up using this source in the final edit, but still highly recommend it. I’m 99% sure “Robert” is Raphael Bob-Waksberg)
https://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record...
https://iep.utm.edu/psychological-ego....
https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/boja...
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...
   • On the Red Carpet with "Bojack Horseman"  

Podcast Interview:
Let’s Talk with Sam Fragoso - Episode 142 (Courtesy of Sam Fragoso and Karoline Ribak)
Listen to the full episode here: https://talkeasypod.com/raphael-bob-w...
Read the full context of quotes used here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cn2ngj...

Interviews:
https://ew.com/tv/2020/02/14/netflix-...
https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainm...
https://web.archive.org/web/201812031...
https://www.indiewire.com/features/ge...
https://www.vulture.com/2018/09/rapha...
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bojack...
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode...
https://www.indiewire.com/features/ge...
https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/rapha...
https://www.vulture.com/2015/07/bojac...