You should voice an audio book of your novel!

how does this have only 3 comments?

12:10 BoJack even talks about this on the funeral, with the cup on the set of Horsin Around

You

Calling him a noise factory when he didn’t say a single word or even make any sound at all during the whole scene really says something about butterscotch.

projection

P

@@froggyplatypus Tbf he's talking about when his son is at home and gave a very specific example - having the TV too loud (by his standards anyway), so it's not like he's just making shit up. Obviously Bojack locked in a car after not being picked up and having his dad monologuing is gonna be very different than Bojack at home.

That's why he's a terrible writer. He doesn't think before he does anything

Oh good catch! I actually missed that!

So was Beatrice and Bojack and when you put the abuse in that lense it's all the much worse.

He’s so self obsessed that he doesn’t realize how bad run-on sentences are.

@@karenlinares7541 no, but... yeah" It's more than that. Just from the way he talks about it, you just know he doesn't revise either; he'd say "it destroys the voice of the moment" or something.

@@tyrant-den884 ooh Good point. I love how lines like these can have slightly different interpretations while telling a different side of him in each one.

As a creative, it's very recogniseable. I think there are kinda 'gears' of self-improvement creatives naturally develop through (and always more of them than you imagine there being), as they gain more and more appreciation of the process of self-refinement. At least, that's how I've found my own development to go, and it makes sense when applied to the work of others. Butterscotch is so desperately stuck at square one, after you notice a thing is something you can do, but before you admit to yourself that you can get it wrong. He's still in that mindset of "ruining it" if doing any kind of revisitation whatsoever. He still holds all his creative output as precious, and is nowhere near culling his darlings (as it were). Just seems to lack the impetus to kick himself in the ass at all. Sad thing is he seems to have some passion for writing - he wouldn't plug away at it for so long if he didn't - but the stubbornness, keeps him just bashing his head against a wall. Never develop, only do - never edit, only append... and keep doing and doing until one day, for no reason it magically works. Of course it never will because you just don't make good stuff without self-development. Perhaps informed a little by the way society tends to vaunt the best of stuff and decry the less good. Bit of a competition mentality at play, always as a background factor. Someone takes that to heart too sincerely, they could look upon great works of art and suppose their authors just woke up one morning and had done enough hacking away at it to finally end up with a sudden masterpiece. Not imagining them as flawed people who themselves made jank and needed to go back and refine it until they developed the ability to make better stuff. Beware putting people on pedestals, I guess. Not saying that I don't! I fawn over stuff I love just as much as anyone else does. Easy thing to miss. Had the good fortune to realise more than just that mindset though and actually improve. Butterscotch likely never did. "The zone" is definitely a thing and sometimes raw output is a gem all in its own way; every now and then it really is revealing to just allow some art to be its first draft. But like with anything these are just a couple of tools in what ought to be a full toolbox. And like with anything, skill in other areas informs and improves stuff even if you don't end up using that stuff in a particular instance - the gap can be the difference, the mere awareness the driving force of the wonder behind its absence. My songwriting is my main thing, but my poetry (and by extension, to a degree my lyrics) took a lot longer for me to leave first gear on. I get it. I noticed I was good at bodging together strings of flowery language that sound good said - something I do naturally, something I actually have genuine difficulty not doing. My initial attempts at slapping a bit of meaning onto these verbal musics were clumsy and faultering, and often even kinda absent altogether. I got some praise sometimes and let it go to my head. Took some friends kicking my ass to make me realise I wasn't the poem machine I was defaulting to thinking of myself as. That I was accepting "good enough". Took a bit longer still to get that the relative inability to write something simple and direct could actually be more of a handicap than an advantage - something to overcome rather than something to rest upon. The best of friends will always kick your ass when it needs be kicked, of course. :) Butterscotch doesn't sound like he maybe has a circle of friends willing to do that (judging by how sure of himself he comes across). That could be a part of it too.

@@karenlinares7541 Turning interconnected ideas into multiple sentences feels like taking a hacksaw to the editing room, and using your own blood to glue the pieces together. It kinda works, but the result doesn't look pretty, and i don't feel good about it.

On my most recent re-watch of the series i noticed when Bojack is driving Beatrice to the elderly facility to leave her there after she drugged Hollyhock, she starts talking how she has a son who is a ball of gas, but is also a star. Bojack is convinced for a moment shes talking about him, but shes just talking about the Sun. It's a pretty crushing foreshadowing of the ICU moment

@@herefishyfishy13 omg nooo i didn't want to figure that out

@@herefishyfishy13 but he literally realizes she was talking about the sun because he gets upset and says ofc you’re just talking about the sun right?!

i’m sitting here literally jaw dropped at this. the Writing is so incredible

Kelsey Jannings also refers to herself as "a director who sees you" in Season 3 Episode 8 and she was a surrogate mother figure for Bojack.

When you look closer, you can really tell just how much Bojack is like his parents. He's basically a carbon copy of his dad, but with the artistic talent, self-loathing, and sarcasm of his mom.

Damn gotta hate myself for getting myself pregnant again lol 😆 I forgot that butterscotch said that. His character is just urg 😂

@@ladyofnoxus6733 Lady, you gotta stop getting yourself pregnant. Rofl 😂

Also the lady YOU made the mistake of making your mother

@@bluebird1914 A xerox of a xerox some might say

not to mention at the end nora decides to put herself first and leave her husband and kids in order to find her own happiness-something beatrice always wanted but could never find the strength to do

@@gracemassey385 just like her mother.... "I'll take flight.... maybe tomorrow, not tonight" Holy shit

In defense of Beatrice's father and husband, what attracted Beatrice to Butterscotch in the first place was how different he was from the man her father wanted her to marry. While it's true Beatrice only married Butterscotch because he got her unintentionally pregnant with Bojack, marrying Butterscotch was Beatrice breaking free from her father's influence. Of course, that all means nothing, however, since Butterscotch ended up working for Beatrice's father's company and Beatrice would later realize marrying Butterscotch was the worst mistake of her life as seen when she convinced Henrietta to give Hollyhawk up for adoption.

@@gracemassey385 it's also important to mention that the original performance of that ending was so controversial it nearly ruined the writer. He wrote a second play where she comes back to the home in the attempts to finalize a divorce, and has to make the same decision all over again.

I think Amy Winfrey just wanted to flex her face-drawing skills, and used this minimal-animation episode as an excuse to do so.

I can't believe they animated an animated character in an animated show.

@@SuperMrDelgado I know, right? Me neither. All jokes aside, I only made this comment because I was impressed with how much BoJack is visibly reacting to Butterscotch’s monologue when BoJack isn’t the focus. There’s a tendency for animators to hold back on excessive animation to save time or they just straight-up forget. You can notice this in other animated shows when background characters have a static and blank expression on their face. I still appreciate the comment though.

@@justincruz5720 I was being a prick but compared to most mainstream animation this actually is impressive.

@@SuperMrDelgado That we can agree on.

OH

What???

@@aissetousillah3283 but they never said what she died of

@@annikaheydl7342 she was 80. Dementia already gave her health complications. And by the Free Churro Monologue, since she died with a frozen gasp, it probably was a stroke.

@@phonesjuda7318 yeah but the episode the dad mentions was before she had dementia, so what kind of episode was that?

damn I had no idea, This show really is brilliantly written

Nice find

It’s no casa Blanca

😭😭😭

I never even noticed that, wow. As much as he despises her, perhaps there's a part of him that still wants to do right by her, even if he isn't aware of that part. (Not that doing a play really does anything for her NOW, but you know.)

Honestly, sometimes I see a sentence I write like that because it's the first time I've had the will to write in like, 6 months. And then I take a second look at it and just go, "what kind of PURPOSE does this serve?" I hate my writing.

@justA UselessBigender that’s how you can tell he didn’t even looked at it let alone do a second draft after he wrote it

@@poprocks6576 yeah, what a pompous prick. Glad that paper sent him spiralling.

I know that exact same stare and body language, physically trying to turn away and close yourself off from the parent/abuser. And then the slight glimmer of hope fullness that they’re doing something good. The bar can be so low in that kinda home life. This show is so fucking good.

@@realsadegg7246 Unfortunately there's a lot of childhood Bojack scenes that I can relate to. It's hard to watch, but there's something comforting about seeing this sort of thing get shown.

That was my read too! It seemed like the shifts in tone were meant to highlight Butterscotch’s pattern of abusive behavior

thats not the point of the line. the point is to highlight how, despite how cruel and soulless Bojack's parents were, they DID see him and they DID acknowledge him, but he was too busy focusing on the negatives to realize that. he believed that he was never seen by his parents, even though he was. and it's a real thing that happens to people. sometimes we align our views on people with the general atmosphere and feelings we associate with them. but, in doing so, we fail to realize that there are often other parts of those people, that we end up completely missing because we're just waiting for what we associate with them. you could call it a kind of confirmation bias.

@@jammy3662 did they tell u that?

@@jammy3662 I...don't think thats the point either, though its an interesting take I think it was to confirm what Bojack really wanted in life was for someone to tell him that they SAW him, saw him for what he truly was, and accepted that Ever since his dad said that line, he just wanted to be seen, to be heard, to do anything in his power for someone to actually confirm he exists.

it passed by so quickly, i realized i had watched 20 minutes of monologue only when it ended This scene made me want to come back writing fiction again :((

Bojack moved all the time, his gestures and expressions were so we'll animated

@@Anhtique yeah but he's like, walking and looking around. It takes immense skill but there's not much to describe in terms of physical space like in the underwater episode. The goal and outcome are that the audience doesn't really notice it and instead feels it.

hes not the only horse in the room that wasnt moving too much, am i right a h a h a a a a ill see my self out im sorry :"DDDD

@@RozehKakeswell, he was. Because Beatrice was in another funeral hall lol

this is what i was sayibg

He chose Beatrice. BoJack was a consequence. If he just shat on Beatrice, he’d be poo-pooing his own decision and he’s incapable of being critical to himself and his choices. I do love your observation.

I feel like "doing the best she can, but she's failing" is how he sees women. He thinks that's the maximum they can do so that's why he doesn't blame her that much, which is even more toxic.

Butterscotch doesn't give him anyway because he doesn't give himself anyway leeway. Best way I can put is Bojack is Homelander minus the powers who actually wants to get better & Butterscotch is Soldier Boy. Same asshole different generation. Butterscotch was born in the 30s his dad prolly had WWI shell shock (PTSD) & at that time soldiers with PTSD were just dismissed so they usually went home & found a punching bag. It would be nice if they added another season or 2 to fully flesh out Butterscotch.

​@redpanda6497 so basically he's saying she's pathetic but at least she can't help it but Bojack is completely at fault for his pathetic ness in his father eyes of course.

I think it’s amazing that Will Arnett also voices Secretariat, who’s the flip side of that coin. That’s his lifelong idol, a source of hope from the darkness surrounding himself and his home life!

The whole intersection of Will Arnett playing all those characters makes it feel like such a gut punch every time you hear Butterscotch speak

@@realsadegg7246 Arnett is only Secretariats voice in The view from Halfway down because he is also Bojacks father so he keeps Butterscotchs voice. Regular Secretariat is voiced by John Krasinski

His character basically became Beatrice's behavior and Butterscotch's personality merged into one

Thats actually the only reason I wrote the book

@@savagebooks7482 lmfaooooo

@@savagebooks7482 Savage Fans: Did you hear what happened in BOOB? People who don't know what Blood of Once Blood is: BOOB??

Damn, I'm actually impressed. All I've came up with is OOM

I cant wait for the sequel BOOBY

I took it as a horrible sexual assault joke or a murder joke. Like c*mmining on another person or slicing their throat. I've heard pearls/pearl necklaces represent both.

@@UnDefinedLegacy oof. I never thought of that big damn. I took it to mean Butterscotch played with his mom’s jewelry as a kid and his dad beat him over it telling him that “pearls are for ladies” because he was worried Butterscotch would turn out gay or something.

@@candicefrost4561 you can still interpret it that way as well with the whole c*umming on another person. I just had a really dark interpretation because of how abusive Butterscotch is already.

@@UnDefinedLegacy what? I don't get that joke

I think "pearls" is a symbol for tears, which would make it mean "tears are for ladies" - "boys don't cry". Ironic, given BoJack develops depression later and even actually cries, but the real importance of this interpretation is that it connects this line to the talk of Beatrice weeping, and it might even imply something about Butterscotch not weeping JUST because he's a boy. He knows exactly why Beatrice is upset, the earlier dialogue implies he has familiarity with the play and what it's about and he's just as unhappy as she is, but he can't waste time getting emotional about it because that's just not a boy thing to do. So it essentially portrays Butterscotch as slightly more well-rounded and self-aware, justifying the conversation in the penultimate episode as well as the later line in Free Churro ("there was always an understanding that we were all drowning together", which isn't an impression you'd get from such an otherwise narcissistic monologue) - while at the same time reinforcing his toxic masculinity. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into things i dunno

I always thought she'd been looking at a literal doll's house. And at some point I believed to realize it had to do with her baby doll. That this was what made that doll house (which is for much smaller dolls) so significant.

"It's not Ibsen"

@@dragonsember Was this meant as a reply to me?

@@camelopardalis84 no, I'm quoting one of the first things he said about his show during the first episode

@@dragonsember Ah, okay. I remember that part.

I think they might’ve done that on purpose to show not everyone has to have a tragic backstory; some people are just cruel because that’s who they are

She is having one of her episodes again

I think it’s supposed to show that he’s either too proud or was taught young that he shouldn’t show emotions outside of misery or anger. That and it’s possible his type of abuse is inherited or passed down.

Even if it explained the way he views women.

I think it shows how meaningful absent he was in bojack’s life.

Hehe _BOOB_

Brilliant writing

Well, his sentence started in such a way that it could continue forever, not unlike how infinity is assumed to last forever and ever but how could anyone know when no one can see to the end of forever because we as human beings live finite lives even though we were born from the communion of one being and one being that may have met on a sandy beach or a crowded street or in a loud discotheque or maybe they never really met at all, and they just showed different sides of themselves to the other person instead of really delving into who they each are and who they both are or who they may or may not be in this time we find them in, but what if they were never really present and they were just amorphous beings who floated near and past each other who happened to produce another person even though they never really meant to procreate or even find a real connection with someone else which might possibly lead to a child being born who has traits of both or either of them but isn’t really the result of their union because said child is also influenced by all the things that exist around them even though they’re not aware of those things or perhaps not aware of themselves in that they only see themselves as a reflection of those two unspeakable yet spoken-of beings. Eh, I could be wrong.

Wait, where does someone say that?

Camelopardis - The Green Giraffe towards the end of the monologue, when he's talking about what a bad mother beatrice is.

@@stadbab Thank you!

Camelopardis - The Green Giraffe no problem! i've started referring to myself as such haha

@@stadbab Noooooooo!!! Do you need a hug?

And he's just reiterated what his mother told him all his life. She compared him to Ibsen, so now he has to. He was held to such a high degree - one he would never live up to - and now nothing will ever be good enough for him. Really goes to show how LONG emotional trauma can remain in a person's mind. He heard this while working on Horsin` Around, and probably even before THAT. So that's well over 20 years Beatrice reinforced his 'worthlesness'. This show is amazing, and a great look at how trauma shapes people.

Holy hell wow just realized that

Just rewatched the first episode today after finishing the series yesterday and it was crazy he brought that up since episode one first couple minutes at that

Another crazy thing to point out. The thing that ultimately takes BJ down is his worst act leaving Sarah Lynn to die for 17 minutes. In Season 1 Episode 3 the first truly evil thing we see him do is to Sarah Lynn at the beginning of Prickly Muffin its the first of a few times BJS villian theme plays when he tells her she has to perform even if it kills her b/c only her fans will love her. Also in this same episode at the end after sleeping with Sarah Lynn & allowing her to the drugs he says "Nothing I do has consequence." Triumphantly. After seeing everything I would say Season 1 is the best Season the humor & comedy balances out the drama depressing emotional moments. Plus they set up everything here.

I am glad you found some value in the video! Thank you for the high praise, Brenton.

p.s. nice hair

I thought the same thing! Bojack is constantly seeking validation from women, even to the point of destroying them. Princess Carolyn and Diane may be the biggest. Heck, I would even throw in Anna Spanakopita who was like PC, but more efficient.

@@pinkyapple333 And normally I am really bad at seeing those things! I am so used to not recognising things that aren't made blatantly obvious. So I was surprised by the "doesn't depend on people" notion. (This is not meant as an attack of sorts against the person who made this video. I don't know/remember his name.) It's mainly in the first episode(s), in which he faints/has panic attacks over nothing (as harsh as this may sound!) and is helped so much by other people and seems to also expect that this help will come. You just reminded me of a joke from the show that I only caught when rewatching some arbitrarily picked episodes lately. Does the word "Moussaka" ring a bell for you?

Well keep in mind that he said that right after his accident, where he depended on princess Carolyn to get him out of the stunt, but she didn’t, and after he made a fool of himself when he pretended to be a feminist and had to defend Philbert, but Diane couldn’t/wouldn’t help him.

People with fearful or anxious attachment tend to over-rely on the people around them because they grew up without a 'secure base' to safely handle the challenges on their own. Its overcompensating. The answer isn't to NOT rely on people but to ask directly for what you need and develop self confidence, which is what butterscotch hear tells Bojack he absolutely can not do. Bojack is self destructive but maybe it's the only way he's learned to get his needs met because his parents didn't give a flying fuck about him unless he was the center of attention (whether in a good or toxic way).

Wow 😲

Yeah I was feeling that through the whole series. I've never set foot in L.A and I probably haven't done as many drugs as Bojack but, I relate to him on a lot of things. That's enough to make Anyone uncomfortable.

In a way, he’s also justifying himself and his own toxic behavior, saying that it’s “teaching” Bojack not to depend on people and that it makes someone a good parent if they neglect you and mistreat you. Abusive parents do that a lot, acting at being nice when justifying the other’s toxic behavior by saying it “teaches a lesson,” and clearly trying to get the kid to believe that lie about both parents’s abuse.

No this is the on the nose meaning that most people understand first time. It was even literally translated as Dollhouse in my country

I just assumed that it was a way of saying she met with her female friends and "they put ideas in her head". I guess that doesn't make sense tho since she's Never hinted at having friends at all

If people find it funny, it's humour. You only really know once it's out there. For most people that line falls at a different place. I think the spaghetti strainer joke works because it only lasts for a season and the pay off is certainly delivered upon. The honeydew joke works because it's not used too often, and while it is something that pops up regularly, it gets itself out of the way quickly.

Yeah that felt like a big missed opportunity, I'm glad that you commented on it though

I don't think he cared about Butterscotch as much, and he probably broke contact with him once he reached adulthood

Well, he did imagine Secretariat was his father when he was dying, right? He clearly doesn't even see him as a real dad, even tho he internalized a bunch of shit he did/said

I think it goes to show that Bojack, as much as he despised his mom, still cared for her and somewhat relate to her. The fact that he didnt talk much about his dad nor we ever see an episode or two, dedicated for Bojack's dad, unlike Bojack's mom, prove that Bojack just didnt give a sh*t about his dad. He seen Secretariat more as a real father than his actual father (rightfully so)

In _The view from halfway down_ Bojack has a dream where all of his deceased peers host a little get together before they go through a door which represents them finally crossing over to the afterlife. And in that dream, Bojack imagines his dad as secretariat, and he constantly flips between the two modes, Secretariat shows regret for the things he did in his career, and butterscotch admits to Bojack that he really did care about him and Beatrice but never showed it. This is bojack's way of assuring himself that his parents weren't the horrible monsters they acted like. But we never actually know if butterscotch truly cared for Bojack or not, as it was just a dream and a reflection of bojack's inner thoughts.

BoJack pretty much hates Butterscotch and considered him a loser. There’s a reason Secretariat was his dad in view from halfway down.

Yuh

I’ve also heard that “pearls” can refer to semen. Under that interpretation, he could be saying, “Jizz is for ladies.” But even that contributes to the thought that he has a repressed element to his identity.

Will Arnett is the VA, but other than that your paragraph is spot on!!

This is really good and adds a great depth to butterscotch as a character. This episode made me interested to know more about his childhood and early life- it would have been interesting to see the causes of his abusive, narcisstic self.

"Butterscotch may be a trans woman" is not a take I was expecting today tbh

Yeah i always thought that it would be interesting to watch that the premise of the show "the only villain is pain, and how people deal with it" would be great with the MEANER characters. Like Bojack's dad or the father of Diane.

This is most likely the intention of the writers. He was a psychiatrist, he would know about that drug interaction, and the way he is saying it definitely shows that he selected those items particularly out of spite.

Yes!! I've always wished we got more of Butterscotch's background. He's fascinating in the same horrible way Beatrice is; everyone is the way they are for a reason. I'd love to explore his past the same way.

Even though he’s not as explored as Beatrice, I thought his change was explained. The reason he’s much more pleasant when he was younger was because he started out as an optimistic writer with a dream that (as someone who is also a writer) is vague and unrealistic. As time went on and reality sets on him that he’s not as good at it as he thinks, he gets rejected by publishers, and financial problems push him further and further from his original goals, he starts hammering down on it more because that idealism from his youth has been twisted into delusional stubbornness and narcissism. I think he’s an interesting parallel to Beatrice in that he’s a young person who becomes cruel and twisted when they’re older due to a mix of their own actions and circumstances outside of their control, until they take it out on someone who doesn’t deserve it; Bojack. The difference is that Beatrice had self awareness and knew she was awful to Bojack, but didn’t feel bad enough to try and turn it around. Butterscotch, in his denial that his lifelong dream was never fulfilled, never realized his faults, and tries to convince himself that he cares more about others than he really does, while simultaneously making it seem like the world is out to get him.

@@gregjayonnaise8314 that's a pretty good analysis. Still I would have liked to see a bit more of his frustrations building up and "ruining" him. A single episode from his point of view would have been a nice way tp show that. Then again, it's not a very central character, so I agree with you..

@@Rodrigo_Vega That’s a fair point. I wish they showed him more too.

@@Rodrigo_Vega yeah I think it would've been cool to have more of an exploration of butterscotch's background too. I understand the main focus on Beatrice is because bojacks trauma mainly seems to stem from the way his mother treated him. I almost get the feeling that butterscotch was a bit absent in bojacks life, going to work at the factory and office then spending the rest of his time locked in his study writing his book. While the burden of caring for bojack mainly seemed to fall to Beatrice, giving her more time to abuse him and leave a larger impact on his life. Butterscotch, despite clearly still being abusive to bojack, seems to be the lesser of the two evils, his apology is messed up sure, but an apology coming to you in a household like that is so rare that I imagine that those brief "nice" moments with his father made butterscotch just a little better in young bojacks eyes than Beatrice. Beatrice's story illustrates how her parents impacted the way she treated Bojack, and since a big part of Bojack Horseman is discussing how parents and family can impact your life I understand why they went full focus on Beatrice. The writers give us specific beats in her life that impact went on to bojack, and it must have been very carefully planned out and must have taken quite a bit of time to do. I wonder if they hadn't suddenly been crushed for time in season 6 with netflix cutting them off if we would have gotten more of Butterscotchs backstory. Because in this simple monologue the writers make it clear that Bojack has inherited traits from his father too. The messed up life lessons he tries to pass after an event, the insensitive way he views other peoples emotions, blaming other people for the problems hes created for himself, the entitlement, hell, they have Arrnet voice both adult Bojack and Butterscotch just to drive that point in. Though they weren't able to take the time to tell us a lot about Butterscotch they still gave us this monologue that tells us quite a bit about how his dad influenced Bojacks life. Anyways thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

@@gregjayonnaise8314 i feel like they didn’t show him more because bojack never really knew him. throughout the show he definitely see that bojack knows a LOT about his mother but his father was closed off and absent