S1E6_PART C: Character Design & Structuring | 2/3 - ”A Complete Arc-by-Arc Analysis of BoJack Horseman”_UNFILTERED

Show Notes

 

Can you measure a life in arcs? In this episode, we put BoJack Horseman—Netflix's most complicated horse—through our transformation game, tracking every growth spurt, betrayal, and rock bottom moment across six seasons. The results? Surprising. The method? Mathematical. The journey? Devastating.

 

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING:

This episode contains comprehensive spoilers for the entire BoJack Horseman series.

 

 

 

RECAP: The Transformation Game

Before we dissect BoJack's messy evolution, let's revisit the framework. In our previous episode, we introduced the transformation scoring system:

• Mini arcs = 1 point (two simultaneous transformations)
• Major arcs = 2 points (three or more simultaneous transformations)
• Formula: (Total Arc Points ÷ Total Single Transformations) × 10

The scale reveals three character types:

• Score < 5: Discrete dynamic (like Luffy from One Piece)
• Score = 5: Quintessential dynamic (like Harry Potter)
• Score > 5: Unequivocal dynamic (like Daenerys Targaryen)

We tested this on co-host Rita, who scored a 7—an unequivocal dynamic character whose life has been marked by constant, dramatic change. But what about BoJack?

 

 

 

INTRO: Setting the Stage

Today's mission: Apply the transformation game to BoJack Horseman himself. We're mapping his complete chronological timeline—every flashback, every pivotal moment, every consequence—from birth to the series finale.

Is BoJack actually changing, or is he just spinning his wheels in the same destructive patterns? The math will tell us.

Stick around to the end for a surprising analogy involving the Hokey Pokey song that perfectly encapsulates BoJack's journey.

 

 

 

ARC 1: The Broken Foundation (1964-1970s, Ages 6-9)

The Sugarman Curse

Before BoJack's story begins, we need to understand Beatrice Sugarman—his mother. Born in 1938 to wealth and privilege, Beatrice's childhood shattered when her beloved brother Crackerjack died in World War II. Her mother's grief spiraled into mental breakdown, culminating in a lobotomy that turned her into a "living zombie."

Before her death, Beatrice's mother left her with one haunting lesson: "Never fall in love, even if it kills you."

This curse would poison everything that followed.

BoJack's First Transformation

Born January 2, 1964, in San Francisco to Beatrice and Butterscotch Horseman, BoJack enters a loveless marriage built on obligation, not affection. Between ages 6-9, we witness his first growth spurt—not just physical, but emotional. He begins to identify his feelings and understand the toxicity of his family dynamics.

Despite enduring emotional and physical abuse, young BoJack maintains his innocence. Dressed in a blue and white sailor suit with a short mane, he's resilient and hopeful. He desperately searches for warmth, bonding with TV hero Secretariat (who later commits suicide).

In one heartbreaking moment, BoJack takes his first sip of alcohol from his passed-out parents' table, then crawls into his mother's lap. As he explains in "Free Churro," this was family—dysfunctional and drowning, but at least drowning together.

Transformation Count: 1 major arc (physical growth + environmental change to a better home + internal recognition of family dysfunction)

 

 

 

ARC 2: The Teenage Betrayal (Teen Years)

BoJack hits puberty—pimples, chubbier build, football uniform. But the real transformation is internal: he discovers his father cheating with his secretary.

To cover it up, Butterscotch manipulates BoJack into drinking, causing alcohol poisoning. This moment breaks something fundamental—BoJack either loses respect for his father or begins normalizing his disrespect for women. He gives up expecting anything from his parents.

Transformation Count: 1 mini arc (physical growth + discovery of betrayal)

 

 

 

ARC 3: The Move to LA (1986, Age 22)

BoJack leaves San Francisco for Los Angeles to pursue showbiz. He's a full-grown adult now, embodying 90s style, still maintaining his innocence and politeness. When offered alcohol, he says, "Oh no, I don't drink."

This version of BoJack is still trying to be decent.

Transformation Count: 1 mini arc (physical maturation + environmental change)

 

 

 

ARC 4: Fame and the Fall (1987-1996, Ages 23-32)

The Hollywoo Break

BoJack lands his star-making role in Horsin' Around. His orange sweater with pink apples becomes iconic. His mane thickens, his fur lightens, his eyes widen—he's the picture of 90s sitcom success.

But three simultaneous transformations occur:

1. Success: Fame and fortune arrive
2. Addiction: He starts consuming alcohol, sliding toward alcoholism
3. Betrayal: His friendship with Herb Kazzaz—the man who got him the role—falls apart

When the show gets canceled and Herb is fired for being gay, BoJack doesn't back him up. This betrayal haunts him for decades.

Transformation Count: 1 major arc (lifestyle change + success + friendship collapse + show cancellation)

 

 

 

ARC 5: The Long Decline (1996-2014, Ages 32-50)

Becoming the BoJack We Know

This 18-year period transforms BoJack into the character we meet in Season 1. He develops the iconic look: unbuttoned gray sports jacket, blue sweater, cyan jeans, red and white sneakers. As he approaches 50, eye bags, wrinkles, and a potbelly appear—he's becoming an "o-ssan" (middle-aged man).

Depression sets in. He can't land major roles. He meets the supporting cast who will define his life: rival Mr. Peanutbutter, agent/girlfriend Princess Carolyn, and couch-surfing Todd.

Four transformations collide: physical aging, depression, environmental change (buying his mansion), and career decline.

Transformation Count: 1 major arc (physical aging + depression + location change + fading fame)

 

 

 

ARC 6: The Book and the Secretariat Movie (2014-2015)

A Glimmer of Hope

BoJack lands a book deal with Penguin Publishing, meeting ghostwriter Diane—his rival's girlfriend and the biggest supporting character in his next chapter. He reconnects with fading co-star Sarah Lynn and attempts reconciliation with Herb (it fails).

Princess Carolyn ends their relationship. But BoJack's memoir becomes a hit, winning a Golden Globe and opening doors.

In 2015, he finally stars in Secretariat, playing his childhood hero. Success returns. He reconnects with Charlotte (his old flame) and dates Wanda (an owl who just woke from a 30-year coma).

Then BoJack makes a catastrophic decision: he breaks into a museum to film a scene, getting producer Kelsey fired and Todd thrown in prison. BoJack alone escapes consequences.

Spiraling from guilt, his relationship with Wanda ends. He drives to New Mexico to visit Charlotte, where something inappropriate happens with her 17-year-old daughter Penny. The friendship is destroyed. BoJack's guilt deepens to unbearable levels.

Transformation Count: 1 major arc (relationship gained and lost + job disaster + New Mexico incident)

 

 

 

ARC 7: The Unraveling (2016) & The Redemptive Glimmer (2017)

The Secretariat movie succeeds despite BoJack's absence (CGI replaced him). But he makes another terrible choice: sleeping with Emily, Todd's childhood friend and business partner. When Todd discovers the betrayal, he's done with BoJack.

BoJack also fires Princess Carolyn after she loses deals trying to get him the best contracts. When she needs him most, he abandons her.

Then comes the tragedy: BoJack calls Sarah Lynn for a bender. It ends with her death.

Three losses—Todd, Princess Carolyn, Sarah Lynn—should constitute a major arc. But here's the twist: BoJack doesn't actually change. He's still depressed, still shameful, still the same. The events happen, but he remains fundamentally unchanged.

Transformation Count: 0 arcs (events without transformation)

 

 

BoJack leaves LA for a year, disappearing to his mother's family house. When he returns, he meets Hollyhock—initially believed to be his daughter, later revealed as his stepsister from Butterscotch's affair.

For the first time, BoJack learns to care for someone without needing anything in return. He's terrified of hurting Hollyhock and makes conscious efforts to be better for her sake.

When Princess Carolyn forges his signature on a movie deal to save her company and confesses, BoJack surprises everyone: "Yeah, I'll do it. I'll take responsibility." No convincing needed.

This is the first time we see BoJack making multiple conscious efforts to be better.

Transformation Count: 1 mini arc (environmental change + internal growth toward goodness)

 

 

 

ARC 8: Addiction and Consequences (2018)

The movie BoJack agreed to—Philbert—becomes a success. He dates PR agent Anna Spanakopita (who eventually calls him a lost cause) and co-star Gina.

Then disaster: an on-set accident leads to pain medication. BoJack, trying to stay clean, becomes addicted. He hallucinates, blacks out, and in a horrifying moment, strangles Gina on set. She survives but is left with severe PTSD.

This is BoJack's breaking point. He realizes he needs help.

Transformation Count: 1 mini arc (addiction + realization)

 

 

 

ARC 9: Rehab, Reckoning, and Rock Bottom (2019)

The Path to Redemption

Diane encourages BoJack to check into rehab. He undergoes therapy, confronting his trauma and accepting that he's not beyond redemption. He meets Dr. Champ, a therapist and former alcoholic who relapses after drinking BoJack's concealed vodka.

After rehab, BoJack starts fresh as an acting professor, moving to a new city where Hollyhock attends university. He stops dyeing his hair—revealing gray—and changes his wardrobe to a green jacket and light blue shirt. He's shedding the Hollywood persona.

The Past Catches Up

But BoJack's past won't let him be. Reporters investigate Sarah Lynn's death, uncovering the 17 minutes BoJack waited before calling 911—time he spent creating an alibi. Dr. Champ, vengeful after losing his license, violates patient confidentiality and spills everything.

BoJack attempts damage control with a PR interview, portraying himself as a victim of addiction. It works—until a second interview forces him to confess the truth about those 17 minutes.

The fallout is total: Sarah Lynn's family sues him. His financial agent sells his house to pay the settlement. He's fired from his professorship. He breaks into his old home and attempts suicide in the pool. He survives, but is sentenced to prison.

Transformation Count: 1 major arc (environmental changes: rehab + professor job + prison; physical change: gray hair + new wardrobe; external change: reputation destroyed)

 

 

ARC 10: The Final Reckoning (2019-2020)

Prison and Boundaries

In prison, BoJack is forced to confront his actions. He's released on probation to attend Princess Carolyn's wedding, where everyone sets boundaries. Princess Carolyn won't represent him personally. Diane ends their friendship in the most subtle, devastating way.

On the rooftop in the finale "Nice While It Lasted," BoJack asks, "Wouldn't it be funny if this was the last time we spoke?"

Silence.

He understands: he's lost another friend.

The only person who remains is Mr. Peanutbutter—another version of BoJack, just happier and equally toxic in his own way.

 

 

 

The Final Verdict: What Kind of Character Is BoJack?

After tracking 30 individual transformations, 5 mini arcs, and 5 major arcs across BoJack's entire life, the math reveals:

(5 mini arcs × 1) + (5 major arcs × 2) = 15 points
15 ÷ 30 transformations × 10 = 5

BoJack Horseman scores a 5: A quintessential dynamic character.

Not the unequivocal Daenerys Targaryen type we expected. He's perfectly in the middle—like Harry Potter. He changes, but he doesn't transform so dramatically that he becomes unrecognizable.

Quality: Internal and External (Balanced)

BoJack experiences both internal shifts (depression, guilt, attempts at redemption) and external changes (fame, aging, imprisonment). He has "healthy girl era" phases, but always regresses.

Phase: Dramatic (Not Flat)

BoJack doesn't change the people around him—they try to change him. His transformation is active and dramatic, focused on his own evolution rather than influencing his environment.

Consequential: Neutral

BoJack's transformation is neither wholly positive nor negative. He's gray—a regular guy who messes up, tries to do better, messes up again. By the end, he's still fundamentally BoJack: broken, flawed, seeking validation, afraid of not belonging.

Even in prison, he fears freedom because he might ruin things again. That childhood fear never left him.

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION: The Hokey Pokey Wisdom

In the series finale, Todd takes BoJack outside Princess Carolyn's wedding. BoJack shares his fear of regressing when his prison sentence ends. Todd responds with the Hokey Pokey song.

Everyone focuses on the choreography—the hokey pokey part. But Todd points to the real message: "You turn yourself around."

No matter how low you get, no matter how many times you mess up—consciously or unconsciously—don't use your failures as an excuse to keep doing harm. Get up. Turn yourself around. Do better. Keep trying.

That's BoJack's arc. Not redemption. Not damnation. Just the endless, exhausting work of trying to be better than you were yesterday.

 

 

 

 

What's Next?

In our next episode, we're wrapping up the Rounded Character Design saga. We'll explore character development as the key process for crafting realistic, relatable characters—and how BoJack Horseman masterfully brings all these elements together.

Join us on the next page.

 

Referenced Shows: BoJack Horseman, One Piece, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Avatar: The Legend of Korra

Listen to the full unfiltered conversation at: www.pagespodcasthq.com