S1E9_Part A: Characterisation by Hierarchy| 2/2 – ”The Indispensable Others”_UNFILTERED

SHOW NOTE

 

 

RECAP

This episode opens with a look back at the journey so far. Betty and Rita revisit their iconic conversation about "main character energy" — from Rita's poetic vision of driving with Coldplay music and reaching for the sun, to the uncomfortable truth that the TikTok trend didn't exactly age gracefully. The recap reintroduces the four pillars of character classification and the five levels of hierarchy, reminding us that while we're all the main character in our own story, Timothy Kurek put it best: "Sometimes you can find healing by playing a supporting role in someone else's experience."

 

 

INTRO

Betty sets the stage for what might be the most eye-opening episode yet. After spending last episode on the gravitational pull of main characters, it's time to descend the ladder — to the supporting, the tertiary, and the background characters who quietly hold stories together. The tease? A nameless man in a crowd who ignited the entire Great Pirate Era in One Piece with a single question, and a jogging baboon in BoJack Horseman who delivered the show's most unforgettable philosophy without ever getting a name. The thesis is set: even the most fleeting characters can radiate main character energy — when the writing lets them breathe.

 

 

PART A — Main Supporting Characters

You went to the concert. You thought you were a supporting character. You were wrong.

This is where the episode truly comes alive. Betty asks Rita a deceptively simple question: "Have you ever been to a concert?" What follows is a masterclass in character hierarchy disguised as comedic devastation. Rita proudly declares that fans are the supporting characters to the artist — only for Betty to deliver the gut punch: "You guys are just background characters. You're literally just phone flashlights in the concert video." Rita's spiralling reaction — "No name, no face, no details... they copy and paste us?!" — is both hilarious and oddly profound.

From there, Betty unpacks the real meaning of "supporting character." It's not about who supports the main character — it's about who occupies a significant part of their living identity. Using real-life parallels (parents, nannies, rivals, roommates), the conversation explores how hierarchy is fluid: your parents can shift from main supporting to side supporting characters as your life evolves. Even your family isn't immune to demotion.

The episode then dives deep into BoJack Horseman, mapping out how Mr. Peanutbutter climbed from tertiary nuisance to main supporting character through sheer persistence, how Diane went from unregistered background character to BoJack's most monumental relationship, and how Princess Carolyn — perhaps the show's most brilliantly written character — spent years being everyone else's supporting character, especially Bojack while neglecting her own main character arc.

Betty drops an original quote that hits hard: "Sometimes losing relevance in someone's story means gaining significance in yours."

The section also introduces Todd's journey from confused teenage housemate to BoJack's unlikely best friend, and clarifies an important question from Rita: "What's the difference between a main character and a protagonist?" Answer: hierarchy vs. role — and they'll be covering that distinction in a future episode.

 

 

PART B — Side Supporting Characters

They're the main supporting characters... of the main supporting characters.

Betty breaks down the layer beneath primary characters using a brilliantly relatable analogy. Your sister is your main supporting character. Her best friend, whom you've met a few times, is a main supporting character for her — but only a side supporting character for you. That nesting doll logic becomes the episode's clearest explanation of how side characters function.

The BoJack Horseman examples pile up: Pickles (Mr. Peanutbutter's ex), Guy (Diane's eventual husband), Emily and Maud (Todd's connections), Rutabaga Rabitowitz, Ralph Stilton, and Judah — all side supporting characters for BoJack, but main supporting characters within the orbits of a main supporting for him - Princess Carolyn.

 

 

PART C — Understanding Tertiary & Background Characters

The hosts circle back to Episode 2's discussion on memorable characters before arriving at a revelation: unforgettable characters don't need to be main, supporting, or even side characters. Enter the Cabbage Man from Avatar: The Last Airbender — a nameless background merchant whose recurring "MY CABBAGES!" gag survived an entire war, only to become a corporate empire in The Legend of Korra. Rita's verdict: "A cockroach. A cockroach” pointing to the fact that even background character can persists a series sequence.

Then comes the episode's most electrifying moment — the unnamed spectator at Gol D. Roger's execution in One Piece, whose single shouted question launched over 1,000 episodes of adventure. Nobody remembers his face. Nobody knows his name. But his one act of curiosity ignited the Great Pirate Era. Betty jokes about how she thinks he could have been an industry plant – a Roger plant!  

This spirals into a wildly entertaining tangent where Rita drops her One Piece theory — that the One Piece itself is "a state of mind." Betty's reaction is visceral towards the prospect of Oda doing this, saying: "You put me through 1,000+ episodes for a state of mind? Are you mad?"  Rita doubles down: "It was your nakama all along!" Betty nearly loses it.

 

 

PART D — The Surprising Use of Tertiary & Background Characters

The deep dive into BoJack Horseman's tertiary and background characters begins. Betty defines tertiary characters — those who appear once or twice, are given just enough identity to be remembered, and serve a unilateral purpose before vanishing. Neil McBeal the Navy Seal (Season 1, Episode 2), Tom Jumbo-Grumbo the whale reporter, Angela Diaz the ruthless production exec, Hollyhock's eight polyamorous dads, and Todd's stepdad Jorge Chavez all make the list.

Background characters get their moment too: the jogging baboon and his iconic "It gets easier" quote, the cow serving milk in a diner, the elephant literally in the room, and Becky the chicken escaping a chicken farm. The show's real-world celebrity cameos — Mila Kunis, Jennifer Aniston, Daniel Radcliffe, Wiz Khalifa, and Andrew Garfield — are highlighted as clever uses of tertiary and background casting. Plus, the unforgettable spoofs: Jurj Clooners (George Clooney) and Cindy Crawfish (Cindy Crawford).

The section closes on a melancholy note: background characters often exist just to die — nameless figures in someone else's story, easily replaced and quickly forgotten.

 

 

CONCLUSION

Betty leaves the audience with a powerful original reflection: "Before you fight another man's battle, or take a stand in someone else's war, ask yourself — how much do I really know about this man and his wars? How much does this man really know about me and my personal battles? If your answers don't balance each other, maybe it's time to step back and reevaluate what you're fighting for. Otherwise, you risk becoming just another nameless figure who fought in a war that mattered more than your own life — and you'll soon be forgotten by the next generation."

Rita's sign-off is simple and perfect: "Use main character energy in moderation. Touch grass. Feel the breeze. Love yourself first."

 

 

OUTRO

The episode wraps up with a reminder of what's ahead. The series will continue with "characterization by level of development" — exploring how characters evolve (or don't) — before moving into "characterization by role," where hierarchy and role finally get untangled. The long-promised breakdown of protagonist vs. main character is coming.

"When a storyteller writes with intentionality, no character is just an extra."

 

 

 

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