Somehow, a show featuring a talking horse as its main character and a very strange (often mingling in ways that, in the real world, would be very illegal) ing cast of both humans and animals became the breakout hit of the 2010s. Its social commentary, genius humor and incredible ability to deal perfectly with very real, very dark issues is impressive.
However, its last couple of episodes were both very different, and very divisive. We’ve weighed up the reasons the second to last episode should have been the endpoint for the show, against the reasons the actual finale was perfect.
FINAL EPISODE: We Got To See Everyone Again
One of the main things a series finale always tries to do, no matter what it is, is to let us see everyone we loved one last time. Lost, for example, chucked everyone into a church that apparently signified purgatory, while The Office managed to convince Steve Carell to show up at the wedding of Dwight and Angela.
BoJack Horseman didn’t need to bring back anyone, because they were all still there, and we got to see them one last time.
PENULTIMATE EPISODE: We Got To See Everyone Else Again
Interestingly, it was the penultimate episode that brought back everyone from the dead. Well, sort of. The characters we actually hadn’t seen for a long time, such as BoJack’s mother and Sara-Lynn; these were the ones we missed. By bringing them all back, we got to hear the voices of a few people we hadn’t seen for multiple seasons.
FINAL EPISODE: BoJack Said His Goodbyes To Everyone
The season finale of BoJack Horseman allowed the central character to effectively say goodbye to everyone he alienated over the course of the show.
We got one last piece of banter between him and Todd (something the latter seasons seriously neglected), a strange bit of chatter between him and Mr. Peanut Butter, a happy reunion between BoJack and Princess Carolyn, and of course, that final, heart-breaking rooftop conversation between BoJack and Diane.
PENULTIMATE EPISODE: BoJack Said His Goodbyes To Everyone Else
We might have got to say ‘goodbye’ to the main characters in the finale, but they weren’t dead. The characters in the penultimate episode really were. These were people BoJack would never have a conversation with again, and this episode allowed him to come about as close as possible as he ever would. He was able to say things he couldn’t say in life, and confront some horrific truths.
FINAL EPISODE: It Took Us To The Future
One of the nice things about the season finale was that it let us see where the characters ended up. We zipped forward in time and found that everyone was pretty much okay. Diane had (mostly) gotten over her sometimes scarring life; Princess Carolyn was getting married. They were all happier.
PENULTIMATE EPISODE: It Was As Artistic As The Rest Of The Show
One of the biggest issues with the final episode was its lack of artistic flair.
Sure, it was presented almost as if it were four mini-episodes, each concentrating on a separate character, but the penultimate episode was a trippy, meta-experience that reflected the genius of the show’s past. That being said, the series finally did a decent job of clo the storylines of the characters that fans have been following for years.
FINAL EPISODE: It Was ‘Real’
Of course, it would have been a little strange to end the entire show with a story that didn’t actually ‘happen’. It only happened in BoJack’s mind, so leaving the show like that could have been problematic for fans. It also would have undermined Bojack's entire arc up until that point. So, thankfully, the series didn't use such a blatant cop-out to end the series.
PENULTIMATE EPISODE: It Would Have Been A Very Bold Move
Then again, that would have been a big move from the creators. Writing a show that became incredibly popular and then ending it with an episode made up of an imagined series of events and almost none of the main characters?
It could have ended up in lists of Worst Season Finales Ever, but it could have easily gone down in history as one of the best.
FINAL EPISODE: The Final Shot Had Bojack In It
The titular character and the point around which everyone in that strange universe pivots, isn’t in the final shot of the penultimate episode. Obviously, that isn’t mandatory, but it would have been strange to leave it that way. The ending of the finale showed us BoJack and Diane, together again, bringing everything full circle from the totally different set of events that kicked everything off in season one.
PENULTIMATE EPISODE: It Ended In True BoJack Style
Despite not actually having BoJack on screen, leaving the ending of the penultimate episode as the ending of the whole show could have been one of the most drastic, depressing ways to leave anything in the history of TV.
The brutal, unresolved death of the main character with no follow up? It would have never happened, but if it did, it would have the most BoJack ending of all time.