BoJack Horseman (season 4)
The fourth season of the animated television series BoJack Horseman premiered exclusively via Netflix's web streaming service on September 8, 2017.[1]
BoJack Horseman | |
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Season 4 | |
Season 4 promotional poster | |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 12 |
Release | |
Original network | Netflix |
Original release | September 8, 2017 |
Season chronology | |
Cast
Main
- Will Arnett as BoJack Horseman and Butterscotch Horseman
- Amy Sedaris as Princess Carolyn
- Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen
- Paul F. Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter
- Aaron Paul as Todd Chavez
Recurring
- Wendie Malick as Beatrice Horseman
- Aparna Nancherla as Hollyhock Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzerelli-McQuack
- Sharon Horgan as Courtney Portnoy
- Andre Braugher as Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz
- Lake Bell as Katrina Peanutbutter
- Matthew Broderick as Joseph Sugarman
- Jane Krakowski as Honey Sugarman
- Hannibal Buress as Miles
- Raúl Esparza as Ralph Stilton
- Kimiko Glenn as Stefani Stilton
- Jessica Biel as Jessica Biel
Guest stars
- Marc Jacobs as Sharc Jacobs
- Rami Malek as Flip McVicker
- Colman Domingo as Eddie
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as Crackerjack Sugarman
- RuPaul as Queen Antonia
- Natalie Morales as Yolanda Buenaventura
- Kristen Bell as Ruthie
- Kristin Chenoweth as Vanessa Gekko and Miss Teach-Bot
- Keith Olbermann as Tom Jumbo-Grumbo
- Zach Braff as Famous Actor Zach Braff
- Felicity Huffman as Felicity Huffman
- Sir Mix-A-Lot as Sir Mix-A-Lot
- Paul Giamatti as TV BoJack
- Tim Gunn as Tim Gunn
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Vincent D'Onofrio
Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
38 | 1 | "See Mr. Peanutbutter Run" | Amy Winfrey | Peter A. Knight | September 8, 2017 | 401 |
Mr. Peanutbutter's campaign for governor takes an absurd turn when he asks the incumbent governor, Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz (Andre Braugher) to an actual race: a skiing competition. This is made even more ridiculous when it is revealed that Mr. Peanutbutter cannot ski. Diane settles into her new job at the Girl Croosh blog. Princess Carolyn begins considering starting a family with her new boyfriend, Ralph, a mouse. Todd goes on more misadventures on a drone throne. BoJack, meanwhile, is in absentia. | ||||||
39 | 2 | "The Old Sugarman Place" | Anne Walker Farrell | Kate Purdy | September 8, 2017 | 402 |
After observing wild horses running through the desert, BoJack decides to spend some time in his mother's old summer home in Michigan. He befriends a widower dragonfly (Colman Domingo), who helps him restore the dilapidated house. In flashback sequences, parts of BoJack's mother Beatrice's childhood during World War II are detailed. Beatrice's mother, Honey Sugarman (Jane Krakowski), becomes severely depressed after her son Crackerjack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) is killed in the war. Honey Sugarman's husband, Joseph (Beatrice's father and BoJack's grandfather, voiced by Matthew Broderick), forces her to undergo a lobotomy after she gets drunk and forces Beatrice to drive, crashing their car. | ||||||
40 | 3 | "Hooray! Todd Episode!" | Aaron Long | Elijah Aron & Jordan Young | September 8, 2017 | 403 |
In this Todd-centered episode, Todd goes on many misadventures. He works for Mr. Peanutbutter's campaign; meets BoJack's alleged daughter, Hollyhock (Aparna Nancherla); gets set up in a sham romantic relationship with tongue-twisting celebrity Courtney Portnoy (Sharon Horgan); and still makes time to play triangle at the Hollywoo Bowl. Todd tells BoJack he is asexual, and attends a meeting for asexual people. | ||||||
41 | 4 | "Commence Fracking" | Matt Garofalo | Joanna Calo | September 8, 2017 | 404 |
Diane's marriage to Mr. Peanutbutter begins to weigh on her with the campaign, especially when he agrees to start a fracking operation on their property to prove a political point. BoJack tries to help Hollyhock find her biological mother. Princess Carolyn is given a special ovulation-reminder watch (with the voice of Harvey Fierstein). | ||||||
42 | 5 | "Thoughts and Prayers" | Amy Winfrey | Nick Adams | September 8, 2017 | 405 |
Mass shootings affect the filming of Courtney Portnoy's movie. BoJack and Hollyhock visit BoJack's mother, Beatrice, at the nursing home. Beatrice's dementia has progressed so far that she cannot recognize BoJack. Diane feels empowered when she is given a gun and writes a viral blog post about it, ultimately changing gun legislation in California. | ||||||
43 | 6 | "Stupid Piece of Sh*t" | Anne Walker Farrell | Alison Tafel | September 8, 2017 | 406 |
In his inner monologue, BoJack constantly beats himself up after his mother and her nurse move in with him. To save face from the failed movie, Princess Carolyn decides to advance the fake relationship of Courtney and Todd with a sham marriage, with the assistance of Rutabaga. Todd is conflicted about this, not least because he is becoming more comfortable identifying as asexual. | ||||||
44 | 7 | "Underground" | Aaron Long | Kelly Galuska | September 8, 2017 | 407 |
At a fundraiser, due to an earthquake caused by the fracking, Mr. Peanutbutter's house crumbles underground leaving everyone, including BoJack, Diane, Famous Star Zach Braff, and Mr. Peanutbutter's exes Jessica Biel and Katrina, stranded for 10 days. When Governor Coodchuck-Berkowitz attempts to save everyone, things gradually deteriorate. Meanwhile, Todd and Princess Carolyn get abducted by worker ants and get sent to their queen (RuPaul). | ||||||
45 | 8 | "The Judge" | Otto Murga | Elijah Aron & Jordan Young | September 8, 2017 | 408 |
BoJack unwittingly takes a guest spot on Felicity Huffman's new reality show. Hollyhock goes on a date with Miles (Hannibal Buress), an intern on the show. Princess Carolyn meets Ralph's family, including his parents (Patti LuPone and Martin Short), only to find out about their offensive anti-cat traditions. Mr. Peanutbutter ends his campaign for governor and pledges support for Coodchuck-Berkowitz. | ||||||
46 | 9 | "Ruthie" | Amy Winfrey | Joanna Calo | September 8, 2017 | 409 |
In an imagined future setting, Princess Carolyn's descendant, Ruthie (Kristen Bell) tells Miss Teach-Bot's (Kristin Chenoweth) class all about a particular bad day. Princess Carolyn goes to the hospital only to find out she suffered a miscarriage. Her necklace, a presumed family heirloom, breaks and is revealed to be a cheap piece of costume jewelry. Courtney Portnoy fires her as her manager. When Princess Carolyn finds out that Judah prevented a potential merger, she fires him. She turns to alcohol and tells Ralph to leave her. Meanwhile, BoJack and Diane suffer through city bureaucracy when attempting to obtain Hollyhock's birth certificate. Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter come up with another harebrained business idea, much to the chagrin of Oxnard. | ||||||
47 | 10 | "lovin that cali lifestyle!!" | Anne Walker Farrell | Peter A. Knight | September 8, 2017 | 410 |
In this non-linear timeline episode, Hollyhock accidentally overdoses on Beatrice's drugged coffee. She is rushed to the hospital, where her eight dads will not allow BoJack to see her. Coodchuck-Berkowitz defeats Biel in the gubernatorial race. After breaking up with Ralph, Princess Carolyn pitches Turtletaub a potential TV series, Philbert, written by Flip McVicker (Rami Malek). Todd attempts to save his clown-dentist business. | ||||||
48 | 11 | "Time's Arrow" | Aaron Long | Kate Purdy | September 8, 2017 | 411 |
Through Beatrice's fuzzy memories, it is revealed how her father (Matthew Broderick) pushed her toward a potential suitor, whom she spurns in favor of the dashing aspiring writer, Butterscotch Horseman. She becomes pregnant by Butterscotch, marries him, and they move to San Francisco. Their marriage falters as their dreams fail to pan out; she becomes unhappy and bitter, and both drink heavily and take out their frustrations on BoJack. Butterscotch later has an affair with a maid named Henrietta, an aspiring nurse. Beatrice convinces Henrietta to give up the baby for adoption so that she can continue in nursing school. | ||||||
49 | 12 | "What Time Is It Right Now" | Tim Rauch | Raphael Bob-Waksberg | September 8, 2017 | 412 |
Princess Carolyn pitches her new TV series to the execs behind a clock website and successfully gets BoJack involved. Todd's clown dentists become rabid zombies, which he uses to start a new business. Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter buy a new house, only to be sidetracked by a vacation to Hawaii and then an argument about the state of their marriage. Diane admits her unhappiness and frustration with her marriage, saying that "[she's] so tired of squinting" for happy moments. BoJack discovers who Hollyhock's biological parents are (his own father and the family's maid) and tells her eight dads, who pass the information about her biological mother to her, and Hollyhock addresses Bojack as her brother, leaving him genuinely touched. |
Reception
The fourth season of the show received critical acclaim; the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an approval rating of 97%, based on 29 reviews. The site's critical consensus states, "BoJack Horseman's fourth season finds the show continuing to traverse the emotional gamut - with results that are heartbreaking as often as they are hilarious." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 87 out of 100, based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] IndieWire gave the season an A grade, commenting that "by the end of the season, we know these characters, and this show, far better than ever before. BoJack's signature tropes — the background visual jokes, the animal puns, the brutal moments of sadness — remain reliably consistent, but turns the focus largely inward, ensuring that some of the more outlandish plots support and highlight the more emotional storylines".[3] The Washington Post lauded the season, praising the installment as "moving and unexpected" and that "it offers hope but never ignores the sorrows that are inevitable in real life".[4] The New York Times also gave a positive review, commenting that the "material has the snap and the poignancy we've grown accustomed to" and that "while nothing matches the adventurousness of Season 3's underwater awards show episode, Season 4's ninth episode — narrated from the future by a distant descendant of Carolyn's — is a devastating example of what BoJack can do at its best".[5]
References
- "BoJack Horseman | Netflix Official Site". Netflix. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- "BoJack Horseman", Metacritic, retrieved September 8, 2017
- Miller, Liz Shannon. "BoJack Horseman Season 4 Review: The Most Honest, Soulful Season Yet". IndieWire. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- Butler, Bethonie (September 6, 2017). "'BoJack Horseman' returns with its most emotional season yet". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- Hale, Mike (September 6, 2017). "Review: There Are No Hollywood Endings in 'BoJack Horseman'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2017.