Jacqueline Arias in CulturePreenTV

We relate so much to the complex women in ‘BoJack Horseman’

I’m late to the “BoJack Horseman” party since I just finished all six seasons in the last week. (Yes, I binge-watched all of them. Don’t judge me.) But I realized that regardless of when you watch this series, a lot of the themes and scenarios will always be relatable.

If you’ve seen “BoJack Horseman,” then you know that the show doesn’t shy away from heavy topics like abortion and sexual misconduct. It also introduced us to complex characters that you wouldn’t expect in a supposedly lighthearted adult cartoon.

That said, let’s talk about the female characters that every woman can resonate with. Here are some of them:

Princess Carolyn

Talent agent Princess Carolyn is a self-confessed workaholic who also has dreams of becoming a mom. One of the saddest episodes of the series finds Princess Carolyn celebrating the first few minutes of her 40th birthday alone in her office. She’s not just struggling between work and family life, Savage Books on YouTube explained that Princess Carolyn’s arc for six seasons revolves around her inability to have kids.

This struggle adds another layer to her character, which is someone who works hard as a talent agent because she wants to take care of her clients as if they’re her own children. This may not be applicable to everyone, but it can make you question why you’re working way too hard.

Diane Nguyen

When we were first introduced to writer Diane Nguyen, we thought she’s one of the most level- headed characters in the series. But she also has flaws and relationship problems like everyone else. Throughout the series, we saw the progression of Diane’s realization that she wasn’t happy in her marriage with actor Mr. Peanutbutter. Many people could relate to her fear of being alone, as well as her acceptance of it after filing her divorce and going on a solo trip to Vietnam.

Another thing that makes Diane relatable is her passion for her advocacies. She didn’t stop fighting for what’s right even when she was getting backlash from her explosive thinkpieces (including an exposé involving a Harvey Weinstein-like character) on feminist website Girl Croosh.

Hollyhock

BoJack’s half-sister Hollyhock is a college student who started out trying to find her mom who put her up for adoption. As we get to know her, she talks about having a voice in her head that’s telling her “everyone hates you and they’re not wrong to feel that way.” Some of us have had the same thoughts and we felt our hearts break hearing her talk about it.

Emily

Emily’s story arc reminds us of teen romance movies where someone tries to get the attention of the best friend they’re in love with. In this case, Emily’s best friend is Todd Chavez. Hopeless romantics can relate to their relationship. Others admire her hard work as an app developer and how she doesn’t let her feelings and having Todd as her colleague interfere with her job.

Yolanda Buenaventura

Yolanda Buenaventura the axolotl is an agent from the Better Business Bureau. She wasn’t a major character, but her struggle to come out as asexual is something that people with similar problems could latch on to since she’s shown trying so hard to hide her secret. When she did come out, her family accepted her.

Of course, not everyone has or will have the same coming out story as Yolanda. But her story also showed how people who love you will accept you no matter what.

Photos courtesy of Netflix

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