Some of the very best jokes on BoJack Horseman happen in the background.The show's dynamite writers, illustrators, and animators squeeze in visual gags that happen faster than you can blink.
But don't worry, we went back and meticulously found the best ones in Season 5 so you didn't have to:
The very literal people still making Mr. Peanutbutter's party banners
This is our favorite recurring visual jokes on the show. And the best part is that no one in the show addresses it whatsoever.
In Season 5, a banner reads: "Mr. Peanutbutter's Housewarming Bash And Can You Send Me A Picture Of The Banner Before It Goes Off To The Printers This Time?"
Clearly, Mr. Peanutbutter needs to find a new banner place, because this isn't the first time they've screwed him over:
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Wtf even is the plot of Philbert? An Investigation via Flip's Storyboard.
By the end of Season 5, we still have absolutely no idea what the ever living hell Bojack's detective show Philbert is even about. But the ever-changing storyboard and notes seen in director Flip's office provide some intriguing hints into the genius mind behind its madness.
Some highlights of this early draft above include: "Marjorie Flask" (lol wut), and the evergreen use of a "montage depicting sexiness." You can't see it in this screenshot, but a later image in the episode reveals that this montage in Act II is followed by "nudity?" in Act III.
You know. Art. High art.
Under Flip's big ideas whiteboard, we spot pretentious, vague film school conceptual bullshit like the "mythos," "entire season is a dream?? or drug trip," as well as "sexy violent sex" AND "sexy twist (violent??)."
Don't worry, though -- it's "classy violence."
By far the best note, though, is how "Nietzsche" is circled in red and quoted in the board behind Flip's desk. Makes us think that maybe BoJack's writers were watching too much Mr. Robot (a TV show that stars Rami Malek, who also happens to be the voice of Flip).
Call the Emmys, because Nietzchean TV shows never get enough critical praise.
By Episode 4, the plot of Philbert has progressed to include "explosion," "his name is Fritz" (with the important distinction of "cool outfit, not your typical ghost"), along with the Ghost-inspired plot point of "ghost sex?"
Ok, now we're getting somewhere because "wife stuff" and "B-story: Sassy takes a bath" both sound like super binge-worthy TV twists.
Also, please notice the potential wife names. In our opinion, the crossed out "Sunflower" got robbed.
Honestly, the episode where Floppy the Dolphin's notes are all just screeches of EEEE! is by far the most coherent summary of Philbert we ever get.
A Halloween party of easter eggs
That's definitely someone dressed as Alison Brie's Russian wrestling alter ego, Zoya, from 'GLOW' in the background. It only makes sense, since not only does BoJack Horseman share a network with that show, but also a star, since Brie voices Diane.
Another Netflix shoutout, in the form of Steve Harrington's iconic look in Stranger Things Season 2.
Those two girls in "What Time Is It Now & Chill" shirts are actually a bold hit against the show's own streaming mogul. Throughout the season, WhatTimeIsItNow.com is referenced as something of a proxy for Netflix, as the website throwing all their money (regardless of quality) at original programming like Philbert.
Hulu gets some love at the Halloween party, too. Because why not dress as a sexy Handmaid from Handmaid's Tale, when an actual, IRL lingerie company thought it was a good idea?
The nightmarish costume in the front right-hand corner, commenting on the decline of publishing, hits too close to home for us. We've seen that penguin before, as the sad employee of an ever-declining publishing company, which is definitely a play on Penguin Publishing Group.
He's wearing a tattered suit and sign here that reads "Will Publish for Food" -- which actually might just be his day outfit now. RIP print.
Diane's furniture
The box in Diane's apartment marked only as "RED ARROWS" is relatable to everyone who's ever moved.
Who among us hasn't slept on the IKEA REGRETA SOMN mattress after drunkenly having sex with their ex? We feel you, Diane.
The shirts that have no shame
This "My Other Bike Is A Tree" tee is peak Santa Monica hipster bullshit.
Actually, we'd definitely buy this one.
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So the animators and writers know what we're up to. But do we need to be shamed for drinking in every joke no matter how many times we have to pause or rewatch?!
The most motivating posters
Diane's therapist is not wrong for having a poster that tells you, "Holding Back Tears is Like Spanking Your Inner Child."
Kinky? Ok, or maybe we need some therapy.
We wish someone would've put a "Dare to Fail at Inadequacy" poster in our bedroom as teens. Support mediocrity!
Getting bought out by Big Pharma has never worked out better than it did for Philbert, which then had an abundance of merchandise with characters saying catch phrases such as: "Yippee ki yay, cancer," or "Oopsie, gotta poopsie!"
Every time they put Los Angeles and Hollywood on blast
All residents of Los Angeles know that "The City of Dreams" is more accurately described as "The Dream Factory." At best.
But only the most unfortunate souls know about San Bernadino, where celebrities go to be boujee and better than the plebs. Yup, it's a total "Nightmare Factory."
Even after a nuclear holocaust, you should expect only minimal improvements to LA traffic.
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We are extremely here for this alternate reality version of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which in BoJack Horseman's Hollywoo is titled "Nutty Ex-Squirrel Friend."
Give us the spin-off, Netflix!
The entire episode "BoJack the Feminist" was a distressingly on point indictment of how easy we make it for shitty dudes to make a comeback in Hollywood.
As if giving Vance Waggoner a "Forgivie" lifetime achievement award wasn't enough, including "sowwy" and "whoopsie doodle" on the multilingual banner for it was just **chef's kiss**.
When Flip has a casting call for an actress who must fit the description of "hot and haunted," you can catch us as the girl wearing high heels and a bed sheet with boobs sharpied onto it.
Flip also approves of her as a strong potential in the line-up.
The joke that's too real for online media blogs (AKA us)
The online media blog Diane works for, Croosh, is a dynamite parody of BuzzFeed -- or rather, the BuzzFeed-ification of so many other online media publications.
And tbh, we're part of the problem because we would totally read the article she's working on, with the headline "13 Celebrities Who Look Exactly Like Soup." Like, yeah. Orlando Bloom does look a lot like a bowl of cheddar broccoli.
The jokes that are too real for America in 2018
The famed Season 3 "Thoughts & Prayers" episode of BoJack Horseman has already proven to be prescient about the media cycle around mass shootings in America time and time again.
But the news crawl in this segment, declaring that "authorities declare mass shooting by white man 'not terrorism,'" is a punch in the gut of added relevance. Recently, we've seen a rise in white nationalist-fueled terrorist attacks in America, but for some reason (read: racism), those attacks don't get classified as terrorism.
There's also the added #MeToo relevance of MSNBSea (read MSNBC, our IRL most liberal news network of all), interviewing BoJack on his newfound wokeness under the banner, "Step aside, ladies: he's putting the 'men' in fem-men-ism."
Consider us triggered.
Ok, a dollar bill with Putin's face and "The United States of Russia" might've been funny in 2016-2017.
But now it's getting close to be our literal reality.
Topics Netflix
