WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for BoJack Horseman, Season 6, Part 2, now streaming on Netflix.
The second part of the sixth season of Netflix's hit animated series BoJack Horseman is, as expected, filled with turbulent emotions as the titular character (voiced by Will Arnett) tries to get a handle on his life now that he's out of rehab. While teaching university, BoJack thinks he's escaped his demons, but these sins of the past catch up with him just when he think it'll be all rainbows.
The series ends with BoJack imprisoned for breaking and entering into the house he sold during a relapse and bender, but it's somewhat of a happy note, as he gets out for Princess Carolyn's (Amy Sedaris) wedding. However, when you consider how everyone's been set up to move onto the next stage of their lives with their respective significant others, it becomes painfully apparent this final season failed the major relationships the show had to offer.
TODD & MAUDE
Todd (Aaron Paul) has had a topsy turvy history in this series. He finally connects with a rabbit named Maude (who's also asexual like him) in the second half of the season more than anyone expected, and she convinces him to move in together. Todd agrees, yet we only get one shot of them each dumping a box in the apartment to say they moved in. We never get to really see their dynamic as an asexual couple and how they plan to proceed in life.
In the wake, we simply see them wanting to open a daycare in Carolyn's talent agency but that's it. It's a shame because Todd's romantic life, while it hasn't been filled with fireworks, has really been a trip as he was a former junkie who almost lost his life. He battled through depression and as a result, people really felt his asexual arc. However, not showing us more of this happy ending, the show really made him and Maude feel like throwaway characters, as there was so much potential with them actually developing feelings towards each other.
MR. PEANUTBUTTER AND PICKLES
The final half of the season brings closure to the open relationship Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) has with his fiancee, Pickles. After he slept with his ex-wife Dianne (Alison Brie), he and Pickles reconcile by having her find someone to sleep with as a form of revenge. They'd then be even and could move onto greener pastures and get married officially. Unfortunately, she ditches him for an entertainer and the person he opened a restaurant with, entertainer Joey Pogo.
It was initially a hiatus as she and Joey realized it was deeper than just sex, and all she does is shoot Peanutbutter a text stating it's over. This is disappointing as we were so invested in their journey. It's an anticlimactic way to end things as we never hear her voice how angry she was for being mistreated and objectified. We don't even see how she and Joey's relationship evolved as they embarked on a jet setting life, with Pickles becoming Joey's social media manager. Peanutbutter never addresses it nor does anyone ask him what happened as he goes on with his goofy life, meaning Pickles got written off as if she were nobody.
DIANE & GUY
Season 6 sees Diane moving past the Peanutbutter divorce and an apparent crush on BoJack with a buffalo named Guy. He's her cameraman and their relationship quickly spirals into them moving in together. It has its ups and downs as she gains weight off antidepressants but she decides to move with Guy to Houston. We never see this, though, as it happens while BoJack's in prison.
But when BoJack and Diane reconnect at Carolyn's wedding, she reveals she and Guy are engaged as a long-distance relationship wasn't working out with her in Chicago. Unfortunately, we never witness Guy and her celebrating this milestone, nor do we see what happened to her and Guy's kid, Sonny, who helped Diane become a better writer. Diane implies she's a family woman now so it would have made sense showing her in this new skin because she was always anxious when it came to commitment due to her broken home upbringing. This also devalues Guy's arc and how key he was to her growth.
CAROLYN & JUDAH
This final season kicked their partnership into overdrive as Judah went from being her workhorse personal assistant to the man Carolyn ends up marrying. Yet we don't see anything romantic between them apart from an awkward ballad he sings for her. Now, that does fit his character but Judah -- somewhat of an unemotional robot -- doesn't even appear in the final episode with his bride.
Instead, she dances with BoJack and seems more interested in his future. Judah doesn't even get to recite vows or tell the gang how happy he is. In fact, it's so forced and unbelievable you don't even think he's the groom until she mentions he's working in the office. To have her making such a big leap yet we don't see the new family life she's always been scared of actually working is such a travesty. It really feels like an injustice to Judah too as he comes off like a prop more than anything else.
DIANE & BOJACK
This relationship that's done the biggest disservice is Diane and BoJack. The show ends with them on Princess Carolyn's rooftop as everybody dances at a wedding. Diane married Guy at some point, but there are clues suggesting she wants to tell BoJack she loved him. After all, she was scared when she thought he almost died months before and clearly, he's still enamored by her, thinking they're soul mates.
Now, we don't need the happy ending, but the execution isn't done well, like Dawson's Creek where star-crossed lovers don't end up together. It's pretty bland just having them there in silence under the stars, especially as Diane hints she won't ever speak to him again in order to leave the past behind and forge a new life. It just feels unfinished, though, with the silence trying to mimic the end shot of The Sopranos. But rather than nail the dramatic effect, it's a weird space that feels incomplete rather than open-ended or for us to interpret.
Their dynamic has always been about honest discussion which really kills off how poorly they end things, especially as BoJack's clean and on the mend again, while Diane leaves clues she's not as happy with Guy as she wants everyone to believe. This is a prime example of how ambiguous just doesn't work when it comes to wrapping up one of modern pop culture's most intriguing relationships.
Created and executive produced by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, BoJack Horseman was designed by Hanawalt and is animated by ShadowMachine. Steven A. Cohen and Noel Bright also serve as executive producers. BoJack Horseman stars Will Arnett as the voice of BoJack, Aaron Paul as the hapless human Todd, and Amy Sedaris as BoJack's agent, a cat named Princess Carolyn. All six seasons can be streamed on Netflix.