BoJack Horseman: a current society’s portrait of narcissistic trap
Warning: the article might contains spoilers about the ending of BoJack Horseman. However, I believe that spoilers will not ruin the small elements from the shows in each episode.
The show of the Netflix original show, BoJack Horseman, shows us the flaws of everything and everyone in the current society of post-modern. The flaws of everyone perceived through their consciousness that they are judged, not being loved and perfect, and they are guilt of every action they commit. BoJack Horseman, in the season 1 ep.11, had questions for Diane over his memoir that she had written “I don’t actually care what the world thinks about me anymore. I just hate reading that book because I hated feeling like that is how you saw me..…I know that I can be selfish and narcissistic and self-destructive, but underneath all that, deep down, I am a good person. I need you to tell me that I am good.” We all know our flaws and want to alter ourselves for better in our consciousness. Everyday can be our downfall little by little, after all, we need others to boost our confidence verbally, don’t we? Does narcissistic is shaped by society? Or maybe we don’t know our narcissist part of ourselves but unconsciously being shaped by it?
BoJack Horseman, a show from Netflix produced in 2014 to 2020. It has 6 seasons which gets nihilism and existentialism crisis in every season that goes by. The characters in the shows were represented and characterised in animals which allowed us to look over the stereotypes of good-looking appearances. It was able to represent us the pure society of power relations through the industrial workers and external workers, like Pickles. In the Industry, Princess Caroline usually said “get your shit together” or even praised BoJack when he was in troubles. Also, she would try to cover up the troubles BoJack caused (see also, season 6 ep12). Apparently, the agent or manager like her needed the worker as BoJack to extract surplus value for the company and the industry. Also, for her. However, this power relations between Princess Caroline and BoJack was mutually benefited. BoJack, in return, was being corrected and perfected through the filling of verbal resulting in over-confident without empathy. Apparently, BoJack narcissism was a product from the industry.
There was a research proposing that narcissistic tendencies seem to be attracted to the entertainment industry rather than the industry creating narcissists [1], which for me I have to argue that. Narcissistic does not just manifest by itself but the progressive of society. We are in the society where our flaws are judged and we are being defined by our coolness. In another word, we are living in the post-modern society in which each of us seek for self-identity and self-belonging to be a distinguishable one. For those working in the industry, they need self-identity to be sold for the companies and industry. They also need self-belonging in their own circle of society. Therefore, boosting morale is to praise them for more confidence. Those verbal boosting is like a hole filling for some people, particularly BoJack whose childhood memory was darkly cold. Once he consumed the praises and imagination unlimited, those piled up to form as narcissist character in his subconsciousness. Because we all have the holes that we want to bury it and no one will ever find it. Therefore, it is best to just cover and cross it. Eventually, we can fill it in by other stuff through imaginations. As said by Mr.Peanut Butter, “If you care about what other people think, you’re never gonna do anything”. Definitely, no one likes to be judged but what is the border line of not caring other people think? This reflects in the actions of BoJack that does not care about others with his narcissistic thoughts for a whole show.
Not only does the industry create the narcissistic in its workers but also the consumers. According to Baudrillard, “postmodern universe is one of hyperreality in which entertainment…..provide experiences more intense and involving than the sense of banal everyday life, as well as the codes and models that structure everyday life”[2]. We are not perceiving reality but through the filter of imagination of reality. This hyperreality sells us fantasy which we fall into its pit. A pit of seeing yourself in a mirror fantasizing yourself through the lens of imagination or a pit of a pit of a broken imaginary mirror of your own. The latter is portrayed by Pickles and the latter is seen through BoJack. Pickles, a pug dating Peanut Butter, is one of the examples of consuming hyperreality. Pickles was obsessed with social media with selfie culture and wanted to be an influencer. The significant scene was in Season 5 meeting Gina in the bathroom fancying on her date was a celebrity. She fantasized about her future through imagination lens. On the other hand, for BoJack, he consumed it for a whole of his life. His subconsciousness was shaped to think as narcissus. As the show goes, the picture of imagination started to fall off piece by piece resulting in his depression and existential nihilist views. So many times that the show portrayed us BoJack thoughts, particularly not hurting other, but ended up hurting others through his intuitively and unconsciousness acts. The shows represents us that he was trying to break out from Narcissistic pit or trap.
Narcissistic trap, for me, is that the mirror cage reflecting you, yourself only. Imagine you are in the cage full of mirror reflecting yourself only. What can you see except yourself? Sometimes, deep down you know that you are going to hurt someone, but because you are trapped, there is no alterations, or you may not realize other ways out. Many times, we’ve done things intuitively and ended up hurting people. It is not wrong because we all are animals and acting intuitively and unconsciously. However, our unconscious is being shaped by hyperreality making us act in narcissistic way. And that is when we need to get out from the trap, the pit. We need to get out to reject self-centre and get a hold of others. To open our eyes to eyes and to have sympathy towards others. When you get out of the trap, you are no longer disclosed from others. Within this post-modern society, we can start with the principles of being sympathy and empathy to others. And, don’t let narcissistic get ahead of you. I know it is easy to type but the least easy thing to do.
[2] Kellner, Douglas. “Jean Baudrillard.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/baudrillard/. Accessed 5 August 2018.
