This is what I get for being in band

Every year right around this time, the marching band at my school encounters what we describe as “The Band Plague”. It is the product of coming back from traveling, close quarters of band life, and the… contact… that occurs following band camp (affectionately termed by some as “Band Mating Season”) Unfortunately, these conditions mean that inevitably, every year, at least half of us will be sick and on any given day, about one quarter of us will be out sick. It is a time rife with coughing and fevers. As part of the band, I succumbed to this inevitability and became sick. However, there is always a silver lining to every situation. At least that’s what I believed before giving my day up to the Netflix gods and decided to check out their original series “Bojack Horseman”. Congratulations, This is almost a review.

Bojack Horseman

My best friend recommended this show to me a few months ago. Every now and then I would see a random  snippet of an episode at his house. Never before have I felt the same intense emotional attachment and empathy towards characters in a show before. When I was watching the first few episodes I could not pinpoint any element that could be responsible for the draw of the show. To be honest, I still can’t but I can say for certain the draw is very real and irresistible. At least some of it comes from a deep emotional attachment that the creators so masterfully instill in the audience. Upon watching the show, you will encounter a character that you see yourself in and have no choice but to go along on their emotional roller coaster.

And emotional roller coaster is absolutely what you get when diving into this show. Things don’t end happily every episode, as far as I can tell, they won’t ever end happily. The show sprinkles tiny rays of light into the characters’ otherwise horrifying spiral downward. Instead of relief at the sadness the characters encounter, they merely inform the audience that our beloved Bojack will soon be in an even worse situation. Nearly every character on the show is a dynamic, 3 dimensional creature . They all have some something inside of them wanting to get out. The show exists in my opinion to reassure the audience that even those who look the most put together have darkness inside. We are all broken. Ultimately, I would absolutely recommend checking this series out to anyone who wants to cry, think, and lose a weekend.