BoJack‘s almost-realisation via Philbert

Okay, so when BJ plays Philbert and talks about how much he recognises himself in Philbert and that that makes him feel better about himself, it was a huge moment I think. That’s the moment when Diane realised that he didn’t want to change - that he knew that he had fucked up a lot, in way more ways than Diane knew at that time, and that he didn’t care enough to change. He was so desperate to keep on being an asshole, hurting others, to not change, that he even liked an inherently unlikeable character because he noticed similarities. That’s not to say that I never liked BoJack; however, I never thought his behaviour was in any way okay. And when I noticed - fortunately only ever very very small ones - similarities between us, I stopped and thought about it some more. Because BoJack, just like Philbert, is not a character you like or are happy to be similar to. And, honestly, I sometimes think that’s the most tragic part of the whole show. That BoJack was never destined to fall so deep, that it’s not like he had no chance but to be like this. He had so so many chances, and he refused them, or broke them off when it got too serious. The most tragic is not the inevitability of his downfall, but the lack of it. That he spit on every hand offered to help him up and then felt like the victim when the hands got fewer. And that’s probably what makes every mistake he makes, every life he ruins, every loss he suffers, that much more tragic - because he could have prevented it.