Hello! , lovely person from internet Nice to meet you, my name is Thiago and i am really sad, because my favorite series is over :( (depression intensifying) nihilist little horse why did you leave me? :c (depression levels overheating) Well, since crying isn't going to bring Bojack back, I'm here to talk about the end of the show and some details that may not have been seen Obviously, I shall warn that this video will contain SPOILERS Proceed with caution.
. . I intend to focous about an especific episode, called "The View From Halfway Down" This episode is so great that many people thought that should have ended here, with Bojack's death but, the writers said "Nopety nopety no, Bojack lives" There is a reason to that, and I belive that is related with philosophy because Bojack, like Rick and Morty is an existentialist series and in existentialism, life is as absurd as death, or even more absurd.
That is, dying is "easy", wake up and leave bed every day, and find a meaning? THIS is hard. In this episode we see lots of symbolisms that reassure this vision.
For example, right in the beginning there is a discussion between the characters that already passed away, and each one tries to argue why was it worth it to be alive. Sarah Lynn says that she brougth hapiness to people through art, so, even though she died young, she left a legacy Herb says that this doesn't matter, that life is not about what we leave to others, but about what we do to ourselves. From here is possible to see the existencial brunt We have two positions about the meaning of life.
Herb shows existentialism in the purest form. For exemple, when losing all he had, and be depressed, he says that thought about taking his own life but gave up, because the team he cheered was going well To existentialism, this makes total sense! Albert Camus, a german philosopher, says: Life's purpose is anything that stops you from being depressed That is, to an existentialist, watching tv, playing "lolzinho" (a cute nickname for League of Legends) Or doing any other banal thing are perfectly valid reasons to keep living Herb also said that was good he didn't give up on life, because that made him authentic.
One more time, there is a link with existential philosophy. The german philosopher Heidegger recommends that you are authentic to run from "das Man" that in a rough translation, means "They", a type of "cultural ghost" that judge your actions. For example, they say that the one who get a tattoo doesn't find a job, or they say that the one who doesn't have an university degree, does not have future.
The question is: Who says? Notice when we question this, we reveal a hidden subject (this makes WAY more sense in portuguese grammar) THEY say. Is hard to say who they are, but this entity is always affecting our decisions.
Sartre, another existentialist philosopher works with a similar concept, called "Bad Faith". He argues that in order to escape from the freedom responsability, We lie to ourselves. For exemple, "I wanted to write a book, but didn't because I didin't have time" LIES, I didn't write, because i felt insecure.
That is, being authentic means running away from these lies, REJECT the voice of "das Man" and do the thing you want, what makes you happy. Sarah Lynn presents a counterpoint to this vision. She says: "I wasn't authentic, but I created art!
" It is possible to find a nice philosophical background in the work of Victor Frankl, a psychiatrist that likes existentialism, but disagree in some points. He argues that not everybody can be authentic, because sometimes, this is a privilege. for example, assuming you are submitted to forces beyond your control In Sarah Lynn's case, we have an abusive mother, a lonely childhood, and negligent adults that allow her to do drogs very early.
So, notice that those factors affects her directly but she is not guilty. It is possible to make many parallels with real life abusive parents, lack of money, bullying, Life is full of scenarios, wich our potencial can be affected by injustices. Then Viktor Frankl says: "Finding meaning in suffering is essential.
If you can't change a situation, change yourself. " He speaks this with authority, because this guy survived THREE concentration camps in time of nazism. He was jew, he saw the worst side of humanity.
And even so, didn't give up on life. In other words, soever a situation be unfair, or nerve-racking, It is always possible to find a purpose. In Sarah Lynn's case, this purpose was found through art.
So, even though She never had control in her own life, at least she manage to transform loneliness and pain in something beautiful. Viktor Frankl cheers that! He argues that is one of the noble things someone can do.
Considering that this episode is hapenning inside Bojack's mind, I belive that this characters represent conceptions that the own Bojack has about the meaning of life. For exemple, when Jackson tries to talk about religion, Bojack's mother tell him to shut up. This happens because we are witnessing a conflict inside a skeptical mind, in other words, a mind that don't belive in this thing of life after death.
This is enlightened when Bojack says: "See you in the other side" and Herb answer: "There is no other side" An interessant detail is that Herb is being consumed little by little by the void. This is a reference to the way that He dies on the show, that is a terrible way. .
. He had cancer. Another interessant detail is related to the poem, wich is the title of the episode: The View From Halfway Down In my opinion this is a very powerful moment.
. . Besides the visual representation of suicide, with the door approaching litlle by little, There is also a very funny structure of text: Third person, Second person, First Person.
That is, 3, 2, 1, like a countdown that end in regret. It is very common this report from people that jump from bridges and survive. They say that in the last second, They regret.
I think that is really nice that the series talked about it. ANYWAY, even though this entire episode revolves around Bojack's seeming death, in the end He lives! Because death, in the context that this series is presentd, doesn't mean nothing.
Incidentally, this is the mantra of existentialism. "Dying is easy" "Envisage life, and all absurd that revolves around it, It's hard" In the end, Bojack's punishment was worst than death, He loses everything. The sister, the woman that one day loved him, the friend that became independent, even Diane, the most faithful companion he had, says that from thereafter she intends to cut hom from her life.
In other words, the only thing left for Bojack is come back to prision, alone. And even though that seems terrible, still, there is a meaning. Because that is the moral of Bojack, and also existentialism!
You can always find meaning Thanks for watching this video. DOUBLE THANKS If you can share this video to your Bojack's fan friend. I conffes that I almost didn't recorded this video, because there is so much more great videos about Bojack around there that I kept asking myself if I had something to add I hope that it was usufel for someone <3 I'm mostly sure that this video is going to be desmonetized, every time I talk about existentialism, they cut me.
If you want to help me, at the same time that you learn things about philosophy, I will link wonderful books in the description, that you can buy with disount! And one part goes to me! One of those books was written by Albert Camus, a guy that is always influencing the scripts that i write By the way, a lot of people asks me: "How can I study philosophy in a way that isn't boring?
" (I don't know how to translate this expression, but He is saying that he recommends Albert's book) It is a extremely light reading, and full of existential questions. LudoViajante survives thanks a crowdfunding campaign. With 3 reais you can participate, And in exchange you gain access to a podcast about philosophy.
I ask for you help, because if i depended on youtube, I've alredy been bankrupt To know my campain and access the podcast, you can click in the screen.
