BoJack Horseman - 4x11 "Time's Arrow" - Episode Discussion

[u/NicholasCajun]

Season 4 Episode 11: Time's Arrow

Synopsis: In 1963, young socialite Beatric Sugarman meets the rebellious Butterscotch Horseman at her debutante party.

• Link to Episode 12 Discussion

Do not comment in this thread with references to later episodes.

[u/horhar]

Man, I was on the verge of tears throughout that final sequence, but didn't start to really cry until Bojack started to tell Beatrice that they were in Michigan.

After everything. After how angry he was, after all that happened between the two of them. He comforted her. He did something kind.

Bojack finally did something good. Finally, he was better.

He can be better.

[u/elegiacally]

The whole scene between Beatrice and Bojack in episode 10 takes on a whole different meaning.

Beatrice: Where is the girl?

Bojack: She's gone

Beatrice: I took her, didn't I?

And

Bojack: I guess I can't be mad at you.

Beatrice: Mad at me? No, Henrietta, this is the right thing, you'll see.

[u/elegiacally]

Beatrice was a passionate educated and forward thinking female! Holy crap.

[u/b0b-saget]

THE TRIPPY PART IN THE INTRO HAPPENS WHEN BOJACK TAKES A SIP OF THE COFFEE HOLY SHIT

[u/CaptainFatbelly]

So Henrietta is Hollyhock's mother?!?!

[u/[deleted]]

Anyone see the signage fuck up in the background to indicate her brain's failing?

[u/TheAwkwardSilent]

Damn though, it's weird to see Beatrice from this perspective. It's hard to like her, but she's a lot more sympathetic now.

[u/[deleted]]

The darkest part of this for me was Spoiler. It was probably pretty normal during their time, but still, I get chills.

[u/LetsMakeCrazySyence]

Forgive me if someone else mentioned it, but did anyone else notice that when we're in Bea's memories and she's taking the painting to Bojack that

A) it's the painting that gets holes drilled into it when Sarah Lynn is building a sex slash cocaine booth

B) Bojack opens his fridge to get a bottle of wine and it is full of sugar and lemons

C) When Butterscotch comes to Bea and tells her Henrietta is pregnant, the family picture morphs back and forth from the one with Bojack as a little kid to the one with Bea as a little kid.

[u/CaptainFatbelly]

The faceless people are really unnerving ...

[u/[deleted]]

My grandma died of dementia this past year. This is a hard watch.

[u/gizmo1492]

Realize Bojack knew about his parents and his living situation, but I wonder how much Bojack knew about his mom's childhood? Losing a brother and how her parents were like? He knew enough to mention her brother.

Learned recently you don't need to rationalize your feelings. Bojack has every right to be angry at his mom, and honestly despite this episode I can understand his actions and empathized with throwing that doll. This could be closure with his mom and I think I'd be ok with it.

[u/elegiacally]

Beatrice seeing herself in Henrietta broke me.

She would have chosen to have forsaken Bojack for her life. Ah.

[u/[deleted]]

The D is still on the Hollywood sign when she's talking to young adult Bojack

[u/[deleted]]

Butterscotch said "What are you doing here?"

[u/plantslutt]

This was maybe the best episode of television I've ever seen in my life. I've rewatched it three times now and I keep picking up on more heartbreaking details.

Beatrice was deprived of warmth, of comfort, and of empathy her whole life. Having the husk of her mother wander around must have been a waking horror. Not only that, but the father used his wife's lobotomy as a threat against his young daughter! It was like a trump card that he could whip out at any time Beatrice was misbehaving or making him uncomfortable ("You don't want to end up like your mother, do you?" [Cue red-tinted horror flash of scarred silhouette]). So Beatrice also grew up with that internalized fear driven into her as well.

[u/Bwenj]

I was expecting something really awful to happen like in the last two seasons' episode 11s but this was really something else, it was just sad

The art direction for this episode was incredible, the faceless people and Henrietta's scribbled-over face were really neat visuals

Is Beatrice's dementia supposed to be a parallel with her mother's lobotomy? Maybe I'm just overthinking it but they both ended up having reduced mental capabilities

[u/Miao93]

I guess Butterscotch wasn't lying to Bea about the diamond at the party. Hollyhock has it, even though she has no Sugarman blood.

[u/Pyrestro]

A lot of people are saying that this episode is sad, and it definitely was, but for some reason this episode scared the shit out of me. Not in the same way a horror movie would or anything like that, but in a way deep inside that I can't really explain.

[u/TheAwkwardSilent]

Ah, of course this was going to be THAT episode. How could it not be, it's episode 11. This hurts.

[u/Ablazekaybeebee]

The visual effects like the faceless people and the letters on signs jumbling in this episode made it hit home so much harder what Beatrice is going through.

Amazing how a show can turn your view on a character around in just one episode.

[u/Superfluous_Thom]

Its almost like some Netflix exec didn't really understand how a comedy about Bob Saget being lonely and depressed, and a horse, could possibly be a postmodern expression of the human condition:

So he just started sarcastically suggesting all of the dark and confusing parts of life they could jam into their stupid horse show... Only thing is, the writers didn't recognize the sarcasm, so they just fucking did it.

4 years later, im crying over a cartoon horse's mum struggle with the fading memories of a bitterly unhappy life while in the throws of dementia...

If i had told myself that 4 years ago id call myself out for being on acid.

I love this show..

edit: ugly syntax

[u/Synthmesc]

I never thought I'd ugly cry over Beatrice out of all characters. Jesus christ.

[u/Gregg_Rules_Ok]

I shouldn't have binged this entire season. That was too much.

[u/[deleted]]

3 years in a row, episode 11 left me feeling sad and hollow, however for the first time i felt angry. Bojack's grandfather was such a piece of shit that it has effected three generations of his family. Obviously in some ways hes supposed to be a caricature of the times but he is just such a vile and reprehensible character i honestly dont know if ive ever loathed a fictional character more, and he was in 2 episodes.