Netflix's BoJack Horseman with its unsettling characters and the dark storyline has provided fodder for millions of imaginative as well as uninventive fan theories in social media. While some go against the fundamental themes and disrupt character arcs, others tend to find missing links between unrelated episodes and the deep meanings, references, and foreshadowing that the makers of the show would have hidden in subtle images.
These theories range from making up the imaginative history of characters, to predicting their deaths.
Made Sense: Mr. Peanutbutter Has Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is characterized by limited independent activity and experiencing distress when separated from a major attachment figure. Mister Peanutbutter being constantly surrounded by coworkers, friends, or family, his clinginess to Diane and his frustration at Diane moving to Cordovia, and his constant insertion of himself into the lives of Todd and Bojack are enough reasons to argue the creators intended MPB to be a character with separation anxiety.
This fan theory becomes even more interesting when one comes across the fact dogs are more prone to separation anxiety.
Didn’t Make Sense: Mister Peanutbutter Is A Master Manipulator
Proponents of this theory point to Mister Peanutbutter consistently dating younger women, taking undeserved credit for Todd’s ideas and his distrust of Diane to justify this argument.
But this contradicts the sweet history of the character. His love and respect for BoJack are made visible throughout the series; providing BoJack with a home when he loses his, and is the only one to wait for BoJack outside prison. Peanutbutter maintains immense maturity while breaking up with Pickles, and his problems with Diane occur only because of his ideas of showing love through grand gestures, something which Diane hates.
Made Sense: BoJack Gets Killed In The Penultimate Episode
The proponents of this popular theory interpret the ambiguous last episode as a sequence taking place in BoJack’s subconscious in his afterlife where BoJack tries to compensate for the wrongs he had done throughout the series.
The fact this episode contains almost all characters BoJack wronged in the series (eg: the jury for BoJack’s trial which includes Beyoncé and Daniel Radcliffe), and features BoJack training his prison mates in a play written by a playwright often referred to by Beatrice Horseman add to the credibility of this theory. Furthermore, the four major conversations that BoJack indulges in with Diane, Princess Carolyn, Todd, and Mister Peanutbutter appear like BoJack’s last attempt at correcting his ruined relationships.
Didn’t Make Sense: Erica Doesn't Exist
Erica is constantly referred to by Mister Peanutbutter but is never shown anywhere in the show and fans believe that this could be because she is not a real person but a trick that MPB uses to excuse himself from uncomfortable situations.
But BoJack claims to meet her in the episode where he gets the fake Oscar nomination and Katrina calls out to her in a flashback sequence in Season 2 and these episodes negate this theory.
Made Sense: Princess Carolyn Becomes Infertile Due To Her Necklace
Princess Carolyn miscarries several times and fans believe this could be due to the iconic ancestral necklace that was gifted to her by her mother. The necklace turns out to be made of poor quality material, most possibly lead, in Season 4, and according to scientific sources, long exposure to lead can cause miscarriages and stillbirth.
Here it is important to remember Carolyn suffers her first miscarriage after the necklace was gifted to her in her teens.
Didn't Make Sense: Vincent Adultman Is A Real Adult
This absurd theory tries to prove Vincent is actually an adult and BoJack finds him as ‘three boys stacked on top of each other under a trench coat’ because of his jealousy for him.
But this theory fails to explain why Kevin and Vincent are never seen together and Vincent’s juvenile behavior while dating Princess Carolyn.
Made Sense: Main Cast Represent Different Stages Of Grief
According to this extremely popular theory the main characters of the show represent the 5 stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance, identified by Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler Ross.
As per the theory, Mister Peanutbutter with his inability to accept hard truths like his brother’s illness or parents' death represents Denial, while Diane's frustration with how rotten the real world is, is more or less the synonym of Anger. Bargaining with the dark ways of ‘Hollywoo’ is what Princess Carolyn does best and BoJack exemplifies Depression in all his actions. Todd, with his ignorance of the dark side of life and lack of fear of losing material pleasures, represents the final stage of Acceptance.
Didn’t Make Sense: Diane Nguyen Will Die In A Car Crash
In season 5, Diane’s psychiatrist portrays her as Princess Diana and she drives into a tunnel at the end of an episode. Fans overread these scenes and according to the subsequent imagined connection they found between unconnected scenes, Diane Nguyen would die in a car crash resembling the death of Princess Diana.
Nonetheless, the character comes nowhere near a car crash and survives the entire series.
Made Sense: BoJack Not Expressing Love To Hollyhock Through Words Is Connected To Sara Lynn’s Death
One of the most moving theories on the show, argues that BoJack deliberately restrains himself from saying to Hollyhock he likes her because the last time he says ‘I love you' was the night that Sara Lynn dies.
Fans interpret this as BoJack’s attempt to save Hollyhock from himself, from the harm he unknowingly brings upon all those he loves.
Didn’t Make Sense: Young Lenny Turtletaub Appears As A Bellboy In Episode 2 Of Season 4
This theory appears to be the most absurd of them all as the turtle that the theorists refer to in this is not Lenny, as he has been working in Hollywood since the time of Buster Keaton. The turtle cleaning car windows appears is likely a reference to the car wax brand Turtle Wax.