Content Warning: This list contains mention of disordered eating, substance use, sexual abuse, and overdose.
Thanks to its many running gags and clever visual jokes, BoJack Horseman can be a really fun show to watch. But the show also tackles controversial topics with incredible insight and somber accuracy. Every main character is tragic in their own way, but none of their character arcs are as heart-wrenching as Sarah Lynn, BoJack's Horsin' Around co-star and pop star.
Sarah Lynn first comes across as a reckless girl who simply loves to have fun. But as the show progresses, the cracks start to show. Sadness and despair were a part of her life ever since she can remember. From the moment she was put on screen as a child actor, her life just continuously got worse and worse.
Her Relationship With Food
When Sarah Lynn was just a child, her mother already started counting calories for her and gave her a hard time for eating carbs. Unsurprisingly, this affected her relationship with food and her body, and she was shown to struggle with disordered eating and a negative self-image.
In 'The View From Halfway Down', everybody present at the dinner ate their last meal. Sarah Lynn ate a hamburger and fries, defying her mom until the very last moment - and maybe even, in some small way, becoming happy to simply eat what she wanted.
She Had No Friends
Sarah Lynn is one of those BoJack Horseman characters that would be hard to befriend. She acted so recklessly that she came across as selfish and mean. It was clear that she was desperate to have somebody who'd care about her in her life, but unfortunately, people only sought out her company when they needed something. It was heartbreaking to see her have to make her way through life without any real support system.
BoJack Failed Her
BoJack was somewhat of a father figure to Sarah Lynn, but he completely failed her. When she was just six years old, he gave her the famous speech about giving people what they want. While on the set of Horsin' Around, she also first started drinking vodka after BoJack left it lying around. Fast-forward to when they were adults, and BoJack encouraged Sarah Lynn to party and even had sex with her. He never stopped to consider that by encouraging her, he was only damaging Sarah Lynn further.
But the time he failed her completely was after she had passed out in the planetarium. He waited 17 minutes before calling 911. If he had called earlier, she might have survived.
She Didn't Care For Fortune & Fame
It wasn't Sarah Lynn's dream to be a famous actor and a pop star — it was her mother's. Instead, she wanted to be an architect, which is something she shared with BoJack right before she died. Throughout the show, the otherwise poorly-behaved Sarah Lynn showed an impressive knowledge of architecture.
"Mommy didn’t do what she did to the Star Search producer so that you could be an architect," her mother told her when she got cast for Horsin' Around, causing Sarah Lynn to feel burdened and guilty for having wishes of her own.
People Took Advantage Of Her
A lot of people took advantage of Sarah Lynn, especially those who were supposed to take care of her. First, it was her mother, using her daughter to fulfill her own dream of being rich and famous. Then, there was BoJack.
He never thought of paying her a visit unless he needed something from her. When The BoJack Horseman Show was failing, he came to see her so he could ask whether she'd be willing to guest star. He also called her when he needed a distraction and somebody to party with.
She Was Addicted To Drugs And Alcohol
Sarah Lynn self-medicated with all of the drugs she could find, and her addiction was well-documented in the series. She did get sober, at one point, but didn't stop using because she was serious about quitting for good. Instead, she told BoJack that she was sober because she heard that taking a long break would make drugs and alcohol feel even more intense when she did take them again. Drugs and alcohol were a coping mechanism for her, and one that she started using at a heartbreakingly young age.
As A Child, She Was Isolated
Because she became a star of one of the most successful sitcoms of the 1990s when she was still extremely young, Sarah Lynn didn't have a "normal" childhood. In addition to being a victim of what she herself had called "child labor", she was working so much, there was no time for her to socialize with other kids, and she was homeschooled, so this didn't happen in a school environment, either. In essence, she was entirely isolated from people her own age.
She Was Sexually Abused By Her Stepfather
Her stepfather, a bear and so-called photographer, is the person who home-schooled her. It was also heavily implied that he sexually abused her. In 'Still Broken', Sarah Lynn said that she knew what bear fur tasted like.
Her mother never showed any real concern for her daughter, so it's very likely Sarah Lynn's stepfather's actions went completely unnoticed, or worse yet, perhaps her mother didn't care enough to do anything about it.
She Was Desperate For Validation
Everybody used Sarah Lynn, but she wasn't able to stand up for herself. That's because all Sarah Lynn wanted was to feel loved, needed, and seen. She was desperate for validation in any shape or form. After all, she only wore her T-shirt because somebody paid her to do it. It wasn't money that motivated her, though. She was just happy that somebody cared about her.
Paparazzi Wouldn't Leave Her Alone
Sarah Lynn's character shows the pitfalls of fame. Sure, she lived in a huge mansion, but she also had no privacy and control over her life. Paparazzi followed her constantly and she was visibly upset about it. The stress and anxiety of constantly being followed often led to her acting out, which resulted in several scandals, featured in the episode 'Prickly-Muffin'.