Naturally, the rest of the core cast are dealing with their own personal struggles this year. Diane (Alison Brie) is still trying to figure out what exactly she wants to do with her life, even as she tries to salvage her marriage to Mister Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins). Mr. Peanutbutter, meanwhile, is dealing with the cancellation of his hit game show and searching for his next big project, which naturally leads to new team-upshenanigans with the lovable screw-up Todd (Aaron Paul). Then there's Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), who's fighting an uphill battle to establish her fledgling talent agency and compete against the ruthless publicist Ana Spanikopita (Angela Bassett) for BoJack's attention.
The one complaint that can still be leveled at the show is that the constant focus on BoJack's unhappiness and acts of self-sabotage can grow a bit tedious. As one character puts it this season, BoJack "fetishizes his own sadness." That's something BoJack contemporary Rick and Morty tends to handle more elegantly. That show is much more sparing when it comes to shedding light on the profound existential despair that lurks beneath Rick Sanchez's drunken, carefree exterior, and thus those moments of pathos tend to resonate all the more. With BoJack, his downward behavior spiral is a constant focus, and too often it feels like whatever personal breakthroughs he makes in one episode don't carry over to the next.But over time, the season's conflicts lose that same-y quality and BoJack's arc becomes clearer and more purposeful. Eventually it becomes clear that the show isn't simply hitting the same beats with its title character, but maneuvering him toward his inevitable rock bottom. Several episodes flash back to a pivotal period in 2007 (another time when BoJack was trying to recapture his old glory) in a storyline that pays off handsomely when it eventually dovetails with BoJack's present day struggles. As dark and depressing as the show got in its first two seasons, all of that pales in comparison to the territory Season 3 explores. The show serves as a real, honest exploration of depression, addiction and mental illness in modern society. And perhaps the greatest strength of this season is that it pushes BoJack to a point where he finally has to make the decision whether to embrace change or remain a misanthropic loner forever.
You really can't undersell how crucial Arnett's vocal performance is in terms of bringing weight and depth to this anthropomorphic, sweater-wearing horse. His gravelly voice brings a sense of gravitas to this scenes many moments of drama. Arnett has a particular talent for transitioning between affable goofball to sad clown at the drop of a hat.
Even early on in the season when the show runs the risk of hitting too many familiar beats in terms of BoJack's perpetual unhappiness, Bob-Waksberg shows a willingness to experiment with structure and approach the conflict from weird, interesting angles. One standout episode plays out almost like a silent film take on Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. What little dialogue there is is completely muffled, and only the bouncy instrumental score remains to convey mood and tone. Another episode unfolds in the form of a prolonged phone conversation, with the various stories within stories giving the conflict a very Inception-y feel.
It also helps that the show continues its gradual trend towards celebrating BoJack's small circle of friends almost as much as BoJack himself. Princess Carolyn benefits the most from that focus. She undergoes a memorable character arc of her own as she comes to terms with her workaholic nature and begins to question whether that's truly what she wants out of life. Mr. Peanutbutter is frequently a highlight as well. His own brand of depression is much more subtle and unacknowledged than BoJack's, but it's clear he's battling his own inferiority complex as he throws himself headlong into every new opportunity that he happens to stumble across.
And, of course, Todd is a hoot. Todd's ability to turn even the most minor situation into a full-blown catastrophe never fails to amuse. But while he mostly serves as comedic relief over the course of the season, Todd does experience some strong character drama of his own this year. Later episodes address many of the lingering issues between BoJack and Todd as the latter finally begins to find his backbone. Appropriately, Todd's story this season is all about proving that he can find real, lasting success in his life, and then having him bungle it all anyway because he's still Todd.Of the main crew, only Diane's character arc proves a bit underwhelming this year. She doesn't experience as much growth as, say, Princess Carolyn or Todd, mainly because she rarely seems to be the focus of any particular episode. It's nice that Diane is mostly freed from the "Will they or won't they?" connection to BoJack, but she isn't given enough room to develop or come to terms with her Season 2 identity crisis. She ends the season in pretty much the same place she started it.
After all this talk of dramatic character arcs and metal illness, it should be noted that BoJack Horseman is still a very funny series. Even in its darkest and most depressing moments, the show is unafraid to highlight the absurdity of a world where humans and talking animals co-exist. One of the flaws of the show in its earliest episodes was that, if you eliminated the animated format and the talking animals, it could still pretty much continue along unchanged. But these days, so much of the humor is dependent on the odd nature of this universe, whether that invovles simple sight gags (Lisa Hanawalt's kooky character designs never disappoint) or ambitious, multi-episode bouts of insanity.
For example, this season offers a hilarious glimpse of undersea civilization and a running subplot involving BoJack's old nemesis Goober (Fred Savage) opening a Sea World-esque strip club full of orcas. So much of the humor builds on itself and pays off in fun, bizarre ways down the road, whether it involves Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter's latest crazy scheme, the recurring appearances from celebrity parodies like "Jurj Clooners" and "Bredd Poot" or the steadily worsening state of BoJack's mansion. BoJack Horseman may be bleaker than most animated sitcoms, but it can still entertain with the best of them.
It's also worth mentioning the incredible lineup of guest actors on tap this season. Various actors reprise old roles, including Kristen Schaal as former child star Sara Lynn, J.K. Simmons as producer Lenny Turtletaub and Margot Martindale as an exaggerated version of herself. The latter practically steals the show (along with BoJack's property) in one episode. But there are plenty of new characters to savor as well. The best of these new additions is Jeffrey Wright's Cuddly Whiskers, a grave but adorable former colleague of BoJack's. Hearing Wright's raspy voice emanating from a well-dressed, chubby hamster is quite an experience. There's also Weird Al Yankovic as Mr. Peanutbutter's dutiful older brother, Captain Peanutbutter, and Diedrich Bader as Judah, Princess Carolyn's robotically efficient right-hand man. That's barely scratching the surface of what this season has to offer.