BoJack Hates the Troops

Plot

In a cold opening, BoJack goes to a bar for a drink and is mocked by a group of young women; after insulting one, the two have sex. Waking up, he finds his ghostwriter Diane and her fiancé Mr. Peanutbutter in his house, and discovers his roommate Todd has eaten all his Toaster Strudels, prompting a trip to the supermarket. At the market, BoJack argues with a seal named Neal over who had "dibs" on muffins. While writing his memoir with Diane, BoJack learns Neal has involved the news and is both a Navy SEAL and an Afghanistan war veteran.

BoJack calls the news station to rectify the situation but makes it worse by admitting he ate all the muffins; in a separate interview, he implies all veterans are jerks, causing the story to spread. He hides at Diane's house until the drama fades. Princess Carolyn arranges a meeting where BoJack will give Neal more muffins as an apology, and Mr. Peanutbutter hosts it on his reality series. Todd hands BoJack stale bagels instead of muffins; BoJack lies that the bagels are a metaphor for mistreated veterans, moving Neal. Later, Diane and BoJack discuss his childhood on the roof.

Production

The episode was conceived early in the series' development as a potential episode if the show was picked up. The original concept, titled "BoJack Supports the Troops!", differed from the final version: the Navy SEAL was a Greyhound, Fox News was named instead of a parodic version, and the resolution was different. Raphael Bob-Waksberg wrote the script to give context to the first episode after The Tornante Company requested a script to better understand the world.

Tornante suggested making it the pilot because it felt more like an episode of television. A ten-minute pilot presentation version was created, with the final episode's opening sequence taken from it. Neal McBeal's design changed from a Greyhound to his final look for the pilot presentation. The pilot presentation script was sent to Will Arnett, who was immediately laughing upon reading it and asked his agent to get him an audition.

The table read followed the first episodes. Judy Greer arrived late to the first episode's read but on time for the second, making Raphael hesitant to pay her for both. The first recording involved Raphael, producers, Mike Hollingsworth, and probably Michael Eisner; Amy Sedaris recorded her lines via phone call.

Themes and analysis

The episode serves as a satiric commentary on patriotism and jingoism, challenging the notion that all veterans deserve support. Critic Les Chappell of The A.V. Club described it as the series' first exploration into deeper controversies, and also noted its parody of the "media crusade," where news hosts over rely on small controversies. The premise has been likened to Curb Your Enthusiasm, with BoJack getting into a bind and worsening it through stubbornness. The cold opening, where BoJack insults women at a bar, has been seen as a look into his character, with his yelling containing something genuine. BoJack's unintentional misuse of the word "troop" to describe the seal strikes a comedic note. The episode has been labeled an example of BoJack's conscientious nature and nihilism, and a prelude to his visit with Herb in "The Telescope," setting up his selfishness.

Release and reception

The episode was released on Netflix on August 22, 2014, alongside the rest of season one. Critical reception was mixed. Kevin Zawacki of Paste Magazine gave it a 7.2/10, calling it funny at times but largely passé. Willa Paskin of Slate cited it as an engaging episode that raises its point without haranguing the audience. Rob Humanick of Slant listed it as the worst episode of the series but said he loved it. Den of Geek called it the worst of season one, noting it seemed like a different show without the melancholy tone of other episodes. Les Chappell of The A.V. Club gave it a C+, commending its effort to tackle a hot-button issue but critiquing its unclear stance. Liam Gaughan of Collider called it the best episode of season one. The episode was included in the BoJack Horseman: Seasons One & Two – Collectors Edition DVD and Blu-Ray set released on July 30, 2019.