Say Anything (BoJack Horseman)

Synopsis

After Diane Nguyen got engaged to Mr. Peanutbutter, Princess Carolyn pulled BoJack Horseman out of a week-long bender and landed him a bourbon commercial. Her agency merged with Vanessa Gekko’s, costing her client Cate Blanchett and a project about Eva Braun. BoJack skipped the shoot for a date with her, sending Todd Chavez in his place, but then left after Herb Kazzaz called. Devastated, Princess Carolyn reclaimed the Eva Braun project and got BoJack a part in a movie about the Hollywood D. When she called him driving back from Herb’s, he brushed her off. She sent her assistant Laura home, then stared out her office window as her phone alarm announced her fortieth birthday.

Production

Joe Lawson wrote the episode, his first writing credit for the series; he later wrote episodes such as "Start Spreading the News", "After The Party", and "Stop The Presses". Martin Cendreda directed, and Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico produced. It was released on Netflix on August 22, 2014, and on DVD and Blu-ray on July 30, 2019, as part of the BoJack Horseman: Seasons One & Two – Collector's Edition set. This is the first episode not to feature the usual closing theme, instead playing "Impossible" by Lyla Foy.

He noted the episode is the first not told from BoJack's perspective, which Netflix was initially skeptical about. To address Netflix's desire for more BoJack, the writers included a cardboard cutout of BoJack in Princess Carolyn's office that quotes Jerry Maguire. Bob-Waksberg called this a "tongue-in-cheek way to attack a note. The episode is a tribute to filmmaker Cameron Crowe, and Lawson requested Crowe make a cameo; Crowe declined, citing work on Aloha. The character Cameron Crow is voiced by Kevin Bigley.

Reception

"Say Anything" received positive reviews, with critics praising its jokes and storytelling. It was called a turning point in the series and for the title character, with a darker ending. Rob Humanick from Slant ranked it the sixth-best episode of the entire series. Les Chappell of The A.V. Club, in a 2017 review, said the show improves by devoting episodes to side characters, calling this the best early exploration and Princess Carolyn perhaps its best character.

Chappell noted the episode exhibits two strengths: its unique twist on show business and the emotional scars on cast members. Slate's Marissa Martinelli called it a turning point, showing BoJack as a "barely scabbed-over wound of a person." Chappell applauded the increased level of storytelling. Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek counted 191 jokes, averaging 7.53 per minute, and commended the debut of Charley Witherspoon.

Chappell praised Joe Lawson's joke writing. Chappell noted Amy Sedaris's increased depth of voice acting, and she and Humanick gave moderate praise to Stephen Colbert's voice acting as Mr. Witherspoon. Chappell criticized the immediate dismissal of the blackmail plot, saying it never achieved its potential. Bojalad praised the ending as "equally tragic and somehow darkly hilarious."

Chappell called it a "deeply melancholy moment" with no dark comedy, adding, "All the episodes to date have ended on darkly comic punchlines or moments of foreshadowing. This? There's nothing funny about this."