BoJack Horseman: The Judge
September 14, 2017 9:41 PM - Season 4, Episode 8 - Subscribe

Hollyhock starts dating an intern on BoJack's new show. Princess Carolyn meets Ralph's parents. Mr. Peanutbuter throws his support behind Woodchuck.
posted by rhizome (12 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
This Hollyhock arc is going to kill me, isn't it.

A Woodcharles-Biel debate would be awesome.
posted by rhizome at 9:44 PM on September 14, 2017


This Hollyhock arc is going to kill me, isn’t it.

Possibly.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:52 PM on September 14, 2017


The Ralph's-racist-family thing is inspired. In hindsight I'm sure it was east at the writer's table, but I just did not expect that. "I really want you to like my family."
posted by rhizome at 11:34 AM on September 15, 2017 [4 favorites]


As soon as they gave the FHBA reveal, my girlfriend said to me "You would watch that" at the exact same moment that I said "I would watch that."
posted by Parasite Unseen at 4:07 PM on September 15, 2017 [7 favorites]


I'm confused about Ralph's family. At first it seemed like the portrayal was pretty anti-semetic, because a lot of the details of their traditions rifed on Jewish holidays, then casting them as the rich racist WASPy in-laws. In a later ep Princess Caroline's family is portrayed as eastern-european immigrants a la An American Tale. I know the analogs don't have to line up 1 to 1 but I was confused by combining jokes about Jewish traditions with portraying the Mice family as traditionally WASPy in their presentation. (I did LOVE that Diane's boss is Ralph's sister, though.)

Anyone else overthink this particular plate of beans?
posted by kittensofthenight at 4:03 PM on September 17, 2017


Ralph's family's stereotype riffs were a little confusing to me, too (Jewish holiday traditions), but I recalled that ultra rich blue blood The Hamptons uberWASP types have all kind of weird semi-secret traditions and ceremonies of their own.

He's also a "Stilton" (play on Hilton, as in the hotel chain. He knows that universe's Paris Stilton as a reasonably close relative; he's potentially minor NYC royalty).
posted by porpoise at 5:20 PM on September 17, 2017


I figured it was just a jumble to raise the contrast in what winds up happening.
posted by rhizome at 6:04 PM on September 17, 2017


Like it's both an invocation of stereotypes, and an evasion of them.
posted by rhizome at 6:10 PM on September 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


I had a similar confused reaction to Ralph's family being revealed as WASPy -- possibly the writers were intentionally inverting viewer expectations based on previous predator/prey jokes and Ralph's nebbishy traits and schmaltzy humor. Also I wonder if Spiegelman's Maus might have been influencing my expectations (and if that's something that might have occurred to the writers).

I guess I missed the Stilton/Hilton connection. I thought it was just a mouse/cheese joke.
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:52 AM on September 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


On re-watch: is the the woman with stitches all around her face who is leading Bojack through the studio the same woman who tripped over the cable Diane was supposed to be watching in S2 and spilled coffee all over her face?

Just checked: yep, same outfit. It's her.
posted by trotzdem_kunst at 3:41 AM on September 19, 2017 [6 favorites]


re: the Stiltons as a name – Geronimo Stilton is also the cartoon mouse star of a series of best-selling books for the middle school set. I always read "Ralph Stilton" as a reference to Geronimo Stilton + Beverly Cleary's Ralph S. Mouse.
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 11:44 AM on September 19, 2017 [3 favorites]


At first it seemed like the portrayal was pretty anti-semetic

Probably important to note that the show's creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg is seriously Jewish.
posted by weed donkey at 7:50 PM on April 27, 2018


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