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A horse walks into a rehab centre. Not quite the joke most of us would have expected when we initially (and in my case, tentatively) began Bojack Horseman’s first episode, but six seasons later, here we are. 

It was with much sadness and dismay that fans and cast alike lamented the news that season six would be BoJack’s last. It’s a sorry loss to the television landscape as a whole; striking the perfect balance between innovative style, genuinely funny comedy and shockingly well-executed examinations of issues such as addiction, mental health and the entertainment industry. Thankfully show creator Raphael Bob-Wakesburg has stretched it out to a 24-episode season, with the first half premiering October 25th and the second coming January 31st 2020. 

Knowing that it’s soon ending, it’s hard not to watch the final season with these goggles, and it seems like it’s something the creators themselves leaned into; from the first minute, the tone is almost immediately different. As the first episode opens, where it normally cut to the synergetic jazz instead dissolves like a burning picture. This pretty much sets the course for the next eight episodes. Of course, there are still the usual quips, but they get lost under the weight of what is actually given the majority of the focus for the entire season: BoJack coming to reckon with his addictions and his past actions. This is not a bad thing– rather it makes it incredibly joyous to watch. There are near constant callbacks to previous seasons, both from the new title sequence that brilliantly meshes elements of all six seasons,to the triumphant return of previous side-characters, such as a personal favourite Judah (Diedrich Bader), the assistant. This adds a unique element to a season packed with in-jokes and even wilder and hotter takes thrown at pop culture, with a constant underlying sense of both loss and closure. It’s kind of like Avengers Endgame, but for fans of BoJack.

Closure is perhaps the word that best describes the first half of season six. While BoJack (Will Arnett) wrestles with his demons in rehab, his friends outside move on with their lives; Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) struggles to adapt to motherhood and Diane (Alison Brie) finally finds a romantic relationship that gives her what she needs while also pushing her to help herself. Meanwhile, Mr. Peanut Butter (Paul F. Tompkins) navigates his new engagement with Pickles while starring in Birthday Dad!, and Todd finally finds a job he both likes and is good at.While these characters are closing their loops, BoJack begins to close his. We’re given revealing insights into when and why his alcohol dependence started, and the history of his relationship with Sarah Lynn. Finally, he begins to offer real and genuine apologies to the people he has hurt most.

So if there’s so much closure, what on earth are they going to do with the next half of the season? This was the same question I asked myself around episode seven. While there is closure, the skeletons in BoJack’s closet still remain, most prominently taking the form of Sarah Lynn (Kristen Schaal). Instead of peeping in at them through a crack, Raphael Bob-Wakesburg instead flings open the door, yanks them out and makes them dance. Astoundingly, the burden of this unravelling all comes down to a mere ten minutes of screentime.

In many ways, it’s deserved; these are the consequences that needed to be seen.They always did. BoJack has without doubt committed at worst, unforgivable acts, and at best, morally repugnant ones. They should be experienced viscerally and not just in a heavy handed apology, because self-imposed consequences don’t quite add up to the real thing. This resolution sits uneasily with me as these are consequences that should have been given in the earlier seasons when they occurred. Doling them out now, with both the show ending and BoJack finally on the path to something resembling redemption feels, quite honestly, unfair.With all the theories about how the show might end (from BoJack drowning to it all being a convoluted “horse walks into a bar” joke), it’s hard to be optimistic about where the show will go with this overdue reckoning

All in all though, the sixth season of Bojack Horseman is a masterclass in storytelling. From tight, well-executed and contained storylines, to genuinely well-done and deserved closure for characters and audiences alike, all culminating to  one incredible cliffhanger.It has everything you could want from a final season, and will leave you desperate for more.