The second half of Season 6 was recently released bringing BoJack Horseman to a close. One of the best programs on the platform and arguably one of the best animated shows ever made, BoJack ended the only way it could: poignant, sad, and with a sobering dose of hope.

I’ve been a fan of BoJack Horseman from the start and have written about it on my blog in the past with each new season. I ended up not detailing my experience with Season 5 because the end was such a surprise that I wanted to take the time to think it over and then give my thoughts, but life got in the way and I never sat down to write anything about it. So a week after I finished the final season, I’m going to make sure I get my thoughts into words this time.

BoJack is a challenging show. It’s animated with talking anthropomorphic animals interacting with people. It’s a goofy looking show that is often goofy in its humor. It’s easy to dismiss or not engage with at the start because the initial run-up doesn’t feel like it’s going to do anything new or terribly interesting. Then it gets serious, then it gets complex, then it goes into directions you never thought of while it makes you laugh.

This is a challenging show because BoJack, the main character is terrible. A self proclaimed “piece of shit” it’s easy to root against him. BoJack is an obnoxious, conceited addict who despite being surrounded by others, always feels alone. It’s easy for him to hurt people because his selfish decisions come from a dark place in his mind where everything comes down to what he deems as most important–himself.

With this in mind, it’s easy to think why would anyone want to watch a character like this? That’s the genius of the show. You watch complete characters–flaws and all–navigate the life that Hollywood can foster (and fester). The show goes on to dig into more than just Bojack, the principal protagonists (who can also be antagonists to Bojack, among other story propelling devices) also grow, change, and question what they value. Todd, Mr. Peanutbutter, Diane, and Princess Caroline are all part of Bojack’s life, but they occupy different spaces. Everyone moves to, around, and from Bojack in the course of the series.

And everyone doesn’t act the way they do just because. There are roots to the causes and you find out what they are. There’s some incredible character development done on this show. I don’t just like one or two characters–the whole main cast is rich and memorable. The creativity of this world is absurd. It goes from silly sight gags, dumb references, clever word puns, to serious adult issues in basically every episode without skipping a beat. There’s an episode with no dialog and one episode that is only Bojack giving a monologue and it all works! And it shouldn’t!

With animation, the writers are able to use abstract visuals to represent complex emotions. In this final season, a montage of Diane working on her writing comes up where everything is scratchy and rushed. She rambles on from thought to thought, fighting insecurities and distractions as crumbled bursts of drawings and words. I saw a lot of myself in how her writer’s brain is represented. Her last arc in this season brought me closer to her than any other character on the show. Anyone who works in the creative fields will get a lot from this show.

I also appreciate them ending the show here. It’s far too easy to keep escalating the stakes so high where it gets unbelievable. Plus, Bojack’s cycle of pain can only go so far before it either repeats itself or his story gets overwhelmed by darkness and everyone bails in disgust. The end of season 5 brought Bojack to physically harm someone. That felt like a line he was headed for, the true rock bottom that even he could no longer explain away. Season 6 starts with him in rehab and the other characters go forward (or sideways) without him. They all work on themselves independently. BoJack then becomes dependant on therapy, terrified he can’t be or do anything on his own. The second half he gets a job as a professor at a university to teach acting. He begins to find his self-worth…even as he steps on some toes in doing so. He starts to learn from that as well until his terrible deeds come back to haunt him.

Bojack Horseman goes into territory that shows rarely do. Plus, the intense material never felt like a stunt or an obnoxious means to gain attention or notoriety. There’s a level of respect and earnest desire to talk about issues of mental health, society, sexuality, responsibility, and relationships. The final two episodes are especially noteworthy, they are an absolute trip. A deep introspective into death, morality, and the personal costs of change. Knowing and understanding you always have a choice to make a decision for the best and the desire to do it is incredibly powerful.

I can’t recommend BoJack Horseman enough. I will absolutely be going back to it for years to come. I’ve said basically nothing about the virtues of this show, I’ve left out a lot because so much ground is covered in the 6 seasons. This show has everything I’m looking for in storytelling and I’ll do my best to raise my own work to reach the bar that’s been set here.