Good Damage: What Bojack Horseman Teaches About Trauma
I recently binged BoJack Horseman for the second time and this is what I have learned
BoJack Horseman is a Netflix show about a depressed, cynical washed-up actor, a struggling artist that struggles with control issues and low self-esteem, a middle-aged agent that suffers from extreme people pleasing, a lost 20 something, and a creepily naive and lowkey predatory Labrador, and all of the people that surround them
a consistent theme that each of the main characters all share is that they are each damaged in some way by their past that negatively impacts their present lives; throughout the show, they each go on their own journey of self-awareness and accountability that helps them understand why they do what they do and how they (ultimately) grow during the series
In season six, episode ten there is an episode called good damage which centers on the character Diane, the struggling artist; throughout the series we view Diane battling her own self-doubt, insecurities about her career and marriage, while also struggling to write her book; towards the end of the show, Diane is tasked to write a new book of memoirs but she finds it hard to write about her own life due to how traumatic it was. She doesn’t want to write a depressing book, but she feels that’s the only way she can express herself. Another hurdle is her relationship with antidepressants. Ever since taking them, it has caused her to not be able to tap into that “sad place” that she was in for most of the series.
Diane ends up writing about a middle-school age detective instead, which is a more lighthearted story, but she doesn’t want to finish it. She feels as if it’s not true to her and explains that the whole point of her writing a book was to get out all the pain that she had been repressing while also allowing other girls like her to relate to her story.
When explaining her dilemma to the agent, Princess Carolyn, she says that she wanted to take all of the damage that she had experienced and use it for good. Writing the sad memoirs meant that her trauma would have meant something, something that was bigger than her. But since she can’t write the memoirs because of her struggle to tap into herself, she worries that all of her negative experiences will go to waste, and she will have to carry that pain with her forever.
Princess Carolyn assures her that she can still use her experiences in a meaningful way by writing the detective series. Proving the point that art does not have to always be rooted in pain or sadness to get a message across.
Something that all of the main characters do on this show is play victim to their past and allow it to hinder them from making positive change in their life or reaching their potential. Each character feels as if the damage they experienced has to mean something. For Diane, writing her book about her life would have given her this feeling that she proved her parents wrong or like a literary “fuck you”. However, it came at the expense of her mental health. Writing about her childhood would have only made that pain worse and so giving her attention to the detective series was the answer. It wasn’t ideal or what she had in mind, but it helped, and it became a success.
Something that I have taken away from BoJack Horseman is that pain and trauma is not unique. Everyone struggles with something and there’s no way to get through this world unscathed. Life is one big ass cycle and part of that cycle consists of people hurting and loving each other. All it takes is for one person to disrupt the flow of either cycle. In this show, we see both sides. A lot of artists, myself included, feel as if their art has to be fueled by pain of some kind. If we’re not constantly struggling, we have nowhere to get inspiration from, right? Why are some of the most popular songs about heartbreak or feeling down? Why do you think dramas, sad movies, books, video games, etc do so well? People want something to relate to. When an artist can provide that safe space for pain and sadness, it creates a market for consumers to be a part of.
Art does not have to come from a place of pain. Good art does not have to come from a place of suffering, pain, or trauma. You don’t have to exploit your negative experiences in order to get a check or build a community. This even applies to influencers who start off making content where they discuss their trauma and become popular. As soon as they make content that is lighthearted or positive, the views don’t come. Ariana Grande touched on this when she was talking about her progression from thank u, next to positions and how she didn’t want to make a thank u, next 2.0 because she wasn’t in that part of life anymore. Despite thank u, next being insanely popular (probably one of her most successful albums of all time), it was created from a place of pain when she was going through a lot in her personal life.
Point being, you do not have to be identified by what you have been through. Yes, taking the negative experiences you have been through and turning them into something positive for others can be a great way to heal or process what you have been through. However, your trauma does not have to define you. You are still a good artist if you create from a place of joy. Making a happy, upbeat song; a joyous painting; a romance novel; etc., does not cheapen or lessen the value of your art.
Even if the trauma that you went through was not “as bad” as someone else’s, it’s still valid and does not mean that you don’t have a right to express it.
Trying to rationalize why we have experienced something, positive or negative, can lead to driving yourself crazy or making you feel miserable. Not everything that happens to us is supposed to have some deeper meaning. Sometimes shit just happens and that’s ok. You do not have to be a victim to your past.
