6x06 The Kidney Stays in the Picture

[7.6/10] A quite good episode, let’s take it from my favorite storyline to my least favorite storyline.

I loved the plot with Princess Carolyn and the assistants strike. For one thing, just seeing the post-apocalyptic Los Angeles with inept celebrities and execs being helpless without their seconds was very funny. I also like the satire of how Turtletaub’s stance is that the execs refuse to treat the assistants like human beings, and how they use assistants’ desire to climb the ladder to try to undermine the strike. But my favorite part is PC’s change of heart and scheme. The way she remembers what it was like for her waiting to rise up “someday”, and decides to even the odds by inflicting Judah on Turtletaub is a sharp way for her to look out for the little guy without jeopardizing herself. It’s a very funny story that shows the cleverness of our feline hero.

I also like the Todd plot. While there’s a bit of exposition dump to explain his situation with his family, I like the idea of Todd having a stepdad who’s tough on him and disapproves of his zany schemes. It toes the line nicely between wacky hijinks and legitimate personal issues. The two of them working together to steal Todd’s kidney back gives them both lots of space to jaw and joust, and also to solve the problem together. Plus, it gives us a nice excuse to check in on Diane and see how she’s down on herself about her progress on the book and Guy’s trying to be supportive but realistic.

At the same time, I like this bit as an exploration of race. It’s not only a good explanation for the minor bit of disconsonance over Todd’s last name, but it also accounts for both the difference in perspective between Todd and Jorge, and how Todd can have the sort of wacky adventures that Jorge would not only look down upon, but view as almost impossible. They gild the lily a bit much at the end, but it’s still a good note to end on.

The one story I didn’t especially care for is BoJack’s. The relapse of his therapist, Champ, leads to a lot of on-the-nose dialogue about why BoJack surrounds himself with humans and other animals and eschews the company of horses. It’s very frank about BoJack’s need to be punished combined with a celebrity status that’s punishment-resistant which just leads to more acting out and self-hatred. But I prefer when that sort of thing is under the hood and not just outright stated. At the same time, Champ’s not a particularly vital part of this, besides telling BoJack that he hurts the people he cares about, a line that’s admittedly devastating.

To be frank, it feels like the show is stalling with BoJack a little, not wanting to shy away from the tough parts of rehab but also not really ready to move him onto something else yet. His is definitely the weakest part of this one.

Still, overall, I liked this ep on the strength of PC’s and Todd’s stories, even if BoJack’s drags it down a bit.