Bojack's Oscar

Bojack Horseman, star of the 90s sitcom "Horsin' Around," had finally won the Oscar for his outstanding performance in the movie Secretariat as his dream role, Secretariat. Now, as he approached the stage to give his acceptance speech, he thought about all of the people who helped him get the Oscar. Princess Carolyn, his agent, had always believed in him and helped him get the role. Todd Chavez, his best friend, always supported him and never let Bojack suppress his never-ending encouragement. Ana Spanikopita, his publicist, dropped all her other clients to focus on Bojack and his Oscar Campaign. However, in typical Bojack fashion, he forgot about everyone who helped him win his Oscar as he looked into the crowd.

Bojack began, "So when I woke up this morning, I looked at Todd and said, 'Todd, you know what? Today is the day I'm going to win that Oscar.' Just kidding. I said, 'Todd, clean up your stuff.' You know, standing on this stage right now means a lot to me. To be able to say I'm better than Bread Poot, Mitt Dermon, Jurj Clooners, and all these other guys just makes everything I've been through in the past three years worth it. And I couldn't have done it without the help of.. nobody."

The audience began to look around at each other nervously.

Bojack continued, "Nobody in my life has helped me become the person I am today. I did it all by myself. I can't depend on anybody because everybody just leaves, and nobody actually cares about anybody besides themselves. I look into this crowd and see so many people who have someone to go home to, and I have no one. No one is there for me. Nobody has ever been there for me, and nobody ever will be there for me. And you know what? That's okay. I don't need anybody. I'm Bojack Horsema-"

"Haha! Well, looks like we're out of time, Bojack. Let's all give Bojack one final round of applause!" Mr. Peanutbutter, the host of the Oscars and Bojack's nemesis, interrupted.

Nobody clapped. Everyone watched as Bojack walked off the stage, back into his life of loneliness.

As Bojack went backstage, he ran into Diane Nguyen, Mr. Peanutbutter's wife who wrote a biography on Bojack which put him back into the limelight. Bojack tried to hide from Diane, but Diane found him, and she tried to comfort Bojack.

"Hey, Bojack. Tough crowd out there, huh?" she said.

"Look, I know it's tough but this is a big win for you. You've worked so hard for this Oscar and you've finally got it. I'm so proud of you," Diane continued.

"I just don't get it. I always try to go after these things, these big accomplishments in my life, but nothing matters. You know, when I heard my name out there, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. Happiness. But when I got onto that stage, and I looked out into that crowd, it was gone. No matter what happens, no matter what I do, I don't feel enough. Tonight, probably one of the biggest nights of my career, I can't even be happy for more than a minute. I don't know. I feel like I can't do this anymore. And after what I said out there, I just, I don't know, Diane," Bojack said.

Diane sat next to Bojack, and she silently comforted him as the Oscars continued.

Author's note: Bojack, a larger-than-life narcissist, is a perfect representation of Aesop's Lion in "The Lion's Share." In the original story, we see a lion and his friends hunt together. Once they catch a stag, they decide to divide it into four parts for the four of them. The lion decides that all of the parts are for him instead, and his friends walk away sadly. I changed the hunt to the hunt for the Oscar, and the reward, rather than the stag, was the Oscar win. As my first story, I wanted to see if I could capture the essence of the actual show, Bojack Horseman, in this retelling of an Aesop classic. Bojack Horseman is a show about a washed-up sitcom star who can't seem to find fulfillment. All of the characters in my story are from the show. In the original story, I thought it was interesting how the Lion disregarded his team that helped him with the hunt and used his power to take all of the credit. It reminds me of all the times I've been told growing up that pride is a lonely road. In the original story, the author stops after the Lion gets his shares, but after the other animals leave, the Lion is all alone. Sure, the Lion has his food for the next few days, but he lost his friends in the process. I tried to emulate some of what I predict would happen in the story in this story in that sense. Bojack got the biggest win of his career, but he goes backstage and feels awful. He doesn't have his friends with him to support him, other than Diane, so he's all alone.

Bibliography: The Lion's Share from The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs (1894).