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"**Escape from L.A.**"
"Escape from L.A."
BoJack Horseman episode
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 11
Directed by	Amy Winfrey
Written by	Joe Lawson
Original release date	July 17, 2015
Running time	26 minutes
Guest appearances
	Olivia Wilde as Charlotte; Ed Helms as Kyle; Adam Pally as Trip; Ilana Glazer as Penny;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Yes And"	Next →; "Out to Sea"
	BoJack Horseman (season 2)
	List of episodes

"Escape from L.A." is the eleventh and penultimate episode of the second season of American animated television series BoJack Horseman, and the 23rd episode overall. It was written by Joe Lawson and directed by Amy Winfrey, and was released in the United States, along with the rest of season two, via Netflix on July 17, 2015. Olivia Wilde, Ed Helms, Adam Pally, and Ilana Glazer provide guest voices.

In the episode, BoJack visits his old friend Charlotte Moore in hopes of starting a relationship with her, only to find that she already has a family. He begins to bond with the family anyway, ultimately leading to disastrous and horrifying results.

This episode's title sequence is replaced with a special one set to "Kyle and the Kids", a parody of Full House opening credits theme "Everywhere You Look".

Plot

BoJack (Will Arnett) arrives in Tesuque, New Mexico, to surprise Charlotte (Olivia Wilde), a woman he knew in his early acting days with whom he desires to live happily ever after. To his shock, Charlotte is happily married and has two teenage children. BoJack buys a yacht as a cover story for being in New Mexico, which he christens the Escape from L.A.. Charlotte convinces him to stay for a few days, which quickly becomes two months. BoJack has integrated himself well into the family, sleeps in his yacht parked in the driveway, and has abandoned his responsibility to film Secretariat.

Penny (Ilana Glazer), Charlotte's 17-year-old daughter, is upset her crush rejected her invitation to prom. BoJack offers to go as her surrogate date in order to spite him. They go to prom on a double date with Penny's friends Maddy (Ali Wong) and her boyfriend Pete (Jermaine Fowler). BoJack supplies the group with bourbon whiskey en route. At prom, Maddy gets increasingly drunk, Penny gets sad seeing her crush with a date, and BoJack gets booed off the dance floor.

BoJack tells them young people have freedom which adults never tell them about until it's "too late". They decide to leave the prom, driving out to the desert. They release balloons tied to glow sticks into the night sky and BoJack slow dances with Penny. Maddy passes out; fearing that she might have alcohol poisoning, the group rush her to the hospital. BoJack abandons Maddy and Pete at the hospital, manipulating Pete to lie so BoJack is not held responsible, and he and Penny drive home.

At home, Penny tells BoJack he is the only adult who doesn't infantilize her and sexually propositions him, rationalizing that she is above the age of consent in New Mexico. He tells her that she is too young to know what she wants, and she cries and goes inside. BoJack goes to the backyard, where Charlotte is sitting. BoJack says he does not know what to do with his life, and Charlotte tells him that where you are cannot change who you are. They kiss in the heat of the moment, but Charlotte quickly realizes it was a mistake and tells BoJack to leave in the morning. Defeated, BoJack goes to his yacht, where Penny propositions him again. Charlotte hears voices inside the yacht, opens the door, and finds BoJack and Penny in a compromising position. Outraged, she sends Penny to her room and demands BoJack leave immediately and never contact them again.

BoJack has his boat driven to Los Angeles, where his house is in the same disrepair he had left it in. On the balcony, he finds Diane (Alison Brie) still squatting at his house.^[1]

Continuity significance

Like every second-to-last episode of a BoJack Horseman season, "Escape from L.A." is particularly significant, and leaves the title character in a difficult place.^[2] BoJack ends the episode at a low point, as his time in New Mexico proves to be a major source of remorse that will haunt him for the rest of the series.^[3] In "Start Spreading the News" (S3E01), he partly confesses what happened in New Mexico to a journalist. This confession, recorded without BoJack noticing, is then played to Diane in season 5, which leads to the deterioration of their friendship. In "That's Too Much, Man!" (S3E11) BoJack travels to Oberlin, Ohio with Sarah Lynn, trying to make amends to Penny. He fails to do so, reopening Penny's wounds instead. In the same episode, BoJack gives Penny's complete name at an AA meeting; in season 6, this will lead journalists Paige Sinclair and Maximilian Banks to Penny while investigating Sarah Lynn's death. In "A Quick One, While He's Away" (S6E08), BoJack's half-sister Hollyhock meets Pete Repeat at a party. He describes his recollection of the events on prom night, mentioning Maddy's alcohol poisoning and describing BoJack as "some shitty dude".^[4] This proves to be a major setback in BoJack's relationship with Hollyhock, and eventually leads to her cutting him out of her life entirely.^[5]

Reception

"Escape from L.A." received critical acclaim. Caroline Framke of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade, describing it as a series standout, and as a risky and "unequivocal condemnation of its main character".^[6] In Paste, Julie Kliegman gives the episode a 9.3 rating, saying that "BoJack's lovable loser status is gone, probably for good. Some mistakes are too big to laugh off."^[7]

References

^ Cobb, Kayla (2015-07-28). "'BoJack Horseman' Recap Episode 211: Escape from Good Life Choices". Decider. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
^ Jay, Melannie (2020-02-05). "'BoJack Horseman' Sticks the Landing". 34th Street. Retrieved 2021-08-13. BoJack consistently saves its best and darkest moments for the penultimate episode.
^ Obaro, Tomi (2020-01-31). "'BoJack Horseman' Asks What Accountability After #MeToo Looks Like". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2021-08-19. [F]or the latter half of BoJack Horseman, BoJack has been haunted by what irrevocable damage he might have caused Penny [...]
^ Wolf, Cam (2019-12-30). "BoJack Horseman Is No Longer Just BoJack Horseman's Show". GQ. Retrieved 2021-08-19. Even Peter, who went by Re-Pete in high school and attended prom with BoJack, makes a re-appearance. The story of prom night, it turns out, sounds much different from his perspective: 'Some shitty dude,' he says, went to the dance with him and his girlfriend, plied them with bourbon, and then abandoned them at a hospital after the girlfriend got alcohol poisoning. The night traumatized him.
^ Johnny 2 Cellos (2020-04-09). "Escape from L.A." Explained: A Harrowing Sitcom Subversion (YouTube). Retrieved 2021-08-10. The events in New Mexico ultimately aided in a major fallout with [Diane]. They aided in the loss of BoJack's relationship with his sister Hollyhock. They aided in the drug bender and subsequent death of his friend Sarah Lynn.
^ Framke, Caroline (27 July 2015). "BoJack Horseman: "Escape from L.A."". TV Club. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
^ "BoJack Horseman Review: "Escape from L.A." (2.11)". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-08-10.