"Ruthie" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of American animated television series ''

BoJack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated tragicomedy television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...

'', and the 45th episode overall. It was written by Joanna Calo and directed by

Amy Winfrey Amy Winfrey (born October 1975) is an American animator, screenwriter, songwriter, director and voice actress. She is best known for creating the web series '' Making Fiends'' that was later picked up by Nickelodeon in 2008, and for directing se ...

, and was released in the United States, along with the rest of season four, via

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on September 8, 2017.

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...

Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

, and

Sharon Horgan Sharon Lorencia Horgan (born ) is an Irish actress, writer, director, producer, and comedian. She is best known for creating and starring in the comedy series '' Pulling'' (2006–2009), '' Catastrophe'' (2015–2019), and '' Bad Sisters'' (2022 ...

provide voices in guest appearances in the episode. The episode is presented as a flashback, as a story told by Princess Carolyn's relative in the future. In February 2018, "Ruthie" was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation at the 70th WGA Awards. It lost to " Time's Arrow", another ''Bojack Horseman'' episode.

Plot

Ruthie, who is Princess Carolyn's great-great-great-granddaughter, narrates the story of a particularly bad day in Carolyn's life for a school project. Through the day Carolyn learns that she has

miscarried Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is ...

, fires her assistant Judah for declining a lucrative project without telling her, and breaks up with her boyfriend

Ralph Ralph (pronounced or ) is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Old High German ''Radulf'', cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms are: * Ra ...

. In the end, Ruthie is revealed to have been a fantasy of Princess Carolyn, which she used to cope with her troubles.

Reception

The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. In 2018, it was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation. Lenika Cruz of ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' described "Ruthie" and " Time's Arrow" as the two best episodes of the season, and saying each episode takes "full advantage of the medium to make their studies of female interiority feel like epics". ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' gave the episode 5 stars out of 5, especially praising the episode's ending. Les Chappell of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' gave the episode an "A" grade, noting the voice talents of Kristen Bell as the titular Ruthie.

References

External links

"Ruthie"
on

* {{BoJack Horseman BoJack Horseman episodes 2017 American television episodes Television episodes written by Joanna Calo