Bojack Horseman Season 4 spoilers ahead!
"I don't think I'm allowed to be in love."
Todd Chavez looks off into the distance as he mutters the line. As the beloved Bojack Horseman character struggles with his sexuality, the show has stumbled into representing one of television's few openly asexual characters, someone who doesn't experience sexual attraction. Many people are emotional that they're experiences are being reflected on screen for the first time.
The Netflix original animated series continues to surprise and delight fans across the globe. On the season finale of season 3, Todd opens up about his sexuality for the first time. "I’m not gay," he explains to a childhood friend. "I mean, I don’t think I am, but I don’t think I’m straight, either. I don’t know what I am. I think I might be nothing."
For many people, myself included, this was their first time seeing anyone talk about sexuality in this manner on television. The familiarity of the scene sent some asexual people into full on knees-to-chest existential breakdown mode. But the show didn't stop there and delved even deeper into Todd's character, unlike anything we've seen on TV before.
Todd is an incredibly giving and selfless human being and drops whatever he's doing to help his friends, which isn't always what's best for him. In the beginning of Season 4, Episode 3 'Hooray! Todd Episode!' a frazzled Todd rushes on an orchestral performance stage, with only 16 bars left until his part, to ding his triangle at just the right moment.
"His name is Todd Chavez, and he’s the most giving man the world has ever known," a lion piccolo player explains. "He is always helping others. You know, sometimes, when that triangle part is coming up, I find myself hoping he won’t show up. No man should be asked to give that much."
Throughout the rest of episode, Todd is continually taken advantage of and coerced into helping everyone around him. Not that he minds, he's just that good of a guy. But when he has to talk to Bojack about his confusing relationship with a girl, Todd allows himself to pin down his sexuality, and he finally takes a moment for himself.
"I think I'm asexual," Todd opens up. "I'm sure you think that's weird."
"Are you kidding? That's amazing," replies Bojack.
"It actually feels nice to finally say it out loud," Todd smiles as the epiphany music swells. "I am an asexual person."
Todd decides to attend his first Asexual Meet-Up that night, and for the first time ever, when Todd's big orchestral triangle finish is nigh, he misses his moment. The orchestra members gasp when the triangle goes unplayed.
"Good for him," the lion piccolo player smiles.
Todd's asexuality is thoughtfully and intricately woven into the storyline that makes it undeniably clear it's simply just a part of who he is. This representation isn't going unnoticed, and Ace people are praising the show for doing something no other show has done before: show an asexual person just...existing.
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