Welcome to TV Recap, in which we look at modern shows and analyze them on an episode-to-episode basis. This one focuses on the cartoon sitcom Bob's Burgers, a very funny show that is capable of rivaling old school Simpsons in terms of irreverent humor and off the wall zaniness. With a cast of modern alternative comedian heroes, the story follows the Belchers as they run a burger joint. Join me as I take part in dissecting the show in its first full season. Check back on Tuesdays for the next exciting installment.
Just like I said during "Full Bars," one of the reasons that I love Bob's Burgers is that they may be three seasons in, but they have yet to tackle all of the familiar holidays. Having previously tackled Halloween, it is time to see what it is like when the Belchers celebrate Thanksgiving. For the most part, it may be one of the most creative, fun, twisted looks at the season to come out in the past few years.
The episode begins with the Belchers travelling through the grocery store. With Gene (Eugene Mirman) in a cart being pushed by Bob (Jon Benjamin), Linda (John Roberts) regales why Bob loves the holiday to Gene, Tina (Dan Mintz), and Louise (Kristen Schaal). Bob is overly excited by the holiday because he is able to pick out his own turkey and cook it as if it is a cherished family member. After talking to a bunch of frozen turkeys, he picks one up and calls it Lance.
Back at Bob's Burgers, the family sits around and talks about how great the holiday is. Bob noticeably takes pride in the festivities, which includes playing football with Gene and a loaf of bread, an offshoot of CSI: Miami with Louise involving torn apart meats, and Bob's patented funny toasts. This is Bob's favorite time of the year and he is looking forward to another terrific experience.
That is, until Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) shows up with a proposal. He is having his girlfriend Shelby (Lindsey Stoddart) over for dinner, and he wants to set up the Belchers as his fake family so that he can make Shelby a home wrecker. The catch is that this will give the Belchers free rent for a few months. Bob tries to state the significance of Thanksgiving as their favorite holiday, but the kids immediately deny this, stating that everything from Christmas to Hanukkah to Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead are above Thanksgiving in their line of preference. Mr. Fischoeder wins them over and suddenly they're spending Thanksgiving at his house. It is kind of like a play within a play, or a turducken, or Inception with meats. Linda is so excited, but she believes that the "play" that they are putting on wouldn't be any good without song, which causes her to burst into a song about killing the turkey.
With Bob working the kitchen, he makes the plan that they celebrate the holiday in private by having each person excuse themselves at the table to celebrate in the kitchen. This fails when Mr. Fischoeder rallies the kids by offering them tickets for good behavior and the incentive of prizes. Thanksgiving no longer matters to them. They're being polite, and while Tina is the least competitive, Gene and Linda compete with frequency for tickets.
Bob cooks the turkey, but not without talking to it. Suddenly, he notices a bottle of absinthe nearby. He somehow manages to get the turkey to convince him to drink it. This results in a hallucination that involves the family in a field watching a bunch of goods spiral into the sky while a large turkey lifts the family and shouts in jubilation. It is mystifying and odd, but does nothing to keep Bob from accepting the fact that he's drank so much absinthe.
When Shelby arrives, she immediately is charmed by the family. She even entertains them by pulling a shotgun off of the wall and shooting it from between her legs. This is called the reverse cowgirl. Louise insists that she could probably pierce Gene's ear that way. As they sit down to table, they begin to talk and Mr. Fischoeder gradually gives out tickets. He isn't even afraid to yell at Tina for not being an inspired flatterer. However, Shelby is curious why they keep calling Bob dad.
Bob tries to get everyone into the kitchen to do the holiday festivities. However, this doesn't end well, causing Bob to storm into the dinner room and walk all over the table. He demands respect from everyone. When this doesn't happen, Mr. Fischoeder competes with him by walking on the table. This upsets Shelby, which causes her to pull out the shotgun and chase Bob through the mansion-like house.
As Bob runs up a flight of stairs, he closes a door and suddenly Shelby shoots through a door. This causes everyone to panic and share that Bob was the real father, but that doesn't phase her. When they open the door, it is discovered that the turkey was shot, causing Bob to get melodramatic. Mr. Fischoeder tries to win back Shelby, but she is too bothered by everything not to be the other woman.
Louise is happy to note that she has the most tickets. She decides to buy a mural of the Fischoeder version of the family, which is drawn with squiggly lines around the family, representative of schlongs, which is German for snakes. As the family enjoys dinner, Linda drinks absinthe and Bob does the family traditions. Tina says that if Bob got shot, they would eat him because he would be plump. Bob doesn't like this, but just accepts it and moves on.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
At very least, you cannot fault this episode for being normal. The general premise may get a little out of hand and wacky in the middle, but that only adds to the charm. There is an odd sense with the Belcher males going on this season that involves them falling in love with awkward things. Gene last week fell in love with a hand puppet, and now Bob reveals a fascination with talking to turkeys. Neither is a healthy obsession, but it only adds to the disorders of this family, and when it finally gets around to a hallucination involving a dancing turkey, the show reminds you why it is one of the best shows on TV. It is weird, but in a very creative way.
Bob is a fascinating character who doesn't get the stories he deserves some weeks. While "Full Bars" was a prime example of this case, he manages to be a somewhat reasonable man, but not without some delusions. He is somehow the smartest character, but ends up talking to turkeys and drinking absinthe. There is a sense of empathy that he has that causes him to just work as an average man trying to cook dinner. When he was forced to split his family with Mr. Fischoeder, there is almost a sense of male dominance issues. This is effective in making Bob seem like an every man.
The kids this week managed to somehow take a backseat to Bob's story. This is an interesting approach, as they have been the dominant force in the season and it is impossible to note too many moments where their dysfunctional behavior hasn't lead to hilarity. They definitely have their moments, but this is Bob's story. Not even Linda's song can overpower Bob's descent into madness as he wants Thanksgiving his way. After all, isn't that what the holiday is all about?
In this way, Bob's Burgers has made an excellent entry into the Thanksgiving episode genre. They manage to skewer it by finding the essence. The problem is that the Mr. Fischoeder and Shelby story, while built on a genius concept, just felt like it existed and was meant to be weird. This may be the point, but by the time the episode ends with the turkey getting shot, it only gets interesting between the couple and within two minutes, the episode is over. It doesn't diminish the otherwise good elements, but this is Bob's episode and nothing can stop that.
This is making me more and more interested to see if they ever tackle Christmas. There have been way too many satires to really think of an authentic concept. Still, if they can pull out a Thanksgiving concept this good, it is possible that there is something that we don't know. However, it probably won't be as great as Bob talking to a dancing turkey in a hallucination caused by absinthe.
Also, in other related news, the band the National has recorded a version of the song that Linda sings. It sounds totally depressing and I don't like it, but why not give it a peak and share your thoughts:
The episode begins with the Belchers travelling through the grocery store. With Gene (Eugene Mirman) in a cart being pushed by Bob (Jon Benjamin), Linda (John Roberts) regales why Bob loves the holiday to Gene, Tina (Dan Mintz), and Louise (Kristen Schaal). Bob is overly excited by the holiday because he is able to pick out his own turkey and cook it as if it is a cherished family member. After talking to a bunch of frozen turkeys, he picks one up and calls it Lance.
Back at Bob's Burgers, the family sits around and talks about how great the holiday is. Bob noticeably takes pride in the festivities, which includes playing football with Gene and a loaf of bread, an offshoot of CSI: Miami with Louise involving torn apart meats, and Bob's patented funny toasts. This is Bob's favorite time of the year and he is looking forward to another terrific experience.
That is, until Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) shows up with a proposal. He is having his girlfriend Shelby (Lindsey Stoddart) over for dinner, and he wants to set up the Belchers as his fake family so that he can make Shelby a home wrecker. The catch is that this will give the Belchers free rent for a few months. Bob tries to state the significance of Thanksgiving as their favorite holiday, but the kids immediately deny this, stating that everything from Christmas to Hanukkah to Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead are above Thanksgiving in their line of preference. Mr. Fischoeder wins them over and suddenly they're spending Thanksgiving at his house. It is kind of like a play within a play, or a turducken, or Inception with meats. Linda is so excited, but she believes that the "play" that they are putting on wouldn't be any good without song, which causes her to burst into a song about killing the turkey.
With Bob working the kitchen, he makes the plan that they celebrate the holiday in private by having each person excuse themselves at the table to celebrate in the kitchen. This fails when Mr. Fischoeder rallies the kids by offering them tickets for good behavior and the incentive of prizes. Thanksgiving no longer matters to them. They're being polite, and while Tina is the least competitive, Gene and Linda compete with frequency for tickets. Bob cooks the turkey, but not without talking to it. Suddenly, he notices a bottle of absinthe nearby. He somehow manages to get the turkey to convince him to drink it. This results in a hallucination that involves the family in a field watching a bunch of goods spiral into the sky while a large turkey lifts the family and shouts in jubilation. It is mystifying and odd, but does nothing to keep Bob from accepting the fact that he's drank so much absinthe.
When Shelby arrives, she immediately is charmed by the family. She even entertains them by pulling a shotgun off of the wall and shooting it from between her legs. This is called the reverse cowgirl. Louise insists that she could probably pierce Gene's ear that way. As they sit down to table, they begin to talk and Mr. Fischoeder gradually gives out tickets. He isn't even afraid to yell at Tina for not being an inspired flatterer. However, Shelby is curious why they keep calling Bob dad.
Bob tries to get everyone into the kitchen to do the holiday festivities. However, this doesn't end well, causing Bob to storm into the dinner room and walk all over the table. He demands respect from everyone. When this doesn't happen, Mr. Fischoeder competes with him by walking on the table. This upsets Shelby, which causes her to pull out the shotgun and chase Bob through the mansion-like house.
As Bob runs up a flight of stairs, he closes a door and suddenly Shelby shoots through a door. This causes everyone to panic and share that Bob was the real father, but that doesn't phase her. When they open the door, it is discovered that the turkey was shot, causing Bob to get melodramatic. Mr. Fischoeder tries to win back Shelby, but she is too bothered by everything not to be the other woman.
Louise is happy to note that she has the most tickets. She decides to buy a mural of the Fischoeder version of the family, which is drawn with squiggly lines around the family, representative of schlongs, which is German for snakes. As the family enjoys dinner, Linda drinks absinthe and Bob does the family traditions. Tina says that if Bob got shot, they would eat him because he would be plump. Bob doesn't like this, but just accepts it and moves on.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
At very least, you cannot fault this episode for being normal. The general premise may get a little out of hand and wacky in the middle, but that only adds to the charm. There is an odd sense with the Belcher males going on this season that involves them falling in love with awkward things. Gene last week fell in love with a hand puppet, and now Bob reveals a fascination with talking to turkeys. Neither is a healthy obsession, but it only adds to the disorders of this family, and when it finally gets around to a hallucination involving a dancing turkey, the show reminds you why it is one of the best shows on TV. It is weird, but in a very creative way.
Bob is a fascinating character who doesn't get the stories he deserves some weeks. While "Full Bars" was a prime example of this case, he manages to be a somewhat reasonable man, but not without some delusions. He is somehow the smartest character, but ends up talking to turkeys and drinking absinthe. There is a sense of empathy that he has that causes him to just work as an average man trying to cook dinner. When he was forced to split his family with Mr. Fischoeder, there is almost a sense of male dominance issues. This is effective in making Bob seem like an every man.
The kids this week managed to somehow take a backseat to Bob's story. This is an interesting approach, as they have been the dominant force in the season and it is impossible to note too many moments where their dysfunctional behavior hasn't lead to hilarity. They definitely have their moments, but this is Bob's story. Not even Linda's song can overpower Bob's descent into madness as he wants Thanksgiving his way. After all, isn't that what the holiday is all about?
In this way, Bob's Burgers has made an excellent entry into the Thanksgiving episode genre. They manage to skewer it by finding the essence. The problem is that the Mr. Fischoeder and Shelby story, while built on a genius concept, just felt like it existed and was meant to be weird. This may be the point, but by the time the episode ends with the turkey getting shot, it only gets interesting between the couple and within two minutes, the episode is over. It doesn't diminish the otherwise good elements, but this is Bob's episode and nothing can stop that.
This is making me more and more interested to see if they ever tackle Christmas. There have been way too many satires to really think of an authentic concept. Still, if they can pull out a Thanksgiving concept this good, it is possible that there is something that we don't know. However, it probably won't be as great as Bob talking to a dancing turkey in a hallucination caused by absinthe.
Also, in other related news, the band the National has recorded a version of the song that Linda sings. It sounds totally depressing and I don't like it, but why not give it a peak and share your thoughts:
Also check out more of my work at http://nerdseyeviewpodcast.blogspot.com/ where I have a podcast called Nerd's Eye View.
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