TV Recap: Bob's Burgers - "Mother Daughter Laser Razor"

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.

Finally, we return after the long winter hiatus. Couldn't be more thrilled to be back with the show, which appears to be in top form. Before I begin, please note that I have an announcement regarding recaps coming this weekend, so make sure to look for that. Anyways, the episode has everything that you could possibly expect from an essentially great episode of Bob's Burgers. The notable theme is family development, which somehow feels like the show's strengths, despite its weird way of doing that. In many ways, I think that this show can get deeply personal and interesting if you give it time.

The episode begins with Linda (John Roberts) is in the living room playing Twister. She notices that everyone else is absent on family game night. She hears yelling from the other room and decides to investigate. It turns out that Louise (Kristen Schaal), Gene (Eugene Mirman), and Tina (Dan Mintz) are all throwing pillows on top of Bob (Jon Benjamin), which they claim is a beloved past time. One thing leads to another, and soon an argument arises between Louise and Linda about how she is a lame mother. When Linda tells Louise that she has a one way ticket to her room, she claims that she can't break anything in there. That leads to tension and Linda to wallow in pity.

During the night, Linda is up late looking at a mommy blog called Phenomimom, which is offering her parenting advice. Bob finds the name funny, but insists that it is just a nine year phase and that Louise will outgrow it. Meanwhile, after a scuffle with the most popular girls in school, Tina grows anxious about her leg hair, which she feels will be the point of ridicule if she doesn't shave them. Linda promises to do it, but eventually quits when Louise just starts yelling at Linda for smothering her with arts and crafts meant to embody tangible forms of love.

Tina turns to Bob for advice, which leads to Bob, Tina, and Gene going down to a waxing salon called Waxing Philosophical. The owner of the place insists that they have many options, including scrotal. Gene is all for it, but Bob is strictly there to help Tina get through waxing her legs. When the employee explains that it will hurt, she insists that Bob is in the room doing the same thing to help her through it. 

Meanwhile, Louise and Linda are trying to mend a broken relationship. This results in them driving to a Mother-Daughter Healing Seminar at the Nurture Center, which just happens to be next door to a laser tag building called Lasers and Gentlemen. Louise refuses at first, but is eventually convinced when Linda insists that she will pay her for coming along. The mommy blogger who put together the event turns out to be Dakota (Tim Heidecker), who uses a lot of weird terminology that all relates to the female anatomy, claiming that there is a mother in everyone.
Soon Logan (Kurt Braunholer) and Cynthia (Lindsey Stoddart) show up, making things awkward. However, as they get further into the session, things get weirder. Dakota has everyone wear masks and tubes to embody umbilical chords that represent feeding. There's even bags that represent the womb that cost $50. Dakota is a very gentle man, but when it is discovered that Louise is being paid to be there and Logan somehow decides to support her, both end up in the Uter-Room. What is the Uter-Room? It is a closet that basically has Freaky Friday on a loop (Jamie Lee Curtis guest stars as audio for said film).
After getting their legs waxed, Bob, Tina, and Gene return to Bob's Burgers, where they meet Teddy (Larry Murphy). He is impressed by their waxing and thinks about getting the job done on his legs. However, he also calls them his little friends. This gets Tina in an existential panic as she considers that she just burnt her hairy little friends just to abide peer pressure. This is expressed with an equally odd Terminator 2 parody clip. When she tells Bob, he insists that they'll grow back and that everything will be fine.
Meanwhile, Logan and Louise manage to break out of the Uter-Room in a way that manages to lock all of the adults in their place. It involves faking a stomach flu. By this point, Cynthia and Linda are fighting each other for the Most Valuable Mommy Award, which is a prize that Dakota gives to the best mother at his seminar. This doesn't stop them from bickering and eventually leads to conflict over busting open the door by thinking that the other one is weaker.
When the mothers and Dakota break out, they discover that their kids are at Lasers and Gentlemen. When the manager insists that no one can go into the game zone without a vest, this turns into an epic game of mothers versus daughters in a game of laser tag as they try to piece together their relationships. Dakota tries to defuse the situation, but it is no use. Everyone is out to shoot each other.
Eventually Linda and Louise join together to destroy Dakota, who is now frustrated at Louise for ruining his seminar. In the end, it pieces together their relationship and everything worked out. The episode ends with everyone back at Bob's Burgers. Gene and Bob are scratching their legs because it is painfully itchy. Tina plans to let her leg hair grow. However, in the discussion of their day, Louise is jealous of Bob, Tina, and Gene's day.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5

And just like that, I almost feel like the show has usurped the Simpsons, which I feel is in the middle of a lackluster season. However, in an interesting twist, both episodes featured a joke about parental coping with daughters. I feel like Bob's Burgers managed to do the better one, albeit it was more in line with the plot. However, when I think of the perverse way that the Simpsons used to show family bonding ("Itchy and Scratchy Land"), I realize that this show just reached that level with an all out laser tag battle that is somehow ingeniously brilliant and twisted.
I love it when the characters finally get time to bond with each other. True, the wacky adventures aspect is still an endearing factor to the show, but at some point I felt like these characters needed depth. This episode provided the much needed kick for that.
First off, the awkwardness of Tina is ripe for so many plots that I am glad that we have gotten plenty this season. Of course, crashing cars is nowhere near as mundane as shaving legs, but in a way, it is a coming of age parody that just works perfectly. Bob is wanting to help his daughter through the debacle of being accepted, and that makes the leg waxing scene more endearing. Also, the way that they fancy the feeling of hairless legs is also a small way of showing these characters sharing common interests. It may be pretty stupid, but I really felt like there was development between Tina and Bob in this episode and kind of justified their awkward friendship.
Of course, Louise and Linda steal the show. With great guest starring role by Tim Heidecker, the mother daughter seminar was just a brilliant place to see how these two characters worked. I don't feel like we've spent enough time with either together, and to see them struggle to like each other as they do really stupid exercises is just endearing. Also, it is in Louise's wheelhouse to bribe her mother for money. That was great. 
Dakota was an interesting character just because of his evolution from kindhearted good wisher to the guy who wanted Louise to die. Okay, just die in the realm of laser tag, but the symbolism was there. In many ways, I felt like that final laser tag scene embodies how the show can take familiar subject matter, like family dynamics, and turn it into perverse, twisted fresh takes. I honestly kept thinking of the Simpsons in their prime during that scene and how the laser tag was equally symbolic of a common trope as much as it was about the absurdity. After all, laser tag is a weird thing for characters that we have never seen play laser tag to bond over. Also, to have the sanest person in the episode go crazy was a nice touch.
Overall, I felt like both story lines were very solid and the family dynamic feels stronger as a result. True, Gene wasn't really a key player this week, but even his desire to fit in felt like it went somewhere. From the leg waxing to the laser tag, I feel like this show is great at taking symbolism and absurdity and applying it to sweet, endearing subject matters. I feel like this is why the show needs to last for awhile. There is just so much that I want to know about the Belchers.