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.
It was only a matter of time before Bob's Burgers tackled another beloved 80's family movie. After parodying the Goonies last season, it only seemed inevitable that they would eventually start hitting all of the Spielberg classics. One by one, it seems like they have done just that. With "the Deepening," they took Jaws into a surreal, new direction. Now, with "O.T.: The Outside Toilet," they attempt to do something more incredible. Will a parody of E.T. actually work in a world of pre-existing E.T. parodies?
The episode begins with the family sitting around the breakfast table, talking about their day ahead. Bob (Jon Benjamin) is wearing a nice gray suit that Mort let him borrow for a visit to the courts to pay for a parking ticket. Gene (Eugene Mirman) is excited because today is the day that he will get to raise a sack of flour as a baby. Tina (Dan Mintz) and Louise (Kristen Schaal) are just there trying to convince Linda (John Roberts) that each of them deserves her socks when she dies.
As the day progresses, Bob finds out that the suit is giving him very good luck. He gets out of the traffic ticket and is complemented numerous times by random citizens. He considers that it brings him good luck and makes him look wealthy, thus convincing himself that a trip to a fancy restaraunt with Linda in the evening would be more than quaint.
Meanwhile, Gene is a nervous wreck. Upon receiving the sack of flour for his assignment, he panics and drops it. He then begins to drop two more. He gets an F for failing father. This results in him taking the long way home, feeling like he is a terrible person. What he comes across is a talking toilet (Jon Hamm), who is capable of voice recognition and able to play Wings music as well as do fancy bidet tricks. He was dropped off of a truck driven by Max Flush (Neil Flynn), who is now very upset that his $1400 toilet is missing. When he discovers Gene walking around the forest near where the toilet is, they start a cat and mouse game. When Gene's name tag from his flour baby gets stuck to a branch, Max makes it his quest to capture Baby Boy Belcher.
As time continues, Gene introduces the toilet to Tina and Louise. They are fascinated by it, though not enough to get name recognition right. Louise is now Holy Crap after an outburst of shock. The toilet spends hours telling stories, only asking to be filled with water in return. He also claims that his battery life is low and that he needs to get to an outlet soon. The kids head back to Bob's Burgers with intent on solving that issue, but only run into Max.
Their plan from there is to lead Max astray. With him sitting in his van outside Bob's Burgers, the group creates a plan with the help of Andy (Sarah Silverman) and Ollie (Laura Silverman), disguising them as Gene and leading them to the boat dock. Upon tricking Max to get onto a boat, Gene is free to head out to the toilet and save it with the help of the Belchers, Ollie and Andy, and Zeke (Bobby Tisdale), all peddling bikes with a wagon attached to hold the toilet. Gene sits on top and guides them through the streets.
Bob and Linda have a great night out and get vastly drunk off of drinks that random patrons have bought for them. When they consider leaving, they are so drunk that they begin calling a taxi a "snacky." During the drive home, their paths cross and Gene is standing in the middle of the road with the toilet, somehow not shattered, trying to defend his relationship. The taxi driver decides to help out and the group drives to a coffee shop.
There they wait out until Max crosses paths with them. Upon seeing a toilet in the cafe, the employee calls the police. This results in an odd series of events that reveals that Max is actually a thief and that the toilet actually belongs to a couple on King's Point Island. He is arrested, and the toilet is shipped off to the island.
However, not without one last intimate moment between Gene and the toilet. The toilet mistakes "I love you" as "vomit," which leads to an awkward goodbye that even the police guard nearby to call depressing. The guard also notices that Bob is wearing a suit that belonged to his dead father, thus forcing him to depart with it, staunch naked on the port with the boat pulling away. The episode ends with the Belchers trying to move on now that everything they loved has left them.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
What starts off as a subtle nod to E.T. evolves into less obvious territory in the third act. True, it lacks the contagion aspect, but it is equally ridiculous to see Gene so enamored by machinery. It is also great to see that Bob's story shares similar themes of how material goods improve the self esteem. While it may just be coincidence, it helps to give the episode depth and the fact that both paths eventually cross and dovetail nicely into a sweet farewell is just amazing.
Back to the E.T. comparisons. Numerous shows have done these parodies, whether they be Animaniacs or the Simpsons. E.T. is in the zeitgeist and it is impossible to make the iconic moon scene any more parodied than it has ever been. However, as they did with Jaws, they found a way. Admittedly, the logic surrounding the minutes around it is bizarre, but the payoff was excellent. You knew it was coming, and still it was hilarious to see Gene riding a toilet on a wagon in front of the moon. It also didn't hurt that he wore a red hoodie, if just to make the homage less conspicuous. However, by imitating the Elliott character, he almost captures his endearing love and childish ways. Gene's love for the toilet is much more bizarre than an alien's, but the concept of talking toilets is alien within itself, so it isn't that weird.
I also loved that while the Belchers eventually got caught, it was by a shady thief. I have commented before on how the shady character in these episodes occasionally does get tiresome. However, I love that the reveal didn't come until the end. There is the sense that just because Gene stood up for the toilet, he managed to do justice in the world. In a sense, going back to him wanting to be a better parent, it also seems more endearing that he is so defensive and claims immense ownership.
Continuing the show's odd tradition is also its attempt to make toilet humor for a different sense. "Broadcast Wagstaff School News" made an entire case around fecal matter without ever showing it. Here, the toilet humor is more literal. True, there is more direct references to the use of a toilet, but it was all discreet and only benefited the character. It felt more natural in an world of absurdity and it only helped to strengthen the depiction of their romance.
While not a big E.T. fan myself, I admired how the show found new territory in the tried and true. I grew up with cartoons doing E.T. parodies and very little past 1995 has really left a strong impression. However, Bob's Burgers seems to be the show that has gotten away the most with taking the concept and twisting it on its head by making the alien character a talking toilet. With loving homages, it rarely feels like the parody outshines the plot, and that is a strength unto itself.
Of course, getting Jon Hamm to voice a toilet isn't that bad of a deal. I do also enjoy that while not listed in the credits, there is a subtle nod to him. In the opening scene, there is a shout out to Bob in a suit looking like a fatter Don Draper. It's a nice wink, even though it otherwise seems like an odd thing to be said by the kids, who aren't as prone to just spout pop culture references as the kids on the Simpsons.
I really can't wait to see if they ever get around to a 1941 or Raiders of the Lost Ark parody. I know it may lead to them getting stale, but in a world where satire is getting dried up, it is a nice touch to see someone with a fresh spin.
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