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 is such a relief to have Bob's Burgers back on TV after close to a month of hiatus, thanks to baseball. Leaving the series on "Fort Night" almost seemed like a high note and made whatever was to follow have that much more of potential. Would it be a satire of sorts to any upcoming holidays, or would we just get back to crazy hi-jinks? The answer isn't quite the bizarre and instead turns focus to Bob (Jon Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts) relationship in ways that it hasn't been shown for quite some time. It is almost a sweet, bizarre little episode that continues an already strong season.
Upon returning from date night, Linda and Bob come home to two children and explain how Linda is tired of going to Rudy's. It gets them talking and soon it is suggested that they take sea plane flying lessons. Bob is an unadventurous type and this would be a nice change of pace from his mundane lifestyle. After an argument, Linda goes alone and leaves the family to assume that their marriage is on the rocks. Everyone except Bob buys into it.
Linda meets "Up Skirt" Kurt (Will Forte) who gives lessons to women and crashes the plane on an island nicknamed Quickie Kiss-It where he has some romantic entanglement with his clients. While Tina (Dan Mintz) dreams of going there to make out with people, the family becomes tipped off by Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) of Kurt's lifestyle. Teddy (Larry Murphy) even chimes in on the failing relationship of the Belchers, and it forces the kids and Bob to find a way to go out and save the marriage.
Linda and Kurt land on the island after Kurt pulls a fancy maneuver in which he lands the plane by diving into the ocean and pulling away at the last minute. He claims that the plane is ruined and needs repairs. In the meantime, he begins to confront Linda and tries to get her to fall for the ambiance. She isn't buying it and while she enjoys devouring the cheese and drinks, she doesn't fall for Kurt's ways. She even headbutts him at one point as an act of defense since her hands were filled with a glass.
Mr. Fischoeder cannot take the Belchers out to the island, so they begin looking for an alternative method. They land on a mailman who delivers mail to varying islands. He also opens everyone's mail and reads it before he does. His defense is that he seals it back up before handing it to his recipients to avoid any federal problems. He only gets them so far before Bob is forced to steal a rowboat and row to the island, making him very tired. Along the way, he discovers that Mr. Fischoeder has an actual boat and was just being a jerk about it.
With the seaplane magically disappeared from the island, Linda and Kurt try and signal for help. Bob eventually arrives, too exhausted to fight Kurt for his woman's hand. Mr. Fischoeder arrives moments later, towing the boat. He promises to take everyone back to shore. Louise (Kristen Schaal) wants to sit in the sea plane and soon the Belchers are in it being towed to shore. However, Mr. Fischoeder wants to show off the boat's speed to Kurt, and soon they are speeding through the water while blasting classical music.
This causes the sea plan to rise and as they approach a bridge, they realize that they have to cut the rope or face calamity. Bob finds a toolbox and finds a wine bottle opener and massage oil. Using the opener, he climbs out onto the wing of the plane and begins to rip the rope with the kids asking questions constantly just to annoy him. They eventually clear the rope and get over the bridge. However, they need to land, and that causes some problems. Linda decides to do it the way that Kurt had done earlier. Once landing, they decide that it was the best date that they had ever had and consider a make-out session with the sea plane floating on the ocean in front of the seaside amusement park.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
While I don't entirely love the episode, it does something rather noble and different that I wasn't expecting. We have seen the family work as varying dynamics. We have even seen Bob pine for Linda's love with a Valentine's Day episode. However, what makes this episode particularly interesting is that it is a noble attempt to prove just how much Bob loves his wife. It is done in a strangely poetic fashion, with even Linda being roused into a trap and proving that despite their terrible date nights at Rudy's, she really does love Bob.
This show has an amazing level of sincerity and heart that makes even the crazier hi-jinks work. This episode was packed with craziness, but it worked because it was a rescue mission to save Linda from yet another sleazy character that the show introduced. Kurt's nickname probably outshines his actual traits, but it is rather genius how the show managed to put together the third act of the story. There is mystery on how they would get off the island, notably because Bob probably wouldn't row that boat ever again.
Instead, through subtle introductions, we begin to see how the universe works and the perils are set up. We see the progression of the episode and even if Mr. Fischoeder somehow is the secret formula to all of the problems, his saving grace is somewhat a little thickheaded when all is said and done. He doesn't pay attention to the sea plane that he is towing at all and instead just speeds through the harbor. It is very much in the behavior that would be presented by someone who doesn't give the Belchers any help getting to the island.
The final act is especially exciting because in ways that I feel recalls the Adventures of Tintin, Bob is forced yet again to save the family from inevitable danger. Despite all of the bickering, it is his job to save the day and get the plane over the bridge. In a way, this is an episode about how Bob and Linda work as a couple. They help each other survive and while the kids are there, this is all about the rescue and chemistry between the two. Their aphrodisiac of danger on the sea definitely feels paid off by the closing scene. I don't feel like the kids were necessarily an interesting supporting cast this week, though hearing Gene (Eugene Mirman) correct grammar on sea plan parts was rather amusing.
It was a rather straightforward episode, though one that has plenty of enjoyable merit. Linda's slightly grotesque habits of burping and puking definitely clash with Kurt's ideal vision of romance, and that really gives her an edge in this episode. Linda is her own woman and while maybe often aloof, she knows what she wants. Even Bob, whose usual insistence that everything is fine in an average episode, is some form of denial in this episode. He needs to prove that everything is fine, and by doing so, it makes an endearing moment of TV. I just now wonder if Tina will ever be able to go back, or if this is just yet another setup that won't be called to again.
I admit that I wasn't a big fan of Kurt in general, as his plot was rather thin. I think that was the point and thus his disconnect with Linda was all the more intriguing. It was nice seeing a lothario fail by the woman he is trying to seduce. It breaks down the mechanics of the story in interesting ways. Even if the payoff for these characters are oddly never addressed, it was nice to see Linda become free and save the day. I don't feel like we get enough episodes of that. I just hope that now that baseball is gone that we'll be having more excellent episodes weekly instead of leaving us pining for more.
Upon returning from date night, Linda and Bob come home to two children and explain how Linda is tired of going to Rudy's. It gets them talking and soon it is suggested that they take sea plane flying lessons. Bob is an unadventurous type and this would be a nice change of pace from his mundane lifestyle. After an argument, Linda goes alone and leaves the family to assume that their marriage is on the rocks. Everyone except Bob buys into it.
Linda meets "Up Skirt" Kurt (Will Forte) who gives lessons to women and crashes the plane on an island nicknamed Quickie Kiss-It where he has some romantic entanglement with his clients. While Tina (Dan Mintz) dreams of going there to make out with people, the family becomes tipped off by Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) of Kurt's lifestyle. Teddy (Larry Murphy) even chimes in on the failing relationship of the Belchers, and it forces the kids and Bob to find a way to go out and save the marriage.
Mr. Fischoeder cannot take the Belchers out to the island, so they begin looking for an alternative method. They land on a mailman who delivers mail to varying islands. He also opens everyone's mail and reads it before he does. His defense is that he seals it back up before handing it to his recipients to avoid any federal problems. He only gets them so far before Bob is forced to steal a rowboat and row to the island, making him very tired. Along the way, he discovers that Mr. Fischoeder has an actual boat and was just being a jerk about it.
With the seaplane magically disappeared from the island, Linda and Kurt try and signal for help. Bob eventually arrives, too exhausted to fight Kurt for his woman's hand. Mr. Fischoeder arrives moments later, towing the boat. He promises to take everyone back to shore. Louise (Kristen Schaal) wants to sit in the sea plane and soon the Belchers are in it being towed to shore. However, Mr. Fischoeder wants to show off the boat's speed to Kurt, and soon they are speeding through the water while blasting classical music.
This causes the sea plan to rise and as they approach a bridge, they realize that they have to cut the rope or face calamity. Bob finds a toolbox and finds a wine bottle opener and massage oil. Using the opener, he climbs out onto the wing of the plane and begins to rip the rope with the kids asking questions constantly just to annoy him. They eventually clear the rope and get over the bridge. However, they need to land, and that causes some problems. Linda decides to do it the way that Kurt had done earlier. Once landing, they decide that it was the best date that they had ever had and consider a make-out session with the sea plane floating on the ocean in front of the seaside amusement park.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
While I don't entirely love the episode, it does something rather noble and different that I wasn't expecting. We have seen the family work as varying dynamics. We have even seen Bob pine for Linda's love with a Valentine's Day episode. However, what makes this episode particularly interesting is that it is a noble attempt to prove just how much Bob loves his wife. It is done in a strangely poetic fashion, with even Linda being roused into a trap and proving that despite their terrible date nights at Rudy's, she really does love Bob.
This show has an amazing level of sincerity and heart that makes even the crazier hi-jinks work. This episode was packed with craziness, but it worked because it was a rescue mission to save Linda from yet another sleazy character that the show introduced. Kurt's nickname probably outshines his actual traits, but it is rather genius how the show managed to put together the third act of the story. There is mystery on how they would get off the island, notably because Bob probably wouldn't row that boat ever again.
Instead, through subtle introductions, we begin to see how the universe works and the perils are set up. We see the progression of the episode and even if Mr. Fischoeder somehow is the secret formula to all of the problems, his saving grace is somewhat a little thickheaded when all is said and done. He doesn't pay attention to the sea plane that he is towing at all and instead just speeds through the harbor. It is very much in the behavior that would be presented by someone who doesn't give the Belchers any help getting to the island.
The final act is especially exciting because in ways that I feel recalls the Adventures of Tintin, Bob is forced yet again to save the family from inevitable danger. Despite all of the bickering, it is his job to save the day and get the plane over the bridge. In a way, this is an episode about how Bob and Linda work as a couple. They help each other survive and while the kids are there, this is all about the rescue and chemistry between the two. Their aphrodisiac of danger on the sea definitely feels paid off by the closing scene. I don't feel like the kids were necessarily an interesting supporting cast this week, though hearing Gene (Eugene Mirman) correct grammar on sea plan parts was rather amusing.
It was a rather straightforward episode, though one that has plenty of enjoyable merit. Linda's slightly grotesque habits of burping and puking definitely clash with Kurt's ideal vision of romance, and that really gives her an edge in this episode. Linda is her own woman and while maybe often aloof, she knows what she wants. Even Bob, whose usual insistence that everything is fine in an average episode, is some form of denial in this episode. He needs to prove that everything is fine, and by doing so, it makes an endearing moment of TV. I just now wonder if Tina will ever be able to go back, or if this is just yet another setup that won't be called to again.
I admit that I wasn't a big fan of Kurt in general, as his plot was rather thin. I think that was the point and thus his disconnect with Linda was all the more intriguing. It was nice seeing a lothario fail by the woman he is trying to seduce. It breaks down the mechanics of the story in interesting ways. Even if the payoff for these characters are oddly never addressed, it was nice to see Linda become free and save the day. I don't feel like we get enough episodes of that. I just hope that now that baseball is gone that we'll be having more excellent episodes weekly instead of leaving us pining for more.
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