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.
In keeping with tradition, Bob's Burgers knocks it out of the park with holiday specials. While it has been awhile since they have matched the Halloween charm of "Full Bars," it seems like they have officially topped themselves for Thanksgiving. They have tossed turkeys in toilets and had a very strange get together in the past. However, none of them compare to his year's episode which may be their best this season and greatest episode since "Mother Daughter Laser Razor." How do you do it? By making a vicious one-eyed turkey into the central enemy in a brilliant parody of zombie films.
The episode begins with Bob Belcher (Jon Benjamin) admitting that he doesn't want to do any cooking this Thanksgiving. He decides to stay home as the rest of the family goes to Wagstaff Wharf for the first annual Running of the Turkeys. They meet up with Teddy (Larry Murphy), Andy (Laura Silverman) and Ollie (Sarah Silverman) and Regular Sized Rudie (Brian Huskey). It is being held by Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) and his brother Felix (Zach Galifianakis). Things quickly get out of hand when Linda (John Roberts) passes out and Teddy carries her to safety.
Meanwhile, the kids are aboard a ride while whirling around. Outside of their perimeter are turkeys that want to kill them. They try to find a way to turn off the ride, but it is proving to be futile. When Linda and Teddy finally show up, things begin to work out. Sadly, they have turkeys chasing them. Meanwhile, Bob is at home feeling the urge to baste a turkey and heads to the store, which is running rampant with turkeys.
When everyone catches on to where Bob went, they decide to rescue him. It doesn't go well until Linda realizes that Bob ruined the pecking order by refusing to have Thanksgiving. She pecks his face, which causes the turkeys to retreat. As they leave, it is evident that nobody wants to have turkey ever again. The episode ends with Bob introducing Regular Sized Rudie to the music of Donna Summer while Felix and Mr. Fischoeder have their own dinner that is interrupted by a violent turkey.
Rating: 5 out of 5
All I know is that my love for Bob's Burgers is a little bit on the waning side. While I have continually enjoyed the show, I will admit that I wasn't as invested in season 4 as I would like to be. It felt like a retread of the previous season. It wasn't bad, but the heights of season 3 made it hard for me to get on board with most of them. In some strange way, "Dawn of the Peck" restores a lot of my faith in the series not only because it does everything that the show does right, but it reminds me that there's still room for them to creatively lambaste very holidays with strange and delightful twists.
I do have a personal fondness for when Bob's Burgers just enters a very strange, chaotic atmosphere and shoots for the fences. I love "The Deepening" for being this absurd take on Jaws while not actually following the mechanics of the film. In this case, replacing zombies with turkeys for a Dawn of the Dead parody is supremely satisfying. Not only is it a ridiculous b-movie idea, but it perfectly dovetails at the end with Bob being unable to cook turkeys after he states that wants to. Also, it is interesting because the amount of killer turkey stories out there are few and far between.
Most of all, it sets up obstacles of ridiculous stature for every character to overcome. While "The Kids Rob a Train" last season played with the idea of a train robbery, there hasn't been any episode on as big of a scale as this that quite captures an unpredictable sense of fun. I love when Bob begins to sing Donna Summer because it gives us a chance to laugh along with Bob, which doesn't happen as much as it should. He works well at making him by himself into an excellent subplot. When he's talking to his baster, there's a sincerity to it that makes his growing paranoia sort of candid and brilliant.
This episode also works because it reflects both aspects of the show at their best. It shows how the kids working together can result in some great madcap fun. It has been awhile since the kids have had anything as fun as the whirling ride to work off of. It is even great to see Teddy continue to become one of the best supporting characters on the show by tearing apart his buffoonish shell for something greater inside.
I really hope that this is a sign of what's to come on Bob's Burgers this season. I love when the show is excessively weird and embraces it with ingenious plot twists. It requires the characters to work together to achieve something greater than themselves, and it rarely is a letdown. I even love the jump scare that ends the episode. However, this works because it is probably the funniest episode about Thanksgiving featuring horror themes. It is so perfect that I have trouble just not fading into hyperbole here. It's just so so good.
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