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 seems like a common thing for Bob's Burgers to explore young love in very inventive and strange ways. However, there hasn't been a truly great depiction of romance on Valentine's Day in the series' canon yet. However, in the latest, the show manages to strike new ground and get inventive with a parody that not only comments on the tropes of love, but also manages to find new ground in character dynamics and comment on how silly the whole love thing really is. To say the least, this is yet another strong mark in a rather solid season.
The episode opens with news of Valentine's Day in the not too distant future. For Linda (John Roberts), it involves having Bob (Jon Benjamin) do a series of romantic things that includes sexy cooking and erotic dancing. For Tina (Dan Mintz), it is all about winning the Cupid's Couple trophy. Actually, it is Daryl's (Aziz Ansari) plan that involves him trying to get together with Rosa, whom he believes shares similar interests. Tina pretends to date him so that she could become better at math.
The word gets around and soon Daryl and Tina are the best couple at school as they help each other pretend to be great at something. Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen Schaal) are bribed into knowing that their relationship is a scam by getting free frozen yogurt and other various incentives. When they went Cupid's Couple, things begin to fall according to plan.
Daryl ends up with Rosa while there's chances that Tina will end up with Jimmy Jr. (Benjamin). The couples go bowling and it is at that point that Tina realizes that she really loves Daryl. This breaks up Daryl and Rosa momentarily until Tina is forced to get them back together. From there, they fall in love and Tina is left to fail math tests. Meanwhile, Bob and Linda's Valentine's Day activities are somewhat of a failure, but end up being fun for them.
Rating: 4 out of 5
When it comes to romance on Bob's Burgers, I tend to be rather hesitant. I am not a fan of Jimmy Jr. or Tina's odd obsession with him. What is there is fine, but there's too much gimmicky materials for me to completely buy into it. So to have Tina fake a relationship with someone feels expertly done on account that it allows the characters to divulge the naive understanding of childish romance in a way that may be jarring, but endearing in that it presents very simple things in a complex manner.
To listen to Daryl and Tina deal with their fake romance is especially inspired, as it gives an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the two lovers. They both are able to convince everyone else, but they still are only appealing to each other on a trope level. There's some humor in there that manages to be pulled from the con and the problems that are overshadowed by actual feelings growing inside both of them. By the end, it satirizes romantic comedies to perfection without being as over the top as the series has been known to go.
Daryl is especially a charming character because while he comes across as a loser, there's something endearing underneath it all. He really wants to be accepted by his peers and thus is forced to do some odd things. While this story may seem silly, it works from a child's perspective trying to cheat the system. Whether he is singing a song or convincing Rosa how to win the video games, he's charming without dodging into caricature. In fact, it is sweet to see them together and unfortunate to see that the real loss of the episode is Tina getting low score in school.
I choose not to really comment on the subplot, which was fine. It captured the necessary vibes to make a Valentine's Day themed episode. Their jokes were on point and they had plenty of silliness in the awkward fashion that we've come to expect from the Belchers. However, it doesn't really add much to the bigger story and only serves as time filler. It was fine, but considering how strong the main plot was, I could only hope that the typical subject matter that Bob and Linda tackled would have been stronger.
It is overall a rather strong episode because it reflects the series at its strengths. When the kids are forced to justify what love is, it results in something skewed to what we'd expect in this type of story. In fact, it almost seems foolish to think that anyone was buying a single moment of their romance. Still, it works and is a charming dedication to how well these characters work when pieced together in the least expected ways imaginable.
It seems like a common thing for Bob's Burgers to explore young love in very inventive and strange ways. However, there hasn't been a truly great depiction of romance on Valentine's Day in the series' canon yet. However, in the latest, the show manages to strike new ground and get inventive with a parody that not only comments on the tropes of love, but also manages to find new ground in character dynamics and comment on how silly the whole love thing really is. To say the least, this is yet another strong mark in a rather solid season.
The episode opens with news of Valentine's Day in the not too distant future. For Linda (John Roberts), it involves having Bob (Jon Benjamin) do a series of romantic things that includes sexy cooking and erotic dancing. For Tina (Dan Mintz), it is all about winning the Cupid's Couple trophy. Actually, it is Daryl's (Aziz Ansari) plan that involves him trying to get together with Rosa, whom he believes shares similar interests. Tina pretends to date him so that she could become better at math.
The word gets around and soon Daryl and Tina are the best couple at school as they help each other pretend to be great at something. Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen Schaal) are bribed into knowing that their relationship is a scam by getting free frozen yogurt and other various incentives. When they went Cupid's Couple, things begin to fall according to plan.
Daryl ends up with Rosa while there's chances that Tina will end up with Jimmy Jr. (Benjamin). The couples go bowling and it is at that point that Tina realizes that she really loves Daryl. This breaks up Daryl and Rosa momentarily until Tina is forced to get them back together. From there, they fall in love and Tina is left to fail math tests. Meanwhile, Bob and Linda's Valentine's Day activities are somewhat of a failure, but end up being fun for them.
Rating: 4 out of 5
To listen to Daryl and Tina deal with their fake romance is especially inspired, as it gives an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the two lovers. They both are able to convince everyone else, but they still are only appealing to each other on a trope level. There's some humor in there that manages to be pulled from the con and the problems that are overshadowed by actual feelings growing inside both of them. By the end, it satirizes romantic comedies to perfection without being as over the top as the series has been known to go.
Daryl is especially a charming character because while he comes across as a loser, there's something endearing underneath it all. He really wants to be accepted by his peers and thus is forced to do some odd things. While this story may seem silly, it works from a child's perspective trying to cheat the system. Whether he is singing a song or convincing Rosa how to win the video games, he's charming without dodging into caricature. In fact, it is sweet to see them together and unfortunate to see that the real loss of the episode is Tina getting low score in school.
I choose not to really comment on the subplot, which was fine. It captured the necessary vibes to make a Valentine's Day themed episode. Their jokes were on point and they had plenty of silliness in the awkward fashion that we've come to expect from the Belchers. However, it doesn't really add much to the bigger story and only serves as time filler. It was fine, but considering how strong the main plot was, I could only hope that the typical subject matter that Bob and Linda tackled would have been stronger.
It is overall a rather strong episode because it reflects the series at its strengths. When the kids are forced to justify what love is, it results in something skewed to what we'd expect in this type of story. In fact, it almost seems foolish to think that anyone was buying a single moment of their romance. Still, it works and is a charming dedication to how well these characters work when pieced together in the least expected ways imaginable.
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