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 typical fashion, it seems like Bob's Burgers has been sacrificed to make room for baseball. What's more odd is that even after six seasons, it still manages to premiere episodes at a lagging rate. Is this for the best? Sometimes. However, it's jarring when considering that their last episode, "The Hauntening," was a little under a month ago. In this case, the family tackles Thanksgiving once again, not with any of the festive traditions, but by picking up Aunt Gayle (Megan Mullally) in a blizzard. Does everything pay off? Well, if you wanted a more Gayle-centric episode, it does. Otherwise, it's the least Thanksgiving episode that the show has ever done.
The episode opens with the family trying to determine how to prepare the turkey. As they do, they get a call from Gayle, who asks Bob (Jon Benjamin) to pick her up. Since he thinks that it will be a quick fix, he goes over in a blizzard. The only issue is that the snow is starting to impact the street, and his car gets buried. It isn't long until a plow truck comes by and throws more snow onto the car, thus disabling any immediate use of it for the foreseeable future.
Inside, Bob discovers that Gayle is injured and has a swollen ankle. He does his best to help her get dressed and look presentable. He then goes to get her cat, Mr. Business. When they take off, they have to be creative in order to transport Gayle to Bob's house. Since she is too injured to walk, she rides in a raft while he pulls her. Bob tells Linda (John Roberts) to baste the turkey. During this time, Bob discovers that Gayle broke up with Mr. Frond, and Mr. Business manages to escape the clutches of the box that Gayle is holding him in.
As they continue, things become more frustrating. Bob first goes the wrong way. He then gets mad that Gayle faked the injury because she was depressed. The journey continues until they find Mr. Business on the way to the house. When they finally get there, everyone celebrates Thanksgiving. Gayle realizes that she mistakenly broke up with Mr. Frond because he actually was spending Thanksgiving with his aunt. The kids admit right away that dinner is sort of a mess, thus resorting to eating microwave food.
Rating: 3 out of 5
I'll have to admit that Bob's Burgers hasn't been doing so hot the past few episodes. I personally found "The Hauntening" to be one of their lowest points in the series. Meanwhile, I don't know that I really cared for whatever this episode was trying to be. It's Bob coming to the rescue, only to help a character that is plagued with some mental problems. The comedy is that she cannot think correctly, get it? She's insane and personally goes out of her way to inconvenience everyone in her life. I know that this is a comedy show and that dumb things tend to happen in the format, but it still bothers me that this show has so many characters that have nothing but those dumb genes running through them. Some are endearing, but Gayle can be a bit of a nag sometimes.
I will admit that Gayle isn't the worst character on the show. She has been fine in small doses. In fact, she's a very effective supporting player. Yet, I don't know that I can stand dedicating a whole episode to her being a central figure. It's Bob being selfless as always, which is fine. That's what the show is built on. It's Gayle's lack of ability to cooperate as a human being that really becomes bothersome. I know that it could be attributed to her "depression," which is used as an excuse, but there's very little here to suggest that she's actually sad. At most, she's manipulative in ways that are off putting and make her less of an appealing character to be around.
I could go into the small, dumb things that bothered me about her in this episode. For instance, the insistence on making the Mr. Frond break-up be based around something so mundane is awful. Then you get to her treatment of Bob, who is doing all of the work for her. Still, deciding that it's okay to open a box with a live wire cat is just obnoxiously invented by the writers to add an unnecessary subplot. Considering that the additional family don't get a lot of time in the episode, it's an uncomfortable amount of time with Gayle being obnoxious.
I know that I am harping on this episode, but I'm doing so largely because of what Bob's Burgers has done before. There's been plenty of heartwarming episodes based around the holidays. There's even been some that are just meant for laughs. I'm sure that this was supposed to bridge a gap of sorts. However, Gayle's not necessarily a character that brings out the best in people. If anything, this episode mostly works because of Bob's selfless desire to please his family. That's a very sweet sentiment, even if he's rewarded with an uncooked turkey and a very bad dinner.
It's not that Bob's Burgers is bad this season. It's just hit a small snag, and their ideas don't feel as fresh as they ought to be right now. It could just be that they have gone to the well a little much in order to fulfill their holiday episode requirements. I wish that I could get more out of this than pairing two characters that are on the different spectrum of tolerance. It's a fine episode without too much to really be considered grating. It's just that I don't like Gayle, except in small doses. The show tends to work when they have dumb characters appear for minutes, not the entire episode. Maybe this would've been better as a reversal - having focused on the kids preparing dinner. I don't know. I really feel like there's a good episode somewhere in this.
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