[7.9/10] I am such a sucker for “Linda goes crazy” episodes. Tina measuring her town against New York City and finding it lacking, while Linda tries to puff up their humble little berg is a good story engine and source of conflict. It provides the show plenty of opportunities to make gags about the weird little place the Belchers call home (I especially liked the funky roads) and match the extroverted/introverted energies of Linda and Tina nicely.
There’s also a good emotional motivation beneath the surface there. It’s a little underdeveloped, but Linda being so invested in disabusing Tina of her big city dreams works since Linda herself had those same dreams and felt like she missed the beauty and greatness that was around her because of it. It lets some of the craziness come from a good place, which helps mitigate some of the extra-ness that Linda brings to the table.
The story culminates in the mother and daughter tracking down and haranguing a seventies singer/songwriter who moved from NYC to the greater Wonder Wharf area. Linda believes this woman is the key to convincing Tina of the town’s greatness, and while all they can settle on is “people, nature, and drugs” in some uncertain order, it’s a measured victory. Tina hasn’t quite given up on her Big Apple hopes (as her daydream humming amusingly conveyed), but she comes to appreciate the town in its sunset hues. It may not get her an “A” (especially since her “report” is just the singer’s CD), but it’s a success for Linda, and the fact that Tammy never actually saw New York is the icing on the cake.
The B-story is a lot of fun. Teddy, Gene, and Louise becoming invested in Teddy’s argument with a local sportscaster, while Bob only reluctantly participates, is a good recipe for laughs. Bob as the straight man to other people’s overinvestment in minutiae is almost always a good strain of comedy here. I’ll admit, Teddy’s patheticness got even a bit too sad for me here (oh man, the sock thing!), but it’s a solid resolution to the story and way for Teddy to evade his “ban” from calling in to argue about minor league hockey.
Overall, a quality episode with amusing and low-key touching bits all around.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-08-06T00:50:30Z
[7.9/10] I am such a sucker for “Linda goes crazy” episodes. Tina measuring her town against New York City and finding it lacking, while Linda tries to puff up their humble little berg is a good story engine and source of conflict. It provides the show plenty of opportunities to make gags about the weird little place the Belchers call home (I especially liked the funky roads) and match the extroverted/introverted energies of Linda and Tina nicely.
There’s also a good emotional motivation beneath the surface there. It’s a little underdeveloped, but Linda being so invested in disabusing Tina of her big city dreams works since Linda herself had those same dreams and felt like she missed the beauty and greatness that was around her because of it. It lets some of the craziness come from a good place, which helps mitigate some of the extra-ness that Linda brings to the table.
The story culminates in the mother and daughter tracking down and haranguing a seventies singer/songwriter who moved from NYC to the greater Wonder Wharf area. Linda believes this woman is the key to convincing Tina of the town’s greatness, and while all they can settle on is “people, nature, and drugs” in some uncertain order, it’s a measured victory. Tina hasn’t quite given up on her Big Apple hopes (as her daydream humming amusingly conveyed), but she comes to appreciate the town in its sunset hues. It may not get her an “A” (especially since her “report” is just the singer’s CD), but it’s a success for Linda, and the fact that Tammy never actually saw New York is the icing on the cake.
The B-story is a lot of fun. Teddy, Gene, and Louise becoming invested in Teddy’s argument with a local sportscaster, while Bob only reluctantly participates, is a good recipe for laughs. Bob as the straight man to other people’s overinvestment in minutiae is almost always a good strain of comedy here. I’ll admit, Teddy’s patheticness got even a bit too sad for me here (oh man, the sock thing!), but it’s a solid resolution to the story and way for Teddy to evade his “ban” from calling in to argue about minor league hockey.
Overall, a quality episode with amusing and low-key touching bits all around.