[7.0/10] Man, early Bob’s Burgers was so weird. It’s not just that the animation is cruder or that the rhythms of the episode aren’t as polished. There’s also this raunch factor, with gags about herpes and crack and transvestite hookers that would feel really out of place in later installments of the show. You can feel the way the series’ roots lie more in the Adult Swim brand of comedy than the off-kilter but still wholesome brand the show would eventually adopt.
At the same time, the heart is there! There’s something really sweet about Bob working two jobs in order to be able to afford Tina’s party. As uncomfortable as he is at the prospect of his daughter becoming a woman and kissing boys, he puts himself through a lot to celebrate that and make it possible. There’s a real sweetness both to him shaving his mustache to convince Jimmy Pesto to let Jimmy Jr. come to the party, and to Tina recognizing how good her dad is for going to such lengths for her.
There’s a nice undercurrent of acceptance too. In truth, the show treats the cross-dressers as a bit of something unusual to gawk at, but it also shows Bob bonding with them and welcoming them into his home and workplace without compunction, so I’ll chalk it up to the show having its heart in the right place. (Plus, it’s the first appearance of Marshmallow!) The fact that they’re the one who convince Tina of how kind her dad is being makes for a nice touch.
The only true dud here is the subplot where Louise tries to coach Tina up on how to kiss. There’s just not much there. But otherwise, this is just a little milder and faux-edgier than Bob’s Burgers usually is. You can see the show working out the kinks and smoothing out some of its rough edges, but if you quint, you can still see the core of the show fans would come to love.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-03-06T05:43:56Z
[7.0/10] Man, early Bob’s Burgers was so weird. It’s not just that the animation is cruder or that the rhythms of the episode aren’t as polished. There’s also this raunch factor, with gags about herpes and crack and transvestite hookers that would feel really out of place in later installments of the show. You can feel the way the series’ roots lie more in the Adult Swim brand of comedy than the off-kilter but still wholesome brand the show would eventually adopt.
At the same time, the heart is there! There’s something really sweet about Bob working two jobs in order to be able to afford Tina’s party. As uncomfortable as he is at the prospect of his daughter becoming a woman and kissing boys, he puts himself through a lot to celebrate that and make it possible. There’s a real sweetness both to him shaving his mustache to convince Jimmy Pesto to let Jimmy Jr. come to the party, and to Tina recognizing how good her dad is for going to such lengths for her.
There’s a nice undercurrent of acceptance too. In truth, the show treats the cross-dressers as a bit of something unusual to gawk at, but it also shows Bob bonding with them and welcoming them into his home and workplace without compunction, so I’ll chalk it up to the show having its heart in the right place. (Plus, it’s the first appearance of Marshmallow!) The fact that they’re the one who convince Tina of how kind her dad is being makes for a nice touch.
The only true dud here is the subplot where Louise tries to coach Tina up on how to kiss. There’s just not much there. But otherwise, this is just a little milder and faux-edgier than Bob’s Burgers usually is. You can see the show working out the kinks and smoothing out some of its rough edges, but if you quint, you can still see the core of the show fans would come to love.