[8.5/10] We haven't heard much about Bob’s mom on the show. The movie is (I think?) the first concentrated reference to her in the series. So even in season 13, it makes her an untapped well of emotion for Bob and the rest of the family. The idea of him looking for her a grave, at a cemetery he hasn’t visited in two decades, so that the kids can “meet” their grandmother, has power that comes with an unspoken part of Bob’s past.
But, you know, it’s also the Belchers screwing around in a cemetery, which is an unexpected recipe for laughs. Tina’s snow pants wedgie, Gene’s granola bar, and Tina’s barely controlled impatience at this delaying their chance to go “snoobing” (snow tubing) are all good for the laughs. Bob struggling with the fact that he can’t seem to find his mom’s grave is good for both comedy and pathos. The humor is mostly one-liners from the kids, but many of them are great. (I was in stitches at Louise’s supposition that Linda had left them to find a family that doesn’t wander around in cemeteries.
The comedy mostly comes from the subplots. As always, a “Teddy home alone” B-story is a winner. Him accidentally eating the meatloaf the Belchers had earmarked for dinner, and frantically trying to make another one to replace is a hoot. It has that sweaty Teddy energy, where he takes a mild thing and blows it out of proportion, but in a sweet and kooky way.
Likewise, I continue to love any Linda-focused subplot, including this one where she’s torn between her desire to support Bob (“support, love, yeah”’) and her abject fear of cemeteries. Her increasingly absurd fears that her soul will get sucked out, or that she’ll be attacked by a “cemetery” bird give John Roberts plenty of chances to emote hilariously.
Her story lands someplace earnest though. I love her little exchange with Bob’s mother’s tombstone. She admits that her fear of cemeteries, loony though it may be, is founded on a concern of losing someone she loves, like Bob did with her. It’s a vulnerable moment, the kind we don’t always get from Linda. And it’s just as sweet to see her telling Lily Belcher that her son turned out to be a wonderful person, a caring husband, and a loving father. It’s a reassurance to herself as much as anyone, and a validation of her love for her partner in life.
The Bob story lands someplace heartening and earnest as well. After wandering lost for hours, Bob gives in and lets the kids slide down a hill at the cemetery, since they’re going to miss closing time at the snow park. And in that moment, there is such joy and glee and happiness in his kids. There’s a purity to it -- a moment without much in the way of jokes or even plot -- but just the three Belcher babies having a blast as the little free spirits they are. It rightfully puts a smile on Bob’s face.
Eventually, he does find his mom’s grave (thanks to Linda -- she’s louder!), and when he has his moment with her, he’s full of guilt over the fact that he hasn’t visited in decades. The implication is that he’s worried he’s a bad son. You feel for Bob, someone who tries hard but always feels like he’s fallen short. Thankfully, Linda is there to pump him up, telling him that his mom would want him to be living his life, that how he spends his time, building up his business, spending time with his wife, and letting his kids be kids on a snowy hill, would make her happy.
It’s a lovely, moving thought, that the way to honor those we’ve lost is to live and share the joy they gave to us in life. Maybe I’m reading into it too much, but over the credits, we see a gauzy view of the Belchers and Teddy sitting at the table together, chowing down on Teddy’s ill-fated meatloaf together. I’d like to think that's meant to be the point of view for Lily, looking in on her son, proud and happy of the family he’s forged and the life that he leads. How Bob’s Burgers can still muster this sort of magic, and humor, in its thirteenth season, remains a feat, and a worthy tribute to the loved ones who enriched the lives of the creative people behind this touching, hilarious show.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-12-20T07:18:56Z
[8.5/10] We haven't heard much about Bob’s mom on the show. The movie is (I think?) the first concentrated reference to her in the series. So even in season 13, it makes her an untapped well of emotion for Bob and the rest of the family. The idea of him looking for her a grave, at a cemetery he hasn’t visited in two decades, so that the kids can “meet” their grandmother, has power that comes with an unspoken part of Bob’s past.
But, you know, it’s also the Belchers screwing around in a cemetery, which is an unexpected recipe for laughs. Tina’s snow pants wedgie, Gene’s granola bar, and Tina’s barely controlled impatience at this delaying their chance to go “snoobing” (snow tubing) are all good for the laughs. Bob struggling with the fact that he can’t seem to find his mom’s grave is good for both comedy and pathos. The humor is mostly one-liners from the kids, but many of them are great. (I was in stitches at Louise’s supposition that Linda had left them to find a family that doesn’t wander around in cemeteries.
The comedy mostly comes from the subplots. As always, a “Teddy home alone” B-story is a winner. Him accidentally eating the meatloaf the Belchers had earmarked for dinner, and frantically trying to make another one to replace is a hoot. It has that sweaty Teddy energy, where he takes a mild thing and blows it out of proportion, but in a sweet and kooky way.
Likewise, I continue to love any Linda-focused subplot, including this one where she’s torn between her desire to support Bob (“support, love, yeah”’) and her abject fear of cemeteries. Her increasingly absurd fears that her soul will get sucked out, or that she’ll be attacked by a “cemetery” bird give John Roberts plenty of chances to emote hilariously.
Her story lands someplace earnest though. I love her little exchange with Bob’s mother’s tombstone. She admits that her fear of cemeteries, loony though it may be, is founded on a concern of losing someone she loves, like Bob did with her. It’s a vulnerable moment, the kind we don’t always get from Linda. And it’s just as sweet to see her telling Lily Belcher that her son turned out to be a wonderful person, a caring husband, and a loving father. It’s a reassurance to herself as much as anyone, and a validation of her love for her partner in life.
The Bob story lands someplace heartening and earnest as well. After wandering lost for hours, Bob gives in and lets the kids slide down a hill at the cemetery, since they’re going to miss closing time at the snow park. And in that moment, there is such joy and glee and happiness in his kids. There’s a purity to it -- a moment without much in the way of jokes or even plot -- but just the three Belcher babies having a blast as the little free spirits they are. It rightfully puts a smile on Bob’s face.
Eventually, he does find his mom’s grave (thanks to Linda -- she’s louder!), and when he has his moment with her, he’s full of guilt over the fact that he hasn’t visited in decades. The implication is that he’s worried he’s a bad son. You feel for Bob, someone who tries hard but always feels like he’s fallen short. Thankfully, Linda is there to pump him up, telling him that his mom would want him to be living his life, that how he spends his time, building up his business, spending time with his wife, and letting his kids be kids on a snowy hill, would make her happy.
It’s a lovely, moving thought, that the way to honor those we’ve lost is to live and share the joy they gave to us in life. Maybe I’m reading into it too much, but over the credits, we see a gauzy view of the Belchers and Teddy sitting at the table together, chowing down on Teddy’s ill-fated meatloaf together. I’d like to think that's meant to be the point of view for Lily, looking in on her son, proud and happy of the family he’s forged and the life that he leads. How Bob’s Burgers can still muster this sort of magic, and humor, in its thirteenth season, remains a feat, and a worthy tribute to the loved ones who enriched the lives of the creative people behind this touching, hilarious show.