[7.7/10] Another holiday classic from Bob’s Burgers. Both the A-story and the B-story have a lot of good laughs and comic team-ups, and the main story has enough sweetness and weirdness to befit both the holiday and the general vibe of the show.
That story is Bob hunting down a love-tester he and Linda used on their first Valentine’s Day together (or so he thinks) after the kids point out the collection of sorry, heart-related “crap” he’s given to Linda on V-Day over the years. (I got a particular kick out of his pile of laundry shaped like a heart.) It’s a good escapade for Bob and the kids, with Bob going on a quest to make up for his mistakes and the kids being his comic greek chorus, chiming in with hilarious lines and nudging him to take things a step further. Lots of good lines and bits here. (We’re partial to the “buckle it up or you’ll die” song in the Bloom household.)
There’s some nice interference run by Hugo, a fly in the ointment as usual, with Ron turning things around and helping the Belchers as he’s wont to do. I like the double-twist in this episode, where it turns out Bob was remembering a date with his former girlfriend, but Linda’s still touched that he went to all this time and trouble and expense on her account. It’s a unique story, and just fractured but wholesome enough for Bob’s Burgers purposes.
The B-story is mostly just a big gag machine, as Linda institutes speed dating at the restaurant. Her frankly bizarre attempts to forge love among her customers is a big laugh to begin with, but it kicks things up a notch when Sgt. Bosco shows up to bring his divorcee cynicism to the proceedings. The things the patrons say when he prompts them to tell the worst things about themselves to battle-test their potential relationships are hilarious. (I’m particularly fond of Teddy’s “I play with a yo-yo just so something will come back to me.”) It’s mostly just one-liners, but they often build one another and bring the funny.
Plus there’s clever little codas to the various stories. Louise gets Linda out of trouble for nabbing Bosco’s gun (in a foolish bid to get people to pay attention to her rather than him) by calling in a fake tip about the jewelry theft previously mentioned. Tina gets a “<3 Jimmy Jr.” message from her crush rather than a “from Jimmy Jr.” one, which is cute. And Linda’s speed dating even works when Teddy ends up with Gina, replete with a “I’ll screw this up” prediction.
Overall, a lovely episode for Valentine’s Day with tons of laugh and the right amount of sweetness as well.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-02-13T20:31:38Z
[7.7/10] Another holiday classic from Bob’s Burgers. Both the A-story and the B-story have a lot of good laughs and comic team-ups, and the main story has enough sweetness and weirdness to befit both the holiday and the general vibe of the show.
That story is Bob hunting down a love-tester he and Linda used on their first Valentine’s Day together (or so he thinks) after the kids point out the collection of sorry, heart-related “crap” he’s given to Linda on V-Day over the years. (I got a particular kick out of his pile of laundry shaped like a heart.) It’s a good escapade for Bob and the kids, with Bob going on a quest to make up for his mistakes and the kids being his comic greek chorus, chiming in with hilarious lines and nudging him to take things a step further. Lots of good lines and bits here. (We’re partial to the “buckle it up or you’ll die” song in the Bloom household.)
There’s some nice interference run by Hugo, a fly in the ointment as usual, with Ron turning things around and helping the Belchers as he’s wont to do. I like the double-twist in this episode, where it turns out Bob was remembering a date with his former girlfriend, but Linda’s still touched that he went to all this time and trouble and expense on her account. It’s a unique story, and just fractured but wholesome enough for Bob’s Burgers purposes.
The B-story is mostly just a big gag machine, as Linda institutes speed dating at the restaurant. Her frankly bizarre attempts to forge love among her customers is a big laugh to begin with, but it kicks things up a notch when Sgt. Bosco shows up to bring his divorcee cynicism to the proceedings. The things the patrons say when he prompts them to tell the worst things about themselves to battle-test their potential relationships are hilarious. (I’m particularly fond of Teddy’s “I play with a yo-yo just so something will come back to me.”) It’s mostly just one-liners, but they often build one another and bring the funny.
Plus there’s clever little codas to the various stories. Louise gets Linda out of trouble for nabbing Bosco’s gun (in a foolish bid to get people to pay attention to her rather than him) by calling in a fake tip about the jewelry theft previously mentioned. Tina gets a “<3 Jimmy Jr.” message from her crush rather than a “from Jimmy Jr.” one, which is cute. And Linda’s speed dating even works when Teddy ends up with Gina, replete with a “I’ll screw this up” prediction.
Overall, a lovely episode for Valentine’s Day with tons of laugh and the right amount of sweetness as well.