[7.2/10] Perfectly solid Bob’s Burgers outing, which kind of felt like an episode of Recess. This is one of those “kids gets the A-story, parents get the B-story” episode which usually pays dividends.
I enjoyed the A-story. There’s a lot of good humor to come from Frond inventing a game meant to be inclusive, to the point that Regular Size Rudy becomes the defending champion and Zeke is embarrassed to be out of his element. I like that Gene holds focus here, not wanting to play, but being forced to by omnipresence after his artistic bush gets mowed down, and I appreciate the message of wanting to preserve space for the weird kids to be weird and artistic and free-spirited during recess.
There’s a not so subtle commentary about the ubiquity of sports in American culture generally for those who aren’t fans there, which feels a little too sensitive to be honest, but it fits within the framework of the episode nicely, so it gets a pass from me.
The B-story was enjoyable too. “Linda gets too invested in a minor thing” is a venerable plot formula for the show, but it’s venerable for a reason. Her commitment to her punk rock book-reader persona was fun, and her showdown with the Wizard of Books (Teddy-assisted, of course) led to some good library humor and the comedy that derives from the usual Belcher weirdness.
Overall, not a classic, but a solidly amusing and enjoyable episode from beginning to end.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-08-24T20:40:44Z
[7.2/10] Perfectly solid Bob’s Burgers outing, which kind of felt like an episode of Recess. This is one of those “kids gets the A-story, parents get the B-story” episode which usually pays dividends.
I enjoyed the A-story. There’s a lot of good humor to come from Frond inventing a game meant to be inclusive, to the point that Regular Size Rudy becomes the defending champion and Zeke is embarrassed to be out of his element. I like that Gene holds focus here, not wanting to play, but being forced to by omnipresence after his artistic bush gets mowed down, and I appreciate the message of wanting to preserve space for the weird kids to be weird and artistic and free-spirited during recess.
There’s a not so subtle commentary about the ubiquity of sports in American culture generally for those who aren’t fans there, which feels a little too sensitive to be honest, but it fits within the framework of the episode nicely, so it gets a pass from me.
The B-story was enjoyable too. “Linda gets too invested in a minor thing” is a venerable plot formula for the show, but it’s venerable for a reason. Her commitment to her punk rock book-reader persona was fun, and her showdown with the Wizard of Books (Teddy-assisted, of course) led to some good library humor and the comedy that derives from the usual Belcher weirdness.
Overall, not a classic, but a solidly amusing and enjoyable episode from beginning to end.