Review: Bob’s Burgers “Thelma & Louise Except Thelma is Linda”

Oh, Bob’s Burgers, how we have missed thee.

Spoilers Below

Louise has gotten herself into trouble, unsurprisingly. Also unsurprisingly, she was acting out for justice, just not in the way of lawful good. It’s been a while since we have seen Pocket Sized Rudy, which makes sense, as he is pocket-sized, and thus hard to see. But it’s also been a while since we have even just heard from him. It turns out he is a prime target for being picked on, which Louise avenges via pantsing. Too bad Wagstaff has a zero-tolerance No Pants Pulled Off Behinds policy. So Louise has been consigned to in-school suspension. But because Linda is more proud than disappointed in her daughter, it is time for a jailbreak!

That episode title is quite a mouthful, but it fits the exhaustion that Linda and Louise are facing as they attempt to keep up the illusion after Mr. Frond randomly spots them in the outside world. It is too bad that the situation has to devolve into something so stressful since it is so nice to see the bonding between a mother and daughter who do not always get along so easily. You gotta love Linda’s revelations that back in her day she too did some pantsing back AND that she threw water balloons at girls on the can. Anyway, since there is no conflict between these two, they must face an adversary in the form of The Man.

Mr. Frond is the perfect perpetual thorn in the side for the world of Bob’s Burgers. He is not really a villain, per se. It does seem that he wants the best for the Belchers and the other Wagstaff kids, and they are more or less on his side as well. But being as he is in a position of authority, he has to put his foot down sometimes. But he takes it to extremes. He is such a fuddy-duddy that even his own mother makes fun of how little he enjoys life. Thus, why we love him.

Speaking of characters that we love, Tina and Gene are reliably loyal siblings, stopping by to keep Louise’s spirits up during her suspension. But they must be careful, for if caught, they could end up suspended themselves. Thus, why it is delightful that the stakes are so low. Since Mr. Frond is chauffeuring his mother, that means supervision duties fall to Ms. Schnur, who really, profoundly, does not care. And when the door actually is being guarded, courtesy of Mr. Branca, it is all just a ploy to pretend that duties are being fulfilled.

Back at the restaurant, with Linda otherwise occupied, this is thus the perfect time for a crowd to show up out of the blue and completely overwhelm Bob. It would be nice to get to know the cycling crew a bit more, but this is Teddy’s time to shine. When Bob realizes how desperate the situation is and lets his most loyal customer become the waiter, the excitement is palpable. Teddy jumps in right into a whole spiel about appetizers, dietary restrictions, birthdays, and he would probably add a whole lot more if Bob were not there to settle him down. Making the Burger of the Day the “Glory, Glory Jalapeño Burger” is a perfect recipe for even more disaster, as Teddy rubs the spiciness in his eyes. If only we could see even more of the slapstick hijinks caused by this temporary blindness.

Memorable Lines and Obs-burg-vations of the Day:

-Mr. Frond’s mom has six ingrown toenails … on one foot.

-“My hair?! In Boca?!”

-“What’s up, Zeke? New shorts?” Gotta love that personal touch from Ms. Schnur.

-“You’re all right, Louise. I don’t care what anyone else says.” Somehow that line does not come off as patronizing at all.

-“Is that a bee in your boobs?”

-“Are you joyless, Phillip?”

-“I’m a cat. Meow.” “I love this woman!”