Review: Bob’s Burgers ‘Sliding Bobs’

Spoilers Below:

Hooray for the return of Bob’s Burgers! Don’t tell The Simpsons or Family Guy, but this is the show I’m most excited to see new episodes of. Oh no, what have I just said?!

In the premiere, Bob discovered that he was losing his mustache hair. Linda told the kids that his facial fuzz was the reason they initially met, and Gene re-imagined the story as if Bob didn’t have a ‘stache and was given a robot version that turned him into a cyborg cop instead. He and Linda still met, but the head of the police, Mr. Fischoeder, ended up fighting Bob when he complained about the metal mustache affecting his relationship, and was defeated – and died.

Louise then told her version of the story, which involved Bob not having a mustache and trying to grow one to impress Linda. He wished on a fortune teller machine, à la Big, and it came true, but also turned him into a hairy sasquatch (not Beefsquatch) man. The two attempted to make it work, but it failed, with Bob joining a freak show and Linda somehow ending up in prison.

It was then Tina’s turn to tell a story, and she tried a lot of difference scenarios – most notably one involving Bob and Hugo switching lives – but none of them led to Bob and Linda uniting. The eldest Belcher child realized that it actually took numerous lucky situations to bring her parents together, and was discouraged that fate might not exist. To make herself feel better, she concluded that maybe it was “random fate,” and everybody went along with that.

Also, Bob concluded that his new exercise bike was indirectly causing his mustache baldness. Problem solved!

In Case You Missed It:

1) Next door store: The Outlet Outlet – Electrical Supplies

2) Burger Hot Dog of the Day: View to a Kielbasa Dog

3) Louise to an exercising Bob: “Yay, Dad, you’re pedaling like crazy and not getting anywhere. Just like your life!”

4) Probably Tina’s best line: “He and mom are hitting it off like peanut butter and Jerry. You know, that kid from school who eats peanut butter every day.”

5) Teddy was in every segment. He’s like the Groundskeeper Willie of Bob’s Burgers. Anyone who gets that reference can be my new best friend.

6) Linda (in one of the fake stories) said Bob suffered from side effects that include ugly face, dumb face, dumb breath, donkey neck, and weird legs.

7) Hugo and Linda’s hypothetical children were named: Mona, Dean, and Charlize.

Thank you for not disappointing me, Bob’s.

The show may be entering its six year, and is a bonafide veteran now, but it still has plenty of unexplored waters in which to venture, and thus plenty of potential storylines. Last night’s installment was not only a three-segment episode (as they’ve attempted numerous times in the past) but also dealt with how Bob and Linda met and provided some background about Bob’s mustache. It seems weird that we haven’t heard either of these tales yet, which obviously makes it a good idea to tell them now.

In the past, the split-up episodes have had mixed results, and I was a bit weary, but this time was a bit different; everything was slightly grounded in reality. Yes, a robot cop and a hairy freak show aren’t very realistic, but the stories were all based on Bob and Linda’s actual past, which I believe kept things more interesting. Plus, we as viewers weren’t immersed completely in the different parts, as we were often brought back to the real world for story corrections or critiques or other humorous moments. Of course every storyteller injected their usual tones, which seemed a bit repetitive, but was nevertheless enjoyable. Gene’s was the most unrealistic, Louise’s was the most insulting, and Tina’s was the sappiest. All the bases were covered.

On top of these amusing stories, there was a ton of humorous dialogue written in. I especially enjoyed when Bob and Linda were beginning their story and asked if the kids had heard it before. “Guys, this is our chance say to them, ‘Yes, you did tell us that story,’” Louise schemed.

Also, in Gene’s story, robo-Bob made a good observation about the phrase, “It’s you!” correctly pointing out, “You can say that to anyone. It is always true.”

And finally, with this being the first episode of season six, I really appreciated the throwback to the very first Bob’s Burgers episode, “Human Flesh.” Right down to the zooming and ominous music.

So although the multi-part Bob’s Burgers shows usually don’t perform as well as the regular episodes, this one could easy be the best thus far. It had enough humor to carry each segment and connect them all together, and acted as a great kickoff for the rest of the year. I can’t wait to see what else the show cooks up.