Review: Tuca & Bertie “The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake”

Overview:

Tuca and Bertie optimistically embrace their new lots in life, yet are crestfallen when their bright futures begin to dim. Bertie’s inability to find her rhythm and voice at work combined with the erratic behavior and emotional tightrope walk that Tuca goes through with Figgy leave both birds with their wings clipped. As responsibilities escalate and red flags grow more prominent, Tuca and Bertie literally get swallowed whole by one of life’s many surprises, but oddly find the darkness comforting. 

Our Take:

Tuca & Bertie is frequently at its strongest when it bravely tackles raw, authentic issues that are likely to plague a good deal of its audience. The first two seasons of the series have taken a look at alcoholism and toxic codependency to great effect. These latest episodes have explored addiction and enabling through a fresh lens courtesy of Tuca’s new relationship with Figgy, which is already bearing creative and emotional fruit. What makes “The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” such a rewarding episode is that it juxtaposes this gutting look into addiction and delusion with sitcom silliness and the broadest of ideas in order to create something emotionally powerful. There’s a strong case to be made that “The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” has the best script of any Tuca & Bertie episode.

“The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” is such a ridiculous delight that almost feels like it’s the byproduct of a dare. Tuca & Bertie rises to the challenge of taking the dumbest idea possible–getting eaten by a snake–and turning it into a powerful statement on self-confidence that’s an all-time classic installment of the series. A lot of series explore variations on the idea of a meek character gaining a needed confidence boost after some physical transformation. In the case of Tuca & Bertie, this translates to Bertie spending the bulk of the episode covered in green as she squawks her way through this reptile receptacle. “The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” is fully aware of the baked-in absurdity of its premise. The characters–Tuca in particular–taunt this inevitability until the episode delivers on this front with pitch-perfect timing. 

This “belly of the beast” idea affects both of the series’ titular birds in comparable ways. Bertie struggles to find her voice with Chef Winter Garcia while Tuca tries to do the same with Figgy and figure out when it’s appropriate to speak up, cross boundaries, and openly communicate about what’s not working with them. Bertie needs to hide behind the assurance of a snake suit to get her ideas heard while Tuca can objectively view her relationship with Figgy, eyes open, and see what’s amiss. These are both emotional storylines that are heavy in different capacities despite the broad way in which they’re presented. To further fight storytelling stereotypes, neither of Bertie and Tuca’s stories culminate in the way that one would expect. “The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” is an episode that begins with a shiny coat of sitcom paint, but the conclusion for these characters is anything but picturesque. 

“The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” juggles so many extremes and it’s without a doubt one of the most polished scripts of the series. It’s no coincidence that this episode is written by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, in his return to the series since co-writing the pilot with creator Lisa Hanwalt, and his first script for television since the series finale of BoJack Horseman. BoJack Horseman was steeped through its lead character’s alcoholism and so it’s apropos for Tuca & Bertie to turn to Bob-Waksberg to script such delicate and raw subject matter. 

This episode does feel the most like an entry of BoJack Horseman, both in topic and tone, but in this context that’s far from a negative thing. Tuca & Bertie still has very different aims than BoJack Horseman, but it doesn’t hurt for this series to dip its beak into the same style of dark looks into the soul. It’s unclear if Bob-Waksberg will remain a permanent part of the show’s writers’ room or if he was just turned to as a way to bring out the emotional truth of Tuca’s latest life hurdle. The result is magic and proof that Tuca & Bertie is a show about birds, plants, and animals that becomes a marvelous microcosm for humanity. 

Tuca & Bertie continues to mix silly comedy and real-life struggles in an effortless manner, but “The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” feels like the series in its purest state. The episode provides a bit of everything that makes this show both fun and thought-provoking with storylines that elicit just as many sighs of endearment as it does laughs. “The One Where Bertie Gets Eaten by a Snake” adeptly masquerades the characters’ larger problems in a reptilian mask, but now that they’re exposed to the harsh light of day there are going to be some difficult decisions ahead.

Or maybe Tuca and Bertie will luck out and get swallowed by frogs. Feathers crossed.