Review: Bob’s Burgers “Show Mama from the Grave”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Bob takes Linda and the kids to visit his mother’s grave, but finding the headstone is harder than he expected. Meanwhile, Teddy makes a grave mistake while doing repairs in the Belcher’s house.

Our Take:

As far as I can remember, the show hasn’t mentioned much about Bob’s mother throughout its impressive run. The last time this happened was in The Bob’s Burgers Movie during a brief flashback. Fortunately for us, this episode brings that element back by having the Belchers visit the Redburn graveyard, where Bob’s mother, Lily Belcher, is buried.

As usual, their ordinary trip quickly transforms into a troubling situation, as Bob’s having trouble finding her headstone. Additionally, Linda has a phobia of cemeteries, which makes the issue even more problematic…or humorous. When Teddy tells Linda that nothing terrible happens at the cemetery during the daytime, she gathers her courage to look for her family. Unfortunately, she wound up getting lost in the cemetery, resulting in Bob and the kids returning to find her before it closes.

As I said before, the series has briefly mentioned Bob’s mother occasionally during its run, so I was pleased to see it having a plot involving her in some capacity. This would’ve allowed the show to provide a few emotional moments involving Bob and her mother. However, what we got instead is a basic “Where’s Waldo” game inside a cemetery. It’s an amusing search for the headstone that features a brief, heartfelt moment involving the family and Bob’s mother’s grave. However, its plot falls a bit short of its emotional intentions, especially when it involves Bob’s loss.

While this occurs, Teddy attempts to do some repairs in the household while the Belchers are away. Unfortunately, while doing so, he accidentally eats the family’s leftover meatloaf. As a result, Teddy scrambles to make a new meatloaf before they get back home. This is my favorite part of the episode, primarily because of Teddy’s gullible actions leading him to take responsibility, even if it means kneading the ingredients together. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing an entire episode centering on Teddy cooking the meatloaf. Heck, I would even watch a cooking show hosted by Teddy just to see his reactions to making specific food, especially after seeing him cringe over kneading the meatloaf. 

“Show Mama from the Grave” marks a moment in the series where Bob finally introduces his family to his mother. Sadly, the episode doesn’t quite reach its emotional mark in its touching introduction. However, it offers enough humor to make this long-awaited visit worthwhile, mainly Linda’s phobia and Teddy making meatloaf. I’m still serious about a cooking show involving Teddy, by the way.