Review: Bob’s Burgers “Ready Player Gene”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
A virtual reality arcade opens next door, and Gene spends all of his money. Meanwhile, Louise and Tina try to build a menu tower taller than they ever have before.

Our Take:
We like to have fun at the arcade now and then. Unfortunately, the fun usually cuts short when the price is high, and the games are buggy as hell. The same can be said for Gene when he spends his money at the new arcade that opened next to the restaurant. What follows is a bizarre experience that one would expect when trying out the next generation of gaming.
One of the things I enjoyed about “Ready Player Gene” is how it represents VR as a revolutionized yet flawed gaming equipment. Virtual reality gaming has brought immersion to a new level for players, but like the previous gaming systems, it’s far from perfect. You have plenty of bugs that could cause your arms to become your legs and even glitchy backgrounds. I’ve only tried VR gaming once, which was one experience I would not return to anytime soon.
With its mixture of honesty and hilarity, the episode delivers one of the funniest and most relatable moments of the show’s thirteenth season. Yes, Bob and Gene’s experience with virtual reality gaming was terrible, but their torturous trips through the buggy games made me laugh more than the previous episodes. Part of that is due to Bob attempting not to puke while wearing the headset and Eugene Mirman’s hilarious performance as Gene. His freakouts never fail to make me chuckle.
There’s also a side plot involving Louise and Tina making a massive menu tower in the restaurant. What’s amusing about this one is that they’re trying to have the tower reach the ceiling without any minor distractions. Yes, that includes Teddy’s breathing. This is another scenario that takes a genuinely harmless activity and makes it humorously urgent. While it’s not as hysterical as Bob and Gene at the arcade, it’s still a fine distraction while the father-son duo bond in virtual reality.
Overall, “Ready Player Gene” delivers an experience that isn’t as buggy as the VR games in the arcade. It successfully displays the “expectation vs. reality” scenario of the video game equipment and follows it up with some hysterical reactions from the characters. Along with its entertaining side plot, the episode offers one of the most fun and hilarious plots of the show’s thirteenth season.