Review: Bob’s Burgers “Brunchsquatch”

Beware of brunch skunks.

Overview (Spoilers Below:)

This week, the Belchers attempt to cash in on the brunch crowd, after seeing a competitor with long lines. In the meantime, the kids help Mr. Fischoeder’s brother Felix win a game of hide and seek so they can get funds to buy a pet dog. The episode jumps around with the children trying their hardest to get that $250, and Bob and Linda’s attempts at pulling the customers inside. Just when you think the brunch endeavor is going well, with even a brunch specialist blogger complimenting the food, they encounter two problems: Mr. Fischoeder knows where Felix is hiding, and the brunch menu suffers from a great flaw. In not specifying that purchasing a meal is mandatory, they attracted customers only interested in drinking endless mimosas for free. Despite the fight that nearly breaks out between Linda and the drunk customers, the episode ends on a more positive note. The blogger is happy with the meal they served and accepts their invitation to have a private brunch. In exchange, he brings his dog for the kids to play with. The children do mildly threaten to murder him to keep the dog, but he laughs it off. Whether they actually go through with it is unknown.

Our Take

What really stood out this episode was the constant animation changes. The story ran consistently, but each scene or change of background resulted in a drastically different animation style. One was black and white, and another was entirely stop-motion. It’s not unheard of for animation to play with different styles in an episode, but to use so many are extremely rare. There were likely at least twenty, perhaps more, different styles of animation. It didn’t necessarily add something to the story, but it made it incredibly interesting to watch. You can’t look away for a single scene because you might miss an artistic shift.

All in all, a wild start to the season. The show is a mix of absurdity and jabs, and it’s off to a fun start.