Review: Bob’s Burgers ‘Hauntening’

 

Spoilers Below:

Louise made it her Halloween goal to be scared, so Bob and Linda took her, Tina, and Gene to a haunted house outside of town, which they apparently owned for some reason.

Disappointed at the sad excuse for scares, they all decided to return home, but the car had a flat tire and their cell phones didn’t get service. When they went inside to use the landline, the power went out. They then encountered a scary figure in the basement, some knocking at the front door, a creepy doll in an upstairs bedroom, and a mysterious intruder. Cornered, Bob and Linda finally revealed to a terrified Louise that it was all just a ruse to scare her, and everyone (including Teddy, Mort, Mort’s mom, and her new boyfriend) was in on it too.

The episode ended with a Halloween-themed Boyz 4 Now video, complete with commentary by the Belchers.

In Case You Missed It:

1) Next door store: Blood Bath and Beyond – Red Bathroom Products

2) Burger of the Day: Breaking Radish Burger (comes with a side of radish).

3) Tina wanted the Halloween safe word to be “Mom and Dad, stop it.”

4) Bob called Tony, Toby, Tow Me to have his car towed.

5) Owners of cloaks, according to Linda: monks, wizards, Liberace, and Ann Wilson of Heart.

6) When Linda suggested a mustache-hating killer was after them, Louise replied that “the two of you are in trouble.”

When it comes to the holidays, I always look forward to what Bob’s Burgers have to offer in the way of thematic episodes. Sure, they don’t always pass with flying colors (see last year’s “Father of the Bob”), but episodes like “Christmas in the Car,” “Turkey in a Can,” “Dawn of the Peck,” and several others have established a high standard when it comes to special installments.

I’ve also said in the past that the best episodes are ones where the kids scheme on their own and leave Bob and Linda to amuse themselves with separate shenanigans. This was similar to those situations, but with a less defined split between the two sides. Bob and Linda did have their own plan that involved causing trouble, but it took place off-screen. The kids also had a chance to plot their own scare, but it was short-lived and turned out that Gene and Tina were in on their parents’ plan anyway.

So “Hauntening” wasn’t the ideal formula, but it was still a success. Like any great mystery, the plot strung along with the viewer with the signature Bob’s Burgers patter the entire time. (Gene’s comments were especially on point last night) until getting to the resolution.

I don’t think the twist at the end was much of a surprise to anyone, but it was a cute story and a great example of the lengths that Bob and Linda will go to in order to please their kids. (Although, if you think about it, they were bad parents in a way too. I mean, they put their kids – one of whom was petrified – on the roof, and surrounded the house with a ring of fire. But that’s inconsequential.)

I also enjoyed the music video bit at the end, despite it being a bit odd following the whole haunted house thing. I get the Halloween crossover, but it was still kind of awkward.

This “Hauntening” might not rank as highly as some of the aforementioned holiday Bob’s Burgers episodes, but it was still a nice Louise episode with a story that fit all the show’s characters perfectly.

Plus, who didn’t love seeing Linda in a bald cap for half an episode?