Review: Bob’s Burgers “Now We’re Not Cooking With Gas”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

It’s Thanksgiving day and Bob’s dreams have come true. After years of being on the waitlist, he’s finally obtained a Heritage turkey from Riverbrook Lake Farm. It’s set to be the perfect Thanksgiving – until the gas goes out, taking the oven with it. Bob watches some online videos and decides to cook the turkey out in the alley over an open fire. While the kids gather kindling, Bob lovingly tends to his bird.

It’s looking like this might actually work until the firefighters show up and threaten a large fine if the fire isn’t extinguished. But Bob is so turkey-crazed that he ignores their warnings and sends the kids to find sticks at the park. They’re unable to find sticks, but bring back a too-large tree trunk. Bob won’t let go of his dream, though, not until Tina offers a sacrifice that restores his sanity and makes him realize a turkey is nothing compared to family.

Our Take:

Holiday episodes of Bob’s Burgers are something special, and maybe none of them more so than the annual Thanksgiving episode. This year the Belchers have a turkey day that’s more low-key than in the past, yet also rises to new heights of insanity at the same time. It’s a funny episode, but doesn’t quite match the heights of previous outings. Still, it offers up a serving of what this show does best: hilarious comedy with a side of familial love.

The best part of the episode is definitely Bob. It’s nice to get an episode focused almost entirely on him and what he wants. Bob is constantly getting undermined and put down on the show, whether it’s by Jimmy Pesto or the health inspectors. It’s just the nature of his unlucky entrepreneur character type. So it’s nice to see him so happy during the initial parts of Now We’re Not Cooking With Gas. Even though the pure bliss doesn’t last, the craziness sticks around. Bob is overjoyed at getting a Heritage turkey, even if nobody else even knows what Riverbrook Lake Farm is. By the end of Thanksgiving day he’s shirtless, crouched in the alleyway over a smoldering fire, whispering to his half-cooked turkey. It’s a glorious sight.

And the heights of insanity Bob rises too only make it all the more sweet when Tina offers up her thankful tree. After talking about it all day, Bob (and the rest of us viewers) know how much it means to her. This act of sacrifice makes him realize that he’s gone too far. He’d forgotten what makes Thanksgiving so special. Sure, it’s the turkey and the mashed potatoes and the pumpkin pie. But it’s also just being together with the ones you love most. As they sit around the kitchen table putting leaves on the thankful tree, everyone comes to realize that even if it wasn’t a perfect Thanksgiving in the traditional sense, it’s still pretty darn great.

Some amazing lines in this episode include: “The check number ended in 69 so we high-fived.” Of course Linda would high five after that. And quickly change the subject when Tina asks why. “Where’s Dad? I don’t hear any of his dignified high-pitched moaning?” Louise was in pretty fine form today with her insults. “I look like a tweaked-out Muppet!” Linda discovering the children’s old crafts was fun, and it kind of tied into Tina’s sacrificing something she’d made. Kinda wish it was a bit more tied together, though. Like what if Tina’s tree was an heirloom itself?

Now We’re Not Cooking With Gas isn’t the best Thanksgiving episode the show has ever done, but it’s still a nice reminder of the best parts of the Belchers. Bob being crazy for turkey is never not funny, and it only hits new highs here. Tina’s passive aggressive reminders about writing down thankful thoughts was funny, even if it wasn’t a huge subplot. It was a simple episode, and sometimes that’s okay. Not every story (or turkey) needs to come from a place like Riverbrook Lake Farm.