Review: Bob’s Burgers ‘The Millie-churian Candidate’

Spoilers Below:

I’ve always thought that Bob’s Burgers is a unique case when it comes to characters. It’s an adult show, in the realm of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad, but it still manages to give storylines exclusively to the kids. And these kids are younger (unlike the latter two shows mentioned, where both kids in each family are teenagers, save for Stewie) and actually act their age (unlike the former, in which Bart and Lisa act much more mature in their speech and knowledge; and a show like South Park, where the boys talk like teenagers). Yet somehow they make it work. Tina is relatable for anyone that went through puberty, Gene has a bit of an old soul, and Louise is more devious than most kids – but it’s not overkill. They are believable enough, and that makes the stories uniquely entertaining for adults, and in this reviewer’s opinion: some of the strongest plots in the entire series.

In the school presidential election, Louise’s nemesis Millie joined the race, and Louise decided to help Jimmy Jr. beat her. Despite holding a commanding lead, a series of poor decisions torpedoed his chances, and Louise entered the race herself. Millie’s campaign ended up being a giant ruse to become besties with Louise, and she cracked when she realized it might not occur, even if she were to win. Her outburst got her disqualified, and Louise was too, because she broke into Mr. Frond’s office. It was then revealed that Henry, the third-place candidate, was actually the one pulling off a grand scheme, bringing Millie into the race to sabotage Louise and Jimmy Jr., and win the race himself.

Meanwhile, Bob become infatuated with his new, expensive Fukinawa knife, much to the dismay of a competitive Teddy, who thought his hammer (made by the same company) was superior. Linda suggested a competition to see which was best (which involved a series of challenges, such as, “Who can make a hole in the counter first?”) It culminated in each competitor trying to destroy the other’s tool, and Ted’s hammer emerged victorious.

In Case You Missed It:

1) Next door store: You Can’t Handle the Ruth – Baseball Cards

2) Burgers of the Day: Knife to Meet You Burger,

3) Jimmy Jr.’s platform: he wants school dances to play ten slow songs in a row, then ten slow ones.

4) Millie’s platform: longer recesses, a “bestie” buddy system, bigger desserts, and increasing the budget for student counseling “to get Louise the help she needs.”

5) Tina’s “little wild” idea: making a Jimmy Jr. campaign sign with a checkmark for the “I”.

6) Jon Benjamin does a lot of iconic voices, but if I could see him record just one, it would be Jimmy Jr. singing.

7) “A forth-grader with multiple tardies and multiple screws lose. Mille: Too dangerous for the bake sale. Too dangerous for Wagstaff.”

8) “Probably not you, boy sucking on watch.”

As I previously alluded to, it’s hard for a Bob’s Burgers episode starring the kids to fail. And I don’t just mean Tina, Gene, and Louise, but the entire cast of characters. This one had Jimmy. Jr and Zeke, obviously, but Andy & Ollie (“Which one am I?!”) too, and also saw return of Molly Shannon as Millie and Jim Gaffigan as Henry.

However, the main three stuck to their personalities, and each had a nice role in this installment. Louise was scheming, as always, and created elaborate ploys to take down her competitors. Tina followed her heart, even if it was an unpopular decision, like choosing to support Millie at one point. And Gene was a willing accessory to their shenanigans, as always. Willing, unless it involved physical activity (“Damn you for making me run!”)

In the other storyline, seeing an increasingly off-balance Linda take charge of the situation was endlessly entertaining. Bob and Teddy were so swept up in their competitiveness that they allowed her enthusiasm to operate unrestricted, which always makes for the most fun.

I honestly expected it to be a bit funnier given the description on paper, but this was still another incredibly solid installment of Bob’s Burgers.