Review: Bob’s Burgers “Vampire Disco Death Dance”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Tina’s having a bit of an identity crisis. She’s realizing that her group of friends isn’t exactly the one she hoped she would have at this point in her life. All they ever do is play dumb games like drinking or not drinking. When they show interest in tagging along with her and Bob to a classic vampire movie musical, she’s excited for the chance to bond with them over something cool… but things don’t turn out exactly how the Belcher’s pictured things going.

Our Take:

This week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers features dancing vampires, hungry raccoons, and plenty of sweet Bob and Tina moments. It’s also the final episode of season eleven, which makes it all the more meaningful. Vampire Disco Death Dance is a great episode, and it’s also a worthy finale to wrap up the latest season of one of the best animated show around.

The main plot revolves around Bob’s desire to show Tina a movie that meant a lot to him at her age. It’s a really sentimental storyline that sees Bob bonding with his oldest child — not something that we’ve seen a whole lot of. Bob and Louise episodes are expected at this point, so getting to see how Bob and Tina relate to each other like this is much appreciated. The two of them are perhaps some of the most sentimental people in the Belcher clan, and getting to have a special night out together made for a great central storyline.

Of course, the Kid Krew had to come along and spoil things. It’s interesting how Tina’s feelings toward her friends have evolved over the last few seasons. While the kids themselves may not technically age, Tina has come a long way from blindly ogling Jimmy Jr. and the other cool kids. This is the most fed-up with them I’ve ever seen her been — luckily they’re all pretty understanding when they’re not being actively annoying. It’s hilarious seeing Bob deal with his daughter’s crew. The car ride to the theatre was a highlight for sure as Jimmy Jr. points out stoplights just in case Bob isn’t paying attention while Jocelyn yells things at strangers.

While Bob and Tina get to share a super sweet spotlight, the rest of the family doesn’t get quite as much to do. It is really fun to see Linda opening up a restaurant for the raccoons, though. Even if it is a little too ‘fan service-y’, I enjoyed the return of Little King Trashmouth and his gang.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already time for this season of Bob’s Burgers to come to a close. It seems like we should only be about halfway through, but time flies when you’re having fun. Vampire Disco Death Dance is a solid episode to go out on, combining a heartwarming father/daughter relationship with a reflection on the importance of the right friend groups. It’s a love letter to classic cinema that proves that it’s never too late to find your people — and that Bob’s Burgers still has plenty to say even after eleven seasons.