Season Review: Bob’s Burgers Season Thirteen

The show’s thirteenth year on business has its share of highs and lows, which isn’t surprising considering its ever-lasting taste. Before the thirteenth season began, we were greeted with the Belchers’ first big-screen adventure with The Bob’s Burgers Movie. While it didn’t earn as much money as Top Gun: Maverick, the film retains the charm and dry humor the show is known for, but on a theatrical scale. It was also why I got more attached to Bob’s Burgers, which was enough for me to check out its latest season.

One major thing I immediately noticed during the start of the season was the minor change included in the opening sequence. The opening theme, consisting of the restaurant’s grand openings after each disaster, now includes a sinkhole and a “grand re-re-re-re-opening banner”, referencing the events of the movie. It’s a nice addition representing the show’s consistent timeline, meaning the latest season occurs after the movie’s events. It would be interesting to see what disastrous event could be worse than a sinkhole in the future. Aside from that, how does this season taste compared to the previous seasons of Bob’s Burgers? Well, regarding some compelling episodes it has and its savory ingredients that made the show successful, I would say it’s as tasty as a burger.

After a rough start with the season’s first two episodes, Bob’s Burgers slowly gained momentum for the remaining episodes. However, some of them still resort to the formulas we’re familiar with from the other sitcoms amid their humor and charismatic appeal. One example is its fourteenth episode, “These Boots Are Made for Stalking”, involving Tina changing her image to impress the cool teenagers visiting the restaurant. That episode follows a similar and basic plot about appreciating one’s self. Unfortunately, aside from its humor and relatable message, “These Boots Are Made for Stalking” didn’t add much else to its narrative shortcomings.

Another example is the second episode, “The Reeky Lake Show”, featuring the usual “vacation-goes-wrong” trope when the Belchers take a family vacation for the first time. With the show being in the teens, it’s a challenge for the writers to come up with something clever to maintain its quality. However, it also shows that it still has enough room for its unique appeal and charm to compensate for its narrative flaws.

One of the things that makes this season enjoyable for me is its holiday-themed episodes. Its Halloween-themed episode, “Apple Gore-chard! (But Not Gory)”, followed the show’s tradition of providing spooky scenarios for the Belchers to endure since season five. It may not be the best Halloween episode I’ve seen in the series regarding its lack of fun scares, but it’s often saved by its humor, mainly from the kids being “Team Twister”. Afterward, the rest of the holiday episodes improved their narratives to provide immense enjoyment from the Belchers’ get-togethers. “Putts-giving” was a refreshingly heartfelt Thanksgiving episode focusing on the family playing mini-golf instead of preparing for Thanksgiving dinner. “The Plight Before Christmas” was a solid Christmas episode that used its entertaining, yet formulaic, plot to provide heart and holiday cheer in the family’s love and support.

The season also continues to provide spotlights for each main character regarding their humorous traits and voice cast, including Teddy in “Comet-y of Errors” and the Belcher kids. But, of course, I would give Gene and Linda most of the credit for carrying the season. Eugene Mirman’s performance as Gene never failed to make me laugh with his freakouts, mainly in “Ready Player Gene”, where he experienced the glitchy reality of VR gaming. Linda also gets points for her shining moments during the season’s second half, including “Stop! Or My Mom Will Sleuth!” where she attempts to clear Louise’s name while going undercover at school. Even though her episodes haven’t provided anything worth standing out, Linda’s wacky shenanigans and enthusiastic nature usually deliver relatable and heartfelt messages. The best example of this was the penultimate episode, “Mother Author Laser Pointer”. That episode had Linda learning to accept her kids growing up when she accidentally trapped a children’s book author inside the restaurant.

Overall, Bob’s Burgers cooks up another delicious season full of chuckles, heart, and wacky sitcom scenarios. Some episodes were understandably formulaic and often fell short of making them stand out from other animated sitcoms. However, the appeal of its characters, heart, and wacky humor remains its freshness long enough to continue its booming business amid the other Fox animated programming.