palharesf

[6.7/10] Eh, another episode where there’s nothing wrong, but just not that much that’s great either. The trajectory of this one was a little obvious, where Tina wants Jimmy Jr. all to herself and is bristling at the constant presence of Zeke, but in the end does the right thing and helps him out. The show follows that thread well enough, it’s just the obvious result of all of this, and there’s not much of a twist or a wrinkle to it.

(Although maybe that happens next season? Bob’s Burgers is kind of a “revert to the status quo” type show, so who knows if they’ll remember anything that happened here, but it seems impossible for Zeke to avoid getting in trouble ever again.)

The kids’ caper was reasonably fun though. I enjoy the addition of the little karate master, whose enthusiasm and “I need this” devotion to his craft was a welcome additive to the usual Wagstaff milieu. Honestly, the funniest part of the episode though was Mr. Brodka, Mr. Frond, and the two of them jawing at one another. Still, while we’re pretty familiar with it at this point, the kids’ “we have to achieve some heist type thing in the school” tale was amusing enough, albeit lacking in the usual knee-slappers.

The B-story didn’t do much for me either. It is nice to see Randy again, and Bob being the annoyed straight man to this week’s oddball is always a good look. Randy’s hackneyed one-man film just didn’t get the laughs out of me I might have expected. I did get a kick out of Linda misremembering lines from every movie, and her and Bob’s banter about dying in the restaurant was the sweetest/funniest thing in the episode.

(Here too, I wonder if the show will pick this up again next season, particularly the idea that maybe people see the short film and identify Bob with it? Who knows!)

Overall, this is a bit of a let down as season finales go, but even when Bob’s Burgers isn’t firing on all cylinders, it’s a show I’m always glad to be watching.

[8.4/10] Another fun one that had a lot of storylines, but made all of them work. The main story was about Gene, Louise, and their friends conspiring to ditch the school fun run in order to take advantage of “free scoop day” at the local ice crema palror. It’s a good excuse for fun one-liners from the Wagstaff milieu, and Regular Size Rudy in particular got in some of his classic bits. But there was fun to be had from Courtney, Aex, and newcomer Large Tony as well.

At the same time, there’s the usual heartening message to come out of it. Louise and the rest of the crew conspires to get Gene the scoop he dreamed of even though his bike broke during Louise’s elaborate scheme. And Gene decides to finish the race on his own because he wants to and earns it, which is neat in its own way.

There’s a hilarious wisp of a B_story with Tina racing against Jimmy Jr. There’s not much to it, but it’s hilarious if only for the run cycles for Tina and Jimmy, and for the amusing trash talk between them. One of those ludicrous but fun bits from the show.

And the C-story is great too. Bob enlists the help of Linda and Teddy to call-in to get discount tickets to the latest show from Cake (the Stomp parody.) Their increasingly inept attempts to make their three-man calling squad work, and Bob’s continuing frustrations as Teddy for coming close but being ill-equipped for the urgency of the situation is hilarious. They move the humor into some pretty angry/uncomfortable territory at times, but in a light way that still feels true to the low stakes nature of the show. Teddy’s obliviousness to the frustration his dilly dallying is causing Bob is great, and the fact that the episode closes with Bob’s delighted face at watching the show makes it all better.

Overall, this one packs a lot in, but makes all of it work and makes all of it funny.

[6.8/10] Far be it from me to turn my nose up at the great Nick Offerman doing a guest spot on Bob’s Burgers, but this one was just a little short of a quality episode in my book. It’s not bad, but the central conceit -- that Bob was projecting his own frustrations over not being trendy enough for a “best of” restaurant list onto a favorite DJ felled by similar market forces -- was obvious from the beginning, and didn’t really go anywhere other than it’s obvious conclusion.

Aside from providing Tom Petty some reason to be proud, the whole escapade with the DJ taking over his old station didn’t have the great comic setpieces that premise might have promised. The kids messing around on the radio was worth a laugh or two, but the DJ’s general orenry resistance to “The Tude” basically only hit one note and never really advanced from there.

Still, the show does offer a nice defense of there still being a place for steadier, more niche, less flashy offerings, from people who take pride in doing things their own way. Linda’s plea to Bob about doing work he’s proud of for people who love him is very sweet, and it’s a nice place for the episode to land.

I’ll say that I did get a big kick out of everyone’s fascination with/anger at sweet potato fries. Bob’s continuing rage against them was a laugh, and Linda and Teddy continuing to eat Linda’s terrible sweet potato pies was a bizarre but funny gag. Plus the song at the end was great!

Overall, I like the ideas and the premise at play here, but the show didn’t really grow them from where the episode started, which knocked this one down a bit.

[9.5/10] Hilarious episode. It’s another usual split with Louise and her siblings in the A-story, and Bob/Linda/Teddy in the B-story. Both stories are funny and sweet in their own way.

I particularly like the message of the A-story. The opening scene signifies how Louise is worried about losing the spark of imagination and fun. The trip to the marionette-odium is a great way to dramatize that. The old lady who runs it having lost her own such spark, and giving up on fanciful puppet in favor of dull marionettes and mad libs is a nice “worst case scenario” for Louise to encounter. The way the puppet dance battle both awakens something in the old lady, and reassures Louise that adulthood doesn't have to be letting go of that imaginative spark, is really nice.

But it’s also just a damn funny episode. Louise’s interactions with Dot in the Tech Booth, and her mundanely-named beats, is great. The usual Wagstaff Greek Chorus is in rare form. And the old woman’s complaint that “kids just keep getting worse and worse, but people keep making them” is a hilarious bit of the over the top cynicism. Everyone’s reactions to the puppet doldrums, and the ensuing silliness of Louise’s one-man puppet revolution is superb. Hell, even Ron gets in on the action!

The B-story was a lot of fun too. Bob interacting with the local weirdos is always a good recipe for comedy. And the way he gets so into delivering the rave flyers to people is trademark Bob. Plus all the secondhand stories about “carrot the ferret” are a nice bit of the show’s oddball humor. Bob using the situation to inconvenience Jimmy Pesto is a good button to put on the whole thing.

Overall, every part of this one works, and there’s a simple but deep message behind that matches the hilarity with insight in the best Bob’s Burgers way.

[7.2/10] I was expecting a little better given how hilariously this one started. Bob being in his burnout mode was one of the most uproariously funny things the show’s had him do in a while! Whether it’s flipping burgers in his underwear and calling his wife “Leslie,” wandering in and out of the kitchen with a wad of meat, or getting into a mustard-related argument with his own burger that ends with an angry pronouncement of “I invented you!”, I laughed my way through that opening bit.

(Oh, and Teddy drinking the ketchup coffee had me in stitches!)

But his misadventures once he’s locked out of the restaurant and forced to take a day off are just so-so. His little song about doing nothing with Mr. Fischoeder was mildly amusing, and I got a kick out of the running joke about “bread pervs.” But once he got to the sandwich shop, the whole thing turned into a rote epiphany about not letting work get in the way of loving your family and having a life. It’s a sweet message, but just a fairly stock one, and his excitement at helping make the 77 sandwiches wasn’t the most unique way to dramatize it either. Still, it’s sweet enough, which is always the right mode for Bob’s Burgers.

The B-story with Mudflap’s friend coming to have a baby shower and then giving birth in the restaurant was another plot that felt more “okay” than outright hilarious. There’s some decent gags and wordplay (my favorite being Tina not wanting Goldie or Linda to interrupt her baby food speech). There’s also, again, a nice message about kids becoming the thing you’re most proud of even if you think you’re not ready. But it was just a little undercooked (no pun intended).

Overall, this one started unbelievably strong, but then kind of settled into a nice but not overwhelming groove afterward. Still a nice enough watch.

Onward is a solid and heartwarming adventure about brotherhood and the importance of believing in yourself

Even though over the years we have come to expect nothing but perfection out of Pixar, (Which is kinda harsh from my perspective even though it unfortunately makes sense) I believe it is still worth noting that movies like this one give the impression that the beloved animation studio wants to keep enchanting us with stories that are relatable, creative and tug hard at your heart strings.

The movie pretty much does all that is listed and then some. The world is unique combining our modern day world with a dungeons and dragons like twist, The chemistry between the brothers is beyond enjoyable and the story does it's very best to give audiences something adventurous but also something though provoking as well

Although I personally wouldn't put it up there with other Pixar Originals like Inside Out, Wall.E, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and ect.... I still believe that Onward is still one of the better movies Pixar has put out in a while and definitely stands on it's own merits as a great family adventure that has something for everyone

All I can say now is, Pixar, I'm super excited to see what you come up with next.

[8.3/10] This one sticks to a pretty typical Bob’s Burgers formula, but that’s not a bad thing! You have the kids, Louise in particular, leading the charge at the school in the A-story, and Bob, Linda, and Teddy rounding things out with a silly but enjoyable B-story back at the restaurant.

The A-story is a nice mix of absurd, Wagstaff-based comedy, and the usual “Louise cares about things more than she’ll admit to herself” arc. The conceit of “principal for a Day” being Louise’s entree into the world of power is a nice one, and that setup gives the show plenty of chances for oddball humor at the margins, like Gene’s crazy hay day, or Tina’s “sensual reggae dance” replacement for P.E.

But at the same time, it tells a nice story of her sticking up for Mr. Frond given how hard he tries, even if she butts heads with him. Let’s be real, the show has gone down this route tons of times with Louise already, to where it’s not much of a surprise anymore. But it still nicely sets up the confiscated toy closet as a big deal, which makes it a big deal when she gives it up to save Frond’s job from the principal’s freeloading brother-in-law. Plus, it leads to the assembly, which is a laugh riot of a setpiece. I particularly loved Regular Sized Rudy worrying about his asthma causing his parents’ divorce, and Jimmy Jr.’s complex about not being a twin.

I also got a kick out of the B-story, which features Bob getting “the yips” when Teddy gets him too in his own head over flipping burgers. It’s pure comedy, but enjoyable so, with Bob’s two-spatula burger flip getting a nice laugh out of me. The solution -- Bob wearing Jimmy Pesto's underwear -- is pretty silly, but it’s enjoyable under the circumstances (especially the post-credits song). And hey, it’s nice to see Bob get a one-up on Jimmy in an admittedly absurd way.

Overall, there’s nothing groundbreaking for Bob’s Burgers in this one, but it does what the show normally does quite well!

[8.3/10] Really fun episode! Bob and Gene make for a superb comedic team, and it’s a pairing we don’t actually get all that often. The two of them trying and failing and succeeding and failing again to do handiwork is a great setup for their particular brand of father-son shenanigans. The pair trying to fix that old man’s sink, while Bob only has one plumbing “move” and Gene is doing his usual efete Greek chorus bit brought laugh after laugh.

The main story was fun too. I like the Linda vs. Tina setup with both trying to find Teddy love in two different places. The abject, mercenary terribleness of Helen (whom we met in the beach house episode) contrasted with the low key UK charms of Kathleen made for amusing players in the Belcher women’s schemes. And their naked attempts to make things romantic between Teddy and their paramour of choice in contrived ways brought a lot of laughs too.

There’s some nice setups and payoffs with the pipes and the elevator, and while Teddy’s near plummeting/crushing is a little wacky and wild as a means of exposing Helen for what she is to Linda, it’s still an entertaining setpiece and gives Bob and Gene another win. Plus Linda’s inability to pronounce the term for the little trinket they’re after was the running gag gift that kept on giving, and Louise’s dry wit was out in force.

Overall, a very funny episode that gave us some amusing character moments for all of the Belcher clan.

[8.3/10] This is an episode that doesn't have a very committed plot or even a particular strong point, but one that’s just filled to the brim with great comic hijinx. I like the premise for both the A-story and B-story. The kids and Gayle trying to keep Linda from being caught in a pyramid scheme to sell essential oils is a nice setup, and Teddy and Bob helping an old man move his mattress and get ready for his date is a comic notion with good mileage. I even like the contrast between the two stories, where Bob’s plot is about a guy worrying if someone will like him, and Linda’s plot is about a woman oblivious to how the fact that everyone likes her opens doors for her that other people don’t have access to.

But honestly, the best part of this is just the gags. Bob’s anxiousness to finish the hell up with his painful, neverending errand with old Mr. Huggins, while Teddy’s content to lift mattresses and kibbitz all day, is great. The relatable bed-moving nonsense and Mr. Huggins’s requests for dating advice just keep getting funnier.

Still, the comic insanity with Linda and co. is even better. Gayle’s resolve to save her sister while being stymied by the sweet aroma of peppermint oil is delightful. Tina’s fascination with solving a puzzle is outstanding. Louise wanting to take charge and extract Linda from the situation is great as always, but it’s even better how she too is her mother’s daughter and gets entirely distracted and entranced by an adorable puppy. And Gene leads the hilarious Greek chorus where everyone gets some good wisecracks and one-liners in.

Overall, the stories in this one are more sturdy than they are compelling, but the comedy is outstanding and keeps you laughing and smiling all the way to greatness.

[7.6/10] It’s hard not to watch these episodes without just remarking on the classic, if ridiculous gags, like “this is the last time you’ll be seeing these!” But this is a really solid episode totally apart from those classic bits, with the Spring Break theme. Michael trying to fire Kitty, rehire her, fire her again, and then have GOB accidentally blow her up is an amusing throughline, with some plot relevance given how George Sr. and GOB have been blabbing to her (though George Sr. about serious stuff, and GOB about his personal life.)

I also enjoyed the cat and mouse game between Lucille and Lindsey & Maeby about Nana and her precious birthday money. It’s Lucille at her most comically conniving (including using poor Anyong as a purse), and it’s hilarious.

I’m not as big a fan of Tobias becoming a prison kingpin using his therapy technique, and the “Friend of Dorothy” bit is a little strained, but there’s still some laughs in the interactions between gentle, naive Tobias and his caustic father-in-law.

And of course there’s GOB, who both wants his brother’s approval, tries to do right by his nephew and, you know, blows up a yacht while dancing to “The FInal Countdown” during a magic show on an MTV knockoff...like you do. It’s gloriously ludicrous and fun.

Overall, a great episode. Spring breeeeeeeak!

[7.9/10] Again, the main plot in this one is just brilliant. Michael coming clean to Maggie, only for them to have a torrid, forbidden affair is a solid enough premise on its own. But Michael then finding out that Maggie isn’t really blind (with some really good physical comedy via her dog), only for her to be actually blinded through the Bluth’s usual mishegoss, just in time for Michael to attempt to call her out in Court by tossing a bible at her is amazing. I’m actually not a huge fan of Julia Louis-Dreyfus in this role, but the writing of it all is fantastic.

I do, however, love her and David Cross doing the physical comedy schtick as Tobias tries to infiltrate her home and Maggie tries to pretend she doesn't know there’s a “jackass in her bathrobe.” Watching Tobias show off his “agility” around her house, and Maggie brandish a bat is a really potent comic bit.

I also like Buster trying to flip on his dad to keep himself from being kicked out well enough. His being a useless informant is pretty funny, and Tony Hale can make even innocuous lines seem hilarious.

I also like the synergy with Lindsey protesting the Ten Commandments at the courthouse, with everyone absolutely butchering them throughout the rest of the episode. Plus Michael and George Michael each trying to hide behind them, only to see one another once it’s removed is a great sight gag. I’m less up on George Michael being roped into Maeby’s scam, but it’s not bad.

Overall, lots of laughs in this one, and solidly written gags all around.

[7.8/10] The b-stories in this one aren’t much to write home about, but the main story is great. Michael fancying himself a lawyer, having a one night stand with a seemingly blind woman and letting his guilt prevent him from either (a.) letting things end with her or (b.) reading the plea bargain he agreed to read is a great setup. The gags with Barry’s incompetence, Michael’s myopic efforts not to admit to himself that he’s kind of terrible, and the (mostly physical comedy) of Maggie’s supposed sightlessness are all great.

George trying to put off his plea because he thinks the Jane Lynch character has inside info is fine, I suppose. It’s more the interactions between George Sr. and Lucille that drive the comedy in this storyline (Jessica Walter’s line-read on “great redwood of a whore” is great), but there’s some decent jokes, like the blooper reel bit.

The same goes for George Michael discovering Maeby’s scam of pretending to be a sick twin. While Tobias & Lindsey’s awkward attempts to ask George Michael to tutor his cousin are amusing, as are the jokes about the Funke clan being bad at math, the actual reveal doesn't have much juice.

That just leaves GOB, whose comic chemistry with Amy Poehler is outstanding, as you’d expect. Just the two of them jawing about Poehler’s seal-sales, or the interplay between GOB and the narrator about whether GOB had consumated the marriage from his “dare off” are great.

Overall, this is a superb episode, with the Michael/Maggie stuff making it a cut above, and the GOB/Amy Poehler stuff making for a nice supporting story, but the other bits in the episode aren’t as good.

[7.8/10] This one is a lot of fun. I like the A-story, with Gene feeling upset that his best friend Alex (he of the sugar-crazy sleepover), bails on their odd Wizard/Robot game to roller skate in a dance competition with Courtney. I appreciate the subversion that rather than a “jealous over girl” situation, Gene just wants his friend back. The sesame allergy dilemma/scheme is a little silly, but I appreciate the story about Gene’s maturity. At the same time, the solution being all three of them roller dancing together, to the chagrin of Courtney’s dad, is fun and cute, and there’s lots of great gags in it, from Alex’s no-sound clap, to Gene’s “how can I get you alone” rendition, to all of the stagedadding.

And I may have liked the B-story even better. Linda and Teddy speculating about what the random woman in the nice car is up to is nicely loony. And the reveal that she’s an agoraphobic, with Bob trying to help her go to a public place, lends itself well to both sweetness and comedy. I love the fact that she wanted to use Bob’s restaurant since it’s usually empty, and I just died laughing at the extroverted Linda and Teddy being able to hold it together to avoid spooking her with their friendliness. It’s a great, unique Bob’s Burgers setup, with tons of laughs. (And I also loved Bob being so proud of his “good advice” to the kids.)

Overall, a well put together and very funny episode.

[9.3/10] Hooray! An episode with an adventure for the whole family! We haven’t had one of those in a while, and I love the bulk of the Belcher clan roping Bob into an insane caper, with Linda being overly committed to defending the Mayor’s honor, Tina wanting the city to keep its word to the pardoned Turkey, Louise being invested in the rescue despite her aversion to yardbird, and Gene as the sympathetic Greek chorus, while all Bob wants to do is go grab some cranberries for fresh cranberry sauce.

This one made the most of Bob as the (relative) straight man to the rest of his family’s insanity. The whole escapade with the mayoral aide taking the pardoned turkey to the slaughterhouse, the investigative reporter tagging along for the ride, and the Deputy Mayor (Paul F. Thompkins!) trying to quash the whole thing, is one of those local mountains made out of molehills that the show’s comedic sensibilities are built on.

And I like how Bob is initially reluctant about the whole thing, but eventually becomes a committed participant in view of teaching his kids that it’s right to keep your word. And I even like how Louise has a slow transition from hating Turkeys to near-putting her life on the line to save one from the coyotes. Plus, I appreciate the continuity of them taking Drew P. to the farmer who owns a double-butted goat, and even the Shawshank Redemption homage with Bob in the cranberry bog.

Overall, this one was full of laughs every single second, and had a great Belchery-dynamic throughout. Another Turkey Day classic from Bob’s Burgers!

[7.7/10] I like the common theme of this one, of not judging a book by its cover, or at least appreciating depths in people that might be hard to glean at first glance.

The A-story, featuring Bob getting roped into helping Edith, the prickly art supply store owner, with her heist/revenge scheme against the people in her quilting club. Bob having to balance his general decency in wanting to help an old woman and his past experiences that prompt him to want to spite Edith makes for a good story for him. And it’s nice to get a little more shading for Edith.

Of course, this being Bob’s Burgers, things escalate and spin out of control nicely. There’s a superb progression of Edith hustling other quilters, and conning Bob vis-a-vis her “fits” until they reach her rival, who just so happens to be Sgt. Bosco’s mom. The comedy of the climax, with Bob’s nervousness, Edith’s constant insults, and the fun they have nonetheless is great. (And the “quiefs” joke is easy but amusing.)

But Bob changing his opinion on Edith, or at least going along with her plans, once he realizes why getting her patch on the quilt means so much is a really nice place to take things. Edith connection to the circus freaks at the wharf ties into the episode’s themes of seeing beyond the surface of people and provides a good emotional catharsis to go out on.

The other stories are good as well. Louise being convinced that her birthday party acquaintance is just in it for the presents, only to realize that he’s just frustrated with his parents for turning everything into a social media photo-op is paint-by-numbers but still enjoyable. The “parents trying to depict their family as having a perfect life online” seems like it’ll be dated quickly, but the Gatsby stuff is enjoyable at the margins.

And while it’s barely there, I also liked the C-plot of Linda trying to teach Teddy to like sushi. It’s just comic relief, but the little glimpses we have escalate beautifully. (Plus, another “ah, my face!” moment).

Overall, the A-story does the bulk of the work here, but all of the stories work, and the common theme of seeing past first impressions and trying to appreciate things on a deeper level is a commendable one.

[7.2/10] They packed a loooot of plot into this one. Going from an embarrassing situation/revenge scenario with Mr. Frond, to trying to complete a reciprocal revenge arrangement with Kurt the pilot, to resolving Kurt’s sibling rivalry situation with his sister is a lot. But the episode manage to tie it all together pretty well in the end. Things spin a bit out of control as the kids become more enmeshed in Kurt’s scheme, to the point that the empathy video lesson feels a bit tacked on. But it’s at least a structurally sound A-plot, even if it gets jumbled up at times.

I really enjoyed the B-plot, which sees Bob, Linda, and Teddy try to win a paper airplane competition to earn themselves an appliance or two. I love how into it Bob gets. Bob falling headlong into some hobby is always good strain of humor on the show, everything from the magical paper to his dream about meeting the fold-master was great.

And the comedy was generally solid too. I like the old pilot guy and his matter of fact side commentary. The kids acting in Mr. Frond’s video and their usual array of one-liners was fun. And Will Forte is always a treat whenver he pops up.

Overall, a bit of a sprint of an A-plot, but one that worked well enough while a silly but enjoyable B-plot picked up the slack.

Reviewing The Mechanic was something I didn't think I would do, as I really didn't care all that much for it the first time around, but seeing as there's a sequel soon hitting the cinemas, I thought I'd give it a shot.

The Mechanic starts rather good. Statham and Sutherland has a few rather good scenes in the opening of the film and all is well...

...then Ben Foster hits the scene, and everything goes meh.

Don't get me wrong. The action is good, the locations and the cinematography are good, and Statham does his stonefaced persona well enough...yet again. What made this go somewhat bad is the total lack of sympathy for the characters. Foster plays a whiny and impulsive brat...badly, Statham, even though he usually kills bad guys, doesn't come off as particularly sympathetic either. There's something about the story and the fact that these guys kill for money without much remorse that rubs me the wrong way. There's no noble cause or anything to make you even a tiny bit sympathetic with the protagonists.

Anyway...I'm going to see the sequel just because Statham is one of my favourite actors when I just want to spend some time relaxing, but I don't think I'll ever see this one again...

[7.3/10] A nice dose of Halloween fun. This another kids/adults split (mostly), and while not perfect, it was perfectly enjoyable.

The handiman decoration competition between Teddy and Glen (the handiman putting up decorations next door) was decent, but a pretty standard sitcom story. (I’m pretty sure Home Improvement did something very similar.) But seeing Teddy get into a rivalry, suck Bob into it, and then realize that the guy he was jealous of looked up to him was a nicely sweet twist at the end. Plus, Bob giving out bitter hard candies and Linda trying to make up for it was a nice running gag.

The main story was ambitious, with the kids trying to track down the candy thief plaguing them and their pals on their home street. The riff on Halloween was enjoyable, though I guessed that the culprit was Dr. Yap pretty quickly since that was the only person with an established motive. (I did, however, appreciate the continuity of him not wanting to spend all winter filling cavities so that he could ski instead). Louise’s attempts to hold her crew together were largely amusing, and the final sequence in the haunted house was well done.

As with the Teddy story, it ends someplace sweet, with the kids returning the scores of candy, and Tina’s contemporaries realizing that they’re “Hallo-tweeners” and not too old for sugar bombs. It’s a nice message after the anti-teenager stuff, and almost constitutes an arc.

Overall, this one isn’t as good as some of Bob’s Burgers’s prior superb Halloween outings, but it’s still thoroughly pleasant and Hallooween-y.

[7.6/10] This was a lot of fun. There’s the usual “kids have an A-story/parents have a B-story” setup here, but for once there was a nice thematic and motivation-based connection between the two, which bumps this one up a notch.

The A-story sees Tina and the rest of the Wagstaff cohort starting a business as part of a school program. Their effort to sell “woodchucks” (i.e. little blocks of wood with googly eyes pasted on) goes predictably awry, with a bunch of fairly standard but amusing enough worker vs. management gags. But things really pick up when Tina goes from employee to management, and slowly but surely becomes a “business monster” in the process.

Everything moves pretty damn fast, but it’s still neat to see Tina spin out of control, until an all-too-pliable Teddy’s offer to invest becomes her moral breaking point. The realization that she doesn't want to take advantage of people or offer inferior products is a solid one, founded on her dad’s example, and her solution of selling just the googly eyes is a clever one. It’s a measured victory, like all Bob’s Burgers victories, but a good one.

And I like how it connects to the B-story. Bob and Linda fighting against the continually more outlandish schemes of a serial dine-and-dasher are fine enough if not extraordinarily amusing. But the fact that he comes back to be a legit customer because the food is so good is a nice grace note to Bob’s deliberately corny speech about never compromising on quality in the beginning of the episode. Tina’s declaration that she’d rather be a bad good businessman like her dad than a good bad businessman like she was is a sweet one.

Overall, some standard-if-amusing stuff, bolstered by a neat and worthy connection between the two stories in the episode.

I really enjoyed this.

Lyn-Manuel Miranda is widely and deservedly regarded as a genius and this musical/film adds more evidence to support that.

Clever, funny, rapid-fire lyrics blend with an (until this musical was created) under regarded figure of US history. But his genius is even more evident in his decision to pitch a musical where most of the white historical cast are portrayed by Black American performers... with hip hop music at its spine. Originality is king if you want to make memorable art.

The cast in this production are luminescent. They may not all be names theatre goers will readily recognise but you've seen many of them on TV and film. There's even a key figure played by a semi-regular from Glee (singing a song that sounded very Tim Minchin to me).

As a huge fan of musicals I was always going to like this. The flip-side of this is that I judged it against the others I've seen and loved.

So yes, its hands don at least 8 stars (and most people say more than that, and that's fine) but some of the things I regarded as flaws held me back.

Relationships - no real kick-arse relationships of emotional depth except for the one who dies midway through the second act. And while it was portrayed and told well, I felt it failed to resonate as much as it could have by the lack of foreshadowing the bond. The relationship with his wife seemed tacked on and the hinted relationship with another woman (won't add a spoiler here) never delivered. The fact it was never established as fact in the real life story of Hamilton was no doubt part of the reason, but including the hint that goes nowhere served little purpose.

The story - Some stories are light by nature (Grease, Little Shop of Horrors) but they at least have a powerful relationship at their base. Some are significant because of the story they cover (Les Mis, Rent)... and they also mostly have a powerful relationship or two in the midst. I know the purpose of telling Hamilton's story was to share details of an almost forgotten figure, but I kinda feel like he deserved to be forgotten. Definitely an intellect, but his role in the War of Independence was bureaucratic, his additions to legislature were significant, but again bureaucratic. If they had hung some of the story on a significant moment rather than to provide a greatest hits package of his life, maybe there was more power to be had? Having seen it and enjoyed it, I still wonder "why Hamilton?"

Anyway, those are just some of my personal misgivings and I DID love the film/musical. Miranda is the genius in this case and while it's very easy for people on the sideline, like me, to critique or fiddle with the idea, there's no idea at all without his amazing mind.

You really should see this.

[8.3/10] I do love a good heist story, and this one is almost clockwork. The script here is fantastic, setting up Louise’s admiration for the dune buggy at the local Family Funtime, Mr. Fischoeder’s prize economics-based grief with the place, and the multi-faceted scheme to take the place for all the tickets its worth.

There’s a lot of good quick-hit gags to be had from assembling the Wagstaff crew to master a bunch of old carnival games. Each of the kids works well when used for those short gags and one-liners, and Mr. Fischoeder’s reactions to them are priceless. The show has a nice sense of how to setup and subvert the big heist, and all the twists and turns are really well done. Having a double- and then triple-cross twist add up is hard, but the show nicely sets up both Mr. Fischoeder’s treachery and how Louise discovers it and exploits what she’s been caught to get him back, and the results are sparkling.

I was less on board with the B-plot where Bob and Linda try to coax a chicken gifted to them by Teddy to lay eggs. There’s some half-decent jokes there, but the whole thing is barely a plot, and the humor isn’t strong enough to make up for that, though I did like how things lined up in the end.

Overall, a forgettable B-story is the only weakspot here when Bob’s goes for a heist vibe in an elementary school guise and makes it clever and funny.

[7.5/10] I enjoyed both halves of this episode. I probably enjoyed Tina’s half less, which is a rarity for me. There’s a solid enough throughline there, where Tina believes she’s experienced love at first sight, but denies that she’s “boy crazy.” But it’s mainly an excuse for some dream sequences/mini-music videos where Tina relives several age-appropriate versions of romcom tropes. The songs are cute, and the idea is amusing; the episode just goes to that well a few too many times to where it becomes a little tiring.

That said, as is often the case for Bob’s Burgers, I like the affirming message, that it’s okay to be young and passionate and imaginative about these things when you’re a kid and experiencing romantic feelings for the first time. And using “Boyz 4 Now” as a comic lens for that, and how Boy Bands in general are a safe way to young women to try on those romantic feelings, is a deft choice as always.

But I enjoyed the story featuring the rest of the family more, as it fit more of the traditional Bob’s Burgers adventure mode. The whole family (minus Tina) teaming up to take care of a baby rat at Teddy’s behest is absolutely adorable. It created opportunities for tons of great one-liners from everyone (I especially liked Louise’s detailed explanation and promise to teach the rat brazilian jiu jitsu), and Bob being very against having a rat in his restaurant and then becoming its biggest champion is classic him.

Then throwing Hugo into the mix as an obstacle is a lot of fun. It creates a conflict that everyone has to adapt to, and the comic setpiece where the whole family teams up to obstruct him is great. I especially like the solution, where Bob puts the rat in his underwear since he knows Hugo can’t check there, which is a great physical gag and genuinely clever, if a little insane, which pretty much sums up the Belchers.

Overall, this was a well done and funny season premiere, with some classic Belcher capering on one side, and some TIna material that had diminishing returns, but its heart in the right place.

[8.1/10] This one is a little overly telegraphed. I like it when characters’ wants and mental states are clear and comprehensible, but this episode spells that out a little too much. Still, I appreciate the clarity of how Bob feels like his life’s work is trivial and is projecting that onto his catering of this wedding, and how Linda feels like the couple is rushing into things, and how that comes into conflict.

Bob’s obsession is well done and generally funny (plus I would love to eat his ring gruyere burger!). And Linda, as always, is hilarious, with her putdowns of the couple’s quickness at getting into this while transitioning to saying hello to them or the guests. There’s a lot of good humor to be wrung from how much this wedding is being slapped together and destined for disaster too. And hey! A Bob’s Burgers song! The “I Do” number is catchy and just a hint affecting.

The B-story, with the Belcher kids competing to see who can get into the most wedding photos, with the loser having to clean the grease traps, is slight but cute enough. Gene winning through reflections in sunglasses is enough of an amusing little twist to be winning itself.

And I especially like the end of the episode. Bob’s crestfallenness over wrecking the bride’s grandmother’s cake is well done, and it’s heartening how Linda changes her tune. Her whole deal has been that three months together isn’t long enough to have to weather the rough parts of relationships, but that the couple weathering all of this is proof enough that they have what it takes. Bob may put too much emotional stock into catering this wedding, but he has his own partner who’s braved the rough stuff with to lean on for support, and they get through it together.

Overall, it’s a little too obvious in parts, but this episode does a nice job of showing Bob and Linda being at odds, but still coming together to pull something off and work through something emotionally at the same time, which makes it great.

Also, it bears mentioning that this has been an outstanding season, and it’s impressive to see a show still putting out this level of quality eight years after its debut.

(Oh, and I love that the show riffs on Linda’s canonical love of chanting again!)

[7.5/10] A good Louise/Tina episode, which we don’t get many of! As someone who collected Pokemon cards as a kid, this definitely hit home. I appreciate the arcs here, where despite thinking that Tina is a goody-two-shoes, Louise comes to appreciate how brave and slick her big sister can be, and while Tina is worried about her little sister’s morals, Louise is eventually inspired enough by her examples to make good on her card scam.

But the caper in between is great too. The scenes of Louise trying to pull escalating fast ones on Mrs. Labonz, while roping in Tina and Regular Size Rudy were enjoyable and had some great laugh lines. (“This is literally killing me.) And the subplot with Mr. Frond trying to get an invite to Martini Tuesday was good for a laugh as well.

I also really enjoyed the B-story here. Bob having to give the eulogy for a famed pickle guy he was estranged from is the kind of blend between weird and relatable that I love from this show. His awkwardness about it, the other farmer folks’ disdain for him, and his genuinely tearing up after he gets hit with the pickle and singing a gerkinized version of “Danny Boy” was a great button to put on it.

Overall, the B-plot stole the show a bit in this one, but we got a good Tina/Louise adventure with enough heart and humor to make it kick.

[7.2/10] I do enjoy a good Louise feud. Her various stand-offs, arguments with, and revenge schemes against the new juice truck owner over the alleyway was an enjoyable engine for the episode. Their back and forth insults and efforts to beat one another were fun, and I especially got a kick out of Louise’s plan with Regular Size Rudy and his ramps. Her chat with the cops about him, to wave them off from taking over the alley, was amazing.

But I wasn’t a huge fan of the rushed effort to tie it to Louise’s inability to let go of her “green machine” tricycle and start riding a two-wheeler. It’s set up well enough, but they tack on the “you’re not so different” bit with her and the juice truck woman without much enthusiasm or commitment. It comes off like a noble but desultory attempt to wring something deeper out of a fun but not particularly meaningful feud between a food truck owner and a little girl.

That said, I loved all the little running comic bits here. The guy in the next building over who witnessed and commented on the whole thing was a hilarious addition. Bob tearing up every time the idea of teaching his kids to ride a bike was even mentioned was a great runner. And the barely-a-plot bit with Gene and his “boy baskets” was good for few laughs as well. Plus, Tina’s efforts to be a responsible big sister were endearing and amusing, especially when she’s shutting everyone down over their misapplied fear of bats.

The B-story didn’t do much for me. It sees Linda help the perpetually flighty Gail keep her job as a security guard at an art museum. Gail’s unreasonable rationales for bailing on the job, and Linda’s increasingly outlandish efforts to keep her sister employed are good for a chuckle, but not much more. The escalation of Gail’s sudden romance with the would-be art thief is mildly funny, though.

Overall, this is a perfectly solid episode with some good laughs, but doesn't put it all together the way the best Bob’s Burgers episodes do.

[7.7/10] We don’t see as much of Hugo as we used to, to the point that he kind of feels like a vestige of the early years of the show where it hadn’t quite settled into its current voice. But this may be the best he’s been used and proof that he’s still a part of this warmer, less Adult Swim-influenced version of the show.

Pairing Bob and Hugo (and poor Ron) in a ridealong is a great comic setup. The sitcommy combination of Hugo needing to distract Bob so that Linda can throw him a surprise party, and dragging him to an actual health inspection so he can appreciate what Hugo does works to keep things flowing. There’s good gags in both parts, from Hugo’s price being a sad phone call from Linda to his parents, the “finance guy” turned restaurateur who knows nothing about food, and Hugo’s efforts to make Bob sick while reading the health code violations are all quite funny. Hugo’s putdowns have never been my favorite part of the show, but there’s also a certain angry patheticness to him that the show gets right here.

And that ties into the little bit of sentimentality that this one gives us. For one, I like that after all these years of Hugo being an unreasonable jerk to Bob, the show at least suggests that he’s not just a little tyrant, but is actually serving a purpose in the community. He may be kind of a jerk about it, but he’s doing his job and maybe even doing it well when he’s not harassing his ex-fiancée’s husband? Bob coming to appreciate that is a nice payoff for their long-running tension.

But I also like how it ties into the other half of the episode, where Bob realizes Linda is throwing him a surprise party, and aims to be into it even though he hates parties and surprises, because it means something to the people who care about him, especially Linda -- an epiphany Hugo prompts. There’s an old adage that if you can’t be a good example, you should at least be an extreme warning, and Hugo’s “I’d kill to have what you have” speech spurs Bob to be a good guy about something he doesn't like in a way that’s decent of both of them.

The B-story, with Linda and the kids trying to organize the surprise party after they forgot Bob’s birthday, is not quite as good for most of the run time. Linda getting no’s from all of Bob’s friends and being harangued by Jimmy Pesto didn’t do much for me. But there’s some good stuff there too. Teddy cajoling Bob about his silly e-card at a silent retreat is good stuff, and Tina’s commitment to and anger over her decorations are amusing. But for the most part this part of the episode -- including Gene’s bangs misadventure -- just isn’t as strong.

But it ends in a good place. I like the reciprocal epiphanies from both parts of the family. While Bob is learning to take the way his family celebrates him as a sign of love, the rest of the family learns to celebrate his birthday in the way that he’d want. The combination of a quiet night, with a western, warm sweatpants, a steak, and most of all his bacon weight are a nice way to dramatize the family trying to make Bob happy, his way. (With shades of Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson.)

It’s the kind of warm family lesson that Bob’s didn’t do as much in its early years, where Hugo intrusions and more off-color weirdness were more common, but it, and Hugo, both have a place in this era of the show, and come together to make a superb episode.

[9.0/10] This one gets such a good grade based on humor alone. The A-story, which sees Bob and Linda go on a disastrous double data with another pair of parents from Wagstaff, was a brilliant comic setup. It starts out as standard “this social event isn’t going well comedy” with hilarious weird behavior from the other couple, and some amusing attempts from Bob and Linda to play nice while concealing their obvious discomfort. But things kick up a notch when they end up at the escape room.

Having recently experienced the escape room thing, the tropes are well-observed, and better yet, I just love the comic escalation of Linda accidentally texting the other couple how much Bob and Linda are hating the date (in a text meant for Tina). The “awkward situation while trapped in a room together” bit is a little contrived, but it pays such comic dividends with the four of them fearing a rat and trying to work together to solve the puzzle in criss. The Belchers being apologetic and doing their best to solve puzzles while the other couple pouts is just great humor.

I really got a kick out of the B-story as well. For one thing, as a zombie movie fan, the whole concept of “Again with the Living Dead” cracked me up from the word go. But having Louise organize a scary movie screening for all the Belcher kids’ school chums, the gang all getting frightened half to death, and Tina saving the day with her embarrassing “bye bye poop” song to make everyone feel better is a great little Tina story. Lots of laughs from the bits we hear about the movie, from the kids’ reactions, and from Tina’s quick thinking.

Overall, this is a laugh riot of an episode that, while not very deep, has such a great rhythm and progression in both stories that keeps the laughs grounded and coming rapid-fire.

[7.7/10] Yet another fun episode. Normally, Gene-focused episodes tend to be a bit of a cut below, but this one had focus and humor that kept the A-story humming, with a fun Bob/Linda B-story to lighten the load.

The main story sees Gene panicking over his first sleepover with a friend from P.E., bracing himself for it, only to have things get wild and complicated in the traditional Bob’s Burgers way when that same friend enlists Gene as an accomplice in his efforts to run away from home. It’s a good premise for the episode, I enjoyed how the situation made Gene the voice of reason for once. His and Alex’s adventures through the “fort for boys”, and him trying to reassure Alex despite his parents’ new (allegedly) sugar-free lifestyle. The adventure of them sneaking out, camping out in the forest, and then enlisting the help of Louise and Tina to sneak back in made for an enjoyable caper.

But I also liked the little bits of Gene character development we got. Gene is a mama’s boy to the nth degree (to the point that he carries around her maxi pads in his backpack – something that Bob amusingly declares needs to stop). His separation anxiety about something as simple as a sleepover is extreme but endearing, and I like how the episode gives him, if not the worst sleepover ever, then at least one of the most challenging, only for him to make it through completely intact. It’s only a minor bit of growth, but it’s encouraging and helps deepen the slightly wacky story being told.

The Bob/Linda B-story over who snores enough to wake the other up is also a lot of fun in that quirky Bob’s sort of way. It goes about how you’d expect, with the two being competitive over who the real snore-culprit is, with a lot of good humor from the two of them trying to decipher their recording, only to end on a sweet note when they realize that neither can sleep without the other’s wheezes and groans. It’s all pretty light and brief, but as funny and heartwarming as it is weird.

Overall, this episode features the unusual but always welcome good Gene story, and a nice B-story for the Belcher parents that’s sweet and amusing and odd.

[8.4/10] Two stellar episodes in a row. I have to admit, I’m not usually the biggest fan of Tammy, but I liked how she was used here. For one thing, you have the entire family acknowledging how terrible she is, and Louise in particular delivering some slick burns and Tina-defending barbs that helps take the edge off. (Louise’s line about Tammy’s lip gloss making her look like “had always just finished eating a whole rotisserie chicken” made me die laughing.)

At the same time, I like that Tina is trying to do a truly good act to earn her “something thunderful merit badge” as a motivation, and that showing kindness to her elementary school enemy is the peak opportunity for that. Tammy’s antics and Tina doing her best to tolerate them (and getting the family to do the same) are funny in that classic Bob’s Burgers way of showing absurd scenes from domestic life, and Tina’s conversations with her merit badge are a hoot.

I also enjoyed where the episode goes from there (which is, admittedly, a little loonier) where Tammy runs into a boy who’s visiting on spring break and gets Tina to play Cyrano De Bergerac (as Linda tries to note) for her. There’s some good young adult faux-profundity humor at play, and while the ending is a little sputtery, the silly fun of the situation, Tina’s earnestness, and Louise’s protective maliciousness win the day.

I got a kick out of the B-story as well, which sees Bob and Gene trying to make a replica of Gene’s last baby tooth when he loses it to a seagull, so that Linda doesn't get upset about not having a complete set. The extended adventure to get and disguise another tooth is goofy but fun (especially the “soda is bad, man” kid), and the payoff with Linda admitting she lost a few when playing with them is the kind of weirdness I appreciate.

Overall, another winner of an episode.

[8.1/10] Another episode with a great “the kids go on an adventure/the parents get into something at the restaurant” divide.

The A-story saw the Belcher kids trying to find a secret, supposedly boarded up ceramics room in order to find handmade gifts they can pass off as their own to their grandparents. I like the dynamic of the kids as mystery solvers (encouraged by the ever-pushy and troublemaking librarian). Louise spearheading an effort to track down old art students, figure out the best possible location based on old year books, and burrow through a wall just makes for a good story spine, and the humor involved was great too (especially Teddy just giving the kids a bunch of dangerous power tools and Tina and Gene’s excuses for getting rid of white dust -- mind your own business Jimmy Junior!).

But I also liked the thematic elements of it. For one, I appreciate the show toying around with the notion of the kids going to way more effort to avoid making handmade gifts for their grandparents than it would take to just make them. I also appreciated Tina’s trepidation about the dishonesty of the whole thing from the beginning, and that it’s Frond’s covering up his (well set up) 7th grade class secretary debacle that persuades Louise not to lie and have lifelong regrets. (And Frond’s severity about the whole thing, and miscalibrated self-perception is great.) It’s not much, but it adds a nice bit of sentiment to give the zany story a little emotional heft.

I also got a big kick out of the B-story, which sees Teddy latching his phone screen repair business onto Bob’s restaurant. Bob’s quiet but growing annoyance with the whole deal and Teddy’s oblivious troublemaking made for a great exercise in goofus and gallant humor. To be frank, I’m still kind of waiting for Bob to reach his breaking point and tell Teddy off, but the conclusion the show went with -- Teddy deciding that the restaurant scene is an imposition on him is probably funnier, and preserves one of the show’s core relationships.

Overall, two well-done stories, a nice little emotional epiphany, and some good laughs. That’s what I’m after from Bob’s!