[9.5/10] I love me a good Tina story, and this is a great one. Like a lot of Bob’s Burgers episodes, it has an under-the-radar but really well built character story. We know exactly what Tina wants -- to become a Hall Manatee (there’s two schools of thought on the name). We know exactly how she goes about that -- by being a stickler for the rules, even minor things like forging a name on a sign-in sheet or big things like turning in her own siblings for detention. And we also know from past episodes that Tina is someone who’s honest and empathetic and who wants to do the right thing.
From there, the episode puts all of those three things in conflict with one another, with Zeke as the agent of chaos who makes Tina question things. What do you do when getting that promotion to Hall Manatee means breaking the rules to hide your failures? What do you do when the right thing may mean violating your personal hall monitor code? What happens when being a good hall monitor might mean being a bad person? Those are the questions Tina struggles with when she tries to take Zeke to the principal’s office while also hearing his story about wanting to “mascot around” for his grandmother who’s about to go into surgery.
Of course, this being Bob’s Burgers, that also involves turning the whole thing into a pastiche of The Fugitive and scads of other chase movies. It also means packing in gags about finger traps, threatening Jimmy Jr. with foot stomps and gross food trays, and the prospect of Penny Marshall needing a best friend. There’s a lot of organic humor that comes out of the setup, particularly Regular Sized Rudy being disillusioned with his hall monitor hero, but also from the ridiculousness of the grave seriousness with which everyone at Wagstaff treats Tina’s hall monitor duties.
(As an aside, I do appreciate what I took to be a continuity nod to Zeke’s mad pooper history.)
There’s also a fun, light B-story that nevertheless has a good journey to it. Bob laments that everyone else but him can make doodles on napkins that Linda deems worthy of pinning to the wall. His low-key frustration with such an inconsequential thing is both funny and relatable. But as usual, the show takes it up a notch when he actually goes to Edith’s art supply store to learn how to draw better. The fact that things take a turn toward $30 worth of supplies and a nude sketch of Edith (“so many nooks and crannies”...shudder) makes for some great comic escalation. And Linda being impressed and the kids’ remarks make for a real funny dose of comic relief.
But I like where the A-story ends up even better. Nothing cements the lesson Tina learns better -- a lesson about doing the right thing and seeing the best in people, rather than being a slave to the rules -- than her trusting that Zeke is telling the truth. The show does a good job of sowing seeds of doubt and tension until the final reveal, and Frond makes for a great foil. What I especially like is that Tina doesn’t put her promotion on the line, on the principle that this is bigger than any promotion. It’s really well done, and Zeke’s little mascot dance is an appropriately triumphant finale.
Overall, this is a particular stand out in season 5, with lots of laughs and one of the show’s best character stories. Tina forever!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-09-17T02:19:35Z
[9.5/10] I love me a good Tina story, and this is a great one. Like a lot of Bob’s Burgers episodes, it has an under-the-radar but really well built character story. We know exactly what Tina wants -- to become a Hall Manatee (there’s two schools of thought on the name). We know exactly how she goes about that -- by being a stickler for the rules, even minor things like forging a name on a sign-in sheet or big things like turning in her own siblings for detention. And we also know from past episodes that Tina is someone who’s honest and empathetic and who wants to do the right thing.
From there, the episode puts all of those three things in conflict with one another, with Zeke as the agent of chaos who makes Tina question things. What do you do when getting that promotion to Hall Manatee means breaking the rules to hide your failures? What do you do when the right thing may mean violating your personal hall monitor code? What happens when being a good hall monitor might mean being a bad person? Those are the questions Tina struggles with when she tries to take Zeke to the principal’s office while also hearing his story about wanting to “mascot around” for his grandmother who’s about to go into surgery.
Of course, this being Bob’s Burgers, that also involves turning the whole thing into a pastiche of The Fugitive and scads of other chase movies. It also means packing in gags about finger traps, threatening Jimmy Jr. with foot stomps and gross food trays, and the prospect of Penny Marshall needing a best friend. There’s a lot of organic humor that comes out of the setup, particularly Regular Sized Rudy being disillusioned with his hall monitor hero, but also from the ridiculousness of the grave seriousness with which everyone at Wagstaff treats Tina’s hall monitor duties.
(As an aside, I do appreciate what I took to be a continuity nod to Zeke’s mad pooper history.)
There’s also a fun, light B-story that nevertheless has a good journey to it. Bob laments that everyone else but him can make doodles on napkins that Linda deems worthy of pinning to the wall. His low-key frustration with such an inconsequential thing is both funny and relatable. But as usual, the show takes it up a notch when he actually goes to Edith’s art supply store to learn how to draw better. The fact that things take a turn toward $30 worth of supplies and a nude sketch of Edith (“so many nooks and crannies”...shudder) makes for some great comic escalation. And Linda being impressed and the kids’ remarks make for a real funny dose of comic relief.
But I like where the A-story ends up even better. Nothing cements the lesson Tina learns better -- a lesson about doing the right thing and seeing the best in people, rather than being a slave to the rules -- than her trusting that Zeke is telling the truth. The show does a good job of sowing seeds of doubt and tension until the final reveal, and Frond makes for a great foil. What I especially like is that Tina doesn’t put her promotion on the line, on the principle that this is bigger than any promotion. It’s really well done, and Zeke’s little mascot dance is an appropriately triumphant finale.
Overall, this is a particular stand out in season 5, with lots of laughs and one of the show’s best character stories. Tina forever!