[7.3/10] This one slowly but surely won me over. I have to admit that the A-story, which features the family going on a big road trip with Nat the limo driver, didn't do much for me at first. Something about the road trip gone wrong just feels like such a generic TGIF plot, which made it hard to warm to. Gags about characters feeling carsick or wanting to stop at roadside attractions is pretty hacky stuff.
And yet, as Bob’s Burgers always does, it eventually spun out into weirder and more clever places. I love Lousie tapping into her diabolical side and giving Tina a fake teen boy diary that she cannot help but read and get carsick at just the right moment to force them to exit near “Madness Castle.” The comedy of errors that leads to an escape from a window full of vomit, a chase of a snake through a chintzy pitstop tourist trap, and an animal sanctuary with nothing but snakes got a solid array of chuckles out of me.
What I really enjoyed, though, is the punchline of it all, so to speak. I love Bob flipping out when all his worst fears about this road trip come true, from vomit to overpriced souvenirs to stops at terrible points of “interest”, only to discover that the rest of his family loved it. Sure, it was a miserable series of ordeals, but they all make for great stories and a memorable experience. The realization that despite everything, they were making memories as a family, and the way that mellows Bob about the whole thing is a really nice touch.
But let me tell you, I just loooooved the B-story. Teddy alone is always a winning recipe, and holy cow, watching him act out his bizarre little fantasy of marrying Linda and adopting Bob just tickled me to the core. It’s deeply weird and creepy, but also strangely innocent and sweet that you can’t help but love Teddy (and also want him to get help). The button, with Teddy having slept in Bob and Linda’s bed and taken a bath, is the insane icing on the cake. (And I particularly like Linda once again overruling Bob when someone asks if they can execute a bad idea.)
Overall, this one started a little shaky, but found a nice gear later in the episode (no pun intended), and the Teddy stuff was marvelous.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-04-08T04:32:49Z
[7.3/10] This one slowly but surely won me over. I have to admit that the A-story, which features the family going on a big road trip with Nat the limo driver, didn't do much for me at first. Something about the road trip gone wrong just feels like such a generic TGIF plot, which made it hard to warm to. Gags about characters feeling carsick or wanting to stop at roadside attractions is pretty hacky stuff.
And yet, as Bob’s Burgers always does, it eventually spun out into weirder and more clever places. I love Lousie tapping into her diabolical side and giving Tina a fake teen boy diary that she cannot help but read and get carsick at just the right moment to force them to exit near “Madness Castle.” The comedy of errors that leads to an escape from a window full of vomit, a chase of a snake through a chintzy pitstop tourist trap, and an animal sanctuary with nothing but snakes got a solid array of chuckles out of me.
What I really enjoyed, though, is the punchline of it all, so to speak. I love Bob flipping out when all his worst fears about this road trip come true, from vomit to overpriced souvenirs to stops at terrible points of “interest”, only to discover that the rest of his family loved it. Sure, it was a miserable series of ordeals, but they all make for great stories and a memorable experience. The realization that despite everything, they were making memories as a family, and the way that mellows Bob about the whole thing is a really nice touch.
But let me tell you, I just loooooved the B-story. Teddy alone is always a winning recipe, and holy cow, watching him act out his bizarre little fantasy of marrying Linda and adopting Bob just tickled me to the core. It’s deeply weird and creepy, but also strangely innocent and sweet that you can’t help but love Teddy (and also want him to get help). The button, with Teddy having slept in Bob and Linda’s bed and taken a bath, is the insane icing on the cake. (And I particularly like Linda once again overruling Bob when someone asks if they can execute a bad idea.)
Overall, this one started a little shaky, but found a nice gear later in the episode (no pun intended), and the Teddy stuff was marvelous.