8.2/10. It's funny watching the early episodes of this show and seeing the little differences. This episode has more of a Home Movies-esque "here's a bunch of stuff that happens" centered around a loose plot structure, rather than the tighter plotting the show adopted in later years. There's also more of Bob as a reactionary, rather than a "last sane man" albeit one with pronounced eccentricities, that we've seen down the line. None of this is bad, necessarily, it's just interesting seeing how the show developed over time.
But this is still a great and very funny episode. I do appreciate the main story, of Bob resenting lobster fest, reveling in his temporary victory over it, and then going berserk when he realizes the town's appreciation for him was a short-lived byproduct of the festival being kaput and not a permanent philosophical change. It's great work from H. Jon Benjamin, replete with silly (and slightly more lascivious) gags like the slow motion meat thermometer/spindle bits, or the "wing man" flashback. I also liked the emotional stakes of it being a personal struggle between Bob and Hugo, with Hugo getting a brief moment of redemption before going back to the status quo.
The B-story of the kids trying to eat lobster for the first time was pretty much just comic relief, but it was hilarious comic relief, so no complaint here. The metaphor for lobster as "your first time," the kids' fantasies for how they imagined themselves eating lobster, and the responses to Gene's allergic reaction were all great.
Overall, a very funny episode that shows the strengths of the first season, even if the rhythms of the show feel a little off.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-11-09T21:33:38Z
8.2/10. It's funny watching the early episodes of this show and seeing the little differences. This episode has more of a Home Movies-esque "here's a bunch of stuff that happens" centered around a loose plot structure, rather than the tighter plotting the show adopted in later years. There's also more of Bob as a reactionary, rather than a "last sane man" albeit one with pronounced eccentricities, that we've seen down the line. None of this is bad, necessarily, it's just interesting seeing how the show developed over time.
But this is still a great and very funny episode. I do appreciate the main story, of Bob resenting lobster fest, reveling in his temporary victory over it, and then going berserk when he realizes the town's appreciation for him was a short-lived byproduct of the festival being kaput and not a permanent philosophical change. It's great work from H. Jon Benjamin, replete with silly (and slightly more lascivious) gags like the slow motion meat thermometer/spindle bits, or the "wing man" flashback. I also liked the emotional stakes of it being a personal struggle between Bob and Hugo, with Hugo getting a brief moment of redemption before going back to the status quo.
The B-story of the kids trying to eat lobster for the first time was pretty much just comic relief, but it was hilarious comic relief, so no complaint here. The metaphor for lobster as "your first time," the kids' fantasies for how they imagined themselves eating lobster, and the responses to Gene's allergic reaction were all great.
Overall, a very funny episode that shows the strengths of the first season, even if the rhythms of the show feel a little off.