[8.0/10] The first great episode of the season! I love the madcap energy of the A-story. There’s so much going on! And it all comes together nicely.
Felix wanting to open his own nightclub replete with “jazz balls,” Mr. Fischoeder knowing that the whole thing will fizzle out and using it as an excuse to perform a bizarre song called simply “I like bananas,” and their lawyer cousin (have we met him before) putting bumpers around Felix is some great Fischoeder family insanity.
Bob agreeing to be the chef for a night in order to get a month’s rent free, only to fall in love with the kitchen appliances and apologize to his home appliances is a fun bit from him. Linda working her way into a duet with Mr. Fischoeder is in character. And we even get a fun cameo from Mickey tending bar despite zero knowledge on how to do so!
Things froth to a boil when Felix discovers the ruse, locks Linda in a closet, and threatens to spray sewage all over his brother and their guests. It’s a nice dose of crazy, and the Belchers participation in it is fun.
But I may like the B-story even better! The Belcher kids using an old horse trough as an indoor pool is an amusing premise, and I like how it puts Louise into her artful dodger mode. Her conning Teddy by convincing him its for their parents’ “swim-a-versary”, persuading their blank-faced babysitter Jen (another cameo) that they’re just going to bed, and quietly negging Regular Size Rudy’s new crush all at once makes for some great Louise material. You even get the sense that she’s doing this whole thing to spend more time with Rudy, which is a solid motivation.
The rest of the kids are fun too. Tina in particular is adorable in her enthusiasm for her diagonally-striped bathing suit. And the solution to the leaking trough -- filling it with old stale buns, only to end up discovering that swimming in soaked buns is a blast -- is characteristically nutty but entertaining.
Overall, a lot of laughs and crazy energy to this one, and hopefully a harbinger of more great things to come from season 11!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-11-13T06:04:13Z
[8.0/10] The first great episode of the season! I love the madcap energy of the A-story. There’s so much going on! And it all comes together nicely.
Felix wanting to open his own nightclub replete with “jazz balls,” Mr. Fischoeder knowing that the whole thing will fizzle out and using it as an excuse to perform a bizarre song called simply “I like bananas,” and their lawyer cousin (have we met him before) putting bumpers around Felix is some great Fischoeder family insanity.
Bob agreeing to be the chef for a night in order to get a month’s rent free, only to fall in love with the kitchen appliances and apologize to his home appliances is a fun bit from him. Linda working her way into a duet with Mr. Fischoeder is in character. And we even get a fun cameo from Mickey tending bar despite zero knowledge on how to do so!
Things froth to a boil when Felix discovers the ruse, locks Linda in a closet, and threatens to spray sewage all over his brother and their guests. It’s a nice dose of crazy, and the Belchers participation in it is fun.
But I may like the B-story even better! The Belcher kids using an old horse trough as an indoor pool is an amusing premise, and I like how it puts Louise into her artful dodger mode. Her conning Teddy by convincing him its for their parents’ “swim-a-versary”, persuading their blank-faced babysitter Jen (another cameo) that they’re just going to bed, and quietly negging Regular Size Rudy’s new crush all at once makes for some great Louise material. You even get the sense that she’s doing this whole thing to spend more time with Rudy, which is a solid motivation.
The rest of the kids are fun too. Tina in particular is adorable in her enthusiasm for her diagonally-striped bathing suit. And the solution to the leaking trough -- filling it with old stale buns, only to end up discovering that swimming in soaked buns is a blast -- is characteristically nutty but entertaining.
Overall, a lot of laughs and crazy energy to this one, and hopefully a harbinger of more great things to come from season 11!