[8.0/10] I did not expect this, but I loved it! Doing a flashback episode to Bob’s grandmother in the 1940s, with the Belchers basically just playing Greek Chorus to the story,, is a big swing, but one that paid off.
One thing I really appreciated here is that it’s still entertaining despite being light on laughs. There’s some neat down-to-earth situational humor with Bob’s grandmother, Alice, and his great grandmothers, Gertie, as they try to get by in a Brooklyn apartment with a little baby. But for the most, the only big jokes come from the kids’ one-liners, which were all solid.
Instead, the episode had a real Hitchcock feel to it, with lots of suspense and domestic fear dominating the hour, which is a cool different mode to put Bob’s Burgers in. Seeing the bad guy advance on Alice was legitimately terrifying, and she and Gertie’s escape was tense as all hell. There’s a solid little mystery as to who the spy Alice was picking up on her short-wave radio was, and the twist with it being the kindly old neighbor who was flirting with Gertie, and not the suspicious young man who turned out to be buying a ring to propose to his girlfriend made for a sound twist.
I don’t know.. Something about being in the 1940s setting, getting to see some of Bob’s ancestors, who have a certain familiar neuroticism but also their own little quirks was a real treat. I know this won’t be to everyone’s taste, since it’s so different from what we usually get from the show. But especially in season 13, it’s nice to see an ambitious format-bender like this one, and to see Bob’s Burgers be able to pull it off.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-08-24T02:18:11Z
[8.0/10] I did not expect this, but I loved it! Doing a flashback episode to Bob’s grandmother in the 1940s, with the Belchers basically just playing Greek Chorus to the story,, is a big swing, but one that paid off.
One thing I really appreciated here is that it’s still entertaining despite being light on laughs. There’s some neat down-to-earth situational humor with Bob’s grandmother, Alice, and his great grandmothers, Gertie, as they try to get by in a Brooklyn apartment with a little baby. But for the most, the only big jokes come from the kids’ one-liners, which were all solid.
Instead, the episode had a real Hitchcock feel to it, with lots of suspense and domestic fear dominating the hour, which is a cool different mode to put Bob’s Burgers in. Seeing the bad guy advance on Alice was legitimately terrifying, and she and Gertie’s escape was tense as all hell. There’s a solid little mystery as to who the spy Alice was picking up on her short-wave radio was, and the twist with it being the kindly old neighbor who was flirting with Gertie, and not the suspicious young man who turned out to be buying a ring to propose to his girlfriend made for a sound twist.
I don’t know.. Something about being in the 1940s setting, getting to see some of Bob’s ancestors, who have a certain familiar neuroticism but also their own little quirks was a real treat. I know this won’t be to everyone’s taste, since it’s so different from what we usually get from the show. But especially in season 13, it’s nice to see an ambitious format-bender like this one, and to see Bob’s Burgers be able to pull it off.