[7.7/10] I’m not someone who believes in signs from the universe, so count me as sympathetic to Bob’s point of view here. That said, I like the central conflict. Bob believes that our results in life are a mix of luck and our choices, but he wants Teddy to think he’s getting good signs on the night a comet flies overhead because that's what Teddy believes in. As skeptical and, frankly, disdainful as he is about that superstition, he goes to great lengths to look after Teddy in the hopes that their handyman and friend has a good attitude and doesn’t give up good things in his life (like paramour Kathleen) because he thinks he’s resonating with bad mojo.
There’s good emotional highs and lows of the story, particularly Bob reaching his limit when Teddy strides into the ocean to wash off his bad fortune, he goes on a rant about how all of this is nonsense, and Teddy storms off, stung at the idea that all his misfortunes are his own fault. The fact that Bob sees a friendly seal who looks at him, something he himself takes as a positive sign from the universe, it’s a cute place to go with things, especially as Teddy himself turns into a bit of a skeptic. There’s a sweetness and absurdity to the main story here, which si a Bob’s Burgers specialty. And H. Jon Benjamin kills it, absolutely selling Bob’s simmering frustration, his burst of anger, and his ultimate awe at a glance from a seaside friend.
The smaller stories in this one are good too. I don’t know why, but I got a big kick out of Linda’s kettle corn crusade, especially her disbelief at a guy selling plain (sorry, salted) popcorn that he claims is better. Mr. Fischoeder running around while high on shrooms is quite funny. Louise and Gene collecting scads of “wish paper” only to find they’ve run out of wishes to fill them is a fun mini-tale. And as much as I hate Tammy taking advantage of how Tina takes the “you must be pure of heart for your wish to come true” rule to heart, I do appreciate the karmic comeuppance when Tina and Jocelyn turn it around on her.
Overall, this is a really enervating one with a solid anchor story and a nice collection of mini-plots to buoy the rest of the episode.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-12-01T04:04:20Z
[7.7/10] I’m not someone who believes in signs from the universe, so count me as sympathetic to Bob’s point of view here. That said, I like the central conflict. Bob believes that our results in life are a mix of luck and our choices, but he wants Teddy to think he’s getting good signs on the night a comet flies overhead because that's what Teddy believes in. As skeptical and, frankly, disdainful as he is about that superstition, he goes to great lengths to look after Teddy in the hopes that their handyman and friend has a good attitude and doesn’t give up good things in his life (like paramour Kathleen) because he thinks he’s resonating with bad mojo.
There’s good emotional highs and lows of the story, particularly Bob reaching his limit when Teddy strides into the ocean to wash off his bad fortune, he goes on a rant about how all of this is nonsense, and Teddy storms off, stung at the idea that all his misfortunes are his own fault. The fact that Bob sees a friendly seal who looks at him, something he himself takes as a positive sign from the universe, it’s a cute place to go with things, especially as Teddy himself turns into a bit of a skeptic. There’s a sweetness and absurdity to the main story here, which si a Bob’s Burgers specialty. And H. Jon Benjamin kills it, absolutely selling Bob’s simmering frustration, his burst of anger, and his ultimate awe at a glance from a seaside friend.
The smaller stories in this one are good too. I don’t know why, but I got a big kick out of Linda’s kettle corn crusade, especially her disbelief at a guy selling plain (sorry, salted) popcorn that he claims is better. Mr. Fischoeder running around while high on shrooms is quite funny. Louise and Gene collecting scads of “wish paper” only to find they’ve run out of wishes to fill them is a fun mini-tale. And as much as I hate Tammy taking advantage of how Tina takes the “you must be pure of heart for your wish to come true” rule to heart, I do appreciate the karmic comeuppance when Tina and Jocelyn turn it around on her.
Overall, this is a really enervating one with a solid anchor story and a nice collection of mini-plots to buoy the rest of the episode.