[7.1/10] A nice, if not overwhelming addition to the Bob’s Burgers canon. I like the psychological conflict between Tina and Louise, where the older kid is worried about the younger one getting them both into trouble and blowing her chance to hang out with even older kids, while the younger one is mad at the older one for questioning her maturity and not being willing to just have fun. It's a relatable struggle between siblings as they grow older, and I dig that as the foundation here.
The problem is the way they dramatize it. Louise trying to engineer the golf balls to hit just right in order to trigger some yeti mayhem on a mini-golf course is on brand. And Tina trying to be a good kid so as to get to talk to boys is also in keeping with her usual personality. But something about Louise breaking the yeti and Tina having to decide whether to help cover it up, with most of it coming from a lead-up of grumbling and mumbling, doesn’t come off like an on-point illustration of their issues.
But I do like that in the end, each meets the other halfway. After initially demurring, Tina comes up with a smart plan to load the Yeti’s rotor with pencils in order to hold it up long enough for them to get out of dodge. And when it works, it’s Louise who comes clean about what happened rather than let another family take the heat. It’s a nice sign of Tina’s willingness to be game, and Louise’s willingness to be mature that helps the sister see eye to eye. So even if I don’t love the journey, I appreciate the destination.
The shtick with Linda’s desperation to get another hole in one is a lot of fun though. Her determination and excuses and blame for everyone and everything else has a well-observed quality to it. Bob’s passive aggressiveness about it, especially when he just wants to get back home and finish his Thanksgiving dinner, also has plenty of laughs. And the bizarre designs of the mini-golf course are a treat in and of themselves.
Overall, Bob’s Burgers is close to tapping the Turkey Day well dry after so many Thanksgiving installments over the years. But there’s still enough pleasant and enjoyable about this one to push it to “good” territory.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-12-20T05:39:36Z
[7.1/10] A nice, if not overwhelming addition to the Bob’s Burgers canon. I like the psychological conflict between Tina and Louise, where the older kid is worried about the younger one getting them both into trouble and blowing her chance to hang out with even older kids, while the younger one is mad at the older one for questioning her maturity and not being willing to just have fun. It's a relatable struggle between siblings as they grow older, and I dig that as the foundation here.
The problem is the way they dramatize it. Louise trying to engineer the golf balls to hit just right in order to trigger some yeti mayhem on a mini-golf course is on brand. And Tina trying to be a good kid so as to get to talk to boys is also in keeping with her usual personality. But something about Louise breaking the yeti and Tina having to decide whether to help cover it up, with most of it coming from a lead-up of grumbling and mumbling, doesn’t come off like an on-point illustration of their issues.
But I do like that in the end, each meets the other halfway. After initially demurring, Tina comes up with a smart plan to load the Yeti’s rotor with pencils in order to hold it up long enough for them to get out of dodge. And when it works, it’s Louise who comes clean about what happened rather than let another family take the heat. It’s a nice sign of Tina’s willingness to be game, and Louise’s willingness to be mature that helps the sister see eye to eye. So even if I don’t love the journey, I appreciate the destination.
The shtick with Linda’s desperation to get another hole in one is a lot of fun though. Her determination and excuses and blame for everyone and everything else has a well-observed quality to it. Bob’s passive aggressiveness about it, especially when he just wants to get back home and finish his Thanksgiving dinner, also has plenty of laughs. And the bizarre designs of the mini-golf course are a treat in and of themselves.
Overall, Bob’s Burgers is close to tapping the Turkey Day well dry after so many Thanksgiving installments over the years. But there’s still enough pleasant and enjoyable about this one to push it to “good” territory.