[8.3/10] What’s funny is that when I originally watched this episode, I didn’t especially care for it, and I’m not sure why. It hits all my buttons: a Bob’s take on Thanksgiving, a George Romero homage, and an episode full of bits from fun side characters like Teddy, Mickey, and Regular Sized Rudy.
It also has something for everyone to do. The main story is Linda embarking on the “Turkey Trot” and being attacked, like her fellow Wonder Wharf attendees, by a horde of angry gobblers, cluckers, and quackers. The way the show plays with the zombie outbreak tropes amid a sea of our feathered friends is brilliant, especially the way that each of the adults has a different theory about why it happened, whether it’s Linda’s idea of “spiritual punishment for missing Thanksgiving,” Teddy’s “their pecking order is out of whack” theory, or Mickey’s “humanity’s time is over” viewpoint.
It’s also a great outing for Mr. Fischoeder and Felix, whose obliviousness, lack of patience with one another, and terrible attempts to cover this up just get more and more hilarious.
It’s also a good episode for the kids. Having the Belcher offspring, RSR, and Andy and Ollie have to get off a spinning cup ride is a good obstacle for them, and the realization that the adults don’t have the stomach to turn it off is a fun way to go.
But the peak of this thing is Bob, who is equally oblivious and diving introspectively into his own Thanksgiving-related insecurities when left alone. The way he makes jokes while voicing his potato chips, has an emotional argument with his turkey baster (replete with H. Jon saying “classic you!”), or drunkenly dances and sings along to Donna Summer (who backtracks a great bird escape sequence) is all tops.
The climax doesn’t do a lot for me, if only because the pecking order solution is pretty silly, but it’s a silly episode, so it fits. Overall, a wonderfully absurd pastiche of zombie flicks in a Thanksgiving guise, with a particularly great opportunity for Bob to be his most goofy and weird self.
EDIT 11/22/2022: On rewatch, five years later, I have to bump this up to at least a [9.0/10]. I died laughing at so many of the gags and funny lines here. On sheer comedy alone, this is a big winner and a terrific Turkey Day watch.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-11-24T21:21:53Z— updated 2022-11-23T02:33:47Z
[8.3/10] What’s funny is that when I originally watched this episode, I didn’t especially care for it, and I’m not sure why. It hits all my buttons: a Bob’s take on Thanksgiving, a George Romero homage, and an episode full of bits from fun side characters like Teddy, Mickey, and Regular Sized Rudy.
It also has something for everyone to do. The main story is Linda embarking on the “Turkey Trot” and being attacked, like her fellow Wonder Wharf attendees, by a horde of angry gobblers, cluckers, and quackers. The way the show plays with the zombie outbreak tropes amid a sea of our feathered friends is brilliant, especially the way that each of the adults has a different theory about why it happened, whether it’s Linda’s idea of “spiritual punishment for missing Thanksgiving,” Teddy’s “their pecking order is out of whack” theory, or Mickey’s “humanity’s time is over” viewpoint.
It’s also a great outing for Mr. Fischoeder and Felix, whose obliviousness, lack of patience with one another, and terrible attempts to cover this up just get more and more hilarious.
It’s also a good episode for the kids. Having the Belcher offspring, RSR, and Andy and Ollie have to get off a spinning cup ride is a good obstacle for them, and the realization that the adults don’t have the stomach to turn it off is a fun way to go.
But the peak of this thing is Bob, who is equally oblivious and diving introspectively into his own Thanksgiving-related insecurities when left alone. The way he makes jokes while voicing his potato chips, has an emotional argument with his turkey baster (replete with H. Jon saying “classic you!”), or drunkenly dances and sings along to Donna Summer (who backtracks a great bird escape sequence) is all tops.
The climax doesn’t do a lot for me, if only because the pecking order solution is pretty silly, but it’s a silly episode, so it fits. Overall, a wonderfully absurd pastiche of zombie flicks in a Thanksgiving guise, with a particularly great opportunity for Bob to be his most goofy and weird self.
EDIT 11/22/2022: On rewatch, five years later, I have to bump this up to at least a [9.0/10]. I died laughing at so many of the gags and funny lines here. On sheer comedy alone, this is a big winner and a terrific Turkey Day watch.