[7.1/10] A bit milder of an episode, but still has its moments. I like Derek getting a little focus, and the show building out his relationship with Bean. There’s something compelling about him being lonely given his pressures and isolation and general unsuitedness to be heir to the throne juxtaposed with Bean being subject to the usual gender essentialism and sense of being usurped in her own family. Sure, it’s a little corny that at the end of the day, she proves how much she cares about Derek by risking her life to save him from a monster, but it’s also a little sweet (and the show nicely adds in that trademark Groening dose of cynicism to take the edge off).
I was less enamored with Zog’s “I wish I had gout” B-story. Luci helping people make bad decisions is always a good tack on this show, but the jokes from Zog eating terrible organ foods didn’t have much mileage in them (beyond rampant grossness, which isn't really my thing) and, aside from the Duke of Twinkletown getting attacked by the octopus, didn’t really go anywhere.
But while Derek’s story underwhelmed a bit, his boyish playing and slapstick with Elfo was cute. Really, the only major weakspot in this one was the giant squid, who seemed like a pretty random obstacle whose presence felt contrived. Even there, I got a kick out of the party barge captain coming back for some humor of the mundane amid the fantastical.
Overall, this is a middle-of-the-road episode at best, but one that’s mostly inoffensive, and has a good premise in terms of the main character relationship it explores.
I wouldn't class this as a good or bad film, it's in a weird sorta in-between to me.
'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' is, comparatively, bad. It loses the vibe and all the intrigue that the first film has, as it continues the downward trajectory set by the other sequel. However, it's still just about got a decent adventure feel to it.
Only two of the youngsters reprise their roles 'properly', those being Georgie Henley (Lucy) and Skandar Keynes (Edmund). I'd always prefer a cast to remain the same, but if I'm honest this doesn't miss William Moseley (Peter) and Anna Popplewell (Susan) all that much. That argument is helped by the arrival of a young Will Poulter as Eustace. He's great.
Plot-wise is where it gets meh. I didn't care for it, even if I did like its swashbuckling nature. I can see many finding enjoyment with it, but for me it doesn't quite come out positively unfortunately - it's sluggish. The ship set also feels rather cheap.
Not at all a bad film; one that was interestingly made without the involvement of Disney, Walden Media joined up with Fox instead. I just couldn't find enough entertainment in it.
Sometimes the best way to commentate on human society is to put it through a mirror and pretend it's an alien society instead.
I'm not sure what the show is saying with Beata's apparent happiness with her delay of Angel One's "evolution" though. To put what's happening there into a human historical context, she's effectively exiled the suffragettes of our past to minimize their impact on public opinion. Of course, the men of that period in our history would have been equally smug at managing to suppress the voices of women demanding equal rights, but I'm not sure the tone of this episode quite works. It comes across as kind of saying "this is an OK solution"—which I would expect is not what the writers intended.
Meanwhile, on the Enterprise, the drama over a mysterious virus that spreads at an alarming speed clearly arose out of the need to effectively imprison the away team and Odin survivors on the planet, so they couldn't simply beam away before Beata's execution order was, well, executed. It was meant to force Riker into giving that very Picard-esque speech, and it did. It just did so in a very transparently plot device–like way, unfortunately.
I do think the subject matter this episode tried to tackle was important. It still is. The execution (sorry, these puns just write themselves!) left me wanting, though.
Unfortunately a massive waste of time. The premise is good, the meat of the story drags a bit, but I was bought in to it until the ending which leaves you with little to no payoff. Some “high-brow” stuff was clearly being attempted. Meant to trigger discussions about the interpretation of the ending. This attempt fails so badly that I am not willing to spend an additional minute googling to find out what it was about. If the movie didn’t respect my time enough to tell me, it doesn’t deserve even more of my time.
Sure, there are movies with open endings. But you can guess at a few different possibilities and the fun comes from figuring out which, if any, is right. This movie is so open-ended that they had to explicitly show “The End” to clue viewers in that it had indeed ended. It’s almost as if they made half the movie and decided to call it quits.
Save yourself from this movie. If you really want to watch it, start the movie and stop at any point. You’ll still have a better movie than what this was. Harsh, surely, but true.
The actors are fantastic. The premise is great. The pacing is a tad slow but forgivable. The “ending” ruins everything.
9.8/10. What an amazing episode. Everyone is perfectly in character, and there's so many little comedic bombs where the episode just lights the fuse and then waits for them to go off. The twist that as tortured as Louise was by her mom forcing a slumber party on her in an attempt to socialize her daughter, she ended up finding something of a kindred spirit is perfect storytelling, and the fact that her "dull" classmate is not only as conniving as Louise, but finds a friend who doesn't care about the bed-wetting problem she tried so hard to avoid gives the episode just enough heart.
Plus Linda, who may very well be my favorite character, is in rare form. The way she envisions life as a television show, from the idea that Louise needs a slumber party, to the idea that Tina should be the blase older sister and Gene should be the pesky brother, is true to her character. The way she got sidetracked by a pair of raccoons, for whom she's concocted an elaborate backstory and power struggle is hilarious and delightful, made all the better by the way she's indoctrinated an enthusiastic Teddy and roped Bob into the event. She's just a barrel of laughs.
And everybody else brings the laughs and the great character-based comedy we've come to expect from the show. Bob's reluctant but unexpectedly invested response to everything is great, and though Tina, Gene, and Teddy are all smaller parts of the episode, they each get some quality laugh lines. Plus the slumber party attendees, and the manner in which they're given quirks and dispatched, is perfect, especially Bob and Linda's interactions with the germaphobe. Just a laugh-a-minute episode with storytelling that builds and builds and enough of an understated emotional kick at the end to give it all a touch of heft. Truly superb stuff.
Quite entertaining, walking the line between funny and cringe worthy. The Doctor's daydreams feel like they become repetitive fairly quickly, but there's creativity in all of them (Paris waving from his lonely table was great). I'd imagine that the cast were able to have some fun with this one. The alien race also managed to feel both highly inventive and extremely familiar, and I think that sums up much of the episode.
In the end, it made me laugh and that counts for something. Robert Picardo shines on this show with whatever he's given, and here that's certainly a lot. I felt a bit put out at Janeway's initial reticence to give him any recognition for who he is because of what he is. By now the Doc has proven time and time again that he's more than just his programming, and Janeway has even dealt with this specific issue previously. Yeah, the Doc was probably asking for a bit too much in being granted emergency command of the ship, but it's true that the crew treats him without much respect.
Season 6 is doing pretty well so far (apart from the opener), it feels like all of these episodes are finally placing characters front and centre instead of plot. I wonder if it's going to keep this up...
Chibnall went all out on this one, didn't he? Loved it. So intense and that cliffhanger at the end makes me want to scream.
I don't fully understand how that Brandon dude fits into the whole thing, but I assume he is in some way connected to the Cybermen or the Timeless Child? It's an interesting storyline and it provided a nice contrast to all the futuristic space stuff. It seemed so lovely and quiant... and then it got weird. I hope next week we'll get all the answers because I'm currently pretty confused.
On another note, I truly hope we're getting rid of one or two companions (or maybe even the whole squad). I don't know if it's because there's three of them or if it's just bad writing, but despite the copious amounts of backstory we've gotten for them, they still feel paper thin. And their dynamic with the Doctor is pretty much nonexistent, I don't feel any connection there. I remember crying my eyes out over Twelve and Clara when she left (yes, I loved Clara, yes, I know I'm in the minority, leave me alone). I was sad for days. I still feel sad when I think about it and it's been 4 years! Give me that kind of relationship between Thirteen and a companion, I'm begging. Because right now, I don't think I'd bat an eyelash if any of these three left/died.
Still an awesome episode though! Can't wait for next week.
Naked and Afraid is a surprisingly interesting survivalist show, where a man and woman try to survive in the wild for 21 days. And yes, they are naked... and blurry.
While I like the show, it has some flaws. Naked and Afraid often turns out to be Naked and Starving, since 21 days with little or no food is doable. Another problem is that participants are allowed only one survival item each, but really there are three necessary items: a knife, a firestarter, and a pot. So, most pairs go with the knife and firestarter and just hope to find a pot substitute. It adds some spice when someone varies from this, but mother nature punished duct tape boy and magnifying glass girl for their innovations.
There is survival information to be learned, but not a lot. You learn that drinking from questionable water sources is punishable by death (or close to it.) You learn that starting fires is a lot harder than it looks, especially in a wet environment. You see these things over and over, when it would be more enjoyable to keep learning new things. Perhaps the most important lesson is that there is just no way in hell you are going to survive in the wild with minimal tools, considering that some of these people have trained their whole lives for this and nearly all of them starved.
The spin-off show, Naked and Afraid XL, fixes a lot of the flaws.
Being the first season after the movie, this season's felt like it's had something to prove, to bring on new viewers won from the movies and keep old viewers by showing the spark hasn't died so many seasons in. It's been a dang good run, but this episode in particular stands not just as the best of the season, or the best of the last few years, but one of its best period. It's funny, but more than anything it's overflowing with heart, it capitalizes on over a decade's worth of connection to this family and even minor characters like Gene's music teacher to show how much these characters have grown and how deep their love for each other runs.
Gene showing his music expertise and creativity to save his recital not just for himself but for his favorite teacher. Bob and Linda trying so hard to achieve the impossible. Louise exposing that beating heart and being that vulnerable kid who acts like she doesn't care because it makes things easier not just for her but everyone else too. And Tina seeing through it and having the maturity won over the series to know that some pageant doesn't matter half as much as being there for her sister. It all intertwines in a beautiful musical climax that honestly left me undone. I've been with this family for a decade, and episodes like these make sure I'll stay for decades more. This is an instant Christmas staple.
This was a great take on a dark past, bringing comedy and satire to the forefront, and I absolutely loved it! While being comedic, there are many emotional parts to the film, which I was rather surprised to see. One moment you're laughing hard, the next you're on the edge of balling your eyes out. I never would have expected to see a film quite like this done on Nazi Germany, it was very well made.
With this being Roman's first-ever professional acting job, I was incredibly impressed - he is awesome, and I certainly look forward to his next project(s). He was able to capture the rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and feelings that may be going through a child growing up in Nazi Germany—who is being told who is okay and who is not—with ease. Taika never fails to please me with his work, and Stephen is a very funny actor. The way that Hitler was mocked through Taika really adds into the thought that not everyone is as strong as they are said to be. Thomasin brings in lots of emotion, and Roman just blows the film out of the park.
Seeing it for my 7th time, I think I'd probably upgrade this from one of the best films of 2019 to one of the best films of the decade.
I shall certainly be seeing this several more times, and I definitely recommend it.
[7.8/10] What I want for Guillermo de la Cruz as a person conflicts with what I want for him as a character. That’s a silly conflict to tangle with because, of course, Guillermo is just a character, not a real person. But part of what makes him so compelling on What We Do in the Shadows is how relatable and real his predicament is, despite the obviously fictional and fantastical circumstances surrounding it.
None of us know what it’s like to be the put-upon familiar for a house full of self-involved vampires. But almost all of us know what it’s like to feel that your hard work is unappreciated, that your contributions are taken for granted, and that you have greater potential that could be realized elsewhere.
That’s the cinch of this series and its blend of the spooky and the mundane -- the situation is ridiculous and the emotions are heightened, but they’re also based on something real. The comedy and the drama work from that amusing but occasionally affecting inflection point.
So for Guillermo the person, I want him to make good on his simple “sorry” note and move out of the Vampire Residence. I want him to become the manager of a Panera Bread or develop his own Shark Tank-friendly business, or just become the vampire slayer-for-hire his Van Helsing roots and preternatural abilities seem to portend. And I kind of want him to make good on his ominous sword-sharpening posture and punish the vamps who’ve strung him along for so many years (not to mention prevent them from, you know, killing more people).
But of course, if he did that there wouldn’t be a show. So for Guillermo the character, I want him to keep orbiting the universe of Nandor, Nadja, Lazlo, and Colin Robinson for as long as the show can get comic mileage out of this collection of knuckleheads. That’s not good for Guillermo, but it's good for fans of the show, and maybe we get to take precedence by virtue of being...well...actual flesh and blood human beings.
Still, however temporary Guillermo’s sabbatical is destined to be given the demands of episodic television, it’s nice to see him making a stand and the utter helplessness of the vamps without him. The state of disarray and uselessness around the Vampire Residence tickled me to no end, and gags about the vamps tripping over various strewn corpses, arguing with one another over who should do the chores, and making faux sacred bargains over picking up dry cleaning had me in stitches.
It’s also nice to see the show picking up on various story threads it’s been saving for a rainy day. The return of the Vampiric Council (and Jermaine Clement’s Vladislav) to make the Staten Island vampires pay for their trespasses is a welcome development after the would-be assassins from the season premiere. The fact that they get blamed for Guillermo’s latent and preternatural vampire-slaying abilities despite viewing him as an incompetent toadie is great bit of irony and escalation. And each incident being recreated for the stage with comical exaggeration and set pieces is a hoot.
But it’s also a good crucible for Guillermo, both to prove his demon-hunting mettle and in his conflicted feelings about his former master. While not quite up to the standards of his supreme slayage in “The Curse”, it’s still cool as hell to see the budding badass swing into the theater, unleash a fury of crosses, stakes, and holy water, and save his vampire buddies’ behinds. That type of absence punctuated by fang-threatening heroics could be a means for the Staten Island blood-suckers to realize Guillermo’s value, even if they can’t remember his last name. (Both “Guillermo Buillermo” and “Mickey Guillermo” as guesses cracked me up.)
Therein lies the alternative to either tossing away the status quo or slavishly maintaining it on What We Do in the Shadows. There is, however frayed and comically exaggerated, genuine affection between Guillermo and his master. Guillermo may be ready to move out, but he can’t bear the thought of his erstwhile taskmasters being killed, especially on account of his actions. Nandor is domineering and oblivious to his familiar, but also plainly misses Guillermo while he’s gone, even if he can’t admit it.
The answer to what to want for Guillermo, then, may be the same one that less-serialized but still character-developing sitcoms found back in the day -- detente. I can want Guillermo to assert himself and achieve some measure of independence, while also gaining enough respect and appreciation from Nandor to stick around and continue fueling stories for however long Jermaine Clement and others want to tell them, giving us both growth and preservation.
That too can be a stumbling block though. Other mockumentary shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation began to feel sanded down in later seasons, when a combination of audience affection and the inevitable entropy of T.V. camaraderie softened the shows’ initial character conflicts and made almost everybody into good friends. There’s grand humor and pathos in Guillermo’s dynamic with his dismissive vampiric overlords, and you’d hate to lose that entirely, even if it’s more of a concern cerca episode one-hundred than episode twenty.
Still, in its second season, What We Do in the Shadows raised the bar both in terms of its humor and its character work, proving that Clement and his team can adapt and roll with the punches. We saw Nadja amusingly conversing with an old woman she used to haunt when she was a little girl. We saw Colin Robinson gain a promotion that literally went to his head. And we saw Lazlo steal the show with his turn as a regular human bartender serving human alcohol beer.
But we also saw Nandor offer an earnest plea to Guillermo to come home, make concessions in order for that to happen and even make a show of good faith by finally turning his former familiar into a vampire. It’s the sort of brief bit of sincerity that makes this deeply silly show a little more than just a weekly gag-fest. And it shows that maybe there’s a way forward for Guillermo -- one that can make both him and us happy.
Unexpectedly theatrical and with substance - like gothic thrilling vice laden modern Shakespeare. This is a film about consumption, the weakness and naivety of arrogance, and a complex first love emotion rolling obsession/jealousy/narcissism into one driving force.
There are three acts for me: Oxford, Saltburn, & madness.
The first act didn't work for me till the second act kicked in. I was worried about a overly-parody-fied and caricatured script. Whilst I recognised the feelings and experiences of Oliver at Oxford, the people were too larger than life and the early laughs didn't land properly for me. Laughing at silly posh young people or uber geeks just wasn't my thing. Some of the cruelty and snobbery played out well though.
The second act puts the first into perspective. The first act which shows an alienated and floundering Oliver gain acceptance from a dislikeable group through the actually sane, kind-ish and likeable Felix sets up for the second act. More unlikeable rich people consuming each other and tossing people away like toys. But Oliver has Felix now and has picked up skills in getting things his way, seduction and sweet talking. But the acting from everyone at Saltburn estate is spot on - I properly laughed at Rosamund pikes and Richard e grants moments. Even though they are all spoilt, sheltered, unwittingly arrogant and judgemental - these characters you like, you see their vulnerabilities and insecurities - you have fun when they have fun.
Things start looking beautiful in the second act. Sometimes distractingly so. The light play, framing, and camera work are stunning. You feel you are in the throws of first love in the best summer of your life. Sometimes this was at odds with the drama or tension in the story.
Final act madness. The sympathy built up for the family now leads into the thrilling dramatic unwinding. The consumers become the consumed. Arrogance and haughty ideas of invincibility led to weakness and fractures.
This isn't an overly cohesive film for me, but I think that's intentional as mis direction. Clues for the real story are laid throughout and I had guessed the ending about two thirds of the way in. I really enjoyed the moments of summer headiness, where everyone is enjoying each other's company. Sometimes the inter-character drama and tensions were too much for me - almost descending into reality tv pettiness. I think thats intentional to show the unsympathetic side of the upper class and olivers push back - I just don't think it needed so much.
The pacing and focus was a little off for me at times. The film was full of symbolism and clever lines but it almost felt too full sometimes. Like vacillating rapidly between moods. There was a moment where I was full of tears at portrayal of grief when others were laughing - very interesting but it left me feeling a bit all Over the place. But excited!
The score and the setting and sterling acting efforts lift the film up into a grand feeling vision. I was a little disappointed that the tone of the trailers wasn't present in the film at all (bloc party song teaser trailer was amazing) . But the score takes this to a different place - British, establishment, old money, young love, hubris and longing - great score.
The film is exciting and there are unexpected moments and some brave choices too. I enjoyed watching this a lot and am excited for more films. There's a lot to enjoy here. Barry keoghans metamorphosis through the film is really really thrilling. Reliving 2006 is fun too - wish just a bit more was done with the music and feeling of that time. Some duff moments for me too so a 7.
Recommend
Midsommar is a complicated beast. Those going for something as linear as Hereditary will be immediately disappointed by Midsommars somewhat convoluted plot elements and meandering pace. I sat in the cinema as the credits rolled by, deep in thought about what I just watched, and if it was any good. Nothing really sat well with me, and the film didn't really connect upon immediate completion, but I gave it time to digest.
Ari Asters two movies are very much at odds with each other. Hereditary slaps you with it's excellent presentation, pace, sense of dread and quality of acting on display. Then, upon further inspection, it's woven plot elements and symbolism shine through on subsequent viewing.
Midsommar is very much the opposite. The film almost dawdles in it's presentation and doesn't fully attack you with it's acting chops or narrative (although Florence is simply stunning in her portrayal of Dani). Midsommar more presents it's parts in a very matter-of-fact fashion, and then leaves it up to you to connect the dots of both the plot and what's on display. While there is far too much to unpack in this small comment section, I'd just like to detail some of my favourite themes on display in Midsommar, and why it went from a 6/10 during my cinema viewing, to a solid 8 - 8.5/10 upon reflection.
--- LONG DISCUSSION OF SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT ---
One of Midsommars central parallels is the individualism/selfishness of Western life and it's stark comparison to the commune we are introduced to. Examples of this are: During the intro, Dani is going through the trauma of a suicidal family member and her boyfriend, Christian, is encouraged by his friends to abandon her in her time of need telling her to see her therapist as it's not his problem. Christian echos these sentiments directly to Dani about her sister, telling her to leave her alone as she is just doing this for attention. Upon arriving at the commune in Sweden, Mark is unwilling to wait for Dani to be ready to take shrooms. Josh, knowing of Dani's recent trauma involving death, subjects her to the suicide of the elders for his own thesis and research. Christian uses the situation to further his own academic efforts, much to the annoyance of Josh. Everyone is acting in their own self interest regardless of the emotional toll this takes on their friendships. This is a stark contrast to how we see the commune deal with distress, emotion and personal issues. When Dani sees Christian cheating on her, the female members of the commune bawl, weep, scream and cry along with Dani, literally experiencing her burden with her to lessen the load. As described by Pelle, the commune "hold" you during your distress, helping you cope and living through those emotions with you. This is further cemented by the scene earlier in the movie, shortly after Dani's sister commits suicide. We see Dani hunched over Christian's lap overcome with emotion, screaming out the pain of the loss of her sister. Christian is anything but present however, his eyes vacant as if he weren't there with her at all. This is possibly my favourite theme of the movie, as it really paints how alone we are in modern society regardless of how many people we surround ourselves with. How many people are actually there for us in our time of need? Sure, they might be physically present, but are they actually there, sharing our pain? It's truly terrifying to think about.
My other favourite theme is who is and isn't a bad person. I've seen many people online say they think Christian is a horrible boyfriend for how he treats Dani. While I can understand their position, I struggle to see how Christian is the bad guy for his actions. Christian finds himself in a dying relationship which he is mentally checked out from but decides to stay to help her through the grief of losing her parents and sister. Christian even goes as far as to bring her on vacation with him to help her through her trauma, even though he wants to split up with her. Would the audience have prefered Christian leave Dani right after she lost her family? That would have been MUCH worse. Do these actions warrant what happens to Christian? I don't think so at all. Christian is so misunderstood in this movie, I can't wait to see it again to draw more conclusions on his character. Is Josh a bad person for wanting to fully envelope himself in a foreign culture? Although we know it is largely for academic gain, Josh does seem to love learning about the culture of these people, wanting to see how they operate and know every intricacy of their faith. Does this warrant his murder for trying to document their sacred texts? Should an outsider be murdered for enjoying and absorbing someone elses culture and customs, or should they be thanked for their interest and passion? (Sidenote, I see Josh's character as a direct reflection of the usual racial stereotypes we see in movies of this ilk. Usually we see the white academic researching the savage native/minority tribe, but Josh is the exactly flip of this, which is a nice touch). Were Connie and Simon wrong for coming into another culture and expressing disgust at their customs? Should they have been so outwardly disgusted and vocal about their disapproval while being welcomed in by the commune? Sure it didn't warrant their ultimate fate, but this small subplot asks an interesting question about outsiders attempting to shape and alter other cultures and customs as it doesn't sit with their ideals.
Other small details:
While it's directly conveyed to the viewer that the red haired girl is attempting to cast a love incantation on Christian via pubes in his pie and runes under his bed, very little attention is given to the fact that Christians drink is a slight shade darker than everyone elses. From the tapestry we see at the start of the festival, we know exactly what the red haired girl has slipped into his drink :face_vomiting: Fantastic subtle horror/grossness.
Pelle talks about how his parents died in a fire and the commune helped him through the trauma of that loss. After the ending, it's pretty clear the fire wasn't an accident, and they evidently died for some kind of ritual.
Artwork above Dani's bed at the beginning shows a girl with crown kissing a bear. While direct foreshadowing to latter events, it also asks the question if this was all fate. Dani's sister's final message reads "I see black now" (potentially a reference to The Black One) before killing herself and her parents. Were Dani's parents 72 and this was the end of their cycle? Was Dani's sister already a distant member of the commune?
Runes are scattered all throughout the film to foreshadow certain character arcs or add more meaning. My favourite hidden rune is the doors to the temple, which when open, make the rune for "Opening" or "Portal". Amazing attention to detail.
Yeah, this movie is much MUCH better on reflection and I absolutely cannot wait to see it again. I really hope Ari's 3 hour 40 minute directors cut is released so there is more to dissect. While not as immediately impressive has Hereditary, Midsommar definitely has the layers and complexity to be a slowburn horror classic.
EDIT: I am now 4 days out from my first viewing and I've not stopped thinking about this movie. I've become a frequent visitor of the films subreddit and have even purchased/listened to the films dread-inducing yet somehow joyous soundtrack a number of times throughout the days. I've been reading up on runes and their meanings, reading up set analysis for hidden meanings and any other small details others can find. A movie hasn't vibed with me like this for a long long time so to reflect this, I think it's only right I bump my score from an 8/10 to a 9/10. When I can get my hands on the digital download/Blu-Ray, I'm sure this might even go higher.
[9.5/10] Louise loves her family. Despite a certain mercenary bent, and above-it-all attitude, deep down, the youngest Belcher kid cannot help but appreciate her mom and dad and siblings as something that gives her holidays, and her life, incredible meaning. That is a simple idea, but a powerful one. The characters who put up the most emotional walls tearing them down in choice moments of openness and affections is an old trick, and also one that's undeniably effective.
So is the setup of “The Plight Before Christmas”. Three Belcher kids have important events at the same time in the lead-up to Xmas, and there’s only two Belcher parents to witness these important moments. What can they do?
The answer is try to make it work! There’s a great franticness to Bob and Linda trying to have at least one parent at Tina’s Thundergirls pageant, Gene’s xylophone recital, and Louise’s poetry readings all at the same time. Poor Linda being emotionally ripped in twain at not getting to see all of them is both hilariously over-the-top and sweet for how devoted a mom Linda is to her kids. Bob urgently trying to sneak out of Gene’s musical performance to cram in Louise’s poem, only to get messed up by a rock-headed cab driver and a jog to the wrong library makes for great stakes and great comedy.
So does Gene’s part in this episode. The humor comes from the fact that the music teacher is out with a family illness, In her place is a flummoxed substitute who knows nothing about music (Tina Fey) who has to try to make heads or tails of the regular instructor’s bizarre notation and a group of sixth graders who know as much about playing the xylophone as they do about social security taxes. The terrible, out-of-sync playing in the first half of their concert is a laugh all its own.
I really like the solution though. Gene proposes that they play “fewer notes”, actively removing some of the keys from the various xylophones so that they can better coordinate and play their parts. It is, admittedly, a bit of a stretch that they could go from junk to funk so easily. But it works in the moment, playing off Gene’s intuitive understanding of melody and sense of creativity, and the central idea of the episode -- that drilling down to something essential and earnest pays incredible dividends.
There’s a lot of laughs in Tina’s pageant as well. The Thundergirls’ troop leader and her overmatched efforts to put on this well-balanced but elaborate presentation of world traditions is a comic delight. Linda’s confusion with Tina being “a star”, not “the star” is on brand and very funny. And one of Tina’s fellow thundergirls envying Tina’s part in such a nothing play lends itself to both humor given the stakes, and eventually, one of the episode’s most clever twists.
In a sideways fashion, Tina may be my favorite part of this. I love the fact that she’s the one who realizes, despite Louise’s protests that she’s there to read a poem about poop, that she’s actually going to read something from the heart and is nervous about anyone else hearing it. I love that Tina selflessly encourages Linda to skip her pageant so that she can be there for Louise’s reading. And when Linda feels pressured to keep stage-handing the pageant, the twist of Tina giving the role of the star to her envious co-star, so that by god, someone will be there when Louise spills her guts, is one of the most wholesome and heartstring-tugging moments Bob’s Burgers has ever pulled off, which is saying something.
Not for nothing, “The Plight Before Christmas” is a tribute to the craft of their series. There is incredible power in a montage -- the way the cinematic form can blend images and sounds to capture something deeper, bigger, and more piercing than dialogue alone. The soundtrack of Gene’s performance, the smiles it puts on the faces of the people listening to these kids finding their way, the tension of whether Lousie will open her heart in public or take the ironic prankster route, the pathos of Linda unable to enjoy all her babies’ triumphs at once, the surprise of a loving sister making the frantic journey to a vulnerable moment to show support where it’s needed most -- I’m getting misty-eyed again just thinking about it. Bob’s Burgers rarely gets this artsy, but when it does, it packs a wallop.
So when Tina does arrive in time to show her sister that she cares, to give her the thumbs up, to listen to whatever she has to say, it’s extra moving. Tina, more than any member of the Belcher family, knows what it means to express yourself through the written word, and how vulnerable an experience that can be. She recognizes the opportunity to facilitate and foster a sister who sometimes struggles to present that more sincere side of herself, and vindicate the beauty and acceptance of that.
Louise’s poem is pitch perfect. It’s not overly flowery or tin-eared for something an elementary school student might write. And still, it’s earnest, about how on the day of the year when kids are supposed to be the most excited about the toys and trinkets under the tree, what she appreciates the most are the people she’s sharing the day with. The sentiment is lovely, and it has extra force and resonance coming from someone who’s stingy with that kind of sincerity, who finds the strength and feels the support, to where she’s comfortable expressing such a personal sentiment in front of the whole world (or at least the denizens of the Belcher’s local library).
“The Plight Before Christmas” cuts the treacle a bit with an adorable, teasing declaration of “You love your family!” from Tina on the drive home. But it leans back into the sweetness with another heartwarming montage of the exact sort of family joy that Louise penned a paean to. Linda tends to her husband’s knees while they remark on the gob-smacking poem their daughter wrote. Gene shares their momentous achievement with the teacher in the hospital via Bob’s camcorder. And most of all, the Belchers sit around the tree, opening their gifts, basking in the exact sort of enervating togetherness the youngest member of their clan gushed over in a tense but courageous way.
How is a show this good at a holiday episode in its eleventh at-bat? That's its own sort of Xmas miracle, one that's as worth of celebrating this time of year as any, and a vindication of the spirit of the season, that asks for kindness, support, honesty, and acceptance from all of us, and invites us to revel in the spaces where we find such comfort, solace, and care.
