Top Ten Bob's Burgers Episodes

Maybe it was the animated style. Maybe it was the presence of other animated shows on the air. Maybe the premise didn’t seem all that interesting. Whatever the real answer might be, I never cared enough to give Bob’s Burgers a try. Until a listless Saturday evening last year when I half watched an episode. Sufficiently intrigued, I gave the next one my full attention and found myself laughing more fully and regularly than I had in a while watching Family Guy, American Dad or Simpsons. Within a couple of weeks, Loren Bouchard’s unassumingly brilliant show had become my favorite TV discovery of 2018. The show follows Bob Belcher, a struggling restauranteur who runs the titular burger joint, Bob’s Burgers with his wife, Linda, and his three kids, Tina, Gene and Louise. Each episode sees the close knit family embark on adventures both real and imagined, significant and insignificant. Only time will tell if the show has the staying power to match FOX’s original power shows (The Simpsons, Family Guy) in terms of staying power, but with 9 seasons done and dusted – and a movie on the way – the future looks bright for this funny, funny show.

Ten

Flu-ouise

Season 7 Episode 1

Louise Belcher, the youngest of the Belcher clan, might be only nine years old but much like Family Guy’s Stewie Griffin, has smarts and personality way more advanced than her tender years. As such it’s quite delightful when the viewers get reminded that at the end of the day, she’s just a kid. When she gets the flu, it’s up to the rest of the family to cheer her up and keep her in high spirits. Unfortunately they accidentally melt her treasured Kuchi Kopi nightlight in the oven. Louise is of course furious at this, and she swears she’ll never forgive them. When her flu gets worse, she gets fever induced dreams about a land where she and her disfigured nightlight go on an adventure with her other toys sans the other Belchers. At least, that’s what it seems until she recognizes her family members’ personalities in the different toys she encounters. Louise eventually recognizes the folly in trying to shut her family out and forgives them.

Nine

Turkey in a Can

S4 E5

Regular watchers of the show know that there’s nothing Bob will put over his family. Well, maybe with the exception of thanksgivings. Every year he works himself to a tizzy (with negligible help from the rest of the Belcher clan) to create the perfect thanksgiving and yet without fail, fate always conspires against his plans. In this season four episode, Bob excitedly plans for a special three-day brine recipe for the turkey. Even the presence of Linda’s weird sister Gayle and her allergy-inducing cats can’t ruin Bob’s mood. All’s good in the hood until he wakes up to find his specially brined turkey in the toilet. If that wasn’t perplexing enough, no one (including Louise) is willing to confess to defiling the bird. Unperturbed, Bob buys another bird and prepares it only for it to end up in the toilet again. It then becomes clear that despite Bob’s best wishes, someone in his household is trying to sabotage his favorite holiday and he determines within himself not to let the turkey dunker win.

Eight Bob Fires the Kids S3 E3

It’s not often that the show’s creators delve into the origin stories of its main characters as viewers are basically meant to accept the idiosyncrasies of the Belchers at face value. But with this episode, we get a quick peek at Bob’s childhood. When Bob gets a package from the ladies who bought his father’s restaurant, he opens it to find some of his most treasured childhood items: a dog-shaped bar of soap, a sponge and a flipper. His family are understandably unimpressed even after Bob explains that growing up working in his father’s restaurant, these were all the ‘toys’ he had. When it dawns on Bob that he might have had a sad childhood, he resolves to not make the same mistake as his father. He decides to ‘fire’ his kids and let them enjoy their summer free from restaurant chores. Unfortunately this noble gesture only backfires as the kids end up finding work elsewhere and Bob finds that the prospect of actually paying for hired help is beyond him. This episode is not just gut-bustingly funny, it also helps shine a light on the unique bonds that connect the Belcher family. Although each member is dysfunctional in his/her own way, together they all form a tight, functional unit.

Seven Human Flesh S1 E1

The show kicked off with a memorable episode that not only helped introduce the main characters but the absurdist humor that makes it tick. On the grand re-re-reopening of Bob’s Burgers, Bob is determined to take advantage of the Labor Day crowds and establish his restaurant as a success. Unfortunately for Bob, his family though somewhat willing, don’t seem to appreciate what’s at stake. Linda keeps convincing herself that Bob’s planning a surprise for their anniversary, Gene’s more interested in his toy megaphone and Tina has an itchy crotch. As if those weren’t enough distractions, Louise starts a rumor that Bob uses human flesh in his burgers. This rumor results in a visit from Hugo, the town’s fussy health inspector, who also happens to be Linda’s ex-fiance. The pilot packs a lot of action into 21 minutes but it does so in a way that’s more organic than forced and serves as a perfect introduction to the show.

Six Bob Day Afternoon S2 E2

When Bob gets rejected for a business loan from his local bank (conveniently placed right across his restaurant), he understandably concludes that this would be the worst thing to happen to him that day. Little does he know that shortly after making his exit, the bank would be held up by Mickey, an erratic robber. It doesn’t take long before the robbery becomes a major situation, attracting all sorts of onlookers as well as media stations. The Feds soon take over Bob’s Burgers and use it as an operations base. As if having his business right in the middle of this messy situation wasn’t unwelcome enough, Bob gets dragged further into the mire when Mickey not only demands food for him and his hostages but also demands Bob delivers it himself. This wonderfully written farce features guest vocals from Kevin Kline, Gary Cole and Saturday Night Live alum, Bill Hader as Mickey.

Five

Christmas in the Car

S4 E8

If the rest of the Belchers aren’t as enamored with thanksgiving as Bob is, it’s because they’re too into Christmas to give their hearts to another holiday. The kids have Santa Claus and presents to look forward to while Linda prefers the pageantry and festive songs. Bob is often on the outside wondering about the buying of those gifts and running errands. In this Christmas episode, the Belchers find themselves without a tree on Christmas Eve. When they get a tip on a tree they can grab last-minute, the Belchers take a family trip to pick it up. But this trip takes a turn for the worse when Bob accidentally antagonizes another driver. A driver driving a candy cane truck. What should have been a minor issue becomes a night from a horror flick as the driver takes it on himself to terrorize the Belchers on the dark, snowy night. It’s not often that shows take the thriller/horror angle for their Christmas episodes but that’s why Bob’s Burgers is one of the best shows on TV today.

Four An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal S3 E5

Part of the problem of running a barely profitable restaurant is having to deal with dilettante landlords. It is then Bob’s fortune to have a landlord like Mr. Fischoeder, whose oddities and eccentricities mean that under certain circumstances, rent can be forgoed in exchange for strange favors. It’s Thanksgiving time again and Bob is excited to spend his favorite holiday with his family. That is, until Fischoeder stops by and makes him an odd request. He is expecting a visit from a former love interest – who he’s still carrying a torch for – for thanksgiving dinner. It turns out she’s only attracted to happily married men and as Fischoeder is a single man, he realizes his best chance with her is borrowing Linda and the kids to play his fake family (with Bob catering the dinner). Even though Bob’s first reaction is to say no, his landlord’s offer for five months without rent is too tempting to turn down. As it turns out though, even five month’s rent might not be enough to separate Bob from his beloved family on his favorite holiday. The episode has all the hallmarks of a classic Bob’s Burgers episode. The intriguing plot includes the entire Belcher family in one setting and the banter between the Belchers and Fischoeder and his guests is side-splittingly funny. .

It also features one of the show’s greatest closing credits songs

Three

Moody Foodie

S2 E7

If there’s one thing viewers can quickly pick up about Bob’s Burgers (the restaurant, not the show), it’s that despite its struggling status, the food is actually excellent. Not only does Bob take pride in sourcing fresh ingredients, he is actually a pretty talented fry-cook. But when a fussy food critic starts slamming other local restaurants in town he understandably gets a little apprehensive. After all, he’s not in the position to lose the little business he does have. Plus there’s no accounting for his staff (his beloved family). As luck would have it, he does get a visit from the critic and everything that can go wrong does go wrong. When a scathing review follows, he is faced with two options: either endure the bad press or try and change the critic’s mind. He takes the latter option, finding out where the critic lives and deciding to surprise him with a well cooked meal. A weird enough plan on paper spirals out of control when other local restaurateurs get wind of the critic’s address and decide to pay him a visit too!

Two

Fort Night

S4 E2

What’s so unusual about the Belcher kids as opposed to other kids in other shows is the fact that they actually enjoy each other’s company. They hang out with each other at home, in the restaurant and at school (only allowing a few to join their tight group). When the Belchers decide to go trick or treating on Halloween with a few of their friends like Darryl and twins, Ollie and Andy, they get interrupted by Millie, a slightly unhinged girl obsessed with Louise. Millie cannot for the life of her see that Louise has no interest in being her friend and this frustrates the latter to no end. When the trick or treaters accidentally get stuck in their secret fort, Millie refuses to send for help, instead choosing to torment the group. In the subplot, Bob and Linda are busy putting together their kids’ dragon Halloween costume blissfully unaware of their whereabouts. This Halloween episode not only delivers on the thrills and chills, it delivers plenty of laughs as well with fantastic contributions from guest stars like Aziz Ansari, Molly Shannon and the Silverman sisters.

One God Rest Ye Gentle Mannequins S3 E9

The irregular scheduling of the first 2 seasons meant that it wasn’t until season 3 that we got Bob’s Burgers’ first Christmas episode. And what a Christmas episode! It’s Christmas time and the Belcher kids are all excited for what they might get. Louise wants her own apartment, Tina wants a dry erase board to write her thoughts on (and quickly erase), and Gene wants the bobsled from the Cool Runnings movie. When Bob gets news of his uncle’s passing, he also learns that he was included in his will. But much to the Belchers’ dismay, all they inherit was Uncle Ernie’s storage unit. With a guy named Chet living inside. With Christmas around the corner, Linda persuades Bob to let Chet stay in their basement till the holidays are over. Despite Bob’s initial skepticism, Chet proves to be a charming and helpful guest going as far as creating festive window displays for the restaurant. But before too long they all find out Chet not only believe himself to be a mannequin come-to-life (ala Pinocchio), but that he’s married to a mannequin named Nadine. Despite this absolutely bizarre situation, Linda and the kids are not only happy to oblige Chet, they are willing to help give him the greatest gift of all, rescuing Nadine from the local sex shop. This episode is delightfully strange, ridiculously funny and heavily involves each member of the Belcher family. This is the quintessential Bob’s Burgers episode and is in my opinion the greatest one.

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