Bob's Burgers

I know what you mean. It aims for a weird area between plausible and passable, never too far off the deep end.

The only magic is the magic of childhood is a good thing. (No talking or even thinking animals for example.)

But Bob's Aesop Amnesia is really annoying, especially because (like Candace Flynn), he's a one trick pony.

I'm not entirely sure what Aesop he's supposed to be learning, especially because this isn't a very lesson-driven show. Nor do I think that the show really does the childhood-is-awesome thing.

Bob's Aesop is that his childhood wasn't that awful and so he shouldn't guilt out about exposing his kids to the same experience, especially since he is a better dad than his dad was.

Which is a lesson he needed to learn once, in "Bob Fires the Kids", and he learned it. And it really didn't come up again. In fact he doesn't really mention his childhood that often.

Oh, how about his "first dance", eh?

Any time the focus gets to Bob it's all about his personal Trauma Conga Line of growing up in a diner.

Which is about him, personally, having angst about his childhood, not about his fears of being a bad parent or history repeating for his kids. (How would that happen, anyway? His experience with dances has nothing to do with his upbringing and everything to do with that girl being a jerk to him.)

And that's not really true at all. Bob has plenty of other plot threads—shows revolving around his relationship with Linda, or trying to make more money, or even episodes between him and his kids that have nothing to do with him worrying about being a good parent. I'd list them all, but I've got class in a few minutes.

edited 19th Mar '13 10:30:11 AM by Wackd

I kinda wanted to see a bunny-shaped outline in a python, but she's got plot armor from her bulletproof immaturity.

That and, as I mentioned a few pages up, the show's tone is nowhere dark enough to handle a character dying and nowhere bizarre enough for there to not be realistic reactions if someone did.

I'm not entirely sure why you'd want Louise to die, though. I mean, I can understand not liking the character, but I've never understood the vindictive mentality some people can have towards fictional characters.

Babies always get away with everything. Some young ladies are Genre Savvy enough to remain babylike until they're really ready to become ladylike.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "ladylike", but I take it by your complaint that she "gets away with everything" that you have a problem with her snarky, self-serving nature, which again I can kinda understand but not to the "this character needs to die" extent you've taken it to.

I think it's understandable that the kids are such cynics.

After all they've seen their mom whack many men on the back of the head with her frying pan and tell them their name is Bob, but they never last.

On Fox now, we have Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, Cleveland Show, and Bob's burgers. Simpsons is way past its prime and I can't get into it anymore. Family Guy is just stupid. American Dad is like family guy with more politics... Bob's Burgers really is the best show on there. The only other show I find worth watching is the Cleveland Show, if only because the stuff that annoyed me on Family Guy is toned down on Cleveland Show.

A lot of people said it has a similar vibe to Home Movies (and I guess Doctor Katz before that? I never really watched that one) and it is sort of true, but Bob's burgers is much more of a traditional show than either of those were. It's better drawn and the humor isn't QUITE as muted. I kind of got annoyed with Home Movies sometimes because it was so muted and slow, and Bob's Burgers has just the right amount of Crazy to make it work. It's coming close to filling that hole left behind by King of the Hill, though it has more dirty humor (and, again, is a tad less realistic) I like it.

edited 15th Apr '13 12:46:38 AM by bobtheducks

Bob losing all the time is starting to get annoying.

What's the trope for: "Thia business is a miserable failure, but Status Quo Is God ensures that it can never stop operating for more than a few days"?

Perpetual Poverty

As someone who likes this show, that ending to "Family Fracas" royally pissed me off.

The whole thing is just an encouragement/justification for anarchy - and nothing else.

Something tells me if this were in some anime where the subject of anarchy is prevalent... It wouldn't have ended as badly as it did, wouldn't it?

Or am I just talking stupid?

edited 16th Apr '13 7:39:51 AM by TheShopSoldier

You might be. This isn't encouraging anarchy, and this is far from the first time an authority figure on this show has cheated the system with no personal consequences.

But the simple fact of the matter is that this episode was never going to end with the Belchers getting that car. To that end, it feels kind of aimless and pointless because it can't do anything without damaging the status quo. It's existence is baffling. Why would you write an episode where the only satisfactory end is the financial betterment of the leads if that can't be allowed to happen?

edited 16th Apr '13 8:39:55 AM by Wackd

Because it could become a fatal flaw/hindering of the series permanently if picked up on well enough - or if the loser status isn't checked a little so these characters don't end up being too pathetic to root for...

Bottom line - I like, maybe even LOVE, this show, overall - I don't want to see it become like The Buzz On Maggie, that's for sure!

Then again, even the weakest episode of this show so far can still be revisited for its better moments, unlike my example of THIS show's concept done horribly wrong, IMHO.

edited 16th Apr '13 5:08:04 PM by TheShopSoldier

It reminds me of It's Always Sunny, which also relies on the Perpetual Poverty trope. The difference is that cast is made up of douchebags and Comedic Sociopaths, so you don't feel bad when they lose. I've gotta agree with the poster upthread; Bob and his family losing all the time is starting to get annoying, especially since they're likable enough that you're supposed to root for them.

To be fair, it's not like they needed a new car - but a little justice in their favor would've made this go a lot better than it did!

But agreed for certain for one thing - these victims of Perpetual Poverty are far too likable/likable enough for this...

Really like tonight's episode. Really played to everyone's strengths...except Tina, but we've got enough good Tina episodes that she can afford to lay low for a bit.

They had a Bob's Burgers clue on Jeopardy! today. It was the second one down in an animation category, and no one rang in.

What was the answer?

Ah, my favorite episode is the one where they go to Florida.

The snake/old ladies dog plot really seemed creative in the way it was presented, and was a refreshing fetch quest plot.

Didn't really like the "sexy old people" plot, but the subplot made up for it.