TV Review: Bob’s Burgers (5×13) – “The Gayle Tales”

One of the weakest episodes of Bob’s Burgers’ fourth season was “The Frond Files,” an anthology episode, similar to The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror” episode. Unlike those episodes (at least the early ones), “The Frond Files” was a pretty big miss, with a notably small amount of memorable quotes and moments for Bob’s Burgers.

“The Gayle Tales” houses an almost identical structure, with each of the kids writing an essay, which make up the context for each segment. This one is a significant improvement on “The Frond Files,” though, mostly because it’s just funnier and more entertaining, but also because it utilizes each character’s personality in a more effective way.

The episode begins with the kids already having been grounded for an unknown reason. When Gayle comes over, upset that her date cancelled and that she now has an extra ticket to the Yarnival (“It’s like Cirque du Soleil, but with cats.”), the kids, desperate to get out of the house, compete over who gets to go with Gayle with an essay contest. Gayle’s requests for the essay: she has to be in it and the story has to have, “Action, adventure, love, drama, and Scott Bakula.”

Gene gets to read his first, “because I have the biggest ding dong” (so young and already he understands how society deals with gender). His story takes place in Nashville, with Gene and Gayle forming a country duo to compete against Gene’s ex-singing partner Linda. They win, become famous, and get to meet Scott Bakula (the way Bakula is worked into these stories is delightfully random). Tina and Louise’s stories are more straightforward with what they’re parodying: Tina’s is based on Pride and Prejudice, while Louise’s is a Game of Throne parody.

Of the segments, Tina’s is probably the best. Her method of telling the story perfectly captures her personality, as she says things like, “She was what you would call a 10” and “The sisters got by as seamstresses, sewing the butts back onto soldiers’ pants when they were shot off in battle.” Louise’s, meanwhile, is best at incorporating secondary characters, like Teddy as the “White Talkers,” Mort as “The Morton,” and (hilariously) Jocelyn as a castle guard.

While “The Gayle Tales” was quite good, I’m still not certain that Bob’s Burgers can completely pull off anthology episodes. So much of its greatness stems from the characters and their relationships that it seems weird to bring them out of their own world. Still, if they do more episodes like this in the future, let’s hope they’re as funny as this.

Rating: 7/10

Memorable lines:

“I need someone to run the old grease out to the dumpster.” “Don’t talk about mom that way.”

“Wait, men can be named Stacy? I love America!”

“You’re gonna do something you hate. Let me see, what do you hate?” “Nachos.”

“I hope you brought your hankies and some toilet paper, because there’s not going to be a dry eye or butt in the house.”

“Not my eyes! I need them for eye exams!”

“Gayle, could you please pass me the bread?” “I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m too shy.”

“Gayle was so heartbroken over Sir Bob, that she fell deathly ill with pooping cough.”

“Bobdor third wheel.”