Continuing my ranking of every Bob’s Burgers episode. You can view part 1 here.
66. “Hamburger Dinner Theater”
(Season 1, Episode 5)
Bob Belcher is often such an irrational character that it’s truly frustrating when he’s the only rational person in the room. When he tries to convince the audience of Linda’s dinner theater that, no, it’s not part of the show, they’re actually being robbed, it’s somewhat infuriating—this sort of plot also later shows up in episodes like “Dr. Yap” and “The Unnatural.” Despite that, “Hamburger Dinner Theater” is the best episode of the first five, as well as one that feels unlike anything else the show has done. I doubt they would attempt a moment as ballsy as those gore effects used on Mort at this point in the series.
Best moment: When Louise lets her annoyance with Canucks be known.
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65. “The Gayle Tales”
(Season 5, Episode 13)
Bob’s Burgers’ second attempt at an anthology episode, “The Gayle Tales” is a lot more effective than “The Frond Files.” This is due to the stories used—Gene’s is a country and western story, Tina’s is inspired by Pride and Prejudice, and Louise’s parodies Game of Thrones—which allow more room for jokes, as opposed to mere references. I’m actually curious to see how the next attempt at an episode like this goes.
Best moment: When Gayle is too shy.
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64. “Slumber Party”
(Season 4, Episode 9)
Linda, wanting Louise to become more social, sets up a slumber party. As Louise tries to get rid of all of her guests, she actually starts to befriend one of them, Jessica. This one is entertaining and very sweet, but it’s undercut by the fact that Jessica, the one true friend that Louise has made beyond her siblings, has yet to make a reappearance.
Best moment: When Gene changes his last name to Shalit.
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63. “L’il Hard Dad”
(Season 5, Episode 14)
It’s a season five episode, so you know it culminates in a heart-to-heart moment. This time, it’s with Bob and Gene, who, like Bob and Teddy, haven’t had their relationship looked into much. The stuff dealing with Bob’s rivalry with a model helicopter salesman is fun, while Tina’s B-plot, in which she has to do a report on a book she hasn’t read, is the episodic highlight.
Best moment: When the show nails what it’s like to be a procrastinator.
62. “Dr. Yap”
(Season 2, Episode 6)
Introducing Ken Jeong as the titular dentist, about two-thirds of “Dr. Yap” is pretty great. Then, it becomes infuriating, as the characters start acting irrational (even more than usual), and it climaxes with a scene that’s way too painful to be funny.
Best moment: When Gayle knows how to make an entrance.
61. “Nude Beach”
(Season 3, Episode 11)
“Nude Beach” gives health inspector Hugo (voiced by Sam Seder) a new role, presenting him as a necessary evil for the Belchers. After he quits his job to become a nudist, he is replaced by wannabe rock star Tommy (voiced by Fred Armisen), who turns out to be even worse. With the restaurant at risk of closing down, Bob has to convince Hugo to come back to his job. A good episode, but Tommy’s songs are the only part that reach classic territory.
Best moment: When Tommy writes a masterpiece for the ages.
60. “My Big Fat Greek Bob”
(Season 4, Episode 4)
Bob cooks for a local frat and becomes an honorary member in an episode that brings back Dr. Yap. The plot offers a lot of material, but the episode doesn’t entirely live up to it, despite some terrific lines.
Best moment: When Tina offers her expertise.
59. “The Kids Run Away”
(Season 4, Episode 19)
Not wanting to get a cavity filled, Louise runs away to Gayle’s house. Bob and Linda send Tina in to force Louise to come home. The fear of dentist concept is relatable to anyone who had to get their teeth drilled as a kid, but the episode works mostly because of Gayle (voiced by Megan Mullally), a recurring character the writers never fail to make hilarious.
Best moment: When Gayle reveals herself to be a regular Walt Whitman.
58. “Speakeasy Rider”
(Season 5, Episode 9)
The title combines the A-plot, where the kids become competitors at go-kart racing, and the B-plot, where Bob starts secretly selling Teddy’s homebrew. As that would indicate, both stories take up about equal footing in the episode, even though the speakeasy plot is by far the superior one.
Best moment: When Linda has big aspirations.
57. “God Rest Ye Gentle-Mannequins”
(Season 3, Episode 9)
It’s odd that perhaps the weirdest episode of Bob’s Burgers is a Christmas special. When the Belchers inherit a storage unit from a dead family member, they find a man inside who claims to have once been a mannequin. They decide to help him find his old mannequin wife, which now belongs to a sex shop. Bizarre, but a good one nonetheless.
Best moment: When Louise recognizes that Christmas is about giving.
56. “Dawn of the Peck”
(Season 5, Episode 4)
The season five Thanksgiving episode has grown on me since I reviewed it, though I still think it’s overrated. It mainly deals with a bird attack that leaves Linda, the kids, Teddy, and others stranded, but the best part of the episode is Bob’s B-plot, in which he boycotts Thanksgiving, gets drunk, and listens to Donna Summer, proving that Bob’s Burgers thrives on simplicity.
Best moment: When Louise gets philosophical.
55. “Burger Wars”
(Season 1, Episode 10)
At this point in season one, we’re familiar with all of the main characters, as well as the primary antagonists. So, “Burger Wars” merely pushes everything a step further, making Bob’s rent problems with Mr. Fischoeder direr and his rivalry with Jimmy Pesto more intense. Meanwhile, the cast is clearly having a lot of fun with improvisation and playing off of each other. The show had a pretty rocky start, but ten episodes in, it’s already clear that this cast was made for each other.
Best moment: When Linda presents her dying wish.
54. “Presto Tina-o”
(Season 4, Episode 10)
Tina’s pining for Jimmy Jr. (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin himself) has been done so often that “Presto Tina-O” can’t help but feel a bit repetitive. Still, the magician festival plotline works pretty well, and it’s cute to see Bob’s childlike excitement about magic in the beginning of the episode.
Best moment: When Tina’s a rhymin’ hymen.
53. “My Fuzzy Valentine”
(Season 3, Episode 13)
Bob, desperate to get Linda a good Valentine’s gift after years of disappointments, takes the kids out of school to go look for a Love Testometer machine that he and Linda used on their first Valentine’s Day together. Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Linda holds speed-dating for the customers. Valentine’s Day episodes are rarely top tier, but Bob’s Burgers pulls this one off pretty well.
Best moment: When Linda writes a very bleak love song.
52. “Beefsquatch”
(Season 2, Episode 9)
Season two ends on a bizarre note with “Beefsquatch.” When Bob gets a cooking segment on a local morning show, Gene (wearing a Sasquatch mask) begins to upstage him. The best part of the episode: Nathan Fielder’s performance as Nathan, a character that is essentially the boy equivalent to Tina.
Best moment: When Gene isn’t a fan of white people.
51. “The Kids Run the Restaurant”
(Season 3, Episode 20)
After Bob cuts his finger and needs stitches, the kids are left home alone, which leads to them turning the restaurant’s basement into an underground casino. The casino plot is entertaining, but the parts of the episode dealing with Bob’s injury, which head straight into body horror territory, are a riot.
Best moment: When Bob loses an absurd amount of blood.
50. “Tina and the Real Ghost”
(Season 5, Episode 2)
After an underwhelming yet ambitious season premiere, “Tina and the Real Ghost” showed that Bob’s Burgers could still pull off a very funny and sweet minor episode. When the restaurant is thought to have a ghost, Linda and the kids use a Ouija board to capture it in a shoebox. Tina then begins dating the ghost. More than anything, this one brings out the best in the show’s supporting characters, utilizing Jocelyn well and revealing some surprisingly deep information about Zeke.
Best moment: When Tina gets a harsh reality check.
49. “Moody Foodie”
(Season 2, Episode 7)
In pop culture, the critic is rarely a hero. No less than three films I saw last year—Chef, Top Five, and Birdman—featured scenes where characters went on tirades against professional critics. As someone who is passionate about reviewing pop culture and wants to make a living doing it, I really just need to deal with the fact that reviewers are almost always going to be antagonists in film, T.V., and even music.
“Moody Foodie” isn’t as hostile as my other examples, and it even acknowledges the profession as a necessary one (similar to Ratatouille). But it also counteracts that by making the titular reviewer an awful person, happy to close restaurants with negative reviews. Even with the positive elements of the episode, though, attacking critics is such a common plot device that it can’t help but feel unoriginal.
Best moment: When Linda gives her encouragement.
48. “Christmas in the Car”
(Season 4, Episode 8)
For a show that handles sentiment so well, Bob’s Burgers has never completely pulled off a Christmas episode. All three of the show’s Christmas episodes have been good, but none of them are nearly as effective as the great Thanksgiving episodes from seasons three and four.
“Christmas in the Car” borrows a lot from Christmas Vacation, from the family getting a tree to them almost being killed by a deranged truck driver. While the episode isn’t entirely successful, it’s interesting that they choose to spend the majority of a Christmas episode placing the Belchers in danger. It all culminates in an ending that emphasizes compassion during the holidays, especially towards those less fortunate than you.
The B-plot, where Teddy gets trapped in the Belchers’ fridge by the kids’ booby trap, is marvelous in its simplicity, and proves that Teddy is a character capable of making you laugh just by being on screen.
Best moment: When Linda refuses to bullshit her kids.
47. “The Deepening”
(Season 3, Episode 6)
I like this one more than the ranking would indicate. A Jaws parody in which the town is attacked by an out-of-control mechanical shark, it’s a fun episode that pushes the show outside of its usual boundaries. At the same time, considering that it’s about a family running a restaurant, Bob’s Burgers tends to work best at its most low-concept, and thus the best moments in “The Deepening” are still character-based.
Best moment: When Mr. Fischoeder needs some clarification.
46. “Uncle Teddy”
(Season 4, Episode 14)
“Uncle Teddy” never goes into full-on parody territory, but it does reference Uncle Buck in title and concept. When Bob and Linda go out of town to a convention, Teddy is left to watch the kids. Tina falls for a delivery boy named Jonas and rebels when Teddy orders her not to see him. This one’s fine, but the show would pull off a much better John Hughes-referencing episode with season five’s “The Runaway Club.”
Best moment: When Louise is too cute.
45. “Topsy”
(Season 3, Episode 16)
To get revenge on her Thomas Edison-obsessed science teacher, Louise decides to do her science fair project on Topsy, the elephant whose death by electrocution was filmed by Edison Studios. “Topsy” is a good episode that happens to feature the absolute greatest of the show’s many original songs: “Electric Love,” a beautiful romantic ode to Edison and Topsy. This song overshadows the rest of the episode and is the main reason Bob’s Burgers needs a soundtrack album.
Best moment: When the show creates its musical opus.
Stay tuned for part 3.
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