Hard to believe that we’re now in March. Isn’t that crazy? We’re now in March and people can’t believe that we’re now three months into 2021 and already...well... a lot of shit from the government almost being overthrown to an ice storm that crippled that state cold enough to say that it’s Mother Nature’s way to celebrate the premiere of The Great North. By the way, you should give that show a try, it’s something. But here we are...and almost a year since everything went to shit with the pandemic being declared. Look at that. But enough with that, things somewhat finally getting back into place. And would say anything but I feel like that it’s going to be ending up as a jinx and might curse the new month. Let’s get to the review.
On this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers, yeah, it’s still winter over there while here...yeah, it’s still winter but it’s the first few days of meteorological spring, hence, the background of the thumbnail, with the Belcher family heading out to the open woods and decided to take a family photo for next year’s holiday photo...because it’s never too early or too late to capture a photo for the upcoming holiday season. Which is like...nine months from now to do all of that, only to hit with some issues when trying to capture the perfect photo in my spoilerific review of the twelfth episode of Season 11 of Bob’s Burgers, titled “Die Card, or Card Trying”. Yeah, at this rate, I feel like the writing department is running out of ideas for episode names that they have to resort to rehashing the titles of past episodes in the early years of the show. And this is before the pandemic shut everything down. But yeah, “Die Card, or Card Trying” is the episode to talk about for this week.
When it comes to the holiday season, surprising why to bring that up because, well...by the time this review is posted, we’d be already into the first few days of the month of March, hard to believe that’s actually a thing, mostly with the Christmas season, the first thing you think of when coming up with what it means to the whole idea is...well, anything. Whether being getting presents, going caroling, hosting parties, or just be thankful that you’re not at work and being around with family. And then, of course, there are the holiday cards that some people send out to wish everyone a “Happy Holiday” with the family being together with a background to wow the crowd and adding some pizzazz. And that’s what the Belcher family was trying to do when heading out to the woods, in the snow, well not snowing, but it was downright frigid, for Linda to say that’s it’s not too early, or too late, to do a simple photo op for their holiday card.
Though yeah, upon watching the episode, almost gotten a vibe of what happened with “Worms or In-rear-ment” earlier in the season. Mostly with Linda going all “do as I say” mentality and trying to have things to go right for once but ending up biting her right in the ass. Mostly with the idea of bringing the rest of the family out of town and into a state park and have them be there in cold temperatures in the first week of January, surprise that a massive snowstorm didn’t come in and fuck everything up, and pretty much hold the rest of the Belcher family hostage until they get the perfect photo. Which they did at first, only to end up losing the camera inside a rocky mountain and tried to pull it out without causing even more problems. This episode pretty much serves as a lesson for perfectionists, especially the ones who try to get a perfect photo for something important, mostly when it comes to family, “it doesn’t have to fucking perfect. It’s fine the way it is.” How many times do we have to tell anyone about this?! Well, not according to Linda in this episode. And that being said, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty on this episode piece by piece like it’s Louise trying to solve the puzzle that she got for Christmas, this is “Die Card, or Card Trying”.
And no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, the show didn’t put you in a genjutsu. That is Christmas decorations being put away at the start of the episode. And a lot of people were scratching their heads on what the hell is going on when it comes to the setting and the timeframe of the episode as a whole. Because unless you’ve been living under a rock, we had a Valentine’s Day episode just last week. And the setting there is in February because you have Tina in a coat. But in this episode, you have the Christmas decorations coming down. You have the Belchers, once heading out to do the photo later in the episode, in heavy coats which pretty much implies that the episode sets in January. Because you have Christmas stuff being taken down, which is the usual thing to do in January. And yeah, you could say that production code might be the key factor because upon looking through the Bob’s Burgers wiki, Die Card’s production code is AASA10, and Romancing the Beef’s production code is AASA13. So if we go by production code, this episode would’ve been aired back in January as the first episode of 2021 but...knowing FOX, they don’t give a shit when it comes to the scheduling. Whether being on the week before the start of the NFL playoffs or after the divisional rounds and air it after the second episode of The Great North instead of Family Guy. Hell, the last day of January, being January 31 would’ve been a better fit because there was no Pro Bowl, and the Grammys were pushed to a later date because...well, coronavirus. But oh no, don’t put that there and instead put on February 21...in which it got pushed to this week because of that fuckery that happened in Daytona.
The episode begins with Linda putting away the Christmas decorations while the Belcher kids sat on the couch and try to enjoy their Christmas gifts with Tina having a hat to wear, Louise trying to solve a puzzle that she spent eight days trying to solve it like it’s a fucking Rubik’s cube, and Gene playing the harmonica and really enjoying it and seems to be the only Belcher kid to enjoy his gift from the holidays. Though Tina ain’t having it when it comes to what Gene is doing whenever he plays the instrument like she wants to throw it to the gutter. And honestly, I don’t blame her. I mean I hate anything that loud blaring through my ears, whether being in the house or during a car ride. Not a big fan of it. And they said noise-canceling headphones would cut out any of the bullshit but...well, that’s mostly coming from ear jacks unless you want to blow out your eardrums. Regardless, Tina hates hearing Gene playing the harmonica too many times. The first time is fine, but once the second time hit is when you say that this shtick is getting old and annoying too quickly like it’s watching over a family member who is like around toddler to preschool age where it’s fun the first time to hang out with until the second time to say that you don’t wanna deal anymore of this.
Though Gene isn’t the only one who seems to be enjoying his gift from the holidays because you have Bob coming in with a drink on his hand that he made by himself thanks in part to a juicer that he got. Really don’t want to know what’s in the juice because it contains juice from an orange or any of the citrus fruit and mixes some stuff into it like it’s a job routine as a bartender as he comes in and sees Linda putting away the decorations and sees the holiday cards that were attached on the wall, that also include and finally got something for once when it comes to Linda’s family tree...
And that is seeing Linda’s cousin, named Val, with her family on card form with them pointing at something while on a boat. Yeah, cue the “when is she coming on the show” talk from the fans after seeing that scene. Back to the Belchers with Linda wanting to do one in return but apparently whenever they do capture a photo for the holiday cards, it ended in the result that Linda doesn’t like. And pretty much name out each of the issues from years past with their attempts to capture a perfect photo, hence the photos of years past in the credits at the end of the episode and could probably touch on that at the end of the breakdown. But for now, Linda says that this time won’t be a repeat and instead, she thinks that this year, despite being days after Christmas, will finally be the year that the family will get the perfect photo with no issues whatsoever. Though knowing this show...yeah, there’s going to be some road bumps in the way. What? Do you think that y’all think that they’re just gonna get the perfect photo and just call it a day like that? Oh no. That’s not how we roll here in the burger fandom.
Cue to the car ride in the next scene with Linda taking the family to the site where they can take a photo for the card. Only for Linda to tell the family that they’re out of town, heading towards the state park, and won’t be going anywhere until they get their photo...out in the open cold. Did I mention that they have to do a three-mile hike once they arrive at the park? Yeah, three miles. In the cold no less. I don’t know what’s the wind-chill during the day over there but I’m sure that if it’s a windy day out, there is no way they’re going to get the photo that Linda would want if temperatures go against in their favor. That’s not the case with this episode once they finally arrived at the scene.
Louise and Bob recommended using the parking lot as the spot for the family photo for the next holiday card, mostly because they can get an early release and doing them, Tina, and Gene a favor to not spend a whole day of taking the photo. Yeah, Linda is not that stupid to fall into the mousetrap and take the family to do a three-mile hike and going up the hill like it’s walking through a pair of stairs except that the second floor of the building is like way up 1000 feet like it’s a freaking fracking skyscraper. That’s pretty much the three-mile hike out in the outdoors that involved a hilly trail and that’s what the Belcher family had to endure courtesy of Linda wanting to head up to the top for them to capture with the rest of the family feeling like they want to stop for a pit stop, though no spot from the trail to sit for a bit because it is a hill and you could probably fall down and probably die or be paralyzed, and of course, in most typical Tina way possible, you have her covered in bird poop on her shoulders. Even though it’s winter over there and usually, the birds would fly down south for the season to a warmer climate. But they finally did it, finally reached the top of the summit with the kids and Bob feeling out of breath and not feeling their legs and...
What the fuck is that?! That’s something I don’t see that being played out and that is something popping out of Bob after he and the family went up the hill for three miles. Okay, so Linda did point out that Bob is steaming after the hike when reaching the summit, but still. I am flabbergasted. I thought it was an art error that most people usually ignore because no one usually catches that until they paused it at the wrong time. But nope, it’s there. That is steam coming out from the human body, out in the open cold, after doing a three-mile hike over at the hiking trail just to get to the top of the mountain and reach the top for the photoshoot. Oh man, I really need to start thinking about getting my eyes checked following that little scene. (Little update regarding that because apparently, it is a thing for steam to come out of the body because apparently if you live in a place that is in brutal cold temperature, below 32 degrees (or 0 degrees Celsius), and the air is so dry and sweat decided to come out of the body that it can form a steam-like substance out of your body...I don’t know, go ask a doctor) But other than that, they made it to the top and with that, so begins the photoshoot. But knowing that we’re now only 7-8 minutes into the episode...yeah, there have to be some mishaps along the way before the family finally gets the perfect shot.
And I mean a lot of mishaps during this scene here with the family taking the photo over at the summit. The first attempt has Linda accidentally pressed the button before heading off to join the family. The second, third, and fourth tries being the same thing with Linda trying to adjust the camera but keeps on hitting the button with the flash being on. Don’t worry, don’t think there would be any damage to Linda’s retinas. Bob takes the helm of the camera for the fifth attempt and he did set the timer for the camera but not enough because it captures Bob as he walks towards his family. The same goes for the sixth attempt. And then we get to the seventh attempt...
Jesus, Tina, goddamn! That’s a little too close. I mean, did seeing the halftime show of The Weeknd from a few weeks ago have you trying to do the same thing with adjusting the camera for the family’s seventh attempt to capture a photo for the holiday card? I mean, it wasn’t too long ago when you decided to walk on stilts like you attempting to mimic Lady Gaga when trying to get the sky kiss from Jimmy Jr. Did I say seven? I mean thirty-seven attempts thanks in part to Tina accidentally taking photos of her nose when adjusting the camera. So far, things aren’t looking good for the Belcher family when it comes to getting the perfect holiday photo for the next holiday season. At this point, being set at the parking lot would’ve been a better spot. Hell, a trip to the mall photo shop would’ve been a better place to take a photo. Doesn’t harm anyone unless you have to endure the long wait times after making an appointment. But at least it’s still better than doing all of this.
Luckily, hope is not all lost here on top of the hiking trail when Linda and the family come across with a pair of hikers who were just coming down and asks them to hold the camera to take a photo of them so that there won’t any problems. And so, they did. They did catch the photo and you think that once the photo is set and stone, it’s a drive home for the rest of the day. Well...no. Because much like with ordering food from the fast-food restaurant, you gotta check before heading off. And in Linda’s case, checking the photo to see if it’s good enough for her to give it the green light. And the result...
Yeah. All of them covered in shadow, don’t know if that’s either the brightness being lowered or the flash not being on even though if lighting seems to be the issue, pretty sure the sunlight would’ve helped out. Oh wait, it’s cloudy. You could still take the photo without having the flash on but that depends on the device you own. The other issue being Gene turned around and not facing the camera when the photo was taken. That enough for Linda to say that nobody is going anywhere until the photo is perfect. Pretty much turning this little outing into a hostage situation. All because of a photo not being perfect because you think that the family got somewhat shunned for not doing the holiday card in return. And I get that feeling. The whole “you can’t leave until we get a good photo” shtick, mostly because of poor posturing or that the camera has somewhat of an issue. Like my fucking God. I know that you have to present yourself to the masses, but I last checked, it’s 2021. We’re in the middle of a pandemic. None of us haven’t even gotten haircuts since everything shut down just last year alone. Just last year. Do you know how many months I have gone without a haircut since everything shut down back in March of last year? Two months. That’s how long I went. And a photo to please anyone, with Zoom calls now the new norm during this issue, and making yourself good despite not having your hair fixed, have to be the norm when it comes to making a good impression to your constituents. Well, that and having a good internet signal but still.
But it looks like fate decided to give the Belchers one last chance in taking that photo with Linda taking the helm of the camera yet again and begins adjusting it without having any issues like accidental button pressing or messing with the settings and with the clouds now breaking up and reveals the sun shining for the first time for the day, Linda senses that they can’t mess it up. They have one shot and their only shot to get the photo while the sun is still shining with Linda getting everything in order, that includes Bob and the kids to do their posture correctly. The timer being set with Linda running back towards the family and...
That’s it. That’s the photo! Clear, wholesome, happy family of Belcher having the perfect photoshoot. And that enough for Linda, when looking over at the camera, to say that she finally got her photo. It took three miles and an hour long drive to the hiking trail to reach to the top of the hill, out of the open cold and 38, count ‘em, 38 attempts to get a perfect shot for the holiday card and it took until attempt number 39 for Linda and the rest of the Belcher family to finally have the perfect photo and look at that, wholesome at it’s finest. Now all the family can do is to head on home and for Linda to head over to the shop and ready to call it a...
GENJUTSU! Y’all almost forgot that we’re still in the middle of the episode and thought now that the Belchers finally got their photoshoot and just call it a day. But nope, knowing that we’re now only 10-11 minutes into the episode, of course there have to be some mishaps to happen. Case in point, Linda skidding through a few pebbles, in which it results in the camera now slipped from Linda’s hands and end up losing it deep inside the rocks and almost fell, which would result in breaking it into pieces and the photo being lost forever. Luckily, Linda did catch it...only for her hand to be stuck in between the rocks. Did I mention that if the camera falls, then it would break into pieces? Not knowing that they’re so high up that if Linda lets go of it, that it would do down like hundreds of feet from their location and into the woods? And also noticed that a strong force against the rocks would create even more problems from the top of the mountain? Yeah, no one’s going anywhere until both Linda and the camera are out of the rocks without causing any problems. Which could possibly take a long while for Linda to be free, knowing how tight a hole in between the rocks are...pause.
And so begins a very, very long process of rescuing Linda and the camera from the rocks without causing any more issues...mostly with a few attempts as we go via montages with the Belchers altogether trying to lift the rocks to free both Linda and the camera but unable to do so because of not having upper body strength. Louise tries her best in trying to do some kicks onto the rocks...yeah, that didn’t work. Plus, if that continues, then pretty sure the Belchers would not only be going home with no camera, but Louise with a broken leg. Luckily, that didn’t happen, and Louise’s way failed to free her mother and the camera from the rocks. The third attempt have the rest of the Belchers going all MacGyver by making something that resembles a grabber with Bob doing the heavy lifting, but unable to reaches towards where Linda is at behind the rocks and try to not fall down. So...they’re out of options. Straight outta options as the family now have to set up camp until they either come up with a new plan or wait for help to arrive.
And...okay, I gotta give some pointers in the episode, other than that little scene with that photo that leads up to Linda being stuck in between the rocks. You have Bob, in a flashback, who seems to be enjoying his new juicer that he got on Christmas and acting like the tinkly darling that he is and enjoying his new kitchen appliance from the holiday season. He even has the freshly juiced orange into a canister that Gene tries to drink, thinking that it’s hot chocolate to warm up, but instead, it’s freshly squeezed orange juice. Which is pretty much one of the drinks for survival for anyone living in Florida during hurricane season.
Once the sun begins to set down with the evening rush now taking place, Bob thinks that maybe it’s time to head on home for the night. Telling Linda to say that it’s time to call it a day. I mean, Linda too wants to head back home but won’t leave the area until she gets both her arm and the camera out of the rocks. Even if it means forcing the family to somewhat camp out for the night...in a park that is pretty much sponsored by the state that I’m pretty sure the state’s government would not like that idea of that. I don’t know if that is law over there, but I’m sure that’s not the case. Do you really want to be the asshole who has started a freaking wildfire? Yeah, pretty sure you don’t want that. Don’t forget, one of the worst wildfires in California history started over a fucking gender reveal. A freaking gender reveal. So I bet the entertainment for the baby shower would be a nuclear warhead being dropped and thinking that it’s a fireworks show.
And to make things even more worse, the ranger has come into the picture and noticed that Linda has her arm stuck after taking the photo and if you think that he should help Linda out in getting her arm and the camera out of the rocks because that is his job description by helping out and stuff, and he did later on in the episode, but rather than the first time, he’s just there to tell the Belcher family to get the fuck out since the sun is doing down for the day because the park has hours and failure to leave the area would result in giving citations. All three to be exact and even finding out that the Belchers don’t even have a park pass to get into the general area. Which is pretty much three strikes too many enough for them to be somewhat ranger arrested and possible banishment. At least he didn’t threaten ranger jail...or actual jail for violating park rules. But of course, Linda won’t budge in giving up until her hand is freed and not let go of the camera which...yeah, probably make things even worse with the whole situation at hand. At least Louise finally solved her puzzle that she got on Christmas that she was trying to complete for eight days and finds out that the puzzle that she got pretty much serves as a plot device? Why a plot device?
To have the toy that Louise got serves as an escape idea for the Belchers and the park ranger to get both Linda and the camera out from the rocks. Though you think by now, the camera would’ve been let go because of how much time she was holding and prevent it from falling into the woods from hundreds of feet from the top of the mountain. Her palms would’ve been sweating...knees weak, arms are heavy, there’s vomit in her sweater already, mom’s spaghetti. Took a lot of manpower in the hands of Bob, the ranger, and the kids to carry Linda to rotate in a 45-degree clockwork angle and begin pulling her out, in which they did and finally got Linda out of the rock. And the camera unharmed with Linda still hanging on to it for dear life for hours. Hours. Your hand would’ve been tired for hours while holding on to that. But Louise’s puzzle toy that she got, and now became a part of the rock as a return once leaving the summit, serves as a plot device to help Linda out when her hand got stuck. So uh...good job there. May have prevented that little thing from being a waste of time and using it as a tool, for the plot, to help Linda be freed from the rocks without causing any more problems. Just thank God that the long day of being out of the cold and on top of the hilly mountain trail is now over with.
Onto the next day we go to close out the episode with Bob still using that juicer he got nine after the holiday with him still squeezing the life out of any of the citrus fruits, mostly limes, lemons, and oranges, to make a drink and also him calling out water courtesy of Tina’s little suggestion as Linda enters back into the restaurant from the picture store and finally got the card ready to be shipped off for the next holiday season. As the saying goes, “it’s never too early to do some holiday...ideas to come to life.” That’s pretty much Linda’s premise of the episode despite holding the family pretty much hostage in the open cold and have your hand stuck for countless hours in between the rocks. But it was all worth it at the end...until Gene noticed a little error in the photo...with him mentioning that his wiener is out. Hopefully, Gene didn’t like pee around the area because I don’t know what’s the fine for that but...really don’t want to imagine that as the photo was taken.
And of course, I gotta give some brief mentions to the credits at the end of the episode, and in my opinion, and pretty much everyone else’s when watching the episode, pretty much the highlight of the episode. Mostly because you have Linda singing while having family portraits, their attempts of a family holiday card, of years past and showcasing each mishap when the photo was taken from pretty much the year before all the way to when Tina was at toddler age. And I gotta say, it was good. Nice to see the family being around and in progress, well in reverse, but it was nice seeing the history of the family of years past with the mishaps that happened for each photo. That also includes Louise’s serial killer face that she scores up until this year alone over at the summit. Though the one issue when it comes to the thing and that is of course, when the photos were shown from years past, and this is pretty much come in the character design standpoint, is that how come in the photos of the past doesn’t have Linda in that shirt she wore with the two buttoned-up shirt from the start of the series up until Season 5. You think that would’ve been there because it is from the past when it comes to the pictures. Just putting it out there. But other than that, it was an enjoyable moment to close out the episode with the family photos of years past and giving another pointer to the episode as a whole.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So all and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers? Well, despite the confusion over the setting of the episode if you don’t follow production code and how shitty the scheduling department was doing more bungling than the power company following the power outage in Texas, it was an interesting episode, to say the least.
Sure, it’s nothing like with what happened with “Worms of In-rear-ment” from earlier in the season when it comes to Linda wanting to make things perfect for the family, only for things to bite her right in the ass, but there has to be some credit on what the family was doing to get a good photo for the holiday card for the next season...that was after eight days until Christmas. Not to mention being out in the open cold, going through a three-mile walk to reach the top of the hill, have to go through 38 attempts with the camera that you’re questioning how much storage the camera can hold with those attempts, only to finally got the perfect photo and then here comes the mishap with her having her hand stuck when preventing the camera from being dropped from way up at the rocky hill hiking trail in which that lasted for hours upon hours until the sun goes down. Like I said when it comes to taking photos that not everything has to be perfect, but at least you got your photo. So there’s that despite Gene pointing out that his shlong was out when that perfect photo was taken.
Though despite that the episode pretty much feels...average at best, though I did say interesting, it has some good moments. Sure, there's the credits sequence with Linda singing as the family photos of the past present themselves in the background as the credits roll on as the only highlight of the episode, courtesy of...well, the viewers who watched the episode when it premiered. And it was a nice little moment showcasing the past from each photo attempt of the past. But there’s also the whole Bob being somewhat happy over the juicer that he got. Like the guy just love that thing to death ever since getting it on Christmas. In my opinion, that is pretty much the other highlight of the episode, and man, that guy really loves that juicer where no citrus fruits are safe, much a grin like folding tables in the city of Buffalo during last year’s season...we’re not going to see that juicer again, huh? Goddamn it, at least he’s happy over the appliance, so there’s that.
And yeah, Louise’s little puzzle toy pretty much serves as the plot device throughout the episode and have it being used, rather the skills that she spent eight days since she got it on Christmas Day, and finally come in full force when using it with Bob, the kids, and the ranger to help free Linda and the camera from the rocks. Though, I don’t really blame Tina for being annoyed over Gene’s harmonica. I really hate loud noises to the point where I can’t freaking stand it. It was fine the first time, but then it can get annoying right away, and...yeah, honestly I can’t blame her there for that.
So final thoughts, despite a quite small thoughts section of the review, this was an interesting, yet average episode. The only highlights for the episode are being the credits at the end of the episode with the photos of the family in the background and also the whole Bob and his use of the juicer. But other than that, it was an interesting, yet average episode to say the least, and nothing more to say. So I’ll give “Die Card, or Card Trying”...
A 7.5 out of 10. But that’s pretty much my opinion of the episode and now I wanna hear yours. What do you think about this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Would you spend the whole day out in the cold all over a photo op for a holiday card? Would you spend countless hours of Gene playing the harmonica? And do you think that Bob and the juicer being the perfect match? All that in your mini-review down below in the comment section. A new episode on March 7, mark your calendars, because it’s the return of a stuffed animal long to believed extinct and what happened to it since we last saw it in over two years. We’re talking about the wheelie mammoth in the thirteenth episode of Season 11 in “An Incon-wheelie-ent Truth”.
Thank y’all so much for reading this review for this week’s episode. Feel free to follow me over at Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and other stuff like behind-the-scenes stuff and...well other stuff. Not to mention, the start of the 2021 Battle of the Week Voting Tournament on March 7 with Group C starting things off with the defending champions, Bob’s Burgers, ready to go for thirds and run that sucker back. And of course, you know the drill...
- PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/yahoo201027
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/yahoo201027
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/Y8Y8K4OP
PayPal, Patreon, and Ko-fi pages are the way to go to help both your boy out and improving the page. Also being used to pay the bills to keep the lights on and paying the rent for the next month. So there’s that to put it out there. And until then for the new episode next week, remember folks: wash your hands, wear your mask (even if at the time of the posting of the review, Texas and Mississippi decided to fuck that up and reverse it, please wear it), and I’ll see y’all later.
***Bob’s Burgers is owned by 20th Century FOX, Bento Box Animation, and Loren Bouchard. Please Support the Official Release***
No comments:
Post a Comment