For the second time in a year, it appears that I’ll be doing the Top 12 Countdown to close out the year now that...well, the year is almost over. Jesus Christ, the year is almost over. It’s un-freaking-believable to think about it. I mean, it was just yesterday that we got out of a hellhole that was once known as the year of our lord 2020. Even though the start of the year didn’t feel like we got out of that horrendous year because it started with a goddamn insurrection and we all watched that. Yeah, that happened. Like what the fuck?!
But yeah, 2021...shit year. Crazy year. It’s almost coming to an end and this leaves the countdown to kick off the remaining days of the year and it looks like the Top 12 Countdown will be that very countdown as we prepare to say hello to 2022. Though we’re starting early this year rather than the usual, which was supposed to be on the 20th, if it weren’t for a new Bob’s Burgers episode standing in the way on the 19th and me doing the review afterward. So this and the next two spots will be early because taking a pause for the new episode and then we go back to the countdown with the remaining nine. And starting off with the Top 12 Countdown of the year and if you haven’t read the title already? Yeah, this episode and series snuck in. It snuck in into the countdown despite the so-called “quality decline” that the show is experiencing. So coming in with number 12 in the Top 12 Countdown is “Manic Pixie Crap Show” from Bob’s Burgers.
And I’m going to say this again, this episode snuck into the countdown when picking which episodes from various series that I’ll be talking about to end the year. Bob’s Burgers almost, almost didn’t make the cut for this year’s countdown due to...well, things regarding the current “situation” when it comes to...well, the quality regarding the writing and direction. So this episode has to be chosen to start the countdown and it would be the same if I were to go with 20 spots instead of 12. That and also the trouble of picking which episode will represent the burger fandom to kick off the countdown. It was either this episode or maybe “Fingers-loose” or “Romancing the Beef” as possible contenders but at the end of the day, it boils down to “Manic Pixie Crap Show” to end up on this very list to start counting down to the new year.
And honestly, out of those episodes when picking which to feature for the countdown, this was one of the episodes that I enjoyed when first watching it. It was a strong start to the episode and it happened to be a Louise and Millie episode. Though, you always wonder how in the hell Millie became obsessed with Louise or the writers, ever since “The Silence of the Louise”, decided to “humanize” her despite all the things that she had ever done to make Louise uncomfortable. And in this episode, you have Millie to have Louise do a favor for her over at the park by infiltrating a pixie princess promenade to give her a pink rose wand because Millie was banned from participating in all nine of these events. And Millie knew that Louise would deny the request right away because if she doesn't get the pink wand from the event, then Louise can kiss her card that she got from Millie goodbye. Forcing Louise to swallow her pride and attend the event.
And she did as Millie gives Louise instructions when partaking in the event over at the park while both Gene and Tina are there in the background and watch the show being unfolded but only for a short while once Louise spotted a guy in a gnome costume and try to compromise to hand over the wand so they can go on with their day, but can’t be handed over like it’s a free sample line in a grocery store. Though that’s not going to stop Louise from getting the wand when preparing to head back to the torture session when she spotted a laundry bin and revealed to be a pile of wands, causing Millie to make her way to where Louise is at and that caused the two to go into hiding, along with a few little girls because they have the wands in their possession, hence...here we are.
You could say that this episode might’ve taken some notes from “Sleeping with the Frenemy” back in Season 8, mostly with the notion of one character doing something nice that they might regret when helping someone out just because of a certain item that you need to be in your possession. In that episode, you had Tina letting Tammy stay over with the Belchers when missing her cruise for Spring Break despite her already regretting the invitation and the family’s dismay over the idea. All that because of a damn badge that Tina needed for her stash. Where in this episode, it’s Louise doing Millie a favor by infiltrating a pixie princess promenade to get a pink rose wand because she (Millie) was banned from ever participating over...well, things. And the wand is one thing that caused her to be on the no-fly list for pixies. All that over a rare Burobu card that out of nowhere, Millie got it before handing it over for Louise which leads up to this very moment in the episode.
And even though it’s a Louise episode, and we’ll get to the moral of the episode at the end, just hang on tight, you have Tina’s little so-called side story that isn’t even a side story but more of complete filler with her questioning her looks. Her “face holes” you might say because of that little comment from Tammy and Jocelyn that Tina received at the start of the episode that she’s not “supermodel material”. And I’ve been saying, I’ve been saying all the way to the “FOMO You Didn’t” review that this girl needs better friends. I’m not kidding, it’s time. It’s fucking time. I mean you don’t need to add chemicals that were tested on animals onto your face to make yourself feel beautiful. I mean, it’s 2021 going into 2022 and we don’t need that fucking bullshit on what is or what is not beautiful. Last I checked, everyday life isn’t a goddamn beauty pageant. But yeah, you could say that the focus might be on the topic of insecurity from both girls, especially onto Louise since it is her episode. But Tina, focusing on her for a bit, did have that throughout the episode but was never to be brought up throughout the whole thing up until the end where following the moral thing came into the picture in the final minutes of the episode. And coming from Louise after learning her lesson that Tina doesn’t need to make herself to feel beautiful and needs to face the facts that Tammy and Jocelyn are fucking idiots. Y’all already know I made that last one up, but come on, we all know that the girl deserves better.
Now the Louise moral thing...I know that people nowadays can feel tired that this is where the show is heading and have almost every episode to have some sort of life lesson like we’re watching a Disney Channel program, even though the show is owned by Disney...so uh...you’re welcome. This one I’ll give this a free pass because it did address Louise’s insecurity about her being different from the rest since partaking in the heist at the behest of Millie. Mostly with Louise questioning if she’s “girly” enough to like all things that abide with your general gender stereotype of what to like when it comes to certain items and trends. You know, Louise being the minority in liking different things from the rest. Pretty much boils down to the notion of “fuck the gender stereotypes, you’re free to like whatever you want.” Hell, it’s getting to the point where once Louise gets confronted by the pixie queen and the gnome and bails everyone out by thinking that the heist is all part of the story. Her way of saving herself, Millie, and the other girls from getting into trouble. Not to mention, reinstating Millie back in participating in the promenade. And I did say that this part did get a pass because despite that it’s one of those things from the episode when it comes to the life lessons and morals of the episode, this one is what I’m okay with. No bullshitting. No bull rushing. No get out of jail free card regarding Louise’s situation throughout the episode. Like I said, a strong start to the season.
The same goes for the subplot with Linda and her being possessive with a bouquet that is shaped like a dog that resembles something out of her past in the form of her neighbor’s dog named Bottle Cap, who got the name after balancing a bottle cap that entertained the kids in her old stomping grounds, including Linda herself...before getting run over by a truck in front of her eyes. Mentally scaring her to the point where once she got the bouquet from the mail, it triggers the memory of her seeing Bottle Cap as if she was a child again. That and also setting things up for the five stages of grief to step in with Linda once Bob, Teddy, and Mort worrying about her to the point where she hid herself with the bouquet over at the employee bathroom when finding out that the bouquet was meant to go to Mort, who ordered the item online for a client. And you know what it took for Linda to finally let go of her memories with Bottle Cap?
A Charlie Brown reference. Most importantly, Charlie Brown’s catchphrase. Mort uses that to get Linda to move on from Bottle Cap with him saying to her that she never got the chance to say goodbye to the dog on the day Bottle Cap got run over and became roadkill. That alone got the waterworks to come out from Linda’s eye sockets. And say you wanna say about this episode and how the hell it even made it to the list, but the subplot to the episode, in my opinion, didn’t downplay it. It didn’t downplay the episode and that right there might as well be my reason to put it on the twelfth spot for the year regarding the countdown.
That and also the main plot with Louise and Millie pulling a heist when infiltrating the pixie princess promenade, much to Louise’s dismay in wanting to do it for someone who makes her uber uncomfortable but knowing the show, ever since Season 8, the crew decided to do some experimenting by attempting to humanize Millie. Yeah, I know, it seems crazy to think about it about someone who is overly obsessed with Louise who has some history like...oh, I dunno...left Louise, her siblings, and her friends left to fend for themselves trapped inside the fort on Halloween night or try to attempt murder on Abby just because Louise found a loophole in her campaign promise courtesy of Henry Haber.
But regardless of how insane Millie is to the point where she could possibly be a sociopath in the overarching “story” of the series, this was one of the episodes of Bob’s Burgers that I’d enjoyed throughout the year other than the likes of “Romancing the Beef”, “Mr. Lonely Farts”, “Fingers-loose”, and “Loft in Bedslation” just to name a few. This was a strong start to the show’s twelfth and current season and it was handled well with both plots of the episode whether being Louise doing Millie a favor by infiltrating a pixie promenade or Linda not letting go of the past when receiving a dog-shaped bouquet. I know that there are some flaws that may have downplayed it and some may have other opinions about how the episode stand out from start to finish, whether being Louise’s insecurity with her not being too “girly” enough, Tina’s little issue with how beauty works, or Linda struggles to let go of the past following a traumatic event regarding a dead dog, in my opinion, it was handled well and I think that’s all I have to say enough for this episode to snuck itself into the countdown.
But that’ll do it for the number 12 spot in the Top 12 Countdown of 2021. Do you think that this episode should be higher, lower, or just stay put on your list for the year? Put it in the comments below. The countdown continues on with tomorrow for the number 11 spot on the list. Which episode and series will it be? You’ll have to wait and find out. Follow me over at Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff and all that jazz. And y’all should probably know the drill by now…
- PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/yahoo201027
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/yahoo201027
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/Y8Y8K4OP
Donate over at PayPal, Patreon, and Ko-fi pages to help your boy out in both improving the pages and help paying the bills to keep the lights on. And if you have an extra buck or two to spare, unless you didn’t know, people over in Western Kentucky are currently recovering following last weekend’s severe weather outbreak that devastated the area, including towns such as Mayfield and Bowling Green. So if you wanna help out during this holiday season…
https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief
Donate today by clicking the link above to chip in a few dollars to help out with the relief effort to the people affected by the devastating tornado outbreak just last weekend alone. And until tomorrow with number 11 of the Top 12 Countdown of the year; stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, get vaccinated, and I’ll see y’all later.
No comments:
Post a Comment