I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving. Eating, family, and other stuff to celebrate the holiday as we now transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas with December right around the corner. And after what was a disaster of an episode that was “Putts-giving”...finally. Finally! The type of shit that we’ve been looking forward to since Loren came out with that tweet almost a month ago regarding Bob’s Mom’s name and we’re getting it this week, folks! We’re getting it. The lore. The looooooooore!
In this week's episode of Bob's Burgers, Bob takes Linda and the kids to the graveyard to visit his mom's grave but doesn't know where to go when going grave hunting, not robbing, as Teddy with his subplot is about to deal with some consequences of his own while house sitting for the Belchers in my spoilerific review of the ninth episode of Season 13 of Bob's Burgers, titled "Show Mama from the Grave".
And the lore of the show is the name of the game for this week’s episode because ever since the release of the movie back in May...as I mentioned in last week's episode that we haven’t done anything to paint anything on the show with the post-movie era. And one of the items on the list that needed to be addressed despite saying that we just got out of the movie and that we need to chill is, of course, Bob's mom. And it's not just the movie. It's the series as a whole when it comes to the topic. Ever since "Father of the Bob", we have been hungry for any mentions, any info drop for us to consume regarding Bob's mom, and also wondering what the family dynamic is like before her passing when Bob was young. At least the episode revealed how long has it been since Bob's mom's death. So for anyone who believed that the matriarchal birth-giving Belcher died before Louise was born and thought that Gene and Tina would remember her all because of a single line from Bob in the movie while being trapped inside the sinkhole and gasping for air...yeah...no. I didn't buy it and I still wouldn't follow along now because of what Bob said about the number of years since Bob's Mom bit the dust. I'm saying that the people who went with that idea misinterpreted it.
We got the name in this week's episode as Bob and the rest of the family pay a visit to the cemetery and would be surprised for the fans, and they do for anyone who was not around on the internet the day before the episode came out, because the Animation Domination Twitter page somehow released a clip that gave away the name of Bob's dead mother. Yeah, just gave away the name. Not even the full 24 hours before the episode was shown on the air and they did that. Now, I don't know why the interns controlling the page would do something like that. An accident would be one way to put it because we all thought it was another promo screencap from the episode and instead, it's a full-on clip. Giving away the name of Bob's mother. As well as the number of years since the last time he saw her mom alive. Three decades. That was the last time Bob saw his mother alive. Three decades. Would've at least put a spoiler warning or not even released the clip at all but here we are. But at least it didn't ruin the episode...to some.
Sure, it was given away and may have ruined the surprise for the fans even though we were playing the guessing game ever since Loren came out with a tweet on when we’re going to get the first name of Bob’s mom, as long as we're getting some lore after weeks after weeks after weeks of episodes not improving the season, especially right after the movie...we'll take it. We'll freaking fracking take it. We have to need something to at least improve the season before we get into the Christmas break. That being said, it's review and breakdown, folks. I got a lot to say on the plate ready to be delivered. This is "Show Mama from the Grave".
So the episode starts with the Belcher kids putting on their winter gear with Linda with a box of their winter outfits for the kids to put on since they have a long day ahead of them. Though it looks like Tina may have some issues of her own. Mostly with her struggling to put on her winter pants to the point where she may have outgrown them for no reason other than a potential growth spurt. And because of that possible growth spurt that causes Tina to struggle while wearing those pairs of pants, the entire episode is going to be about her dealing with a wedgie each time she walks. The pants rail up her ass with every step she takes. Getting to the point where her pants are going to rip if something happens, which she did later in the episode. I'd think I talked too much and don't know where this is going, but we should move on from this conversation.
The kids put on their winter gear as the family is preparing to head out of the house for the day to go snow tubing, or as Louise put it in short, snoobing. Which explains why Teddy has to be entered into the house while the family is away. Setting up his own subplot for the episode as he housesits for the Belchers. Mostly him fixing the whole place up. So it's the Belcher family heading off to another new location that prays to God it doesn't suck like with the previous episodes whenever they're in another location. They were planning on going to a snow tubing place called "Avalanche Mountain", but it closed down, according to Linda, due to bad taxes. So basically, financial issues. Legal issues. The IRS takes no prisoners when it comes to taxes. And instead, they'll be heading toward Redburn for them to go snow tubing.
Which Bob, coincidentally in this episode, the site where they're heading in the city is by the cemetery where Bob's Mom was buried. We know that Bob and his father didn't live there but the reason why Bob's Mom was even buried there is because...well, it's a nice place. And Big Bob got her the plot in that exact cemetery. Sure, setting up the funeral isn't cheap and so does getting a space at the graveyard but something has to be done because the death of Bob’s Mom did land a huge hit on both Bob and his dad that she deserves a proper burial and a cemetery outside of town would be that place to send her off. Even if Bob and Big Bob's relationship after the death and the burial did cause some friction between them in their relationship and the death of a parent and spouse, especially at a young age, hit them like a truck, you still wonder how the dynamic back when Bob's Mom was alive before she tragically died. What life was like when she was around? Her relationship with Big Bob and with Bob. Sure, we didn't get a flashback or hope for the "Die Card" approach and have photos in the credits but never say never, and hopefully, we can get that soon.
And it appears that Bob never took Linda or the kids to the cemetery where his mom was buried in their entire lives. Hell, it’s been a long time since he last paid a visit. I mean, I wouldn't rule out the potential that he or Big Bob the last time either one paid a visit to Bob's Mom's grave would be after the fallout between the two with Bob moving out. Tired of how Big Bob was treating him throughout his life after her death. I would imagine that was the last time either of the two Belcher boys paid a visit to the gravesite. Telling her at her grave about what went wrong. Would've wished that she was here to patch things up. Not taking sides but hoping that the father/son relationship wouldn't be on thin ice. And before y'all say anything, Big Bob in Season 5 did say that things were tough without having Bob's Mom around. So one of these two guys had to pay a visit to the grave before moving on. So Bob decides to bring the family to the cemetery for a brief visit before getting to the snow tubing site in Redburn. Hopefully the visit there won’t be a long one but knowing the show, no promises were given at the writing of this episode. Though there is something that may have thrown me off and that is, of course, Linda.
Because it was shown in this episode that Linda has a fear of going into the cemetery. Her anxiety has been heightened when Bob brought up the cemetery where his mom was buried at. I get that the atmosphere of the cemetery, being around dead people buried underground, especially on a cold day isn't her cup of tea and I get that. But here's what may have thrown me off for a bit. You remember last season in "Touch of Eval(uations)" in that subplot where Bob and Linda talked about how they want to be buried. I get that Linda is not too big of a fan of being buried when talking about what to do when they die, especially in a cemetery, but when looking at this episode for the first time, it almost feels like there was a flip-flop regarding Linda and the cemetery. Might be my dumb brain playing tricks on me. Though if it's more than the mere fear of death and it comes down to fears of being buried, whether dead or alive, then what happened in the movie while being trapped underneath the sinkhole wouldn't help the Belchers' case in trying to escape.
The Belchers drive their way to Redburn to visit the cemetery and took them a while for them to get to the car because the kids need to do something for their visit to Bob's Mom's grave. That of course is the handmade cards that each of the Belcher kids has to make. Sure, they don't know what Bob's mom looks like other than Bob in his younger days. Hell, a photo album or maybe a hidden photo somewhere would've been nice. Still would've gone with the "Die Card" approach with the ending. The conversation changes from the kids talking about their cards to Tina talking to Bob about the last time he paid a visit to his mom's grave. A vague response of him saying that it's been a long time. Still think that he probably paid a visit to the grave after that fallout with his dad at 24 years old. How would he even get there? I don't know...driving on his own? Public transportation? The point is that it was a very long time since Bob paid a visit to his mom's grave. I mean yeah, poke a bit of fun at Bob for being old that he can't even remember the last time he paid a visit to his mom's grave, which is not a laughing matter because him getting old and not remembering when was the last time he paid a visit to the grave won't be a funny thing to poke on. Alzheimer's isn't something to joke about. But it has been a long time since Bob last paid a visit to his mom's grave and I get that the visit to the site right after the burial process can be hard and no one wants to lose a relative in the early years of your life and that would fit into the idea of why Bob hasn’t even visited the graveyard since the funeral. Still think that he would've paid a visit once following the fallout with his dad but I guess we'll never know. Still standing on the idea that the fallout was the last time Bob went to his mom's gravesite. But then again, I'm also the same person who thought that Bob's mom died from being crushed by a tree because Big Bob was crushed and survived after Bob's mom left the tent moments before the tree crushed the tent. May have to back down on that. Times change. All that stuff.
The family arrives at the graveyard and because of Linda's fear of going into the cemetery, Bob and the kids are the ones to venture out to find the gravesite, leaving Linda to fend for herself inside the car as they make their way into the cemetery. But with Bob forgotten about where her mom is even buried, he and the kids decide to head over to the front office to get some help if they want to make it to the gravesite before the sun comes down for the day. Don't worry about Linda. Pretty sure the car is on for the vehicle to heat up while Linda gets into a cradling position outside of the gate, worrying about what would happen if the spirits were to knock on Linda's door or fearing of a possible zombie invasion. Yeah, we're in the generation where something big is about to happen and we are not prepared for it. But now, we get to the moment of truth. The name of Bob's Mom.
As the scene transitions from outside of the graveyard to the office as Bob and the kids enter the premise and ask for help. And not only that we got the name of Bob’s mom and we’ll get to that in a sec, but we also got the timeframe of when she died. It was revealed by Bob that Bob’s mom died around 33 years ago. And if you do the math and the two episodes where Bob had his birthday in Seasons 7 and 8 can mess things up in the math side of the show regarding the characters and the timeframe but 33 years ago from the present would be the timeframe where Bob’s mom tragically passed away. Meaning that Bob would be 12-13 years old when that moment happened. I know that the episodes where Bob has his birthday can mess things up when it comes to the math of things regarding Bob's age and his history but Bob's mom died when Bob was around Tina's age. And again, no one should lose a relative at a very young age. Because it can hurt you like a truck and can cause some effects mentally and often physically. Next to divorce, it can oftentimes create negative effects. And grief is one of those effects. I'm not a psychiatrist but I'm sure there are some who read this who had undergone that in their lives. It’s rough but yeah. Of course, we got the name of Bob’s mother. The name that was spoiled the day before the official airing of the episode.
So it’s Lily. Lily Belcher is the full name of Bob’s dead mother. We finally got the name in this week’s episode. And so much for everyone who thought that Tina or Louise was named after Bob's mother before this episode. Because that would've held some sentimental value in the event the child is born a girl. I mean, Louise got the hat, and that holds a memory of her grandmother. So I thought it would be Tina who would get the name. But I guess not. Also for anyone who thought that Louise didn't meet her grandmother but Tina and Gene do...yeah, this ain't your episode either. I mean, I didn't even buy it, to begin with. So we finally got the name, even though it was already spoiled by the official Animation Domination page the day before the episode came out. And of course, the 20 years since Bob last paid a visit to his mom’s grave. Of course, if you do the math, 20 years was the last time Bob paid a visit to the grave but also note 20 years is also the fallout between Bob and his dad that resulted in him moving out. Bob and the kids get the map and finally decides to head out to find the gravestone but of course, there’s a rule about gifts being dropped on the site because that’s considered a no-no. Which...kinda ruins what you’re supposed to do when visiting someone’s grave. So much for the Belcher kids who worked hard in making their cards only to find out about a no-gift policy on the gravesite.
Bob and the kids make their way out of the office and on their way to the gravesite with the map in their possession, and it looks like we're going to be here for a while because it looks like Bob doesn't know where her mom was buried. Resulting in him and the kids being lost. And mind you that Bob, back in the office, mentioned that Lily's tombstone is a flat, being one of those tombstones where it's planted on the ground, and knowing the snow on the ground, they’re going to have a rough time finding it. Really going to create some issues for Bob and the kids on their way to the site of the grave, even though they’re currently lost at the moment. And if that’s not enough for them as the sun slowly begins to set...
We switch over to Linda at the car, scared shitless over being at the cemetery even though she's outside by the gate. Trying to calm herself down and hoping for Bob and the kids to find what they were looking for so they can get out and get to go snow tubing. She gets a phone call from Bob with him telling her that he's going to run a little late due to him being unable to find the site. But the call gets shotty due to piss poor signal inside the cemetery, which don't know how did that happen but okay. The bad signal from Bob's end of the call. Also, note that Bob isn't the only one who got an upgrade on the phone front because Linda also got a smartphone. Again, going from the flip phone to a smartphone thanks in part to Grover throwing it into the phone. As for the emergency phone that is always left in Tina's possession...it's up in the air but I'm guessing it's the same thing unless she's the only one who keeps the flip phone. So Linda’s phone call ended abruptly due to bad service from Bob’s end, causing Linda to dial Teddy, who is busy fixing the house by adding some plaster onto the wall. Venting to him about her fear of going into the cemetery before Teddy ends up giving her advice to confront her fears and support Bob in visiting his mom's grave. It's the right thing to do and that's more than enough for Linda to come out of the car and make her way to the cemetery. A bit of advice that hopefully doesn’t bite anyone in the ass throughout the episode. Speaking of biting in the ass...Teddy.
Before heading off to find Bob and the kids or finding the plot for herself in the cemetery, Linda tells Teddy one important reminder before heading back to what he is doing or in Teddy's case while doing the job for the family, currently starving and is need of some of Bob's food because he accidentally skipped lunch. Even though there's like numerous other places for him to go and grab a bite to eat. The one important reminder that Linda told Teddy before hanging up is to not eat the leftover meatloaf that is in the fridge. What did he do? Ends up eating the meatloaf from the fridge that he's been told to not eat it. The first thing that he saw was in the fridge and grabs the container that contains the leftover meatloaf that was saved for later. Didn’t even read the message that was sent by Linda until later in the episode and feels bad about the deed that he did. Causing him to decide to create his own before the Belchers arrive back home from the cemetery. Yeah, didn't even care for the subplot for this episode. Mostly because the focus is on the main plot, so it's to the point where I had to hop over a few scenes with the subplot in this review before heading back to the main. Speaking of the main...
As Linda comes out of the office with a map in her hand and makes her way to find the plot herself, Bob and the kids continue to be lost deep in the cemetery as the sun continues to slowly comes down. Bob and the kids find a section of the graveyard where the flat gravestones are and try to go through one by one to remove the snow that was covering it but it appears that they're at the wrong section because according to Tina, it appears the section they're at is for people who died in the past ten years. So yeah... the wrong side of the cemetery, Belchers. And even got an update from the groundskeeper that the clock is ticking for them to pay their respects before the gates close up for the night. Ready to throw in the towel and make their way back to the car, not knowing that Linda has already ventured out to find the plot herself like a kid being far away in a big store away from their parents. So it’s now to the point where Bob and the kids, finally made it to the car, now noticing that Linda left on her own and after reading through the text messages, mostly coming from Teddy about the meatloaf situation, and now make their way back to the cemetery to retrieve Linda to close out the first half of the episode with only 13 minutes into it. Though Louise’s line of saying “Ah! Parents!”...kind of random if you ask me before ending the second act of the episode and going into the third. But I guess that’s that to close out the first half of the episode by throwing in a random line from Louise as the Belchers are now on Linda hunting as we now enter the mini-review intermission halftime with this week’s episode of The Great North before shifting back to Bob’s Burgers. Here is “Bee’s All That Adventure” bridging between the episode review of Bob’s Burgers.
Popularity is the name of the game for this week’s episode of The Great North as the students of Lone Moose host an exchange program for one lucky person from the lower 48 to pay a visit to town for a week as part of the program. Judy, Kima, and Amelia were excited to have a random person from the sister town of Lone Moose to pay a visit. Resulting in that person, along with Judy and Amelia to stay over at Kima’s place for the week...even though when it comes to whose house is roomier, don’t know why it can’t be the Tobins’ place? But besides that, popularity and the social hierarchy is the name of the game for this episode because of the exchange program and you also have the whole rivalry if you want to call it that between Judy and Stacey B. At least we got something from that with Judy, while having dinner with the Brewpers, about the fallout that led to where we are now. Judy and Stacey used to be best friends before their relationship hit a sour note. Mostly with how time progressed was when those two begin to drift apart. Mostly coming from Stacey B to where we are now. While it was interesting that we got the backstory behind the falling out between the two...oh boy, the episode is pretty much a rethread to the similarities with “A Fish Called Tina” from Bob’s Burgers. Especially when we were introduced to the exchange student named Jill, who...is an interesting fella coming from Illinois and is obsessed with bees.
Hell, she wore a beekeeper outfit and had a presentation about the bees on standby as Gibbons introduced her to the school. Talks about the bees whether being around Judy, Kima, and Amelia or being nabbed by Stacey B later in the episode. She is bee obsessed. Did I mention that this episode is about popularity? Because that is what has gone through Judy's head throughout the visit to the point where she became self-centered and wanted to one-up Stacey. To the point where she isolated Kima and Amelia, the two people who had Judy's back before the whole mess with popularity when trying to win Jill back. Sure, they apologized in the end thanks to Kima's mom and Jill doing the three girls a favor by throwing Stacey’s phone into the bonfire...but yikes coming from Judy. It wasn’t a good look for her in this episode. Especially since Judy is the nominee for the cartoon community in the voting tournament and her match is coming this upcoming weekend for the championship title against an undefeated candidate from the anime community who, spoiler alert, did his part in partaking in the latest Death Battle episode. Oh, Judy...what the fuck.
At least the subplot was decent. Because of Jill coming over to Lone Moose as part of the exchange program, it's Crispin who will be taking her place down south...to the Midwest. So it would make sense for the subplot for Ham to watch over the miniature cactus plant for Crispin while he's away for a week. And boy, it didn't turn out well for Ham after a few issues while taking care of the plant to the point where it was accidentally sent to the junkyard and had him and Beef to infiltrate. But of course, the plant has to be damaged after getting it back and Ham is worried about how Crispin might respond to what happened to the plant. Boils down to whether or not he's ready for that kind of responsibility and saying how he can be a good dad if he didn't even take care of a simple item like a small cactus. Sure, it's a huge responsibility to take care of something small like a cactus but I guess there's some learning experience for Ham from what happened. Just give it time. That's what Beef was implying for this to close out the subplot. But yo, Season 3, chill. Chill with what y'all are doing with putting pressure on the fans on the relationship with Ham and Crispin. Giving fans heart attacks shouldn't be an option. But other than that, it's an okay episode. Not Judy's proudest moment during the program but at least we got some backstory about the fallout. We got to see Kima’s family, so that’s nice. The subplot was decent enough as it is...even though Wolf, Honeybee, and Moon are pushed into the sidelines with only a few lines. Also noting Kima’s redesign in this episode. So it’s a low-end 6 out of 10 for “Bee’s All That Adventure”. Not the greatest episode but it’s not a bad episode as well. Now back to the lore dump for Bob’s Burgers to enter the second half.
Bob and the kids continue to go search for the gravesite, rather looking for Linda instead because she decided to venture out on her own as the sun is about to come down. And...let’s not kid ourselves, this shot looks fucking beautiful. The visuals for the sunset as Bob and the kids walk down through the cemetery looks incredible. Went out all out with the visuals and animation, even if it was for a single scene in the episode but it looks rather nice. A beautiful scene that pretty much wasted the show’s budget as Bob and the kids continue to make their way to find Linda as they continue to struggle to know where they’re going. And also Tina struggling to not get a wedgie. Though it looks like Bob and the kids...their trail is getting colder by the minute while at the other side with Linda, it looks like her trail is starting to get warmer as she arrives at the intersection. Nearing the location of where Lily is buried. Meaning that Linda might be the first to reach the grave before the others do. Meanwhile with the subplot back at the Belcher household...
Speaking of struggling, we have Teddy struggling to get the recipe down on how to make meatloaf after he accidentally ate the leftover meatloaf that Linda told him to not consume. Trying to read the direction on how to make a meatloaf but...yeah...him feeling the cold, raw meat in the bowl...I mean, pretty sure he's not that great of a cook. Especially when trying to fix the damage that he caused before the family arrives. Not a lot to say with the subplot other than Teddy wanting to get a clean slate before the family finds out about him eating the leftover meatloaf that was left in the fridge. Like dude...there's like other places. Online delivery is a thing. Do that. I'm sure not I'm not sponsored by DoorDash or Uber Eats but there's like other places in town. If that were the case, then we shouldn't even be in this mess.
The sun has finally set down with day now becomes night with Bob and the kids still lost inside the cemetery. Feeling exhausted from walking around throughout the day with the kids now upset that because the sun went down, unable to find Lily's grave, and now Linda being missing from the car, their day has been wasted from all of this walking around the graveyard. You could say that the whole snow tubing storyline would be nothing more than a waste of our time. And you could say you might be correct. But this is where the episode decides to throw a curveball with that storyline with the kids and snow tubing. Since they're up on the hill, they would have to come up to improvise to make sure that the day isn't a total loss. What I mean is if Bob can't take the kids to a snow tubing site, why not bring snow tubing here since they're up on the hill?
And they did. Louise, Gene, and Tina all sled down the hill, using their bodies as tubes, and they seem to have fun killing some time. Even Bob seems to be enjoying it just by spectating. You can even see him crack a smile when seeing his kids going up and down the hill after they thought they lost a day of going snow tubing but being thankful that it's not a total waster and kids getting their end of the bargain while taking a rest from walking around. So it was nice that this was getting paid off and not being sent to the sidelines and never to be touched. And seeing Bob's reaction to seeing his kids sledding down a snowy hill while looking for his mom's grave and Linda, you could say that it's somewhat sentimental to him as if you would imagine he had this experience before back when Lily was alive. I kind of wish there was a flashback or at least a vision of a young Bob and Lily standing where he is at. That would've made things interesting and also sentimental.
Speaking of sentimental and trying their best in the feels department, Linda became the first Belcher family member to reach the grave, clean the snow off of the grave, and finally reached Lily's grave. Waiting for the others to arrive, she decides to kill some time by talking with her mother-in-law whom she never met face to face. Because Lily died when Bob was young and referring to my review of the movie because Lily died when Bob was at a young age, she never got the chance of meeting her grandkids, meet the person her son is married to, or see the semi-success of running his own business. Linda got her time in talking to her mother-in-law at her grave. Telling Lily about who she is since this is the first time she comes face-to-face or face-to-grave, and telling Lily about what Bob was doing. Telling her that he’s doing alright. Proud of her for raising the perfect son. Telling her that he’s a good dad to his kids. A random out of nowhere sentence about putting the seat down but at least Linda find Lily’s grave and had a talk with her while confronting her fear of going into the cemetery.
Once the kids are finishing up tubing down the hill with their bodies, it wasn’t long until they hear Linda’s voice from where she is at. Yelling to them that she found the grave and that’s more than enough for Bob and the kids to stop on what they’re doing and follow the sound of Linda’s voice to get to where she is at with Lily’s grave and of course, it didn’t take long for them to finally arrive at the scene. The grave has been found and would say now would be the time for the Belchers, mostly Bob and the kids because Linda did her part to talk to Lily through her gravesite. And they would do that...except that it has to be interrupted by the sounds of a truck being driven by the groundskeeper. Noticing that the sun went down. It's already nighttime. The place is already closed for the night and if they were to be found, they would be kicked out. And the last thing the Belchers would want in the event they would get kicked out is, of course, a ban. Like you can't ban them from seeing a dead relative but the cemetery might do that. But they can if the Belchers need to think of something. Which they did by hiding behind the bush while trying not to get caught by the groundskeeper. And the coast became clear for the Belchers to come out of the bushes and now they can make their visit to Lily by the grave.
Now...the family got to pay their respects to Bob’s mom at their grave. Linda already did her part before alerting the rest of the family about her finding the plot. While it was sentimental with Bob saying "Hi, Mom" when facing the grave, and while it was nice because this was Bob's first time visiting his mom in two decades. Since possibly the fallout between him and his dad. And while it was nice but it was also short. And knowing that it's the final two minutes of the episode and most of the time was towards Bob and the kids struggling to find the grave and Linda being lost that resulted in her finding the grave, the amount of time that we had from the moment the Belchers made it to the gravesite to them ready to head out for the night. Linda already did her job in talking to Lily through her grave, but the fact that we didn't get Bob, Tina, Gene, and Louise's time with Lily. So if I were to play imagination, Bob, knowing that he hasn't paid a visit in the past 20 years, rekindles with his dead mom and gives her what he's been up to. Introducing her to the kids and Linda even though she already did that. Talking about the restaurant and how business is holding on his own. Would also bring up the notion that he and Big Bob had slowly been rekindling their relationship. Bob already knows that if Lily was around, then she would say that she's proud of what Bob is doing. Telling him how much she missed him. Wished she was there to see what's been going on in his life. All sorts of stuff are at Bob's end of the bargain when visiting the grave.
The same goes for the kids other than dropping off the cards that they made despite the no leaving gifts on the ground rule. They would do the same as Linda by introducing themselves while talking to their grandmother. Tina would tell her about her love for horses and all the other things. Telling her about her friend fiction and also some romance advice. Gene on his end of the bargain would tell him about some food but mostly on the music front. Probably thinking that if she were alive, then he would play a few notes on his keyboard and show off his musical skills to her. Hell, writing her a song would've been nice. And then we get to Louise...oh boy. I mean, out of the five members of the family members who I would think would have the most emotional leverage besides Bob would be Louise. Yes, we got her time in the limelight in the movie earlier this year but imagining her coming face-to-face with her grandmother, especially the reveal of the hat and that the hat is in memory of Lily because that is what Bob said to her. That she resembles his dead mother when wearing the hat. So it wouldn't be a surprise if Louise were to bring up the hat while talking to her at her grave. Talking about how the ears that she wore are in remembrance of her. Wishing that if she were around, she would've thought about a million things that they would do together. Telling her at the grave, "Hey, I know that it sucks that you're not here to see us what we're doing. I bet that you're probably doing that up there." Go with the Linda route with her talk to Lily and say, "You gave way to raise a hell of a father that we have. Kinda wish that I know you. This hat right here,” she points to the hat, “I heard from dad that you and I are alike. We like wearing hats. The hat I’m wearing is in memory of you and if you were here, I know that we would get along. You would’ve been one hell of a grandma.” Throw in a few tears and bam, there’s your moment that I would’ve gone with if the episode should’ve done a tad bit more with the visit.
Either that or it's the things I said but there would be no talking and only music is playing in the background. Ending that idea with them paying their respects. I guess pray even though we don't often see them in church but they would pray with Bob saying to his dead mom, "See you, mom. I wish you could've seen us doing what we're doing. We'll see you soon." The scene zooms out with them walking away and throwing in a force ghost of Lily seeing them walking away after paying their respects. Seeing her being happy, tears of joy, seeing how big her only son has become, being proud of what her son was doing with a family and his own business. End of scene, cuts over to them leaving the graveyard. That is what I would've gone with for this scene in the episode. An emotional gut punch but something has to be added to the episode. Someone has to fill in the gap in between the scene between the Belchers reaching the grave and them leaving the cemetery. And that’s my take on it. Really wished they should’ve done more with the visit. So, there’s that.
The Belchers make their way out of the graveyard after paying their respects to Lily and on their way to the car, only for them to be locked in because of the time they wasted in finding the grave and Linda throughout the cemetery that they didn't even notice that they were locked in during that time. But that's not going to stop the family from jumping over the gate one by one to skedaddle on out back home from their visit to the graveyard. Though it looks like Tina may have ripped her pants when trying to go over the gate. Relieved of her useless filler storyline if you want to call it that with Tina suffering from a wedgie with her wearing those tight pants that she outgrew but as the result, the back of her pants is ripped, exposing the backside of her person. Would say the ripped pants may have exposed her underwear but her shirt was tucked in when putting on the pants. C’est la vie I guess coming from Tina and her often series of misfortunes. And knowing that the next episode is a Christmas episode and later in January of 2023 with what is possibly going to be "Cheaty Cheaty Bang Bang" where it's going to be set in the winter...they'll find some bullshit that might not be explained about Tina and whether or not she'll be getting new winter pants.
And then we close out the episode with Teddy bringing out the meatloaf that he made for the family, and just in time too for the family to arrive back home from the cemetery. Thought that he could get out of dodge but...I guess Teddy might be going away Scott free after eating the leftover meatloaf to the point where he joins the family to have dinner with the food that Teddy made for them. Wish that the credits for the episode would've gone with the "Die Card or Card Trying" approach and have photos of Lily and little Bob and also Big Bob as the credits drag on. Especially because the song Lily Belle is playing in the background. Don't think that Belle would be Lily's middle name but with the song being used for the credits, I thought that we would show some photos of Lily or even a flashback of the dinner scene but exchange the Belchers and Teddy with Bob, Big Bob, and Lily sitting in the table. That also would’ve helped with the episode but regardless, after two, three...a lot of weeks of hell where the episodes are ranging between bad and average, especially after a disaster that was “Putts-giving” last week...I’ll take it.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers? Well, it’s been a long time saying this since the start of the season, but I really enjoyed this week’s episode. The hype was kinda there despite how the episode performed regarding the lore of the show when it comes to Bob’s mom. A moment that was hyped ever since Loren came out with the tweet a few weeks ago and even though the official Animation Domination page may have spoiled it and given the name away, I guess the spoiler didn't ruin the episode but kinda wish they should've done a little more with certain scenes. Primarily with the family at the gravesite.
At least the snow tubing plotline was paid off and not being sent to the sidelines with Bob improvising by creating their own snow tubing hill at the cemetery to kill some time with the kids using their bodies as snow tubes. Yeah, the subplot felt like filler with Teddy accidentally eating the meatloaf that was left in the fridge that he shouldn't even eat at all while fixing up the house. And the whole thing with Tina having a rough time wearing her tight pants to the point where her pants get ripped while going over the gate...again, filler. But has it ruined the episode for me? I don't think so. The visuals for that one scene in the episode with the sunset were top-notch. The snow tubing of course wasn’t a waste with Bob and the kids improvising. The lore. Anything really because after a few bad apples from the past episodes from this season so far, at least for once, we got ourselves a good episode. Didn't care about the subplot, but at least it's a good episode.
Kinda wish the episode would’ve done a little more with the scene with the family visiting Lily’s grave. I mean, I have that idea to fill in the gap. That would’ve at least helped with the episode. Kinda wish the credits would’ve gone with the “Die Card” approach and have photos of Lily or even the dinner scene but replace the Belchers and Teddy with a young Bob, Big Bob, and Lily at the table. But what else can you do? It's not a bad episode. Kinda wish they had done a little more with the scene with the family visiting the grave. Didn't care for the subplot with Teddy. The snow tubing plot line at least didn't turn into a waste thanks in part to Bob improvising with the kids using their bodies as snow tubes. So those are my final thoughts on this episode. So I'll give "Show Mama from the Grave"...
A 7 out of 10. The first episode this season was where it has gotten over the 6 rating range. Thank God! Yeah, the episode should've done more but after a few weeks of episodes where it's not at its best...I'll take it. I'll take it as long as we get some lore with Bob's mom. We got the name. We got some sentimental moments (should've done a little more) and that's more than enough for this episode to get a 7 out of 10 from me. But that's pretty much my opinion and I wanna hear yours in the comments down below. No new episode next week but we’ll be back on December 11 for the Christmas episode where Bob and Linda participate in The Flash challenge when trying to attend their kids’ performance for the holiday one location at a time in the tenth episode of Season 13 of Bob’s Burgers in “The Plight Before Christmas”.
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