Nearing the end of the hell hole that is 2025... what is even this year? Sure, a year that is pretty much giving 2020 a run for its money in the race for which is considered the worst year of the decade, from war to famine to pretty much everything else, especially in politics, this year has been something as if everything was going off-script and letting chaos run amok that carries a lot of consequences that comes with it. It might as well be treated as a roller coaster ride that you thought was going to be fun, but want to get off the moment it prepares to take off, only for the little lever that holds you down to prevent you from falling gets stuck. As for whether or not there will be a year-end countdown for 2025, that depends on the scheduling from FOX. Didn’t do one last year for 2024 because of doing the reviews for both The Great North and Bob’s Burgers, because they don’t want to air it in January for no freaking reason, and God forbid if this happens again to close out 2025 and go into 2026.
In this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers, Tina buys herself a tube top ahead of a movie screening she plans on going to, much to Linda’s dismay regarding her oldest daughter’s choice of wardrobe, as the rest of the Belchers and Teddy try to give a dead bird a proper burial in my spoilerific review of the seventh episode of Season 16 of Bob’s Burgers, titled “Tube for Tina”.
Once again, no Thanksgiving episode for this year for the show, as if we’re starting to phase out the holiday. Instead, we will discuss the choice of wardrobe and the somewhat controversial topic of body image. If you’re a parent, sure, this might be the way to talk about body image when it comes to your kid getting a wardrobe and the concerns that come with it. And the episode is pretty much that, though not in the more “Let’s sit down and have a serious talk” type of episode, straight out of any sitcom from the 1990s, when tackling life issues, as I was somewhat expecting when the synopsis came out a few weeks ago. Especially when finding out in private who the writer for the episode is going to be.
Kind of like the previous episode, it was any given Sunday with how things would play out, as this was one of the episodes that was brought up by Loren Bouchard a few weeks ago at New York Comic-Con. And sure, there are some, if not most, predictable outcomes with this episode regarding the tube top situation, or the subplot with the dead bird, but it’s quite an episode to go through from start to finish. And sure, it’s not as big a deal as with certain episodes of seasons past, especially in the later seasons post-movie, but we’re pretty much due for an important episode, even if it doesn’t as big as the previous ones from the past few seasons, but we're pretty much due for one. Or wait a little longer for one to come as the season progresses. So, we might as well get down to business with what this episode has in store regarding a controversial piece of fabric, this is “Tube for Tina”.
The episode starts, not at the restaurant, but at the store, as Tina and Linda go clothes shopping at the discount department store for Tina to wear to a movie screening, she plans on seeing later in the week with Susmita and a few randos from school. Which, thank God, they’re expanding the idea of the two girls, Tina and Susmita, becoming close friends since Susmita’s introduction in “UFO No You Didn’t”, which I like, and feels like we have somewhat come a long way since Season 9, especially after Season 12’s “FOMO You Didn’t” and last season with “Don’t Stop Be-Cheesin’”, because, let’s be honest, the girl need better friends. And even though Jimmy Jr and Zeke did better in the last episode, especially Zeke, after Tina misjudged him after finding out that he, like Tina, was a hopeless romantic, and even though Tammy and/or Jocelyn had their moments in not trying to be as bitchy towards her, I’m still banking on Susmita to be close friends, which they are, to preferably one day become best friends if the cast and crew cannot play freaking ostrich for development reasons. It’s times like these I missed The Great North because Tina and Susmita would at least probably be the equivalent of Judy and Kima. I’m just saying. And yes, that is the false hope starting to consume me.
But yeah, Tina and Linda, they’re clothes shopping for Tina to wear for a movie screening she plans on going to with Susmita and two other girls later in the week, turns out to be a concert film of Boyz4Now, pretty much the equivalent of the Taylor Swift Eras tour movie, and wants to dress for the occasion for the night later in the week. Not to mention, Linda has to bring up to remind Tina that she needs to donate her old clothes that same day, with the rest of the family doing their part. And it didn’t take long for Tina to find the outfit that she thinks suits her best as she spots a tiny tube top on display that happened to be her size. And oh, look at that, it happened to be the last one on display. Tina plans on trying it out before giving it the green light for her to take home. But it didn’t take long for Linda to have second thoughts on the matter. Especially once Tina comes out of the dressing room, going into the next scene.
We transition over to the restaurant, where the rest of the Belchers and Teddy are doing their own business, mainly the rest of the Belchers working around the place with Bob giving Teddy a coffee, rather a refill, as Louise and Gene wipe the menus, but that job gets interrupted by something that spooked them right outside the window as if it was going to crash into the place like it’s the Kool-Aid Man. Turns out, the living being that crashed into the window happened to be a bird with a really long tail called the long-tailed willowbird, which, to Bob, it’s rare to see this type of bird in this general area. The bird is in critical condition after that nasty bash, as if it got a concussion or probably broken bones, like how you would imagine or witness a car crash, and it now needs intensive care. The problem is that the rest of the Belchers and Teddy don’t know jack about nursing a badly injured bird, so they're going to need some help to nurse it back to health. Luckily for Teddy, he knows a guy who knows a thing or two about the wildlife and decides to call him up to help everyone on what to do. And if you think that the bird is going to have a second chance at life after the incident... yeah, might as well get ready for the upcoming funeral service.
Going back to the store at the fitting room section with Linda waiting for Tina to come out as she is putting on the tube top for her to try out. And already, we got mixed reactions from both sides, with Tina, of course, liking the tube top despite revealing too much skin, which makes it look like a bra at some point when looking at it. So, Tina is fine with rocking the tube top, even if it’s a trial run, since she needs to look good ahead of the screening later in the week. But it didn’t take long, right away, the moment Tina spotted the small fabric, that she was going to hate it. We get a reason for why, but that’s when we get to the second half of the episode. But, for now, she hates it, but doesn’t want to get on her daughter’s bad side because, knowing teenagers, if you’re a parent who once raised a teen or is currently raising one, the more you say no, the more your teen will disobey the call. At least Linda can sigh a sign of relief once Tina decides not to take home the tank top, only to end up finding out that going to the end of the first act for her to have second thoughts. And the subplot to the episode serves as the trigger to make the call.
Because you have the rest of the Belchers and Teddy having to take care of a badly injured bird, with Teddy on the call to the wildlife expert on what to do with the bird in question, while it was fighting for its life. Teddy hands the phone to Bob about the situation the moment the bird crashed into the window. Bringing up the type of species the bird is, it is revealed to be a long-tailed willowbird, which, of course, is rare to spot this type of bird around the area. The guy that Bob is talking to on the phone after Teddy handed him the phone wants to know what the status of the bird is while checking the camera on what just happened... five minutes into the episode, and the bird dies. The bird freaking dies. We had the bird for five minutes, and already, it got sent to the upper room to meet the big man upstairs. So, now, rather than finding ways to nurse it back to 100% health to get back on its feet, a funeral service is now a matter of discussion. Though throwing it away in the trash, as Bob suggested, is not the way you want to honor a fallen animal that you just met. Then again, you probably did the same when you had that bar of soap that you had to carve into a dog before Gene accidentally broke it.
Tina and Linda arrive back from the store after picking up clothing for Tina that isn’t a tube top that Tina was originally going to buy before having second thoughts. That, and also a new pair of underwear for the family, except for Teddy. Go tell him to buy his own. But yeah, Tina and Linda returned home from the store, right as the bird died from its injuries. And that moment alone is what serves as the trigger for Tina to say, “You know what? Fuck it. I’m getting the tube top. We’re going back to get the tube top, so I can get myself ready for the screening in style.” Because, according to her, the bird died young. And for Tina, she doesn’t want to waste the opportunity because life is too short and she doesn’t want to be the girl who dresses all dull ahead of a movie screening. She wants the spark. She wants to show off to the world what she has. She plans on going back to the store to get the tube top. And as much as Linda wants to say no and wants Tina to use her money on something different to spend on, like a beret brownstone, she is dead set on getting the tube top, whether Linda likes it or not. Because once again, the more you say no to your teenage child, the more they’ll disobey. It’s pretty much a difficult-to-win challenge when dealing with a teenage child if you’re a parent.
Onto the second act of the episode, and after Tina went back to purchase the tank top with her own money, she decides to break it in by wearing it to the dinner table for her family to see. Eating carefully so that the food doesn’t cause a spill since she just bought it and wants to keep it clean and fresh if she wants to wear it to the movie screening at the end of the week. Already, mixed reactions from the family. I mean, no surprise that Linda is against it ever since Tina spotted the item while at the store, as if she doesn’t want to upset her, but is also against the idea of getting the tube top, which we get an explanation later in the night, going into the next scene, for why this topic is bothering her. The rest of the family has mixed feelings about the new shirt that Tina is wearing, as if this is the direction she’s heading when planning on going to see the Boyz4Now concert movie. Surprising that Louise didn’t have to go because it does feature Boo Boo, and knowing her thing for Boo Boo, her liking a member of the band, but it was for the best because she doesn’t want to get exposed as a Boo Boo head or whatever the fuck you want to call Boo Boo fans are. That, and also having to be dolled up like what Tina is doing with the tube top.
And while that is happening, Teddy calls Bob regarding the situation of where to bury the dead bird and announces where they should bury it. His backyard. Teddy is suggesting his backyard to be the burial place for the dead bird because it’s the same place where he buried his dead guinea pig, Francis. Francis, if you remember, was the guinea pig that Teddy used to own, which only appeared once in “Full Bars” and died all of a sudden. Died by a combination of Bob sitting on him, Teddy spray-painting him to have a pairing costume, and also, old age because the rodent was 14 years old, which is 154 in guinea pig years. And Bob is not going to live this one down a few times in the episode like this one, with the notion that Bob was the one who killed Francis, even though Teddy is also to blame for having to apply spray paint on the animal. Which is harmful because of the chemicals, like she’s a lab rat. But yeah, Teddy’s backyard is the place to be for the funeral service for the dead bird, going into the next day.
Going into the next scene of the episode, we now know Linda’s reason for why she hates the idea of Tina buying herself a tube top, as both she and Bob prepare to head off to sleep for the night. And there are two main reasons why Linda had to disapprove of the idea of the tube top coming home with Tina’s own money. The first, being the main reason for Linda’s disapproval, is the issue of body image. Linda had that experience once she was Tina’s age, when she brought up that one summer in her past where all the girls were switching over from bathing suits to bikinis, and Linda, as much as she wanted to transition herself, just couldn’t do it because of her body image. Having to deal with hair around a portion of her body, mentioning a line from the navel to the “downtown area”, which is pretty much the closest way to say pubic hair. But it’s a body issue that Linda had to deal with, and it pretty much prevented her from making the transition to avoid the humiliation.
Think of her having armpit hair when she went through a rash in “Itty Bitty Ditty Committee” or her weight in “The Unbearable Like-Likeness of Gene... look, we can all agree that nobody is perfect. No one is freaking perfect when it comes to their bodies. Hell, you can make the argument with Tina about her leg hair and why she wanted to shave it just to avoid the humiliation, only to end up regretting the idea, just because we live in a society where being ugly isn’t all that it's cracked up to be. You say that it’s more of a woman's issue because that’s what most people think, but men, y’all are in that argument as well, over the body as well, when it comes to the topic. From the muffin top to trying to contain male pattern baldness. Sure, there’s treatment for the latter, but I’m pretty sure that’s how the body works. Y’all should’ve gone through that when going through puberty as a teenager. Countless bucks are being burned in the fire when being spent on products that were tested on animals.
There’s also a second reason why Linda is against the idea of Tina wearing a tank top. And it’s all pointing towards what her mother, Gloria, said to her (and probably Gayle as well) when it comes to fully revealing clothing that shows too much skin for the average person to wear. Pretty much Gloria telling Linda (and probably Gayle as well) to dress in what they have as what is acceptable to society. Feel like a typical middle-class conservative family in a nutshell. Which would’ve been easier to say, the two words that... let’s just say the first word starts with the letter S and it rhymes with the word “lot” before adding the word “shaming” to combine the two words in what is almost feels like what Gloria is implying when it comes to the choice of wardrobe that I cannot say but Linda did say that to Bob in the episode “Dr. Yap”, though that was 2012. That was a different time. Also would’ve said the other S word that rhymes with bank, which the latter does seem to be the way to go. But it does feel like what Gloria was going for when addressing the wardrobe situation for her daughters. Guessing because times were different back then, and I guess some still live in that mentality going into the present timeline, and with the mixture of the issue regarding body appearance, that, and also safety because there are some creeps out there, that Linda have to abide to what Gloria says leading up to this exact moment Tina purchased and plans on wearing the tube top later in the week. Thinking that it’s social suicide for her daughter, and that’s something she doesn’t want to deal with.
The next day arrives in the morning hours, with the family donning jackets as they prepare to make their way to the funeral service for the dead bird. By the way, Teddy did bring up to Bob with the phone call last night to not bring Mort to the service, even though Mort is a mortician, which is necessary for the funeral service, even if it’s at his backyard, which is an odd decision to make for a tiny funeral, but I guess just because Teddy is pretty much latched on to the Belchers so no one but him can be around. Still, you think you should at least bring a mortician to make the prep for the service, even if it’s at someone’s backyard and not at a... Well, I don’t know if the town or the neighboring towns surrounding it have a pet cemetery, to bury the dead bird and give it a proper burial once Bob pulls out the box with the bird’s corpse from the freezer for Gene to carry. But not before Linda brings up a reminder for the family to have their old clothes ready to ship off to the thrift store for donations, while, yes, still on edge over the idea of Tina having to wear her tube top at the end of the week.
The funeral service going into the next scene... is a service, alright, with the whole family attending the service as if it’s an actual service at Teddy’s backyard. Each Belcher gives an eulogy for a bird that they just met as if they knew the bird for a long ass time, even though the bird was only alive for five freaking minutes before biting the dust. The service wasn’t long since, even though the whole family was there, and probably had to give an eulogy, we only saw both Louise and Gene doing the eulogy since they, along with Bob and Teddy, witnessed the whole thing from the moment it happened. The service comes to a close once the burial is taking place, to give the bird a place to rest, for nature to do its job, to decompose into bones. And hopefully the internet doesn’t, God forbid, decide to “Kirkify” the bird.
Preparing to close out the first half of the episode with the Belchers back at the restaurant following the service, and as Tina prepares to get ready for the screening, with Linda on the verge of crashing out, as if she wants to try to stop her from putting the tube top on, even though, again, she would be facing a losing battle against her teenage daughter when trying to convince her to change her mind, it looks like the bird saga of the episode has yet to be wrapped up as we found out, once Bob takes up the phone call, that the dead long-tailed willowbird that crashed into its demise outside of the restaurant... turns out the bird had an owner. That was a pet bird that was a runaway who ran away from its owner and uh.. Oh boy, she may have missed her mark in trying to find the missing bird. And we're about to have ourselves one upset bird owner coming into the scene, going into the second half, and preparing to take home its corpse. So, not looking good at that front. And as if one problem isn’t enough for the Belchers after finding out that the dead bird they just buried had an owner who ran away to meet its demise...
Tina misplaced her tube top as the first half of the episode came to a close. That sucker is gone, and that put Tina in major panic. Because Tina was planning on putting it on ahead of her night at the movie screening. Wanting to look good once she gets there to meet up with Susmita and the others to watch the film, but now, that comes to a halt as the tiny piece of fabric decides to go missing as we enter the second half of the episode. And when watching it the first time, it was pretty much unanimous that Linda was the perpetrator behind it because of her hatred towards the idea of Tina revealing too much skin to the world, the moment she spotted the tube top at the start of the episode. Well, that was before the misunderstanding when it comes to the status of the missing piece at the end of the third act.
Onto the second half of the episode, with the announcement that the tube top is nowhere to be found, Tina wastes no time frantically searching for the missing fabric if she wants to get ready for tonight at the movie theater. This is pretty much the entirety of the third act of the episode, with Tina searching around the house, especially in her room, searching for the tube top, with Linda, of course, staying put as if she’s waiting for the moment for Tina to give up and wear something else. Something less revealing that won’t ruin her social reputation, as if she thinks that there’s something wrong with Tina’s body. So, Linda is staying put for Tina to hoping to change her mind, as Bob, Louise, and Gene, going into the next scene, plan on doing some grave digging.
Which is exactly what is taking place going into the next scene, back at Teddy’s backyard, with the bird’s owner, named Phyllis, voiced by Merrin Dungey, already feeling guilty over what happened that led to the bird running away that ultimately lead to the bird’s demise the moment it crashed into the window of the restaurant at the start of the episode. The bird happened to be named Zeus and already, and Phyllis already showed regret when recounting the moment that led to Zeus running away. By the way, turns out the bird is a pin-tailed whydah, not a long-tailed willowbird, but Phyllis is already showing signs of regret that led to the bird’s demise because they had altercations most of the time, which doesn’t feel like a proud pet owner if you ask me. And Teddy knows a thing or two about losing a pet since losing Francis. Loved that rodent to death before accidentally spraying him to death to be par with the costume, mixing in with Bob accidentally sitting on him, and the guinea pig being old. But Teddy knows where Phyllis is coming from when it comes to losing a pet. Though, pretty sure Teddy has no problems with Francis in comparison to Phyllis with Zeus. But other than that, they don’t know where they buried Zeus. Make you wish a headstone was implemented ahead of the burial to know where the animal would be underground.
Checking back on Tina and Linda, with Tina continuing to search around her room. Tearing the place apart while looking for the missing tube top. Asking Linda to help out rather than standing around while playing the waiting game for Tina to stand down on her decision to wear the fabric for the screening. And it didn’t take long for Tina to put two and two together and accuse Linda of hiding the tube top, as if she already knew right away that Linda hates the idea of her (Tina) getting the tube top without any explanation to her for why she’s against buying it. I mean, we all saw it when looking at her face the moment Tina spotted the tube top while going clothes shopping. And Tina, on the way home, can’t read what Linda is trying to say, but she can tell that she might be against it. Once again, it’s pretty much a losing battle when arguing against a teenager like Tina. Tina puts Linda on blast as she leaves her room, and now decides to trash the house after accusing her of hiding the tube top in retaliation for the purchase, starting with the trash can as if Linda threw away the fabric. Unsanitary for the most part when searching for the missing fabric.
Going back to the subplot, as the excavation continues to find Zeus’s corpse for Phyllis to take home and so far, no luck in finding Zeus. But instead, found a box that holds Francis... 's remains. They found Francis, not Zeus. And I’m guessing this is also Louise and Gene’s first time seeing Francis for the first time, though as a corpse, but no luck finding Zeus. But that doesn’t stop Teddy from telling what happened to the guinea pig. Pitting the blame on Bob for accidentally sitting on him, which caused the rodent to die, as if Bob is never going to live this one down. Even though Bob is partially to blame. Teddy, you’re at fault as well in taking the shared blame for spray painting the rodent just to be on par with your costume for the party. Not to mention, the guinea pig was as old as bricks at 14 years old, which is 154 years old in guinea pig years. Was this close to having to retell the events of “Full Bars” with what happened to Francis to Phyllis, even though all of that had to be off-screen as we transition back to Tina and Linda going into the next scene. If you want to get the full story on that, go watch “Full Bars”. Quite the callback it was with this episode.
Speaking of Tina and Linda, transitioning back to the main plot, with Tina going dumpster diving as she continues to frantically search for her tube top. All while being mad at Linda and accusing her of taking the fabric without giving her any explanation for why she is against it, to her face. So, Linda decides to tell Tina her reason for why she is against having her daughter wear a revealing piece of fabric while Tina continues to dig through the dumpster. She told Bob about it earlier in the episode, so it’s only fitting for her to tell her daughter the truth about her reason for not wanting to take the fabric home despite staying silent throughout the whole thing.
Two reasons to be exact, the first, of course, is body image. Tina is no stranger to the topic of the body and some of the issues that come with it, as she is a teenager who is undergoing puberty. The leg hair that she had to remove via wax, the constant armpit sweat, mainly when she gets nervous, and once she noticed a pimple on her butt. But even if she were usually conscious about her body image, like a normal teenager would do, or at least how the media portrays it, she knows what she is doing. And having to wear the tube top ahead of the screening, even if she would have to reveal a lot of her upper body with some baby fat there, as if you think she has a muffin top. Just let her be as she is. We are human after all.
Then, of course, the second reason Linda is against the tube top idea is, of course, what her mother, Gloria, said, with Linda struggling to find the word that won’t fly in 2025 going into 2026. “Skank.” The word is “skank” that Linda was trying to say while trying to keep herself together in front of Tina, as if she didn’t want to offend Tina. But Tina knows what Linda was going to say, feeling offended by what her mother, whom she picked up from her grandmother, because of the outfit that was going to wear. And she does feel a tad offended by what Linda is trying to say to Tina when stating her opposition. Does feel a bit hurt saying that. Even if she’s only doing this because people are going to judge and that could cause some problems. And that is the last thing that Linda wants to deal with if something goes wrong if Tina were to go ahead with the tube top.
Though quite an imagination coming from Tina when stating Linda’s when accusing her of the missing tube top, as if she has nefarious ideas on getting rid of the fabric that would force Tina to find a less revealing outfit for the screening. Treating her like she’s the Wicked Witch of the East. Coming up with various ways to get rid of the tube top, from running it over, to using a fucking flamethrower that came out of fucking nowhere, to an aquarium tank filled with piranhas. Seems excessive and out of reach, but Linda would do anything to get rid of the fabric, just not in a way where she would go as far as destroying the fabric that Tina purchased, which would be a total waste of money if you think about it. A huge waste of money. But it looks like Linda might be in the clear on this one, as it was revealed by Linda that Louise may have something to do with it because it was in preparation for the donation that the Belchers are planning on doing once the funeral service for Zeus is over.
And that’s where Tina got her dumbass moment of the episode, because the clothes donation was just brought up. Because the flashback to close out the third act of the episode shows Tina, right before leaving for the service at Teddy’s backyard, where she picked up her old clothes, and made her way out. Not noticing until just now in the present timeline, finds out the tube top has fallen into the donation pile and is now on its way to the thrift shop. Yeah, not so great in blaming your mother for the missing tube top, huh, Tina? Not so freaking great at making a false accusation, aside from not reading the signs about Linda’s disapproval of wearing a revealing outfit like a tube top.
Now going into the fourth and final act of the episode, it’s a race to retrieve the tube top from the thrift store, and hoping that no one buys it. Pretty much shades of when Bob accidentally left Gene’s handheld Purrbo device at the bread delivery truck in “A-Sprout a Boy”. Hoping for nothing bad to happen to the item in question, that might as well be the case going into the next scene. Yes, might as well compare a fabric that reveals too much skin to a Tamagotchi knock-off. God forbid if the same thing were to happen to Louise in the distant future. At least we have our Linda road-rage moment, as she and Tina are on a hurry-up schedule, as she tells Tina after that little encounter not to follow what she does if she plans on taking up driving in the not-too-distant future. Though, pretty sure Tina isn’t the type who would take up road rage from Linda. That seems like a Louise thing to do.
And it looks like Tina and Linda aren’t the only ones who are having problems of their own going into the fourth act of the episode. Because the rest of the Belchers and Teddy are having trouble locating where they buried Zeus as they continue to tear through the backyard like it’s one of those games where you have to mine the squares to find a prize. And I’m not talking about Minesweeper, and no, it’s not Minecraft. If you know, you know what I’m talking about. But it is pretty much like that when trying to find the spot where they buried Zeus, but each time they thought they found the dead bird, nothing. Just random dead pets from years past buried like it’s an unauthorized pet cemetery. God forbid if Kathleen were to know about all of this in the event she does plan on moving in with Teddy. Hopefully, there’s an understanding of all of this. And if they do get serious with the relationship and have to move to a bigger place, don’t know where moving Francis’s box would be the topic of conversation because that would be considered disturbing the resting place and could lead to a potential haunting. But yeah, no luck finding the spot where Zeus is buried.
The same goes for Tina and Linda, going into the next scene, back to the main plot, as they leave the thrift store. Nowhere to be found. A huge waste of money, sure, but Tina was hoping to wear it ahead of the screening. Nowhere to be found within the store. Upsetting her because she was excited about wearing it before this situation took place, ahead of the screening. The fabric that she had to spend her money on was for her to buy for said screening instead of buying something for her berets that were mentioned earlier in the episode. So, it looks like her plans might as well be ruined because of what happened... or maybe not, because it looks like Tina and Linda did spot the tube top after all, because they spot Edith with the fabric as she waits for the bus to pick her up. Of course, Edith isn’t going to give up the tube top that easily, as she plans on wearing it for an event she plans on going to. Yes, I said wearing it, not as an art supply. Don’t want to imagine Edith wearing a tube top, especially THAT tube top, but we did see Edith naked once in Season 5. Yeah, that image is going to be drilled into your minds for a bit, so good luck sleeping tonight while having to imagine that.
Back to the subplot of the episode, as we are nearing the two-minute warning, and after a long, wide search across Teddy’s backyard for where they buried Zeus, it looks like they have finally found the jackpot. Phyllis spots the area where Zeus was buried when she notices that freshly covered dirt right as she was lying down after throwing in the towel. Digging the dirt with her bare hands before being handed the gardening tool by Louise to finally pull the box out of the ground that contains her dead bird, finally reunited since the altercation that led to the bird’s demise. Though uh... yeah, nothing weird about what is going on with Phyllis talking to the bird as if she knows the bird language when trying to make amends, but whatever, I guess. That, of course, got interrupted by Teddy’s downstairs neighbor, Mr. Zibinsky, who heard the commotion out back where Teddy and the others were standing. Teddy attempts to clear things up without getting into trouble, following the various spots in the backyard being dug up in search of the dead bird. So, as long as there aren’t any problems with the neighbors, then we should be good.
Entering the two-minute warning of the episode, it’s a standoff between the Belcher girls and Edith over who gets possession of the tube top that Tina accidentally threw into the donation pile. And once again, the conversation for why Linda is against the idea of Tina wearing a tube top, or rather, since we’re now less than two minutes in the episode, starting to reverse her position because she just wants what’s best for Tina without having this becoming social suicide over her body image just because of what Gloria said to her that is drilled into her head for when she has kids. Which, you know, you kind of fucked up that even someone who is as old and bitter as Edith would say to not feel shame for not showing off because of what people might think. Especially with her saying that Linda felt some shame for hiding her body just for having some hair that connects from her navel to her crotch.
But, Linda ends up apologizing to Tina for apparent body shaming, even though it’s not; it’s more of picking up what her mother, Gloria, said to her in the past, in the event something like this would happen. Apologizing to Tina for being against the idea of bringing home the tube top. She just wanted what’s best for her without having to deal with any shame from what the public would think about her appearance. Something that Linda doesn't want to deal with is if something like that happens. It’s not skank shaming that Linda was going for when it comes to Tina and her decision to purchase and wearing the tube top, it’s because throughout the episode, it’s her being concerned of what people would think if Tina were to wear the tube top in public ahead of the movie screening, but now, Linda ends up reversing her position and allow Tina to wear it because who cares what the public thinks regarding their body image. Mainly from people who have blue checkmarks next to their names and Discord mods. That’s more than enough for Edith to hand the tube top back to Tina, but with an offering. Originally, it was $750 and an escort ride to Ohio, where a crafts festival is being held; no way Linda has that much money to give her. And we’re talking about the same person who lent Gayle a portion that would burn the family’s wallet. So, $43 and a packet of mints would do the trick.
This leads us to the final scene of the episode, on the night of the movie screening, with Linda dropping Tina off at the movie theater as she is planning on meeting with Susmita and two other girls, who are also dolled up for the screening, as they await for Tina to arrive, as the four decided to cosplay as the Spice Girls for a Boyz4Now movie that has a run time of 4 hours. I can see why Louise doesn’t want to tag along, as well as not wanting to be exposed and having to be dolled up, but 4 hours to deal with all of this, that is pretty much a jab at the Taylor Swift Eras tour movie. So, Tina leaves the car, but not before Linda gives some word of advice to her daughter, as she meets up with Susmita and a few randos before ending the episode. Though Linda thought for a moment that Tina had a brief nip slip like she’s Janet Jackson in the Super Bowl, that didn’t happen. Thank God for Linda to having to worry about that once she leaves Tina to be with the others as the episode comes to a close.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So, all and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers? This was an alright episode. A fine episode to be exact, as it was trying to be a serious episode since we’re pretty much due for one, and the topic of body image regarding the tube top that Tina purchased would be the center of conversation. While it’s not as I guess a bit of a tear-jerker like with the past few times, where we had a serious episode in the post-movie era of the show, let alone in the show’s history in general, so I guess you could call it a sneak, even though it was seen a mile away the moment Tina spotted the fabric and Linda’s reaction that comes with it.
The callbacks were something in this episode in both plots. We have our Francis mention and the callbacks to “Full Bars” to how the guinea pig died, with Bob being fully blamed for Francis’s death, even though Teddy is also to blame for spray painting the rodent, and also the fact that the guinea pig is very old at 14 years old, which is 154 in guinea pig years. Pretty much went over its life expectancy. Not to mention Linda’s road rage at the start of the fourth act when attempting to retrieve the tube top that was accidentally thrown into the donation pile. And also, if you squint at the start of the third act of the episode with Tina frantically looking for the tube top, you can see her clip-clop shirt that she bought at the start of Part 1 of the Some Like It Bot two-parter.
But other than that, it’s an alright episode, while not that great because it was predictable for the most part. Especially when finding out that we would have a serious episode, though not as serious as to the point where there will be some tear-jerking moments, mostly because of who is taking over control of the episode in the writing department. Especially when it comes to the topic of body image and the constant fear of body shaming. And I guess dealing with the loss of a pet with the subplot, even though it was a wild bird at first, before finding out, whoops, that bird had an owner. That ultimately led to the callbacks we have with Francis back in Season 3. So, I’ll give “Tube for Tina”...
A 7 out of 10. But that’s my opinion, and I want to hear yours in the comments below. No new episode once again on November 30, this upcoming Sunday, so tune in on December 7, and it’s a Gene episode... great. This isn’t me shitting on Gene, it’s just Gene episodes these days aren’t that great. And the upcoming one in a couple of weeks... It’s any given Sunday, but once again, they aren’t that great nowadays. So, anything goes with the upcoming episode. And we have Courtney returning as they get into a disagreement when having to take care of a lizard in the eighth episode of Season 16, titled “Les Lizárdables”.
Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, BlueSky, and Threads for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff. There was no match this week because the third-place match had come and gone. One match to go, and it’s the Final Round between Rin Okumura (Blue Exorcist) and Moon Tobin (The Great North), set for November 30 and closing on the night of December 12. And y’all should know the drill by now...
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