It’s the week of Thanksgiving here in the United States before we transition to either cupcakes and deregulation if you’re a right-winger or a dystopian nightmare as if we’re about to enter the hidden level of Hell that you never imagined existed if you’re a left-winger once we get into 2025. But it’s the week of Thanksgiving and yes, for the second straight year, we got no Thanksgiving episode for Bob’s Burgers. Thanksgiving for the show is pretty much the bread and butter because holidays like Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day (with Easter and St. Patrick’s Day as a one-time thing and Mother’s Day a few times) where we got a lot of episodes from the show that it became a tradition, and yes, Season 14 not having a Halloween episode is still criminal to this day, and Thanksgiving is that tradition if you’re a Bob’s Burgers fan. Instead, we got a normal episode on Thanksgiving week. And hopefully, once we get to Season 16, that get resolved, though that all depends on what the network has to say.
On this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers, Bob and Louise take up boogie boarding for a father-daughter boogie boarding competition but Bob’s fear stands in the way for him when having to spend time with his youngest daughter as Linda attempts to lighten the mood when getting Teddy to celebrate his birthday in my spoilerific review of the seventh episode of Season 15 of Bob’s Burgers, titled “Boogie Days”.
Never gone boogie boarding in all my life. Yeah, I had to put it out there. I guess the reason is because I used to live in an inland area and yes, being away from the coast in a three-hour distance between Atlanta and Savannah, that’s considered inland and never gone boogie boarding growing up. Even though I probably should’ve done it at any of the lakes but that would require a boat to be attached and trying not to fall overboard as if you’re riding a mechanical bull. Regardless of the lake whether it’s Oconee or hell, Lanier and Lake Lanier is a no-go place for anyone who grew up in the Atlanta area. And for historical context for why the lake is considered haunted... racism. It’s racism because the lake used to be a town and the people who lived there were forcefully driven out. Research it.
Going back to the boogie-boarding topic at hand, it’s the name of the game for this week’s episode and it’s a Bob and Louise episode to have this played out. Nothing wrong with an episode featuring the two and when it comes to episodes that have one parent and one kid in the family, Bob and Louise episodes are pretty much the best ones out of the bunch. And having them together with boogie boarding being the pick for this episode seems like an interesting concept when the synopsis came out a few weeks ago and the hype did somewhat conjure when the script cover was released this past Summer. And sure, we didn’t get a Thanksgiving episode this year on the week of the holiday, but it’s an alright episode when having to watch it the night it came out. Nothing wrong with a Bob and Louise episode and we are here for it.
Other than that, it’s an alright episode, and knowing that I know nothing about boogie boarding, it’s gonna be a long review... for myself who know nothing about the basics of boogie boarding other than wanting to compare it to surfing and not make myself sound like a dumbass. So, might as well at least try to break the mold when doing the review, and oh yeah, we got a subplot for the episode... birthdays, amirite? Especially when the universe decided to make you have other plans on the anniversary of clicking the subscribe button on a subscription called Life. I Might as well break this sucker down piece by piece and again, might as well be somewhat of a long review for myself because I know nothing about boogie boarding nor ever tried it out for myself, this is “Boogie Days”.
The episode, as usual, starts with the family at the breakfast table and eating their French toast as they’re preparing for their day, or from the episode's standpoint, getting things ready for their respective plots. And we do that with the main plot of the episode already taking shape with Louise feeling some excitement in the air regarding an upcoming event that will be taking place at the beach by the Wharf. That being the father-daughter boogie boarding competition that Louise took the flyer from the community center and shoved it to Bob’s face in an attempt for him to join her for the event... rather, getting him to change his mind to join her the next weekend. Not this weekend but the following weekend. You’d think that Louise only nabs the flyer from the community center board and shows it to Bob because she wants to feel the thrill and adrenaline of going into the water and riding the waves while having to hold on to the board as if you’re riding a mechanical bull, while that might be the case for her because she is young, it’s the cash prize that caught her attention. The winner gets $100 as the prize and even though that doesn’t seem like a lot when it comes to the prize, just be thankful that it’s not a gift card with that amount to Amazon or whatever place that is linked for use like a sporting goods store, but hey, a prize is a prize and that Louise is aiming for and needs Bob to be her boogie boarding partner since it is for fathers and daughters. There’s one little issue when it comes to convincing Bob...
The Vietnam War flashbacks come striking in as Louise attempts Bob to join her in boogie boarding. And according to Louise when attempting to get her father to join her, Bob used to be good at boogie boarding and that’s not her saying it, she picked it up from Linda who got it firsthand back in the day but then, he just stops. So what happened? Why the sudden change? We got a brief glimpse of what happened, about a few seconds... two, maybe three seconds in a blink and you’ll miss moment with what appears to be a young Bob holding his breath underwater as it appears to be him going overboard. Meaning that a mishap happened that caused him to have a change of thought when having to participate in the activity. And that gets extended as the episode progresses, mostly in the first half of the episode, and we’ll get a full explanation once we get to the end of the second act before going into halftime. But for now, it looks like Bob can’t get out of this one and it looks like he has no choice but to suck it up and joins his daughter to participate once the following weekend arrives. I mean, that is a lot of time for Bob to think about this or at least try to overcome what is holding him down when it comes to boogie boarding... but the writers would rather have that once we get to the end than doing it off-camera.
We go over to the restaurant later in the day at the restaurant and it looks like it’s not just Bob and Louise who have to get ready for a special day that is circled on their calendar because it looks like someone else is having his special day coming up. We’re talking about Teddy, whose birthday is coming up once Linda brought it up when pouring him a cup of coffee. And much like Linda back in Season 5’s “Eat, Spray, Linda”... Teddy and birthdays don’t seem to see eye to eye. But it’s not in the way of how Linda went through with Teddy when it comes to having terrible birthdays where she was thrown shit after shit from being locked out of the car to having to smell like shit after being sprayed by skunks, it’s more of the line of whenever it’s Teddy’s big day, hoping to at least try to celebrate his continuation on his life subscription, the universe decides to have other plans for him to focus on that instead of his birthday as if he’s treating it like a regular day. Going into the year before the last time it was Teddy’s birthday and he had to attend a dentist’s appointment for a root canal, noticed his tires having low pressure, and needed to go to the store to pick up a coffee filter and toilet paper. Yeah, his birthday celebration is sad. Talk about a mood-buster. It’s sad really. It’s fucking sad coming from him and it’s gotten to the point where Linda scolded him and say that he needs to live things up the following year, which is this year, to make sure he gets a memorable and joyous birthday or else, Linda will have to butt in and do it herself. Talk about a threat to make sure Teddy’s birthday as an adult doesn’t become a kid’s birthday where no one but the birthday kid is in attendance.
But that was last year. Going into this year, Linda hopes that this time will be different. No last-minute changes when it comes to planning. No issues whatsoever to make sure Teddy will get a good birthday. Linda suggested that maybe he should celebrate his special day with Kathleen since they’re together. You know, a nice little night out together. The only problem is that Kathleen isn’t here right now because according to Teddy, she’s at a family reunion in Ireland in an Irish town called Dingle. And yes, that is an actual town. Google it. Though you think that Kathleen should’ve brought Teddy with her to meet the family since they are a couple. I know that it feels as if they’re taking things seriously to the point where the partner has to meet the person’s family and hope to get their approval by making a good impression, but I feel like that should’ve happened. That would’ve been the perfect subplot or episode overall. But no Kathleen, no problem because Linda decides to host his party at the restaurant and wants to treat it like a kid’s birthday party with games and cupcakes, though you’d think you can just throw in free beers and make it look like a grown-up party. Well, drop the games portion and just have a party instead and that should be enough to get the green light for Teddy’s birthday party. And hopefully, nothing can go wrong to derail the event...
Only for the following weekend to arrive, the day Bob and Louise are heading out to the beach to participate in the boogie boarding event, and it looks like the birthday party is a no-go. The universe decides to give Teddy a last-minute adjustment leading up to his special day. We know that last year, it was because he got to attend a root canal, had to deal with low tire pressure, and bought more coffee filters and toilet paper that led to Linda telling Teddy to live things up. So what’s the reason this time around for Teddy to forget about his birthday? He has to go and attend a funeral. He’s going to the funeral of one of the owners, named Vernon, who owns, scratch that, who used to own a store that sold the contractors jackhammers and other tools at Mort’s place because Vernon got sent packing after suffering a heart attack. And now, it looks like celebrating Teddy’s birthday on the same day as the funeral service is now considered, at least for a day, would be offensive from a moral and emotional standpoint. And Teddy only said that because he remembers his dad died while attending a funeral service, adding more salt to the wound for him. Especially on what was supposed to be his birthday. At least we know what happened to Teddy’s father and find that he had a father since we only see his mom, or at least the backside or the full thing but not a full-on face reveal.
The phone call ends and just in time for Bob and Louise to head out for the day to the beach so they can prepare themselves to get on a boogie board. And Linda has had this shit planned out since last week. She was hoping for this year to finally be the year that Teddy gets a good birthday. No games at his request but has the birthday cupcakes waiting in the wings and now, with a last-minute change of plans, things are crumbling. They are crumbling because the cupcakes that Linda got are special because it’s not from any random bakery across town or at a grocery store where the bakery section is. It’s from Devondorf’s. And if you remember that name or like me, caught off guard when remembering the name when watching the episode...
That’s the bakery that Linda was banned from in Season 5’s “Eat, Spray, Linda”. I didn’t even notice until listening to the live stream, the From North to Wharf live stream, on YouTube while working on this. And I was caught off-guard when finding out that the name of the bakery that Linda got the cupcakes from is the same place that she was, or I guess currently banned. And this makes you question, how the fuck did Linda even get her hands on the cupcakes? It’s not like Linda herself would come in without being noticed and being kicked out because of her banishment. So someone had to step up to get the cupcakes without noticing that it was Linda’s behest. Maybe it’s Gayle. Maybe it’s someone else who had to get the dessert from the bakery. Especially with her being banned from the place to have Teddy’s party at the restaurant or what would’ve been the birthday party, so uh... talk about a waste of money. Getting to the point where you can’t do anything with the cupcakes... unless you’re Gene who already has his eyes set. Bob and Louise prepare to head out, putting on the last-minute preparations like sunscreen and putting on their swimsuits, getting their towels, and uh... yeah, they’re off to the beach, and if you’re Bob when having to go to the beach, especially when ending the first act of the episode and going into the second...
This is the face of a man who hasn’t been boogie-boarding for a long ass time since the incident and is now, ready to come face-to-face with the ocean that nearly had a moment. Once again, Bob can’t back out from this. He promised Louise to be with her to participate in the competition to get their hands at $100. That, and free shirts, but it’s mostly the cash money, and now, he can’t back away. He has to face his fear. And if there’s any day, any moment where he has to chew that fear in the ass, it’s now. Especially with the water at the beach going into high tide at the moment. I mean, this isn’t like with... well, the only other character think of who had a fear of the ocean would be Finn from Adventure Time, and spoilers from an episode that came out ten years ago, he conquered that bitch and all it took was going through a bucket list from his dead idol. Not saying that we have to wait for five seasons for Bob to conquer it, Bob’s Burgers isn’t a serialized series and this might as well be a random pick out of the hat. Regardless, it’s gonna be a long day for Bob once we get to the second act of the episode where the warm-up of the competition takes shape.
Entering the second act of the episode and you have two people with opposite reactions to the day as the competition is taking place. At one side of the aisle, you have Louise feeling excited and pumped to get on a boogie board because she wants to win this bitch and feeling the adrenaline though again, it’s the money that is the prize in question that she wants and not fearing any danger at all once she’s at the tent where the boards are at for her to take.
And then you have Bob, who is, of course, concerned for whatever result is going to hold for either him or Louise as the day progresses. Especially when looking at the ocean and the tide cycle it was in when entering the area. He talks to the lifeguard and yes, that is the same lifeguard from the swimming facility in Season 2’s “Synchronized Swimming”, about the waves of the ocean as part of his fears because he doesn’t want history to repeat itself whether it’s him or Louise once they enter the water. Talking about the tides because he’s worried that one wave, just one wave, would turn this fun day into a nightmare that could change everything. Of course, the lifeguard reassures Bob that the ocean is in perfect condition to host the event despite being in high tide, so there are no problems as long as you don’t do anything stupid like losing your footing. Just be thankful that it’s not a rip current event because if there is one, the event would’ve been postponed to a later date when the ocean conditions are good for use.
Louise continues to find a boogie board for her to use to pass the time when she comes across Courtney, who is also participating in the father-daughter boogie boarding competition, as she gets her boogie board. And with her here and having to compete, and knowing that this is a father-daughter competition, of course, her father Doug tags along for her to be a team to go up against everyone, including Bob and Louise. And speaking of Doug...
Yeah, him in a speedo... pretty sure it’s one of those moments on the show where you need to start thinking about injecting bleach into the retinas. With Courtney here means that Doug is with her for the event and look at the face of that judge. Look at him when Doug was attempting to give him an idea pitch for a jingle for the company that is sponsoring the event for the day. It’s like he doesn’t want to be around here or at least needs Doug to not bother him so he can do his job announcing the competition. Thinking as if the shirt company really needs a jingle to promote their business. But yeah, Doug is here and the same goes for Courtney and if you think that they’ll have a prominent role like a rival team to Bob and Louise as if we’re going to expect a close contest between the two families... yeah, this isn’t the episode to have that. Especially once we go back to Louise and Courtney with Courtney getting her board just as Bob joins Louise to find their respective boards for the event and preparing to do some last-minute training... that they wish they should’ve done during the week leading up to the event but here we are. Like studying for a test on the bus on the day of the said test.
We go back to the restaurant for a short moment with Linda, Tina, and Gene unpacking the shipment of supplies for the restaurant with Linda is upset over Teddy having to miss his birthday once again because of a change of plans that derails his special day that she planned out. Not Teddy’s fault that whenever his birthday is near or on the day of that the universe has other plans for the guy and treats it like it’s a normal day. Of course, knowing Linda and knowing that we are still early in the episode, about 7-8 minutes in since we’re in the midst of the second act, yeah, thought we would probably escape from it for once going into the new season but here we go again. Linda is about to overboard and she’ll make sure that Teddy will have a memorable and joyous birthday... without having to learn how to pick the right time. Especially when waiting for Teddy to arrive from the funeral service... after the goddamn funeral.
Checking back at Bob and Louise now at the ocean just a foot from the shore in the middle of practice boarding since already done that while we were busy with Linda moping over her plans to have Teddy a memorable birthday dashed. And you can already tell that Bob is stalling for a bit. Motherfucker here is stalling as if he’s waiting for the tide to simmer down a bit for him and Louise to ride with their boards to avoid history repeating itself. Telling Louise some bullshit while waiting for the tide to not be high as if he knows when is the right time for them to make a move by calculating the time and wave height like he’s a scientist working for NOAA. And he does that by creating a made-up story about author Mark Twain and how he boarded through the Mississippi River because I’m sure that’s how people pass the time during the late 1800s but the conversation is pretty much Bob stalling for time for the waves to not be high enough for them to surf, but that’s not going to stop Louise from continuing their practice boarding ahead of the competition, high tide or not. To the point where Bob’s traumatic flashback is now getting extended into a few seconds more as the second act progresses. To the point where it makes you guess which of the two, either Bob or Louise, will have a mishap like what happened years ago. Either Bob and relive the situation or Louise and the moment get passed on to his kids. And we’ll have that answer later in the episode.
Going back to the restaurant and now, the funeral services have wrapped up, and here comes Teddy along with the other contractors entering the restaurant and yeah, Gene has to continue to wait to get his hands on the cupcakes and it’s gonna be like that for the rest of the episode as if he’s about to partake in the Trix Rabbit challenge. Teddy comes in with two other handymen and a handywoman after having a funeral service next door at Mort’s place. We know Glenn (voiced by James Adomain), we all remember Glenn, from Season 9’s “Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street”, as the rival handyman for Teddy in that episode over whose Halloween decoration is better at the businesses they are contracted to work leading up to Halloween night. We also get two new characters who happened to be contractors who attended the funeral, a handywoman named Joyce (voiced by Brooke Dillman) and Lou (voiced by Faruq Tauheed).
Linda gives the four a couple of beers and that’s more than enough for her to host a secret meeting with Tina and Gene inside the kitchen and thinks it’s a good idea to get the cupcakes out and lift the mood from sad and gloomy from the service to happy and joyous because it’s still Teddy’s birthday. Which might not be a good idea to do that during an hour of mourning. Hell, Tina thinks it’s a bad idea but knowing Linda, that’s not going to stop her from going overboard, especially when picking the wrong time to change the conversation. Even if, yes, picking the wrong place at the wrong time to change the conversation from mourning over Vernon’s death to lifting the mood for Teddy’s birthday.
Going back to the main plot of the episode as we prepare to close out the first half of the episode with Bob and Louise continuing to practice run for the competition and knowing that we are nearing the end of the first half, and especially when going through a few rough waves that nearly knocked them overboard with some did but nothing too serious, it’s now time to explain Bob’s fear and how he stopped boogie boarding to the point where he was hesitant to join his youngest daughter in boogie boarding from the moment Louise showed Bob the flyer leading up to the day of the competition. It has been flashed in our eyes for a brief second and gets extended as the first half of the episode progresses and now seems to be a good time to reveal what led to Bob becoming hesitant to give the activity another go after leaving it to rot for many years.
And the few seconds of a young Bob, young adult Bob I mean, of him being underwater and holding his breath... yeah, he went overboard one day while boogie boarding, and much like the present day, right now in the contest, it was during high tide and knowing high tide, it seems to be perfect if you’re a surfer or a boogie boarder to feel the adrenaline and to have fun just like Bob back in the day was doing before being knocked down into the water by the tidal wave. And there have been some mishaps for some surfers who oftentimes think it’s a good idea to go into the waters without even checking or giving a second thought about going when it comes to how rough the waters will be, whether it’s a high tide or hell, a rip current, which I advise y’all to not surf during a rip current... in fact, just stay home. Just do that.
But back to Bob, he nearly drowned and was this close to having his life subscription cut short due to the water if it weren’t for the lifeguard saving him, but him nearly becoming a statistic changes him, and as we know from earlier in the episode, Bob was good at boogie boarding until the event and that’s not even the traumatic part from that unfaithful moment. Try having his swim trunks down thanks in part to the pressure from the wave. Revealing his naked body to the public with one kid questioning his private parts and pretty much scaring him, this is where the conversation stops. The point is that Bob felt traumatized and embarrassed over what happened and it had gotten to the point where he pledges to never put his hand onto the boogie board and go out to the water ever again... up until this moment with Louise. And whether it’s six inches as Louise puts it as she got it from Linda, which six inches doesn’t feel like it would knock you down from your feet though you’ll never know if you don’t look for hazards, or six feet like a tidal wave or storm surge, water is powerful and it’s nothing to fuck with. However, upon hearing Bob having his traumatic moment when it comes to him in the water, feeling traumatized and embarrassed from that mishap...
It was giving me some flashbacks to somewhat of a similar situation with Wolf from The Great North in Season 2’s “Pride and Wet-judice Adventure”, only replacing the waterpark with the beach but the trauma because of having to go through an embarrassing moment is there to serve as a mental scar. To the point where they don’t want to lay their hand on that respective spot because of the fear of having history repeat itself. At least with Bob once we get to the end of the episode was settled along with Louise and we’ll get to that later in the review, that he conquered his fear like having to use the public bathroom in Season 10’s “Poops! I Didn’t Do It Again” along with Louise and you could say that it sort of like that but with a bit of a role reversal with Bob with the fear instead of Louise... unlike Wolf’s case in that episode of The Great North where it’s just him being reckless. And besides...
Bob nearly drowned more than ten years ago, eleven seasons ago to be exact, when being tied up under the pier along with Fischoeder because of him having to change his mind over him nearly selling the Wharf at Felix’s behest. Different scenarios, sure, but if that Bob happened in this episode in that two-parter in Season 4, it would be a different story. So, at the end of the first half of the episode, it looks like we have a problem for Team Belcher for the competition right as the event is about to begin. You can thank Bob for being all doom and gloom as if he had inherited from his father and now, it has passed down to Louise after telling her the story about what happened. This puts a massive damper on the father/daughter duo once we get to the second half of the episode where the competition fully begins. Could be worse for them...
You could be Courtney and Doug. And by worse, I mean worse... for Bob and Louise who now have the inherited case of aquaphobia, or at least thalassophobia (can’t spell for shit, so I had to Google it) because of the possibility of history having to repeat itself. Doug and Courtney, it looks like they got this shit locked down as if there is no competition for them going into the second half of the episode. And as I much I oftentimes shit on Doug ever since “Roller? I Hardly Know Her” during my second stint in doing these reviews, they’re pretty much the duo you’re stuck with whenever these two, primarily Courtney, are around and can be and I guess will be a good father for Courtney, as long as he doesn’t go through that soccer mom mentality like with Roller.
So now, entering the third act of the episode with the practice session done with everything now set up, it’s time for the competition to begin. And for Bob and Louise, it’s gonna be a very long day ahead for the two now that Louise may have picked up Bob’s fear of the ocean and the chances of history having to repeat itself, either for Bob to go through that again or Louise having to get a first-hand experience in her life, it’s 50-50 at best but knowing that we’re in the second half of the episode, it’s about to go up to... let’s say 70-30 at best.
Though that brief scene with Gene and Bob in that one flashback when Bob tries to down the mood as his way of a pep talk to Louise with her (Louise) compares it when Bob says to pretend his little slip about drowning never happened to his talk with Gene about, yes, the conversation about how sex works. Oh boy, what uh... a conversation when telling him about the birds and the bees and we’re talking about a show that used at times bring up sex jokes back in the earlier seasons. But it was an amusing scene when trying to create a comparison when getting ready for the competition and hopefully, nothing bad can happen to them once going into the water. Oh, and also Courtney and Doug bringing their A-game into the competition with Doug for a brief moment getting into the soccer mom mentality. Because that’s the last thing that the Wheelers need and that is having either Doug or Courtney follow the Belchers’ direction.
Transitioning back to the restaurant and after having to play the waiting game, it seems, according to Linda, that the mood is starting to shift when Teddy and three other contractors are sharing a laugh as they remember the good times when reflecting their time with Vernon when visiting his store and for Linda, she thinks that she captured the perfect moment for her to ask Tina and Gene to bring out the cupcakes, hoping to change the conversation with the mood changed from sad to happy, even though they’re still in mourning and currently reminiscing the times with the dead owner, but that’s not going to stop her from forcing a change of conversation. It’s just the timing is a massive concern for her, especially once the mood shifts once again for the four contractors with Lou bringing up Vernon’s wife who is now a widow, and the cupcakes had to be signaled back to the kitchen because again, timing isn’t on Linda’s side when it comes to the change of tone with the four present. And when I said that timing is not on Linda’s side... yeah, I freaking mean it.
Because Linda thinks that the conversation is getting sadder and sadder when talking about Vernon’s wife when talking about their concerns and now is a good time to bring the cupcakes to the table and for the conversation to change from mourning about Vernon to celebrating Teddy’s birthday, much to Teddy’s dismay. Which, again, is not a good idea to do and even Tina agrees that this isn’t a good idea. But again, Linda decides to go overboard with the situation because she has all of this planned out and doesn’t want to go to waste. After all, she ain’t waiting for another year for Teddy once in his life to have a good birthday and decides to go for it once she orders the kids to place the cupcakes with the candle attached in front of Teddy. And the first line of the Happy Birthday song and already, it ruined the mood. Already ruined the mood once Glenn broke down into tears. And yeah, Tina... same. The same for wishing for this day to end and ditto for Teddy now that the day is pretty much a downer thanks to Linda’s terrible timing when attempting to change course.
Oh yeah, and Mort enters the restaurant, the last thing Teddy needs. And mind you, Mort was there in the funeral service because it was his place where the service was there. I mean, I could already guess that Mort got an invite because he’s pretty much the only one she can find to invite and the rest of the Belcher family is pretty much an automatic invite but I’m pretty sure Mort did not get the memo until he walks into the restaurant at a terrible time. And also spotting the cupcakes but yeah, terrible timing for Mort to enter before checking up on Bob and Louise but more of terrible freaking timing on Linda. So if anyone is to blame for all of this exploding right into their face and catching the place on fire (metaphorically) as if it was that one meme of the guy carefully putting his fries into a pot filled with oil and caught on fire the moment it was placed, it’s Linda.
Going back to the main plot with Bob and Louise as we are nearing the end of the third act of the episode and the competition is already underway with the duo in the open waters from the shore. So far, so good for the two Belchers as they return to the shore and preparing for another round, treating it as a race you participate in gym class where you have to go back and forth from the starting line, which is one wall, and going to the other side of the gym, even though that’s boogie boarding and even though it’s different from surfing, you ride back to the shore. Again, I know nothing about boogie boarding, this is the best I can come up with. The first one was not as high and rough, so far, so good, but it was not until the second time they entered the water to continue the competition that the water really becoming more higher and rougher and becoming more of a challenge for Bob and Louise. And if you’re wondering which of the two, either Bob or Louise, would face the wrath of the ocean and having to go overboard from their boogie board...
It’s Louise who has gone overboard after being knocked out of her board. Spinning underwater as if she’s doing a barrel roll or as if it’s like you’re inside a washing machine and it looks like history has repeated itself, it’s just that Bob may have now passed his traumatic moment to his next of kin, ended up being Louise, who had been knocked overboard from her boogie board and nearly drowned. The strap of her board that is connected to her hand ripped apart and is separated from her board and if that’s not enough, she got a cut on her right chin. That pretty much tells you that water is freaking powerful, especially during high tide, and whether you’re a noob or a novice, the water doesn’t play around. Just be lucky that there are no sharks in the area because that would make things even worse. Or having to go through an embarrassing moment though getting wiped out is embarrassing enough.
And it has gotten to the point where instead of picking her feet up and giving it another go, or at least swimming back to the shore and getting another board because the one she is using has the strap detached from her arm, she decides to throw in the towel. Yep, she decides to throw in the towel and quit the competition while it’s still going on and not get her hands on the $100 prize because she nearly drowned and it’s the same thing as what Bob went through a long time ago. Life flashed before her eyes for a second before popping out and gasping for air. And instead of giving it a second thought because he knew that his explanation about the incident pretty much put a “fearing the wrath of God” moment when telling the story about what happened, Bob accepts Louise’s request and heads home after what happened. Thus, ending their run once we get to the end of the third act of the episode. Quitting while they’re ahead because of what is pretty much a near-death experience for Louise after Bob had his a long time ago when boogie boarding and the Belchers are no strangers when it comes to these types of stuff. This is one of them and it’s knowing that we have one more act to go, yeah, it’s frankly time to throw in the towel, head on home, and lock away for the rest of their lives like it’s quarantine in 2020 all over again. Okay, the last one seems excessive but they know that Louise has a near-death experience and has history to repeat itself like with Bob a long time ago is more than enough to call it quits.
And of course, to close out the third act of the episode, we have another scene with Courtney and Doug with them singing I’m guessing it’s the jingle that Doug tried to propose to the announcer earlier in the episode after finishing their gig in the competition. At this point, you might as well just give them the prize. Aside from the random background characters that participated in the event, the competition might as well be a lock for the Wheelers. It might as well be a lock for them even though they’re pretty much there as I guess comedic relief from the drama that is Bob and now Louise dealing with a sudden case of thalassophobia from going overboard in the most traumatic and embarrassing way possible. They’re pretty much their role for this episode, and they just did their duty when trying not to make things look as serious as they looked when seeing what had transpired with Bob and Louise.
So now, going into the fourth and final act of the episode with Bob and Louise back wearing their jackets over their swimsuits as they are heading home after Louise went through a near-death experience where she nearly drowned after being knocked overboard, and oh boy, like father, like daughter when starting to become all doom and gloom. One incident. That’s all it took for her worldview to undergo a dramatic change. Going from being excited in wanting to try out boogie boarding, mostly because of the cash prize that got her attention when going through the community board at the community center, to now, wanting to probably not go near a boogie board, let alone the freaking ocean because of how she nearly died.
I mean, if this were the old Louise... yeah, there would be some instances where actions will have consequences but she would probably brush it off. You know, trying to be tough, and Louise, after being thrown overboard by the tidal wave, tried to do that before getting a signal from her brain that maybe it’s not a good idea to try it again and just call it a day because who knows if the next time she comes across a huge tidal wave might potentially be a fatal one. Louise goes all doomer as she and Bob walk their way home as if she’s Big Bob in “Wharf, Me Worry” last season and it’s now starting to get to the point where Bob, guessing by the sigh he gave, might be regretting telling her the story about what happened and the fears that Louise might follow in his footsteps by getting hit by the tidal wave and nearly drowned. And you already know where this is going next as we are nearing the end of the episode. Besides, this isn’t considered the biggest disaster that is currently taking place at the moment...
That title goes to the subplot once we go back to the restaurant and the mood isn’t that freaking great. It’s not that great when it comes to the mood in the atmosphere when treating Teddy and the three other contractors cupcakes because again, Linda is not great at picking the right time and waited too long because they’re still in mourning and fresh out of the funeral. Like, good fucking God, Linda, can you go for one episode without having to go overboard and treat the situation as if all about you than the person in question. Teddy doesn’t feel too keen about it, mostly because he, like the other contractors, was fresh out of the funeral, but between you and me, it does feel like the whole subplot with Teddy not wanting to celebrate his birthday or rather the universe forcing him to have other plans for the guy, would boil down to him not wanting to make birthday a really big deal. And you know. what... valid. Very valid because whenever it’s your birthday or the birthday of a friend or family member and someone would try to make it a big deal because it’s your special day and want to make it memorable to a degree and you or someone you know reminded that person to keep it minimal or not have it at all. Treating it as if it’s not a really big deal and treat it as a normal day. I don’t like having my birthday being a big deal outside of doing the blogs except for the one time a year when I post the damn thing and have the comments come rolling in because of clout and stuff. Otherwise, don’t like the idea of making it a big deal and that’s mostly because when you’re an adult, aside from going out for dinner or a night out to get a few drinks, it’s not as fun when compared to celebrating it growing up as a kid. I know that it wasn’t brought up despite some subtle hints like Teddy not wanting party games or stuff derailing his plans at the last minute, but you can tell that it’s that notion when watching the episode. Especially when entering the final five minutes of the episode.
Glenn, Joyce, and Lou are about to make their way out after eating their respective cupcake along with Teddy for his birthday that is already turned into a disaster thanks in part to Linda’s terrible sense of timing when picking the right time for the mood to change during the visit. The three prepare to leave but not before Linda steps up and tells them to have ice cream on the house for not just them but also Teddy since it is his special day. She attempts to do it, only for the machine to break down like it’s a McFlurry machine at McDonald’s, and that, of course, got the contractors’ attention and plan on fixing it. This results in Linda getting the idea that instead of treating it as a normal repair session, she decides to turn it into a party game, which is one of the items on the list that Teddy doesn’t want. Especially since there are only four contractors (including Teddy) and only one machine that needs repairs. Why not, we only got less than three minutes left in the episode anyway. Might as well play the game away while having to do their job.
Going back to the main plot and no one’s surprise since we are now less than three minutes into the episode, Bob decides to have a change of thought and wants him and Louise to go back to the beach and continue boogie boarding. Yep, after being hesitant of wanting to do the event because it would bring back haunting memories of that unfaithful day of him being traumatized and embarrassed and most recently having to see his youngest daughter going overboard and having her life flashed before her eyes while being underwater for a bit, they gotta finish the job. They gotta finish where they left off and make sure... well, the $100 prize may now seem out of reach, so hopefully, they can at least land in either the second or third place spot. So, why the sudden change despite that we are less than a few minutes left in the episode?
Well, according to Bob in an attempt to change not just his own mind but also Louise’s, while yes, the mental scarring is there after that wipeout that nearly claimed his life back in the day and also letting his swimsuit dip, just be thankful that Bob did not make it on the list because of that wave, he had some fun to just feel alive in the open water while hanging on to the board. Feeling the adrenaline and the freedom that comes with it. Hell, in that one flashback scene as Bob is attempting to convince Louise to go back to the beach, you have him enjoying the activity and also showing it off to Linda, who is busy getting some rest, getting a back tan, with her giving a thumbs up as her way of saying, “Yeah, that’s great. Good for you.” Couple goals right there, folks. But aside from that, even though they now have something in common like a near-death experience while boogie boarding, even though it is traumatic, you shouldn’t let the fear of the ocean shackle you down from having fun, and even though the universe will have to play whatever fate you’ll get like it’s a freaking flip of a coin, it doesn’t mean that you have to give it another go. Or at least that’s what Bob is saying. All we know is that Bob and Louise, as expected, are going back to the water and giving boogie boarding another chance.
Shifting back to the restaurant as we are nearing the two-minute warning of the episode with the game of fixing the ice cream machine with Teddy and Glenn’s turn about to be up when trying to tighten or remove the screw of the part of the machine where the soft serve comes down when pressing the nozzle. Talk about a shot right there with that screencap above the paragraph. The time has expired for Teddy and Glenn as we now enter the two-minute warning of the episode and to let Joyce and Lou have a go when attempting to fix the machine. And even though Teddy did say earlier in the episode that if he were to have a party, or at least Linda create one for him, at least he’s showing some signs of having fun in what was supposed to be a day full of mourning right after the funeral service. So it looks like the day isn’t a total loss but for once, can we not have Linda go overboard. Had a bit of a streak there and all of a sudden, the streak has to be broken.
Oh yeah, and Bob and Louise made it back home after giving boogie boarding another shot and I did say that first place seems out of reach the moment they announce to call it quits after Louise nearly drowned, they didn’t even make it to the second or third place spots and instead, they won fourth place. They made the top five at least annd some hats as the consolation prize though the credits shows only Louise with a shirt and even though the flyer says that the first place father-daughter team gets $100, it said that every entry, meaning everyone who is involved in the competition, get a shirt. Treating it as a participation trophy as if you get free clothing, primarily a shirt during a school field day or some religious festival. But we don’t know who won the first place prize and it’s possible that might be Doug and Courtney who won the $100 or it’s some other family, but I can probably tell that it might be the Wheelers who clinched the prize at the end of the day.
Reaching the end of the episode and after some turbulence with how the day panned out, whether it’s the boogie boarding situation with Bob and Louise or Linda with her terrible timing on when to get the conversation to change from mourning over a shop owner to celebrating Teddy’s birthday, just be thankful that everything went well by the end of the day. And yeah, the end of the episode with the Belchers, Mort, and his contractor buddies singing Teddy the happy birthday song was nice in what is pretty much an alright, yet average episode for this week over what we thought we would get a Thanksgiving episode. But it was a bit of a nice moment there to close out the episode. Though Linda says Mandy Moore instead of “many more” at the end of the song, Moore’s birthday, of course, is on April 10. And as someone who has done the birthday graphics on the socials for nearly ten years on a 365-366-day basis, I’m waiting for official confirmation if this is actually Teddy’s birthday to be revealed. Just putting it out there. I was wrong a few times when it comes to the birth dates and the people who were supposed to be born on that day without given some clarity but folks, not again. Not again. I want it to be as accurate as possible when it comes to these.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So all and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers? This was an alright episode. An alright but also average to say the least. Sure, out of the episodes where it’s a parent and a child of the Belcher family get paired up, Bob and Louise is the duo that have a good track record when it comes to their episodes. This one... it’s alright. I mean it was predictable that they would have to quit doing boogie boarding because of Louise nearly drowned and then have them go back to the water, off-screen of course, but it’s not a bad episode but it’s not that great either. More on the line of this being the middle of the road.
Doug and Courtney were brought in only to serve as background roles and also as the comedic relief for the main plot. While it’s nice to have them around in the episode into this season, especially Courtney who hasn’t gotten a speaking role in a long time, two years felt like a long time and here we are. An unnecessary add but what else would you do aside from having an antagonistic character to serve as a thorn to Bob and Louise like... I dunno, Chloe. But Doug and Courtney were pretty much there in the episode, underutilized to say the least, and serve as no competition between them and the Belchers.
Then comes the subplot and I can somewhat relate to Teddy when it comes to not making birthdays a big deal and I know that it sort of feels like it was never brought up but you can already tell as the episode progresses where this is going just by looking at Teddy’s expression. Just wish Linda for once in this season while it’s still young to not go overboard with stuff. She did that in this week’s episode and good freaking God, please stop, Linda. Just stop. And I know that things did turn out okay at the end when trying to improvise, especially right after the funeral service, the whole thing with Linda going overboard with things and her having terrible timing when it comes to finding the right time whenever the mood changes... yeah. Can we not do that? Can we not? Other than that, an alright yet average episode. So I’ll give “Boogie Days”...
A 6 out of 10. But that’s my opinion and I wanna hear yours in the comments below. Once again, no episode this upcoming Sunday because we’re on Thanksgiving break. But we got a new one a week after on December 8 with Louise and Tina going through a screaming match in the eighth episode of Season 15, “They Slug Horses, Don’t They?” And yeah, no idea on what to do to pass the time other than spending Thanksgiving with the family. So, who knows.
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