The season is almost over, folks. The season is almost over, and it has been a long and draining one when having to do these in the Summer. Because it has been because usually, we’d thought that the move to Thursday for this summer only was a good idea because it would not interfere with any sports programming, though tell that to the people of New York City a few times during that process, it can be draining when having to do both shows. Especially around the Saturday and Sunday timeframe, because that’s also when I would be doing poll opening and closing of the voting tournament, along with getting things ready for the Toonami block later that Saturday. I know that it sounds like a me issue and almost feels like I’m going through a case of burnout because we would’ve had an off-season for the summer, but that wasn’t the case this time around. And something tells me that the same could be happening for next summer. Especially with the World Cup taking place next year.
In this week’s second installment of Bob’s Burgers of the double header, it’s a wild kite hunt for Bob as he tries to retrieve it after losing it when trying to bond with his father Big Bob as Linda helps Teddy rehearse for an upcoming performance in my spoilerific review of the twentieth episode of Season 15 of Bob’s Burgers, titled “Dad-urday Kite Fever”.
I might as well put this out of the way: I have never flown a kite in my life. Never have I ever flown a kite. It’s sad, really. But then again, there’s half of the world’s population who have never flown a kite, myself included. You could say that it’s one of the easiest activities to do, but latching on to the damn thing while the wind is blowing feels like it’s hard to do, like holding a fishing rod and having to reel it in when nabbing a fish. Once again, sad. This pretty much tells you that I’m a lazy fuck.
So, the focus is on the kite. Though not kite flying, but more of having to go chasing around because the kite has some sentimental value regarding Bob, after trying to retrieve the kite, because it ties in with what would’ve been a bonding experience with him and his father, and Big Bob chose just now to fly it and was supposed to give it to his kids to fly it. No flashbacks needed for this, just a simple what was supposed to be a day of bonding between parent and child that turns into a chase across the bi-county area because why the fuck not. So, might as well break this sucker down piece by piece, and yes, this does include the subplot of the episode, this is “Dad-urday Kite Fever”.
The episode begins with restaurant work once again for everyone, with the kids playing a game of cleaning the stain on the table without having their eyes open, with everyone but Bob attempting to do their part, but failing to do the job. But that’s not important; what is important is that Big Bob decides to pay the Belchers a visit him holding a kite in his hand. It’s an old kite that Big Bob found while cleaning his closet, and he decides to show it to Bob. The kite, turns out, was supposed to be used for them to bond in what would’ve been a father-son bonding experience and a form of escapism. Especially since it was revealed by Big Bob that the kite should’ve been used after Lily’s passing, because we know that Lily’s death had a huge effect on the family, mainly having Bob and Big Bob having a strained relationship because Bob never had a good childhood.
Big Bob invites Bob to fly a kite for once, since it’s a windy day, the perfect condition for flying a kite, and he wants to spend some time with his kid. Bob wants to refuse the offer because, of course, he wants to stay in the restaurant and do his work, because they can’t make ends meet. But it’s mostly because of the strained relationship that is currently in the process of being patched since “Father of the Bob”, and having the two alone is going to be an awkward bonding experience. Linda encourages Bob to go to the park with his father to get some quality father-son bonding, but also to take the kids with him, because who knows. He could hand them the kite and turn it into a bonding experience with them. And it looks like Bob can’t get out of this one and has no choice but to go to the park with his father, leaving the restaurant under Linda’s care. Of course, Big Bob tells Bob that it’s going to be a simple father-son quality bonding time. Meaning that he shouldn’t bring his phone and wallet with him once he plans on heading out. Something that he wishes he should have bring with him as the episode progresses.
We transition to the park, but not the city park, the other park that was last seen in Season 13’s “Comet-y of Errors”, where Big Bob, Bob, and the kids all begin to fly the kite once Bob checks the wind if it’s good to go for them to fly the kite. Though he probably wishes he had brought his phone and played a how-to video on flying a kite after spotting a father and his kid flying one nearby, because it doesn’t look that easy. And this is Bob’s first time flying the son of a bitch. So, Bob decides to give it a shot once Big Bob gives him the kite, but he has some issues with flying it once it gets up into the sky. Especially with the string rapidly going out each time it rises, as if it were about to exit the Earth’s atmosphere or pose a problem for airplanes passing by. But at least he’s getting somewhat of a hang of it as long as he doesn’t lose it. Spoiler alert...
He does just as he was about to hand it to one of his kids, as if he’s planning to about to create bonding time of his own with them. I was about to hand the kite to Louise before having to let it be flown away by the wind. Once again, as I stated in the introduction that I have never flown a kite in my life, but I’m 100%, scratch that, 500% sure that’s not how you give the kite to someone. But how the hell should I know, because, once again, I have flown a kite in my lifetime. Anyway, Bob lost the kite after he was supposed to give it to Louise as the first kid up to what was supposed to be quality bonding time with Bob and his kids, only for Mother Nature to say “denied” and have the thing float away to whatever the hell it was heading. Luckily for Bob, the direction that the kite is heading isn’t all that far from the park. It’s just that it’s going to be a long walk, or in Bob’s case, a long run, just by using his legs.
This leads us to the end of the first act of the episode, with Bob, already tired just by running after what is pretty much the exercise he needs for a month, locating the missing kite at the train station. At least the kite didn’t land on the train tracks, because otherwise, it might be GGs. Both to Bob and the kite, if that were to happen. But that didn’t happen, and instead, it landed on the sidewalk but got caught in some guy’s luggage and was about to take the thing by attempting to ask the guy to stop before getting on the train, but was unable to hear Bob because he’s wearing his earphones and in full blast, making things inaudible to hear Bob’s plea to separate the kite from the luggage.
This little “trip” takes Bob to the train, and yes, there’s a train, and it’s not the wine train that y’all are familiar with in Season 4’s “The Kids Rob a Train”, but it’s the Northeastern US, so you would have passenger trains. A light rail, to be exact. You see, this is why the United States needs to invest in trains like this one. Sure, we have cars and buses on the road and planes that can cut the travel time in half when going cross-country, but we really need to invest in trains as a mode of transportation, aside from having to carry chemicals and other stuff from a shipping yard. We have the money for it. Spend it on that (and also for physical and mental healthcare, housing, infrastructure, SNAP benefits, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, since it got shut down as of late due to cuts, etc.) instead of giving it to the current regime, using it as a piggy bank via taxpayers’ money or aiding a country that is committing a fucking war crime while continuing to pull the victim card.
But yeah, ending the first act and going into the second, Bob retrieves the kite, but as a result, ends up leaving Seymour’s Bay by accident because he was supposed to get off the train the moment he got his kite, but the moment he did the deed and detach it from that guy’s luggage, it was too late for him to get out. And is about to head to another city via train, a new city within the bi-county area, to be exact. The city of Shorebridge, which, according to Bob, is far away from Seymour’s Bay. A far enough distance from the city that taking a train would cut down travel time, like what this guy listening to on his earphones is heading towards. Of all the days, he should’ve brought his phone and wallet with him; it should’ve been today because Bob didn’t bring it with him, as told by Big Bob, once the ticket collector comes up to him and asks if he has a ticket with him. A ticket is one of them, along with his wallet and a phone.
This results in Bob getting thrown out of the train after making a quick pit stop at the nearest train station, which is in Shorebridge, so uh... not that far of a ride to there from Seymour’s Bay. I told you that we need to invest in trains as a mode of transportation instead of enabling a g*noicde by giving a certain country another $10 billion. What the fuck are we doing?! So yeah, Bob gets thrown out once the train stops at Shorebridge, and now, he needs to buy a ticket back home... even though, again, he didn’t bring his wallet with him, and with it, money for a ticket. And unless the rest of the episode is Bob having to hitchhike his way back to the park for the rest of the episode, good luck trying to get a ticket out of Shorebridge. So, while Bob is away trying to find his way back to the park, speaking of...
We check up on Big Bob and the kids as they play the waiting game for when Bob returns with the kite after going after it. Not knowing that it flew away to the train station, latched onto someone’s luggage, and ended up on the train to another city. So, the four need something to improvise while waiting for Bob to come back, and Big Bob knows what to do that is going to latch onto the main plot for the rest of the episode. By playing with fire... lighter. Teaching them how to play with a lighter. Yeah, that seems like a fun activity to pass the time when bonding with the grandkids, especially with onshore winds blowing through. Just be lucky that Big Bob didn’t go for the whole “Damn youngins. Acting really soft in this generation in comparison to back in my day.” But that’s pretty much what the kids and Big Bob will be planning on doing to pass the time while waiting for Bob to return. And speaking of Bob...
He’s attempting to get his train ticket back to Seymour’s Bay after being dropped off. Hoping for an on-the-house emergency discount after not having to bring his wallet and phone with him, after Big Bob tells him at the start of the episode not to bring any of them in his pockets. So, he’s pretty much screwed with nothing in his pockets when trying to get a ticket back to Seymour’s Bay. Luckily for Bob, it looks like he gets some help from an old face that we haven’t seen in a very long time. Yep, Critter is back in the show after we last saw him for a brief moment in the movie three years ago. And even more good luck for Bob regarding Critter at the train station, he too is heading back to Seymour’s Bay after visiting his aunt. And yes, he took a train there because his motorcycle is at the shop getting repaired. But other than that, it looks like Bob and Critter will be train mates on their way back to Seymour’s Bay.
But before getting on the train, Bob decides to call Linda, with Critter’s phone, to update what is going on with his situation while she is holding down the fort at the restaurant. Telling her to message Big Bob about his current situation without having to worry... that is, if Big Bob even brought his device with him, so that alone might be a problem. Too bad that Bob doesn’t know that, as Linda prepares to hang up, but not before Critter comes in and yells out a simple hello to her since Bob also brings up that he’ll be riding with him back home. Additionally, there is an update about Sidecar, revealing that he’ll be entering preschool soon. Good to know that we got an update with Sidecar since we last saw him. Though you think that Critter would probably say daycare instead of preschool, as we can remember correctly, Sidecar’s still an infant. The kid can barely walk. But you have Critter and possibly Mudflap as well, saying that the kid is good to go to be enrolled. If he meets the requirements, that is, before enrolling.
Linda hangs up, and in comes Teddy to kick off the subplot of the episode with a dilemma of his own. Telling Linda that he got the part as an understudy... by accident. According to Teddy, this was Kathleen’s doing because we all know that Kathleen works for the local theater as an accountant, and the local theater is putting on a show with Teddy having to work to build the set and having been around a few rehearsal sessions while doing the job. So, what’s the problem? Well, one of the actors has fallen sick and picked the wrong night to do that because it’s opening night, and Kathleen thinks that it’s a good idea to tap Teddy to serve as the understudy because he has been around for a few rehearsals and believes that Teddy can do the job. And you know Teddy can’t say no to it because he doesn’t want to let the theater down, but also because his girlfriend did tap him to do the gig, and that’s an offer he can’t refuse.
And yes, folks, this is the subplot. This is actually the subplot for the episode with Teddy having to rehearse his lines, mostly with him having trouble saying the word “lawnmower” because he always says the word wrong as “mow-lawner” as if he doesn’t know how to read when it comes to the word. Even though people can say that shit easily in comparison to the word “jewelry” and how you pronounce it. But that is the subplot of the episode, with Linda teaching him how to say the word because he can’t pronounce it back when he was a kid. It took until the end of the episode, by the way, to finally say the word right. I’m not kidding, just to save y’all the trouble, it took until the end of the episode for Teddy to finally say the word by having to mimic how Linda would say it. Besides, the next few scenes of the subplot are just Teddy struggling to say the word until we get to the two-minute warning of the episode. So, it’s pretty much sticking to the main plot for the rest of the review. Even though we can somewhat agree that Teddy didn’t have a great childhood. Just putting it out there.
Back to Bob and Critter on their way back to Seymour’s Bay on a very long train ride, with Bob finishing up the reason why the kite is important to him and why he needs to go back to the park in just a hurry. And as long as there aren’t any problems on the way back, then things should be good for Bob to return to the park with the kite unharmed and resume the day. Unfortunately, it looks like that’s not going to happen because Critter spots someone he hates riding on the same train. An old rival from a biker gang, because, of course, he would be from one that got Critter’s attention. But that’s beyond the point now, since some of the members from each biker gang, Critter included, have gone straight as if they became unaffiliated, but the pride and devotion are still there. Apparently, the guy Critter hates, named Dusty, aside from being a member of a rival biker gang called the Buzzard Kings, is also a dad and somehow got in front of the line when it comes to the enrollment of their kids in preschool.
According to Critter, Sidecar was on the waitlist to be in that preschool, or nursery school, which is fancy to their liking because it has a rabbit, chicken, and vegetable garden that would’ve put him in a nice situation. That was until a rumor broke out that cost Sidecar the spot, that he was never potty-trained, and potty training is one of the requirements to enroll a kid into a nursery school, along with other things. And now, it looks like Critter may have found his opportunity to get back at the guy who fucked over his kid’s chances of getting into a good school. And he does so by pulling out a switchblade, or rather, a survival kit, which is the last thing Bob needs is possible drama and a crime scene in one on the train. But he’s not planning on stabbing the guy like it’s every other Animation Domination show, but instead, he plans on cutting the guy’s mullet. The ultimate sign of disrespect for what Critter is planning on doing. Of course, he’s going to need a shield to cover him, and a human shield wouldn’t cut it. Pretty much, he’s beyond that. So, Bob’s kite ends up becoming the shield once Critter makes his way towards Dusty, and well, you can already guess where this is going as we are about to close out the first half of the episode.
Critter did the job once he charged towards Dusty, turning it into a Confrontation on the Orient Express between two members of rival biker gangs. So, Critter successfully cuts portions of Dusty’s hair the same way you see in a couple of fight videos, where one video shows two women fighting with one of them pulling the weave off of her hair. And Dusty wasn’t going to let that go that easily over this little confrontation because Critter got upset over how Sidecar got fucked over from enrolling in a nursery school. Claiming that he started the accusation of Sidecar not being properly potty-trained. This is a proud father wanting to get his son to a good school, a nursery school to be exact, who got upset over his son not being enrolled. Acting like a true soccer mom when defending their kid’s honor. Oh, you thought that it would be like how the current regime, after bombing a couple of nuclear facilities in Iran, and call for peace and just call it a day as if nothing ever happened? Ending the first half of the episode, Dusty decides to take the kite hostage once the train lands in Bog Harbor, and makes a break for it.
Going into the second half of the episode with Bob and Critter are going after Dusty to retrieve the kite. Turning the third act of the episode into a wild kite chase away from the train station once the train stops at Bog Harbor. And rather than going on foot, which is pretty much saving Bob the trouble since he already ran on his way to the train station, that resulted in him accidentally getting on the train when getting the kite, Bob and Critter decide to get on the electric scooters and turn it into an actual chase that drags throughout the third act when trying to get the kite and hoping to return to the park with the item unharmed. Spoiler alert, it’s not. The guy can’t catch a fucking break.
We check back on the kids and Big Bob as they continue to improvise while waiting for Bob to make his return to the park with the kite. Continuing to play around with the lighter and passing it along to each kid from Tina, trying to do a trick, but ends up failing because she thought her hand was about to get burnt when playing with the lighter to Gene successfully doing it and treat the lighter like he’s a concertgoer back in the day where they use a lighter and wave it around whenever there’s a ballad song on. As for Louise, as she is about to get a turn of the lighter, she decides to grab some stuff she can find and plans on burning things. You have her at lighter, you know she’s going to plan to use it to burn things. Though not on the grass, and instead, towards the nearest grill.
Going back to Bob and Critter as they continue to go after Dusty, who is currently taking the kite hostage. Critter pulls out his phone and gives it to Bob to call in one of the members of the One Eyed Snakes, a guy named Snakebite, for backup against Dusty once they catch up to him. And that is exactly what Bob is doing during the ride, especially once Critter asks him if he should try out any more quality time with his kids, like biking... which he does not. Once again, painting Bob as the sad sack of the bunch. I mean, what do you expect coming from the living embodiment of a trope of an animated sitcom dad having a shitty childhood? What do you expect? Especially when undergoing a childhood that was... well, bad since his mother’s passing, that had a huge effect on the family and put a strain on Bob’s relationship with his father. This isn’t like the most recent episode of The Great North, “Heelraiser Adventure”, because the strain on a father-son relationship with Beef and Wolf got wrapped up within an episode’s length. And we’re talking about someone who never had the time to spend time with his kids because he was always working while struggling to make ends meet.
I might as well check on the subplot of the episode for a bit with Linda and Teddy back at the restaurant. Linda decides to give Teddy some exercises to make sure he says the word “lawnmower” correctly by having two fingers from each hand and crossing them together to say the two words and combine them into one when saying it. Of course, that didn’t work once Teddy said the word after saying “lawn” and “mower” separately before attempting to say it. Makes you question if his struggling to say the word would drag into the same scenario when writing the word down on paper or a chalkboard. Good God, we’re in the digital age, there are videos of how to prono- actually, no. Maybe don’t do that. While helpful, there are some channels that you think would help you pronounce the word, but would spew bullshit as if you’re trying out Character AI.
Checking back at Bob and Critter as they finally catch up to Dusty at the nearby pier. Currently holding the kite hostage and is now about to cut the fabric on the string in front of the two in retaliation for Critter cutting his mullet once the train stops at the station. Dusty isn’t going to stand down until moments later, when he does, once Bob comes in and tells him to hand over the kite and tells him the reason why he needs to take it back to his possession and back to the park. Telling him that it was supposed to be for him to spend time with his kids because he never got it with his dad back in the day, and wants to patch things up. Give his kids a good time.
And that should be more than enough for Dusty to give Bob the kite, as well as him and Critter putting aside their differences for what happened regarding the whole debacle with the nursery school waitlist and fucking over Sidecar’s chances. Especially since Critter has to do all of the work after revealing that Mudflap isn’t here. She got detained while hanging out with the girls in Sedona in what was supposed to be a three-day weekend, turning it into a 30-day jail sentence. I don’t want to know what the crime is, knowing that she is a biker after all. But other than that, Critter and Dusty patch things up with Dusty getting his mullet back, and rather than keeping it, he decides to dump it into the water as a way to bury the hatchet and thought that shit was going to be sweet for Bob once Dusty returns the kite going into the fourth and final act of the episode.
Only for the onshore winds to cockblock Bob once more as we are about to close out the third act of the episode with the item now landed in the water and is about to be flown away by the ocean. And some of y’all can agree on one thing when watching this scene after seeing the kite land on the water. You notice the fisherman on the docks, right? You do know that Critter and/or Dusty and/or Bob would’ve gone to the fisherman and asked him to reel in the kite. They could’ve done that, but the hook alone would damage the kite and would make it impossible to fly returning home.
So, ending the third act of the episode and going into the fourth and final act, Bob decides to take matters into his own hands by having to swim for it. Stripping down to his underwear, and entered the cold ocean waters to swim his way to the kite. Hoping that he doesn’t catch a cold while swimming. Once again, the fisherman is right there. He is right there. Should’ve used the fishing hook to make things easier, but again, doesn’t want the kite to be damaged once the hook is latched onto the item. But no, have Bob do all the work and swim his way to the kite while it’s floating away to the open waters. And while that is happening...
Snakebite comes in with a knife in his hand, thinking that he’s ready for an altercation between Critter and Dusty, before finding out that the two have buried the hatchet, and puts away said knife before spotting Bob swimming away to get the kite. Additionally, it notes that Snakebite is a licensed therapist and a family therapist, and he decides to help Bob with his issues somewhat as Bob continues to swim his way to the kite, since the kite holds sentimental value and explains why Bob had to travel across the bi-county area just to retrieve it.
Him noticing Bob that he is screwing up with what he is doing, mostly when seeing him swimming, since the kite is floating away, but that’s beyond the point, and instead, he tells Bob that it’s more than just the kite that he needs to work on because just being there and giving them their support should be enough to show his love and appreciation for his kids. Sounds cheesy and overused, I know, but at least don’t let history repeat or rhyme itself with the current generation and onto the next. Break the cycle and that jazz.
Of course, Bob didn’t listen to the whole thing because he was struggling to keep himself afloat to get the kite, but by then, it would be too late. The kite is pretty much gone. Out to the open waters. Meaning that Bob will have to go back to the park empty-handed. And hopefully an explanation that comes with it. Once again, the fisherman is right there for him to reel it in, but I guess what’s done is done I guess. Especially going into the two-minute warning of the episode.
Back to the subplot with Linda on another installment of “What the Fuck Am I Even Doing”, with her ready to give up after trying to teach Teddy how to say “lawnmower” correctly. Wishing that she had closed the restaurant for the day, much to Bob’s dismay, and not deal with this shit. Yeah, same, Linda. Same. And the same goes for Teddy, as it seems he too was ready to give up and begins to regret taking the understudy role. But since we’re nearing the end of the episode, it took until just now for Teddy to finally say the word correctly. Though not in the way he says it normally, and instead, would have to mimic how Linda would say the word, and plans on doing that, leading up to tonight’s opening for the show at the local theater. Thanks for wasting our time with you struggling to say the freaking, Teddy. Thanks for wasting our time when struggling to say the word. This shouldn’t have been a subplot, but it seems it’s better not to have Linda be absent for the rest of the episode.
And now, we have reached the end of the episode with Bob arriving back at the park with Critter as the designated driver, of course, no kite in his hand since it’s now lost forever. Wishing that it was brought back unharmed so he could continue what he was doing and bond with his kids because, once again, he never got the chance with his father. But Big Bob decides to brush it off because though it was his kite that he found, and it was never used because it was supposed to be for them to bond after Lily’s death, its not the kite that matters but instead, just being there and spend time together is more than enough to bond between parent and child. At least they got something to bond with, and that is burning stuff. Pretty much playing with fire at the grill after messing around with the lighter. Once again, not a safe thing to do, but what else to do? And the moral of this story: don’t be a deadbeat. Be there for your kid and spend some time.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So, all and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers? Well, out of the two episodes that came out this past Thursday from the double premiere, this was the decent of the bunch. It was an alright episode with the main plot that turned into a wild chase to get the kite that was supposed to be sentimental to Bob. The only gripe with the episode would be the subplot with Teddy having trouble saying the word “lawnmower”. That subplot should not exist.
The main plot was pretty much the highlight of the episode. Turning this into a wild kite chase once the kite gets flown away from what was supposed to be a simple bonding time with his kids. It was nice to see Critter again after a long absence since we last saw him in the movie, so that’s something during this chase. Though Bob should at least get a break from all of this once he retrieves the kite, and hopes he will have proper spending time with his kids. But alas, that didn’t happen, and instead, it’s the episode saying that it's not the kite that is important, but what is important is just being there and not being treated somewhat of a deadbeat. At least we know that we got a new of a brand new location outside of Seymour’s Bay. So, good to know that we got some worldbuilding from this kite heist.
But other than that, the main plot was alright. The subplot, on the other hand, feels like it shouldn’t exist aside from the show not letting Linda sit this one out for the episode, along with Teddy. And the subplot with Teddy struggling to say the word “lawnmower” has to be the way to go. But other than that, it was an alright episode with a decent main plot and a subplot that shouldn’t be there. So, I’ll give “Dad-urday Kite Fever”...
A 6 out of 10. But that’s my opinion, and I want to hear yours in the comments below. Two more episodes left this season for Bob’s Burgers, with one coming up at the time of posting of the review and it’s an Arnold episode with him enlisting Louise to film a video after getting his green belt in karate in the twenty-first episode of Season 15, “Mr. Safebody”.
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