Whether this is the final review of 2025 or the first review of 2026 at the time of posting, regardless of whatever time zone you’re in, it has been a year for everything. And especially for yours truly. Sure, it’s not that big of a year due to setbacks that happened, like being unable to do the year-end countdown for 2024, but it's something to keep things afloat when doing the Bob’s Burgers content, and also The Great North leading up to its finale. As for what to expect for 2026, well... once again, Bob’s Burgers is once again going on break for the Spring half and having to play the waiting game for a new episode to drop. And this would usually be where The Great North would take its place, much like what happened in 2024 and 2025.
But, with The Great North unable to get a sixth season, resulting in the show having to end back in September, that might be an issue until the next episode of Bob’s Burgers airs. Luckily enough, I did plan on doing the character discussions on the Tobins, much like I did with some of the students of Wagstaff, i.e., friends of the Belcher siblings, though I should probably redo the characters I did, mostly to make it up to date and stuff, but if I’m going to keep the ship afloat until the new episode drops, might as well be the way to go with the discussion series. Yes, all 97 episodes when talking about the Tobins.
In this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers, the Belchers attend an awards party with Bob winning an award, but feeling a bit of a setback, feeling things aren’t that cracked up to be as the Belcher kids team up with a familiar face who last made his appearance two seasons ago in the form of the possibly former jewel thief Vincent, for some help tying in with Bob’s situation in my spoilerific review of the tenth episode of Season 16 of Bob’s Burgers, titled “Heist Things are Heist”.
It’s the midst of the awards season, and what better way to do that than by giving everyone’s favorite burger man an award for his accomplishments in the food world on a local level? Not knowing the problems that come with the award would ruin Bob’s day. And that is exactly what happened when the Belchers visited Kings Head Island for an award party after Bob won one when it came to the localized food scene. Pretty much telling the dark side of things when it comes to the award process. Especially when winning the damn thing, and pretty much ticked Bob off.
So, of course, it would turn the episode into a heist episode after seeing Bob upset over the added stuff that comes with the award. Causing the Belcher kids to step up to the plate. But they can’t do that alone because they get some help from an old face that we haven’t seen two seasons ago. That being jewel thief and restaurateur Vincent. And it looks like we got some breaking down scenes to do, either the last time in 2025 or the first time in 2026, and that is exactly what we will be doing. This is “Heist Things are Heist”.
The episode begins with the Belchers, all wearing their catering outfits, on a ferry to King’s Head Island instead of having to start the episode usually at the restaurant or at the breakfast/dinner table. But the Belchers are on the road, or rather, in the water on a boat, because they’re heading to King’s Head Island for a special event. The special event in question was an awards ceremony, rather, an awards party, hosted by the King’s Head Lifestyles Magazine, where Bob won an award for “Best Dive of the Mainland”. Quite an achievement for the Belchers, but mostly Bob, for winning a prestigious award as big as he would ever imagine. Though Hell would probably freeze over in the event Bob were to somehow achieve a Michelin award. But it is a high honor nonetheless.
Despite that, Bob, at times before getting the dub, called out the magazine and said that these awards are nothing more than a waste of time. A scam. And he is only saying that because he never got a win from there. Pretty sure got nominated once or twice, but each time, he would lose the spot, resulting in him pouting and bitching. Oh, how the tables have turned once Bob got tapped by the magazine. Pretty much their way of saying, “Fine. We’ll give you your award for your restaurant. You big baby.” And that’s where we are at. Though, mind you, they’re all wearing their catering outfits rather than having to wear suits and dresses, or in Louise’s case, a bolo tie over her casual dress, because it is an awards party. But no, for the winners, they have to cater. Hence, the catering outfits that they have to wear. It feels less like a celebration and more like doing work. But they won an award nonetheless. Even if Linda has to deal with some chaffing issues when having to find a bra to wear, when having to put on the catering outfit.
The Belchers set up shop once they arrived, and already, you have the kids hoping to get out of doing their part in catering since the area they are in has various food options, with their eyes already set on the fudge booth. But, rather than telling the kids to stay put and focus on their work, Bob decides to let the kids go do whatever and explore the food scene throughout the area. Because usually, Bob would tell the kids to stay put because he needs the help he could get, since it is a group effort, despite that the kids and working don’t see eye to eye. Talk about a change of heart for the guy, though it’s probably because of Bob having to win an award that it feels like the same way your boss had a good day and decides to take you and your co-workers for a day out drinking at the bar just for being in a good mood. And that is exactly what is happening with Bob, letting the kids go to get some fudge.
But not before they, along with Bob and Linda, come across an old face who is also in attendance at the event. That being restaurateur and suspected jewel thief, Vincent, whom we haven’t seen since the end of Season 14. No undercover sting operation for this one, just a normal run-in with the guy while celebrating the best of the best in the food scene of the community. Though the line with Vincent saying “I have missed your meat” when eating his burgers...
Yeah, pause for sure. Out of context line coming from Vincent when chewing one of Bob’s sliders for the event. But quite the reunion that happened between the family and Vincent, without even bringing up the events of “To Catch a Beef” with Bosco, without having to blow his cover before calling it off. Let alone Louise figuring it out at the end of that episode that Vincent was indeed the thief and just outsmarted the police. Just a normal visit to the area, and I'm not planning on doing anything wrong whatsoever. Especially in an event with the trophy being present for each of the winners for the magazine shoot.
More than enough for Tina, Gene, and Louise to make their way out, with Bob’s permission, since he was in a good mood, to do just that. And they do so by going to the next booth over, next to the Belchers, where you have a chef making food with some sushi on display. But the sushi in question that is on display is not actually sushi; instead, it’s cake. Everything is made out of cake. Yes, what that chef did pretty much took that meme you saw on Instagram a lot to see if the item is actually an item or it's made out of cake, and thinks to himself, “You know what...? I think I should create a restaurant to sell just that.” That would’ve been the case if that was the inspiration behind it, but I’m pretty sure some of y’all who done that long before that trend came to be on the internet.
So, as the kids start venturing around the area, and also, Linda continues having chaffing problems regarding her breasts, to the point where she had to remove her bra, just to make herself feel comfortable, Bob, and, of course, Linda, are being escorted by the magazine’s publisher’s assistant, Sabrina, voiced by Patti Harrison, to the huge “Best of the Bay” sign where they would get their picture taken. A huge moment for Bob and Linda, mostly Bob, because people read this magazine. And if people read this upcoming issue, which will have the photo of the two, with Linda trying to get into a comfortable position since removing her bra, then they would have to deal with a hectic bunch of customers flocking into the restaurant. Especially when having to hold the item in question that would become the plot device for the episode: the trophy. A heavy boy that almost feels like a weight ball you would see when going to the gym. However, once the photoshoot was over...
This is where Bob’s mood quickly turns sour when it comes to the trophy. The trophy that he just held just now is more of a prop. It doesn’t mean that his spot got revoked or something regarding the trophy, or that he would get some sort of participation trophy. He still won the honor and had his photo in the magazine. It's just that the trophy comes with a few... things for him to go through before getting his hands on the trophy. The first being the wait time, which means the trophy won’t be delivered until the 8-10 weeks are up. A mere two months until the trophy arrives at their doorstep.
Not to mention the cost. Oh God, the cost if you’re Bob, that totally soured his mood for the day. $200 for the fee. $200. A kick in the balls for Bob because he thought he would take it for free after winning it from the magazine. Yeah, this pretty much tells you that these award ceremonies are total scams. He didn’t expect that the piece of metal would be expensive, but... what do you expect from a piece of metal? If this were 3D printed, then it would be a whole different story. But because it was made out of metal, not to mention the magazine company being greedy in having the winners pay their “fair” share, it does feel like, what else, Bob getting screwed over. It’s a tale as old as time for the show, with a few instances where the Belchers, primarily Bob, just can’t get a win. Like, good fucking God. Out here, being treated like they’re the Buffalo Bills.
The kids saw all of this firsthand when seeing the photo shoot, and after seeing their father getting screwed over, despite winning the trophy in question, having to meet with a roadblock that is a trophy fee, and having to pay $200 for the metal ball in question, they decide to take things into their own hands. That being stealing. They plan on stealing the trophy if it means making their father happy without having him pay the $200 for it and having to wait for two months for the trophy to arrive. Of course, you have Tina trying to be responsible and tell Louise after suggesting that they should steal the trophy to make Bob happy. Telling Louise the same way a parent or teacher tells a five-year-old, “No. Don’t do that. It’s wrong. Stealing is wrong.” Well, what choice do they have, Tina? Because I don’t think raising $200 by the end of the day isn’t going to cut it. You don’t like it, you might as well go help Bob and Linda man the catering tent. Let alone Bob, who is going through a venting phase after what just happened. And besides, they’re not going to be the ones stealing the trophy. They got their eyes on their would-be ace in the hole going into the second act of the episode. Mr. Jewel Thief himself, Vincent...
Who ends up declining the kids’ offer to steal the trophy. Apparently, stealing a shiny-looking object like a trophy, even if it’s for display purposes, is going to be quite the challenge when being at an event filled with rich people, mostly working for the magazine, in comparison to... pretty much everything else in life. It’s a whole different ballgame when having to pull heists like what the Belcher kids are planning on doing if it means making Bob happy. And look, Vincent can see where the kids are coming from when to comes to this event. This party is not cheap. Sure, $200 just to pay for a trophy that you won’t be able to get for two months after getting the nod by the magazine company, but throw in an additional $40 just to be at the wine patio and drink the freshest and fanciest wines you could find that aren’t affected by the tariffs, and you can tell that these parties are nothing more than a scam fest. But once again, Vincent declines the offer to help the kids out in pulling in a heist to steal the trophy. Which is good news for Tina, once again, feel free to go back and help Bob and Linda and watch the implosion unfolding, even though she was just hoping to get some fudge, but that’s not going to stop Louise from wanting to take the trophy with them to give it to Bob before the day is over. And that is exactly what they’ll be planning on doing by taking measures into their own hands.
Speaking of Bob, as Linda leaves him for a bit to serve the sliders to the patrons attending the party, while also having to deal with her own issues in trying to give her breasts some breathing room, he decides to vent while cooking the additional sliders for the event that he is now calling it a sham after getting screwed over because of having to find out that he had to pay a fee to get the trophy. And with Linda leaving Bob for a bit to serve the sliders, he needs someone to talk to when having to go through a difficult phase of getting screwed over. So, he decides to vent his frustration towards the chef in the booth next to him, making food out of cake. He needs someone to let it all out after what just happened earlier, and the cake man in the next booth over happened to be shoehorned into this.
We reached the end of the first half of the episode with the kids going straight forward with the plan to steal the trophy. When it comes to the positioning... this is where the problem lies if you’re Louise. Because she named Gene as the person to retrieve the trophy. Gene? Naming him to get the trophy? Your funeral, I guess. Gene is tapped to take the trophy for the first attempt at the heist. And note that I said first attempt. Because it is early in the episode, so, of course, there’s more after this one going into the second half of the episode. So, Gene got tapped as the person to take the trophy. Making Louise and Tina the diversion to get everyone’s attention so that Gene could take the trophy without anyone noticing. Except for one or two things that the first attempt fell flat on its face. The first, of course, is nothing to replace it. You know, a switchaeroo lookalike. They don’t have the materials to do just that. Which leads us to the second thing that made the heist fall on its face...
The assistant, Sabrina. She has eyes like a hawk when having to protect the trophy. Treating it as if her life and job depend on this event to please her boss. And she knows she has to protect it to make sure that things go right for the event, even if everyone who won in certain categories for the magazine had to deal with a bullshit fee straight out of a subscription pricing when purchasing a tier for a streaming service. So, the kids got caught by Sabrina, but not before having to retreat and plan on doing some rethinking regarding strategy after their first attempt fell flat. Then again, it is early in the episode, so, of course, it would fall flat on the kids’ faces. And now they are on Sabrina’s radar because of what happened. Standing guard as if her life depended on it to make sure the siblings do not get their hands on the trophy. Even if the trophy might as well be treated as a weighted ball from the gym, and has to be on a table with a faulty leg. That’s a topic that might come in full circle later on in the episode.
We begin the second half of the episode, where we do a quick checkup on Linda before going back to the kids following the botched first attempt of their heist. Trying to mind her business when serving the sliders across the vicinity of the event, but her mind has other plans when walking around. Hearing certain conversations when bringing up the breasts. Seeing some people talking about breasts or the symbols like food when seeing certain booths, when turning her head around. Neither of those things is helping Linda with her situation. And you can tell that it is going to be a long day for her just to let her breasts breathe after removing her bra earlier, just because she was feeling some chaffing that is making her a tad uncomfortable. But, that’s not important for this episode, though chafing can be a bitch to deal with when putting on certain clothes...
Let’s focus back on the Belcher kids with the aftermath of their botched first attempt at stealing the trophy to make Bob feel better. Need to come up with a new strategy now that they’re on Sabrina’s radar to make sure the trophy isn’t going anywhere. Here comes Vincent once again, coming across the Belcher kids to check up on what just transpired. Guessing he saw the whole thing that happened recently when it all came crumbling down, and now they need to come up with a new plan. Especially now that they have Sabrina’s attention, which would make things challenging. Of course, Vincent isn’t going to help the Belcher kids just by stepping in and taking the trophy and delivering it to them because it would make the situation even worse for everyone. But it doesn’t mean he wouldn’t give the kids some tips on how to pull it off successfully if it means getting Sabrina away from breathing down their necks when going after the trophy.
One idea being the ol’ switcheroo. Take the actual trophy and replace it with a fake one that looks real, as if it were never touched, but in actuality, it’s not made out of metal. Luckily for the kids, they know just the place to make the switch and trick everyone, especially Sabrina, with the fake trophy that they’ll think is real. But for that, they need to have someone come in to make the switch without being seen. Let alone getting someone that small to go under the table, the wobbly table, to do the job. Luckily for the kids, they know a person within their ranks.
But yeah, creating a fake trophy. The kids make their way to the cake booth next to Bob’s booth, with Bob still going on a venting tirade, with the chef of the next booth getting caught in the crossfire. The kids take all of the food that is molded into cake, all free because the event, for once, is free to take and not slap a fee for whatever piece you take. Which would be sucky if you go to the grocery store and spot a free sample spot, only to turn out that the word “free” became non-existent and decide to slap a $1 fee... or $5 because of inflation and the tariffs. But the kids take all of the cakes to create the fake lookalike trophy, leaving Bob once again with the cake chef to, of course, vent. Already making the guy uncomfortable and having the kids leave with all the food that is made out of cake. And you call how uncomfortable the guy is already getting, going into the next scene. Oh yeah, and also, you have a brief scene with Linda trying to give her breasts some breathing room while serving sliders to the public. So, let’s leave it at that.
The heist is the focus of the episode, with Tina, Gene, and Louise in a position to redo their attempt at stealing the trophy. It’s now a now-or-never moment for the three if they want to make their father happy and feel ripped off once the event is done for the day. Molding the cake to make it look like the actual trophy. Copying the size and shape of the spherical award that doesn’t look like something coming out of a Temu order. So, everything is riding on their second attempt at getting the trophy to Bob with the advice that the kids recently picked up from Vincent on how to pull a foolproof heist, if it means getting Sabrina to stop breathing behind their necks and give Bob an early or late Christmas gift.
Did I mention that the cake chef in the booth next to Bob is getting uncomfortable with Bob’s ongoing venting session? Yeah, he got super uncomfortable as Bob continued to bitch and pout over the pricing fee and pretty much the awards as a whole, as he once again sees them as scams. The same venting process that he had gone through before winning one. It’s the same way how people see how the nomination process works, or not, I guess, that you’re excited that your favorite actor/actress, movie, musician, or TV show made the shortlist, made the final cut as part of the five spots of the nomination of whatever category they’re in, and once the night of the awards come in... whoops, they didn’t win shit. Makes you think about how the process works when it comes to how the Academy Awards does when picking the winners ahead of the night of the Oscars. Getting to the point where the guy has to move his booth away from Bob so he doesn’t have to hear any of what he has to say. And honestly, I don’t blame him. I don’t even blame him one bit.
The plan finally goes into action as we prepare to wrap up the third act of the episode, right as another photoshoot is about to take place for the next set of winners, with the trophy to be tossed around like a hot potato. Gene once again gets tapped as the person to take the trophy and make a break for it like it’s a football with the game on the line. Trying to think he’s Christian McCaffery when having to redo the work of taking the trophy from the table and turning it into a game of Cat and Mouse with a mixture of Don’t Wake Daddy. And in this instance, daddy is Sabrina, with Gene having to run for his life while the switcheroo is quietly taking place.
Of course, going into the start of the fourth and final act of the episode, Gene, once again, gets caught by Sabrina. Not knowing what was going on behind the scenes at the table that would soon make her look like a dumbass. Sabrina captures Gene in the act away from the site of the incident, and already, putting her in a bad mood as if, once again, this job depends on this event to make sure things go right for her to please her boss... who we later find out that she is the publisher’s daughter. But Sabrina retrieved the trophy from Gene once more, not knowing that a certain someone was about to make her way to the table in preparation for the plan to go into action. And Gene as the distraction is the first step for the switch to happen.
The trophy makes its return to the table right as Gene retreats behind the trenches with Tina and “Louise” behind the statue to see the whole unfolding once more. Note that I added the quotation marks around Louise’s name; you'll find out why. Things were going back to normal as the publisher was about to have a photoshoot with a couple of guests for a picture in the magazine. All that while Sabrina is keeping her guard in the event the kids plan on doing it again for the third time. But it looks like they might not need a third attempt to pull the heist, especially since we’re about to enter the two-minute warning of the episode.
Because, whoops. There goes the “trophy” as it rolls away, thanks in part to the wobbly table. However, note the shape of the trophy as it was rolling down, along with the shine of said trophy since it is made out of metal... or rather, the lack of shine the moment it was rolled down to the ground and on its way to the ocean. Everyone, mostly Sabrina, thought that the actual trophy went bowling down through the ground right as Sabrina was about to go and get the item because, again, she feels like her job is depending on how well the event goes, and hoping to retrieve it, but by the time she does it, the trophy is now the ocean’s problem.
Though the look on Bob’s face speaks otherwise after seeing all of that from the comfort of his booth. For the magazine company, it’s karma for them when having to laugh like a freaking madman after getting screwed out of getting his trophy after finding out that he would have to pay the $200 fee just to bring home a piece of metal. At least he is enjoying this after what just unfolded. Not knowing that it was all caused by the kids when pulling a heist. At least he got the last laugh going into 2026, so a happy New Year to him.
And turns out that the second time seems to be the charm. The heist actually works for the kids to get their hands on the actual trophy. And you can thank Vincent for giving them the pointers that they need to pull the stunt off. It wasn’t easy pulling the thing off because it got Sabrina to breathe down their necks since the first time they tried to take the trophy, but what do you expect? This was a whole different ballgame, where it’s filled with rich folk, happened to be an open area, and someone who apparently has the eye of a hawk whenever the kids try to make a move. And you have to be thankful that Vincent had to come in and help them, even if he doesn’t want to take it at their behest. Then again, who knows if he would take it all to himself?
Everyone did their part, other than them having to create a fake trophy with the cake they took from the cake booth and shape it into a carbon copy, like it's freaking Play-Doh, and Gene having to take the trophy to get Sabrina away from the table. But that part from Gene paved the way for Louise to run with the fake trophy and make the switch once Sabrina returns with the trophy. And this is the part I did not notice when this was going on. You have Tina holding Louise’s ears as a diversion. That is really interesting to see that part without even noticing while doing the live blogs. And if that’s the case, then you would have Louise having to run towards the wobbly table, all without her hat, just for her to make the move when the time is right to make the switch. All while not having to cover her head unless she had to rush her way to the table like she’s the freaking Flash. So, that is really something.
But other than that, the heist was a complete success with the fake trophy, which everyone thought was the actual trophy, falling into the ocean. And for the kids, the second time seems to be the charm. They got the trophy. And all they can do now is to present it to Bob on their way home to make their father happy after going through a sour mood that ruined his good mood upon arriving on the island. Honestly, it is quite surprising that they didn’t spot the difference between the actual trophy and the fake one, but adults are stupid. Let’s leave it at that. Got outplayed.
Which leads us to the final scene of the episode. The final scene of 2025 with the Belchers on their way home for the evening, and it looks like Bob will not be going home empty-handed. Because the kids gave Bob the trophy that they had to steal through a heist with Vincent’s help. Of course, without even telling him that they had to steal it, because that would create some controversy. But who cares about that? Our boy got the trophy without having to pay the $200 fee. And with that, alongside Gene having to wave Linda’s bra after having to somehow wear it on their way back to the ferry, so ends 2025 for Bob’s Burgers and for this page for the year. And let’s see what 2026 has in store... whenever the next episode drops.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So, all and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers? Once again, don’t like the idea of having these episodes air during the Christmas/New Year holiday because it would stand in the way of a few things. Just be lucky that the year-end countdown had to come out in advance, leading up to the posting of this review. Never do that again, FOX. Never freaking do that again. Put in January as you would have in the past few years.
But other than that, going to keep things short and simple since by the time I post the review, it will be about to be midnight my time, Central Time, so consider that as the last post of 2025, or to the East Coast and around the world, the first post of 2026, it was an alright episode. Switching from Bob noticing the truth about the awards process, about how all of this is a total scam, to the kids having to pull a heist to steal the trophy just to make their father happy. Nice to see Vincent again after what we thought he would be a one-off after “To Catch a Beef”, but he did aid the kids by giving them pointers to pull off a successful heist. The Linda side of things with the chaffing... unnecessary filler. So, might as well leave it as that. So, I’ll give “Heist Things are Heist”...
A 7 out of 10. But that’s my opinion, and I want to hear yours in the comments below. I already did my sappy shit over at the previous post, which is the number one spot of the Top 12 Countdown that was posted before this one. But thank you all for an interesting 2025, despite some turmoil that somewhat restrained me from going balls to the walls. Really tells you that I really need to start thinking of getting a new computer after five years of using the one that I am currently using. But yeah, a Happy New Year to everyone. And until we get a new Bob’s Burgers episode, thus beginning to play the waiting game... it is on to the discussion series on the Tobins. So stay tuned for that.
Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, BlueSky, and Threads for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff. The 2025 Battle of the Week Voting Tournament came to a close this past weekend with The Great North winning it all for the third time in four years, the first time in voting tournament history to win back-to-back titles. So, the voting tournament will return for its fourteenth season come March 2026. And y’all should know the drill by now...
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