Kyle’s Review

Even when the jokes fall flat, Bob’s Burgers gives us some of the craziest, comedic scenarios. “Housetrap” takes some time with the setup but delivers one of Bob’s Burgers’ best.

We knew we were in for a wild one when Teddy takes his burger to go—usually, Bob has to drag Teddy out of the restaurant. Then we leave the Belcher’s run-down burger joint and home for a posh, sea-side mansion. Teddy has been tasked to make repairs but the Belchers crash the house as only the Belchers can. The main course begins once we make it to the mansion.

You’ve gotta love it whenever Louise fuels Linda’s paranoia. Teddy has fallen in love with the widow, Helen, who hired him for the mansion repairs, and Linda believes that Helen pushed her husband off a widow’s walk. Things go nuclear fast. Linda, with the help of Louise, concocts an elaborate backstory for Helen and she reenacts the murder by pushing Bob and throwing out his back. Now, the Belchers are trapped in the mansion when Teddy and Helen escape the rain and enter the home’s living room to find Bob on the couch.

It doesn’t matter whether or not Helen killed her husband (signs point to yes) because It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Katilin Olson tears into her unbalanced character with glee. Helen is chipper one moment and malevolent the next. Punctuated with sinister music and an unsettling sense of humor, Olson’s Helen is the best guest voice actor Bob’s Burgers has had in a while. We also get treated to a medicated Bob – always funny – trying to keep his friend Teddy’s chances with Helen alive, while Linda and Louise tear the two apart because they don’t want Teddy to date a killer. Both sides want what’s best for Teddy and the execution is flawless. This is one of the best Bob’s Burgers episodes this season.