Kyle’s Thoughts

Bob’s Burgers has had a lot of episodes this season where it splits up the adults and children, and I’ve grown weary of this practice. Sure, the series has featured this tactic on more than one occasion but they broke it up in years past, while “House of 1000 Bounces” marks the fourth episode out of the last five where the show has broken up its principal characters like this. It’s an okay episode, but I’d like more variety.

Usually, I like how Bob’s Burgers brings in secondary characters and fleshes them out but I’m not invested in Regular Sized Rudy. He owns one of the greatest names on the show but he’s a milk toast. I guess I’m harsh on him at the moment because of the typical for season six parent-children split and because Louise is his foil. Whenever there’s a children episode, one Belcher kid takes point, and Louise overshadows Regular Sized Rudy at Rudy’s birthday party. I like Louise but she’s the only Belcher kid who hasn’t grown. She takes everything to the limit with no regard to other people’s feelings. At the end of each of her episodes her heart grows three sizes and she makes things right. Lather, rinse, repeat. “House of 1000 Bounces” uses this same formula.

The parent side of the story was nonsensical. Actually, I thought it worked because it was so silly. Bob’s afraid of pigeons because he watched Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds at a young age, and a pigeon gets stuck in the restaurant. That’s it. But that’s all you need for a few laughs. Bob deals with his fears, as he often does, and winds up in a bubble bath with the pigeon.

Bob’s Burgers started the season strong—“Gayle Makin” Bob Sled” notwithstanding. “Hauntening” and “Nice-Capades” were stand out episodes, but the show has hit a touch of spring doldrums. “House of 1000 Bounces” is one half of a double-header. I haven’t seen “Stand by Gene” yet, but it sounds like another kid-driven episode.

Thanks for reading.