Kyle’s Thoughts

“The Last Gingerbread House on the Left” fell flat. All the parts of a good Bob’s Burgers episode were there, but the execution was off this week.

Mr. Fischoeder and Felix’s presence adds spice to the titular gingerbread house building contest and the rest of the rich folk (in that thread) play off each other well. There’s something about watching Fischoeder suffer and asking Bob for help that’s satisfying (Fischoeder wants Bob to finish last in the contest, so he won’t finish last another year) and every time Fischoeder tempts Bob with free rent makes for great motivation for Bob. “The Last Gingerbread House on the Left” even gives Bob a good alternative to following Fischoeder’s plan, and the result is a great character moment for Bob.

Throw in some over-the-top gun play and the gingerbread house building contest is intense. Where “The Last Gingerbread House on the Left” falls short is on the caroling side of its story. It was old hat and frankly, boring. If you’ve ever seen a sitcom, you knew the carolers (Linda, the kids, and Teddy) would end up at the creepy house, they’d be spooked by the owner, and the owner would turn out to be a great guy, the person who epitomizes Linda’s (the head caroler’s) vision. It added little.

If you looked at only the gingerbread house building portion, “The Last Gingerbread House on the Left” was a riot, but the other half drags down an otherwise solid episode. Still, Bob’s Burgers maintains its place as one of the better sitcoms on TV.

Thanks for reading.