(Photo courtesy of: ComicBook.com) “‘Bob’s Burgers’ has returned for season 14.”
Riley Fontana
Connector Editor
The critically acclaimed animated series “Bob’s Burgers” returned to Fox on October 1 for its 14th season. The show is known for its mundane, slice-of-life stories that follow the Belcher family in their struggling burger restaurant. The show has garnered a massive fan base due to its dry and realistic humor, especially compared to lots of adult animations that aim to exaggerate everything and shoot for absurdity in their comedy.
This season opens with the Belcher kids, Tina, Gene and Louisebeing given chores by their parents, Bob and Linda. After the family gets into a small argument and stand-off about the chores, they sit down and begin to tell a wild-west style bedtime story to the kids.
The family begins to influence the story and parody other media. This is a very popular trope on “Bob’s Burgers” with at least one episode a season in this style. They have parodied “Terminator”, “Game of Thrones”, “Jaws” and many more. This episode is a clear shot at “Wynonna Earp” and “The Quick and Dead”, at least those are the two mentioned in the show directly.
This format of storytelling allows not only show creators to have fun with script writing, but it is an honest example of how families communicate and it shows exactly who the characters are for newcomers. Louise has always struggled with authority, and this is another example of that; but through playing pretend and telling cowboy stories, she is able to communicate with her parents in a way that is not fighting. Tina is a typical hormonal teenager, so her additions to the story are her crush and an incredibly buff horse; and Gene adds the much-needed humor and light-hearted aspects of music and love to the story.
This form of storytelling that makes “Bob’s Burgers” so special also allows viewers to understand how each character sees everyone else. Louise chooses to make her parents the
sheriffs and her grandmother the important out-of-town, mayor-like figure, due to her grandmother being the one who suggested the chores. Bob makes their landlord the high-class outlaw in the fictional old-west town, and Tina makes her crush outlaws for good reason.
The entire show follows the basic formula of some conflict, usually within the family, and how they work together to figure it out. Not every episode is as heartfelt and touching as this season opener, but that is what makes it so special. This is the perfect season opener, especially with how much this show has behind it to outdo. Behind them are 13 seasons as well as a theatrical release film, and they are already showing they have not lost any of their charm.
Season 14 is shaping up to be another amazing installment of an incredibly beloved show. Fans have more wacky storylines, perfectly placed songs and life lessons to look forward to. “Bob’s Burgers” and its cast of characters is looking ahead to telling more stories through 2025, having been renewed through a 15th season.
Overall Grade: A
