#and I think bob's has struggled with having hit this plateau and floundering a little in terms of deciding on a new voice or direction

[tinarannosaurus]

just got caught up with bob's burgers, and so far I'm enjoying season 14 much more than I expected to!

not to say I went into these new episodes assuming I wouldn't like them, but certainly the past few seasons (10–12 for sure) have fallen into a rut where like, there's a handful of episodes that are pretty solid, there's one or two that annoy me enough to skip over on any rewatch, and the majority are deeply neutral. the plots are just okay, the jokes are a little lacking, but the fundamental dynamics are still there, and I like those enough that bob's remains one of my go-to shows to have on in the background, even if I don't feel inspired or compelled enough to engage with the show the way I used to

but season 14 has been an unexpected departure (and actually, I think the back half of 13 as well) — it's funny, because I don't actually think the show is as funny as it used to be, but they're taking bigger swings with the plots in a way that's very rewarding to watch! I don't mind that there are fewer jokes, because I'm invested in the more emotional turns the show is taking

like—holy shit, "the amazing rudy"? a standout from start to finish. and I think a great example of what this season is doing in terms of its emotional arcs, and what I'm glad it's leaning into

I've felt very neutral toward bob's the past couple years, because it's felt so staid. there's an accepted level of consistency that bob's or any other animated sitcom maintains, and I get that, but I think the show really really struggled in its recent seasons with honoring that consistency, roughly maintaining the status quo, while also creating plots that were—and this sounds bad to say—but, plots that were interesting. there were a lot of low stakes, anticlimactic resolutions, unexciting premises—situations where there's not a lot of room for the writing to go, and not a lot for the characters to play off

but what I think this latest season is doing so well is leaning into its history, taking advantage of all the episodes of relationships and interactions and story they've developed to create setups that really fucking land! "the amazing rudy" is a phenomenal episode, but would it have hit as well in season 4 or 5, when we've only met rudy a handful of times? maybe, but I think it's so much more rewarding as this late series entry, when it can pay off all the previous mentions of rudy's home life, his relationship with his dad, his relationship with his—until this ep—unseen mom, his hobbies, his anxieties, his friendship with louise, the role the belchers play in his life—it's so good!!

this season is a couple eps shorter from the strike, but really hoping that the rest of the 14 and what's to come in 15 follows the trend, because it feels like the show is finally starting to figure out its voice and its footing again

#bob's burgers #like I did find the booger wall scene in 'bully-lieve it or not' literally nauseating BUT #the reveal that zeke once bullied a kid for having a lisp was a genuinely surprising and genuinely impactful moment! #and again. it's all about leveraging that history. we've seen over a decade of zeke and jj being ride or die friends #and because of all that established history the bullying reveal was that much more shocking #not to mention how it set up this look of genuine betrayal on jimmy jr.'s face. the show earned all the gravity it gave this moment! #it's great! it's so good!! also my god. don't get me started on fraud of the dead #I think a show that runs this long needs to reinvent itself every so often. because you have to #and I think bob's has struggled with having hit this plateau and floundering a little in terms of deciding on a new voice or direction #but this latest batch? this rules. i'm so into it #kayla for blacklist