Bob's Burgers: Get Her to the Zeke (16x06)

Aww, I loved this one!

Cons:

I don't have an actual complaint about this episode, but I will say there was a brief moment when I thought that this episode would finally address the fact that Zeke and Jimmy Jr. have gay crushes on each other and then felt a little let down that that didn't happen lol. I'm mostly joking but only mostly.

Pros:

Let's start with the subplot with Bob, Linda, Louise and Gene - there's a big scary rat that has been seen out in the alley behind the restaurant, and Hugo and Ron show up with an exterminator named Roxy the Rat Queen to try and deal with the situation. The Belchers end up letting the rat go by the end of the episode, because they're too sad about the thought of Roxy killing him after they've spent several days invested in his fate. I love the moments where the whole family comes together and ends up doing something a little naughty but in collaboration, the kids and the adults all on the same page.

There was a fun dynamic in this subplot too, where Hugo does his normal thing of being mean to Bob, but at the same time he's playing really sycophantic to Roxy, so he keeps flip-flopping to agree with Roxy even if it means walking back his insults to Bob. That was fun! And the super rat was kinda cute, not gonna lie!

The man plot features Tina wanting to go on a date with Jimmy Jr. to a school dance, but Jimmy says he can't because he doesn't want to ditch Zeke. Tina then sets Zeke up with a new girl in school, Penelope, so the four of them can double date. Penelope ends up being weird and mean, and in the end Tina realizes that she and Jimmy Jr. need to collectively ask Zeke out to the dance in order to give him the romance and the fun night out he deserves.

I really, really loved this plot thread, it contained so many of my favorite elements of this show. Penelope's weirdness with her square meatballs and her backpack of lettuce was really funny, but there was a real tenderness to this plot thread at the end of the day, with Tina able to see past her own needs and be there for a friend. I was particularly loving the way Tina and Jimmy Jr. just seem like... legit friends, in this episode? I feel like over the years we've settled into this dynamic where Tina is way less weird and anxious about him. She has this crush, and he maybe likes her back, but they're too young to be like... a couple, and I don't think either of them even really wants that, exactly. So instead Tina has the guts to ask a boy that she likes to the dance, and Jimmy Jr. does want to go with her! The two of them working together to get Zeke away from Penelope was really great.

And that conclusion! Zeke was trying so, so hard on his date to be what Penelope wanted, and was going along with everything she said even though she was being pretty rude and mean. And then to have his friends do a grand gesture for him, and for him to be so excited, really warmed my heart. I loved that as they left, Zeke was already talking about planning a three-person dance for their date, and matching outfits... there's something so sweet and innocent about these friends getting all jazzed up about romance and going on dates, in this safe contained way where they're still mostly just hanging out in a platonic sense. I love it!

This one was a real winner for me, I feel like I'm always inclined to be favorable of episodes that include some of the kids from school - we don't see them as much as I would like!

9/10