Bob's Burgers: Escape from Which Island? (14x06)

This was a fun one! Whenever Mr. Fischoeder gets involved you know it's going to be a wild time.

Cons:

I did think that the subplot with Linda and the kids could have had a better punch line. There were lots of funny jokes within the scenario, but the conclusion was just, Tina is stressed out about how to be a proper adult, then realizes she's memorized all of Linda's advice, so she's set. That didn't really land for me.

Pros:

But starting with that subplot, I loved the comedy of Linda being self-aware about bad cocktail party etiquette because she definitely has been that bad guest many times in the past. At first I thought maybe the joke would be that she gives bad advice because she's no good at it, but actually it's that she gives good advice because of all the practice she has at being an inconsiderate guest.

I also just liked it vibes-wise, Linda and her kids staying up to do something silly and spur of the moment like host a mocktail party. It feels true to the kinds of gentle shenanigans the Belchers might get up to, and also felt realistically like my family, or other families I know, of just getting dressed up on a random evening with nowhere to go, or having snacks after dinner just because everyone's hanging out and doesn't want to say goodnight. I also like it that whenever one of the Belcher children is learning a lesson or having some sort of a problem, the other two are usually totally willing to play along and get involved with whatever is happening.

The main plot was with Bob and Calvin. One compliment I'll give this plot thread right off the bat is that so much seemed to happen: I kept being surprised that there was more episode left to go, because they crammed so many silly moments into less than half an hour of TV. You start off with Fischoeder inviting Bob to be his personal chef to this secret society island gathering, and you already know shit is going to go off the rails in a big big way.

Bob has to wear a blindfold to the island, and we later learn that Fischoeder just drove the boat around in laps to make it seem like the island is farther away than it actually is. Then you have Bob's continued warnings about the incoming storm, which Calvin and the other rich folks seem completely unconcerned about.

I love that Bob has his "go along to get along" attitude for so much of this, just sort of awkwardly pointing out the escalating danger until finally it all boils over. Most of the guests and their personal chefs leave the island in advance of the coming storm, and the few boats that remain sink in the turbulent waters. Bob is left to deal with the remaining men, all of whom are very high, and one of whom is especially high and seems to believe he's some sort of forest dwelling monster intent on consuming the other guests.

Like I said, a lot happened: I loved tracking the chaos through the various biting incidents, Bob getting tied up and used as bait, then Fischoeder actually coming to his rescue as he sobered up and became slightly less ridiculous, then both of them getting tied up, then Bob becoming bait one final time (beating Calvin's "tied up in one day" record) to lure their fucked up friend onto the dingy so they can all get out.

The final beat is the gang of rich weirdos insisting that Bob come along for ice cream, and Bob's long-suffering acquiescence. This was just such a great episode for Bob, who manages to be really chill and mellow and also classically prone to random bouts of overreaction. So seeing him having to keep a level head while understandably frustrated by everyone else's shenanigans was a delight! As was seeing Calvin and all his rich corrupt friends just absolutely high as a kite and dancing around a bonfire. Is this the type of thing the mega-rich get up to in the real world? I'd believe it.

So there you have it! This was a really fun one, it gets high marks from me.

9/10