“The Handyman Can” marks the return of a beloved episodic structure for Bob’s Burgers, a semi-recurring segment that I’ve dubbed the Trilogy of Error. (No, not that one.) It’s the episodes where the basic narratives are thrown out in favor of letting each of the Belcher children take over the story and offer their own versions of events, shot through with their highly specific views on the world and individual diets of pop culture. “The Frond Files,” “The Gayle Tales,” “Sliding Bobs,” “Mom, Lies, And Videotape,” and “Bed, Bob, And Beyond” all fall into this category, less regular than the holiday episodes but all the more appreciated for their random appearances.
These episodes would all be seasonal highlights if only for the way they turn up the pace of pop culture homage, but Bob’s Burgers has gotten progressively smarter about the way it deploys them. After a somewhat shaky justification in “The Frond Files” the stories have graduated to have a specific aim in mind: trying to convince someone of their worth, covering up for disastrous circumstances, or discussing a significant moment in family history. Adding those through lines draws a clearer point on how Tina, Gene, and Louise individually perceive the world—or more likely, what they watch on TV—and how they react to other people. Even if their motives for telling these stories are ultimately just in getting what they want, they still betray an affection for the people they’re telling them to, and—in their own way—show how they can be smarter about people than most of the adults in this world.
The adult they have to be smart about this time around is Teddy, in the throes of a crisis of confidence after Reggie’s gazebo burned down thanks to a faulty wiring job on the ceiling fan. (Apparently gazebo ceiling fans are a thing, so I learned something today.) Doubting that he can even perform a simple wiring job in the walk-in freezer, Bob agrees they may have to pay a professional at an exchange rate of 2.5 Teddys, and as a result the kids won’t be able to go to the trampoline park I Gotta Take A Jump. (Which as wordplay goes, chef kiss.) The setup is almost identical to the setup of “The Gayle Tales,” but what it loses in repetition it gains in context. Teddy is a far more beloved character than Gayle—both by the kids and by the audience—and he also falls into the group of Bob’s Burgers characters who somehow possesses a measure of competence. There’s real stakes to the story beyond the kids’s selfish desires, and we want them to succeed as much as they do.
Louise kicks it off with a glorious homage to Waterworld, wherein the world has succumbed to a hundred-year storm—her nine-year-old-brain unable to comprehend the idea of climate change—and it’s only thanks to Teddy’s grand skill in transforming the restaurant to a floating barge that the Belcher family literally and figuratively stays afloat. One of the best things about these episodes is the rare window you get into an alternate Bob’s Burgers universe, and the visual design on this one is pretty fantastic. From the way the restaurant is converted into a barge to the post-apocalyptic character redesigns to the various cameos of other cast members, the animation department puts so much on display that you want this flood to carry over into the rest of the show for a few episodes. How could you not want to see Mr. Fischoeder channeling Dennis Hopper, Hugo’s health inspection van turned into a hovercraft prowling for citations, or just what pirate empire Marshmallow would rule over?
But all of those details are secondary to Louise’s storytelling, which in keeping with her direct nature is the most straightforward. As the youngest sibling she’s not interested in symbolism or narrative flourishes, and it shows in her storytelling. Her characters wind up repeating lines as soon as she narrates them, and every reassurance about Teddy’s abilities comes out with little context beyond being there to get the point across. She’s more interested in telling an action story where Teddy’s abilities are the means to the end, a delivery for her to have fun and pay homage to Mad Max: Fury Road. That said, you can still see her humanity peeking through the gaps of the post-apocalyptic narrative in the best ways: of course she saves Regular Sized Rudy to join them on Candy Island, and of course she defeats Logan to do it.
Tina, by contrast, has her head in the clouds—literally, as she transforms him into a hero with a scenario that’s part Up and part Studio Ghibi. The most important celebrities in the world are trapped at the peak of Mount Everest, and in Tina’s world those celebrities are Boyz4Now trying to make their newest music video. It’s a welcome return for Max Greenfield, who feels like he’s at his Boo Booest on this go-around (“I said we should go to a mountain! I didn’t say it should be one of the Everests!”), and a welcome return to Louise’s repeated denials of her crush on him. And it also produces my favorite part of these stories, when Bob vainly tries to bring logic into it—in this case arguing that an avalanche can’t happen on the peak of a mountain. Every time he does, it hits a wall of feigned or actual ignorance from his children, and he can’t muster more than a few sentences before wearily admitting defeat.
It feels a little out of character for Tina to not be telling a grand romance for Teddy, especially as she’s previously been so invested in Teddy’s love life, but it remains well within her idiosyncratic wheelhouse. First there’s the fact that despite it being Teddy’s story she can’t help herself from being the hero of it, giving herself an unrealistic happy ending in one of the episode’s biggest laughs, as she wins an Academy Award for directing the next Boyz4Now music video. And more importantly, while she’s left out the romance she’s incorporated so many elements of a bromance, creating a world where Bob is open and friendly with Teddy to the point he’ll let his best friend sit on his lap with a seatbelt hug. It’s shrewd storytelling for Tina, recognizing that Teddy’s idealized vision of being Bob’s best friend is as valuable as his handyman competency, and that tying them closer together makes the former more likely to cheer up. Tina lives so deeply in her own fantasy world, she can see and appreciate his.
Gene gets relegated to the last slot, and as you’d expect from his showman instincts, he reacts to that by going bigger than anyone else. It’s a vision that could have only come from his overstimulated brain, merging Voltron and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to create a story where Jimmy Pesto’s old marinara sauce creates a kaiju monster named Pizzilla. (“It’s the pizza that eats ya!” Linda declares, unable to not cheerlead Gene’s creativity.) And the only thing that can defeat it is Teddy’s conversion of the restaurant into a giant robot, taking to the streets in a battle of strength and farts. Once again, the animation is terrific, the restaurant turning into a robot with so many delightful features that I want to see Bento Box Entertainment and Hasbro team up and get this toy into stores in time for Christmas.
While Gene’s story feels like the one that has the least connection to actually reinforcing Teddy feeling good about himself, that’s something that feels right for the character. There’s no time wasted in character development or motivation, just a basic setup and then right into smashing buildings. Gene doesn’t really have it in him to see a world full of self-doubt or where constant reassurance is necessary, he’s the sort of kid who genuinely believes that you can solve any major problem with a simple game of “pull my finger.” (Though he does have one subtle reassurance to Teddy if you’re really looking for it, taking those pointless long-winded stories and weaving them in as a “somewhat long and detailed, but still very helpful tutorial.”)
The resolution to the story is expected—there’s no way they’d end the episode on a downbeat of Teddy not taking their words to heart—but that doesn’t take anything away from that unique Bob’s Burgers sweetness when he admits that it’s all of their support together that’s pulling him out of his rut. Even though the kids are clearly doing this because they won’t be deprived of I Gotta Take A Jump, there’s still a sincerity to each of their stories that shines through, a desire to get their Uncle Teddy out of his rut and back to being the eccentric regular they know and love. (Or know and tolerate, as Bob’s in a particular curmudgeonly place this week.) Sure, he might burn the place down, but at least it’s him burning the place down and not some outsider who couldn’t inspire half as much creativity in his friends.
Overall, “The Handyman Can” falls into the middle of the pack on these Trilogy of Error episodes. The last three installments found some fun conceits to tie everything together—romantic comedies, school plays, or rewriting history—and it’s a return to base level for a main supporting character to be at the center of these narratives. However, the respective stories and their homages still work exceptionally well, and by linking the stories around a character as beloved as Teddy it raises itself up a few notches. It remains a welcome variety in the world of Bob’s Burgers, where even if we won’t get a full steampunk/post-apocalyptic/kaiju episode, it’s nice to glimpse that possibility from time to time.
Stray observations:
- Burgers of the Week: The Chili-delphia Story Burger, The Deep Blue Brie Burger (comes with blue cheese and brie), The Stayin’ A-Chive Burger, The Almond Butters Band Burger (bun toasted w/almond butter).
- Store Next Door: Purple Vein: Varicose Vein Surgery.
- Pest Control Truck: Hives Out Bee Removal.
- Since I feel like doing it and I coined the term, here’s my ranking of the prior Trilogy of Errors: “Sliding Bobs,” “Bed, Bob, And Beyond,” “Mom, Lies, And Videotape,” “The Handyman Can,” “The Gayle Tales,” “The Frond Files.”
- Louise, knowing her dad better than anyone, shrewdly points out that their restaurant only works because of how balanced their tower of incompetence is, and one look from a professional would knock it all over: “You’re too poor and too proud to fix any of that.” Bob’s “Yeah, you’re right” might be his saddest delivery in a while.
- Another callback to “The Gayle Tales” in Bob hoping against all hope his daughter hasn’t watched something she’s too young for. Louise: “I wouldn’t even know how to stream that movie over and over again with Mom’s password.”
- Edith and Harold’s boat is covered in googly eyes. Guess that makes it a Couldchuck vessel.
- “I’m the opposite of a handyman. I’m a handy-sham!”
- “Also, Ken wants to solarize his party deck.” Ken mention!
- “We also did a little tubing along the way, just cause it’s fun.”
- “Himalyas? More like see-ya-latas! Get it, girl!” I do love that Tina had to insert a moment of Jimmy Jr. and Zeke talking about her favorably when she wasn’t around.
- “Teddy does all the handy jobs!” “Gene, don’t say handy jobs.”
- “I always though I’d grow old and sexy like the grandma from Who’s The Boss?!”
- “Good job kids. I guess you win and we all lose.”
- Bad news everyone: so soon after returning, we’re going away again. Bob’s Burgers will be dropped from TV Club regular coverage after this week, to return on May 17 for the season finale. Longer thoughts to come then. Until then, be safe and kind to each other, everybody.
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Bad news everyone: so soon after returning, we’re going away again. Bob’s Burgers will be dropped from TV Club regular coverage after this week, to return on May 17 for the season finale. *sighs while pinching his nose like Bob*Does anyone know of another website I can go to that has intelligent reviews of good TV shows, with an equally intelligent talkback section? Writers are bailing, features are getting chopped. This entire site network is going down in flames like the Titanic, if the Titanic were on fire. I need to find a new place quick or I’ll be Internet Homeless.
Same. I blame kinja.
Kinja and whatever the fuck they / G/O did to it to make comments sections only visible after reloading a page at least half a dozen times.Making it nigh-impossible to comment and then crying ‘low readership’ as an excuse to cut staff/articles is total horseshit, but I don’t think I’d expect anything else.
Thanks for the confirmation that this keep-reloading-to-see-comments problem isn’t just with me and my script blockers, though I think they’re probably part of it. My participation is definitely down given how laborious casual commentary has become, and Bob’s Burgers was pretty much my only regular stop anymore, so…
Oh, no, it’s not just you. It’s a big pain. Sometimes it’ll work if I open the comments section link in a new tab…but sometimes it just opens the article again.
But without kinja, where could I find ads trying to sell me crap on the internet?
The Avocado does reviews of BB and some other shows that AV Club has dropped, but I can’t speak to the quality or consistency of the reviews. The commentary, though, is not far behind here.
That’s because the site was founded by former AVCers (from the pre-Kinja days) and a lot of old regulars spend their time over there.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll make a point of trying it out.
(Sigh.) I’ll stay here till it sinks.
Remember TV Club Classic? The reviews of old Star Trek episodes was what brought me here in the first place.
“The Prisoner,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Samurai Jack,” and others. I fear the best days are behind it.
There doesn’t seem to be a place like the old AV Club anymore; a place that covers literally everything entertainment while also providing a comment section to interact with fans and sometimes the author. To get that now, you basically have to piecemeal it by jumping around to different sites. Den of Geek reviews some shows (including The Simpsons) and they even use Disqus but from the times I’ve been there, its not very active. Just a handful of comments if none at all. Vulture does reviews as well but its an odd assortment prestige drama type shows and reality TV shows. It’s not a bad place, don’t get me wrong, its that if you’re expecting the same as AVC, it’s not really that. I think Uproxx still covers stuff as well. If anyone knows anything else, I welcome the suggestions.
If you looking for more fan interactions without the in depth reviews, you have to go to places like the-avocado (like someone already mentioned) or show specific reddit subs, which I find very hit or miss (groupthink is a scourge on reddit).
The Morro Castle would be the appropriate flaming ship metaphor, but you’d have to be extra geeky to “get” it, so you’d take your chances, even here.
I genuinely and sincerely wish the virus upon Spanfeller.
Seriously? You can’t keep it on regular coverage for *two* episodes? We all know you’re not paying Les that much. Just tell us how many ad clicks we need to keep those two episode reviews and we’ll do that, then The AV Club can resume falling to shit once the season ends
I’m upset because they could just finish the whole season. There’s only 3 more episodes.
Bubbleblabber still does Bob’s Burgers if you want a review. Phil Payton also reviews each episode on his YouTube channel.
Bob’s Burgers is one of the great shows that I started watching entirely because of the reviews on the AV Club. The commercials just didn’t do it justice and I didn’t see the point, but people were excited about it here, and I’m so glad I got on board.
Honestly, if there were a paid subscription for the AV Club so they could afford to actually, you know, cover stuff, I’d be game. There are still great writers and an awesome community here, but it’s fading day by day.
If they could smell Pizzilla’s farts what was the point of those helmets?
Safety? The could still get knocked around inside that robot.
Okay, first the Simpsons and now Bob’s Burgers. What is the AV Club going to actually be reviewing from here on out? This is some serious bullshit.
all reviews from here on out will be in slideshow format and involve The Masked Singer
“100 Random Thoughts I Had While Watching The Masked Singer and How it Ties into the MCU”
Every superhero show on the CW. And Game of Thrones, somehow.
“Game of Thrones Revisited Now That Everyone Hates It”.
At this point I come here for Brooklyn 99, When Romance Met Comedy, and…well, I’ll check back when Handmaid’s Tale returns.
Dropped Better Things too, which is super disappointing. That show is having an incredible season.
At first I thought they were just getting rid of all the shows made by women, but alas, I am proved wrong. Which is good but also still sucks. I miss the original AV club…
Bubbleblabber still does Bob’s Burgers if you want a review. Phil Payton also reviews each episode on his YouTube channel.
Ever since the move to Gawker or whatever the fuck they’re calling all these sites, I’ve been coming to the AV Club less and less and now they’re just straight-up telling us to not bother anymore. It sucks when your favorite website gets hallowed out by finance ghouls.
“Teddy is a far more beloved character than Gayle.”DOES NOT FEMPUTE!
Having seen “Gayle Makin’ Bob Sled”, I can believe this.
After reading about the abandonment of Simpsons reviews, I immediately came here thinking “Not Bob’s not Bob’s not Bob’s” (but still read the entire review before reaching my answer). Let out a Teddy-like “Dammit!” at the end.Allowing reviews of season finales (and I assume premieres?) makes even less sense for these animated series, since those episodes happen to be whatever coincidentally lands in the middle of the production order when programming decides the season is up, and aren’t usually written as premieres/finales.Thanks for the short-yet-great run, Les.
At least they told BB and Simpsons viewers the show was getting dropped. They flat out stopped reviewing Better Things midseason without warning.
I am pretty bummed about it being dropped and the fact that nobody could be bothered to say anything about it…
I’m still mad about Fleabag’s two last episodes just not mentioned.
I’d been having a great time reading those reviews and then, nothing.
It’s been a crapshoot this whole season whether or not the BB review would be on the front page for more than a few hours in the middle of the night so I’m not surprised it’s getting axed, but it still sucks massive donkey dongs. I’ve been following and commenting since S01E01 and gone back for a rewatch more than a few times after reading the reviews and comments. I’m blaming the Grand Herb Spanfeller for this sucktastic news on a Monday morning while the world burns.
I could watch an entire episode of water world Bob’s Burgers. It’s a shame that AV Club won’t be covering said episode if it ever came to be
I have not seen the episode yet but from reading the review I am dying to see Louise’s Water World sequence & I am delighted that she brought in Regular Sized Rudy (he just wants to be included!)Sucks that these TV Club reviews are going away, they were some of my favorites.
I wanted to chime in on how the references to Candy Island kept reminding me of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, but then the AV Club totally AV Club’d the coverage so … I’ll still do it, but only really half-hearted and sad like.
I was expecting wacky trampoline park and handyman hijinks but this was even better. A weird mishmash of genres that only the Belcher kids could deliver, and wow did they deliver.Sad to see the reviews end, I always thought they’d never be shut down. But hey we can comment about them in Reasonable Discussion, I guess? Or just look elsewhere.
There’s really someone who considers “The Frond Files” to be the worst of these ‘Trilogy’ episodes? I have no words.
It’s actually one of the episodes I’ll most frequently rewatch. I just think the subsequent episodes have gotten better and better at the weird storytelling, and also finding a way to give the stories context to the real world (i.e. trying to convince Bob and Linda of romance, selling Linda on just how good their play was). It’s lower only because of the competition.
– Here’s how I’d rank them: “Sliding Bobs”, “Mom, Lies, and Videotape”, “The Gayle Tales”, “The Frond Files”, “The Handyman Can”, “Bed, Bob, and Beyond”- I enjoyed the appearances by Andy, Ollie, and Speedo Guy, too.- So sorry about the discontinuation of coverage : ( Thank you to Les for these last weeks, though
“Once again, the animation is terrific, the restaurant turning into a robot with so many delightful features that I want to see Bento Box Entertainment and Hasbro team up and get this toy into stores in time for Christmas.”
Sure thing, you can have it right away!
Ha ha, just kidding! It’ll be a shitty Funko Pop.
Pop culture websites either die a hero, or live long enough to see themselves become Buzzfeed.
Man, this review has to punches to the gut in one: the announcement that the coverage is ending, and the invoking of Marshmallow as Pirate Queen but that we didn’t get to see. That’s all I’ll be thinking about now!
Well, dang it. Thanks for the reviews, Les.
You’re welcome!
What if I volunteered to recap the show for free? My opinions are terrible! There will be so much to talk about!
Sigh. I’m gonna go weep like Teddy being cut off from the burgers.
The next episode (about pooping, mind you) was incredibly touching, highlighting Bob and Louise’s relationship. It reminded me of Golden Age Simpsons. But I can’t read about it or others’ reactions because AV Club dropped coverage.Bob’s Burgers is among the best shows on television. To stop writing about it after 10 years in favor of publishing clickbait, top-whatever, slideshow articles and retreads of posts from other websites is a crime.This is the final nail in the coffin. I’m done with AV Club.
This site used to be the first I’d come to every morning. Now, I often go days forgetting it exists. The layout is bad, the content decisions are bad, the lack of O’Neill is bad. This was once a strong voice for internet funny. It was influential.Now? Now it exists, I suppose.
Instead of new content we’ll just post content from years ago. That’ll drive clicks, right?