Working Irony

Bob's Burgers, S03E03

Bob realized that his childhood was terrible because he was always working and fired his kids to help them not have the same experience.  Bob hired Mickey, fresh out of jail, to replace them.  The kids failed at having summer fun and got a job unknowingly at a weed farm.

I was surprised that I recognized Bill Hader's voice in this episode, but failed to notice Nick Offerman's.  I'm so used to him talking in that stiff Ron Swanson voice that any other inflection he uses totally throws me off!  I doubt I would have noticed Megan Mullally (although I wondered about her character because she obviously had a good singing voice), but I'm disappointed I didn't pick up on Nick at all.  But still, it was nice to have these guys on the show.  Hader just sounds like someone up to something sketchy so he's a perfect fit for Mickey (who I don't remember if he was actually in earlier episodes).

I wasn't that surprised that Bob didn't have a great childhood.  He does seem a little stiff, but it might explain why he sometimes has some childlike tendencies from time to time (like how he got obsessed with that video game, even if that was partially out of spite).  He never really got time to be a kid, which was evident with his soap dog and spatula plane.   But I thought it was sweet of him to worry about his own kids being warped and giving the opportunity to have fun during their summer.

It's ironic in a good funny way that Louise and the others could not for the life of them figure out how to have fun without working in their dad's restaurant.  Bob thought he was rewarding them, but in fact, they were tortured by the pressure of having fun.  I mean, when they can't even jump rope without an accident, they are doomed.  It's really strange to me because they seem like they could find fun in the most bizarre ways without having being told to do so.  So I was shocked that they stumbled.  But it doesn't surprise me they were able to find an illegal job to replace their other job in no time.  I have to keep reminding myself they are little kids and wouldn't catch on that they were drug mules.  That twist also worked for me.

I also liked when Bob was missing his kids being around the restaurant.  He always seems to be stressed out by their shenanigans, but in reality he really depends on them in his business for support and entertainment.  I liked that he gave Louise credit for coming up with the better names for the burgers, even if they pushed the envelope.  It was nice to see that firing his kids wasn't just hard on them, but Bob as well.

This was a pretty good episode.  I wish it were longer, though.  I would have loved to see more of their drug deliveries before they got busted.  Or see what happened to the kids after the DEA busted the weed farm.  I enjoyed the guest stars, even if I didn't notice who they were at first.  I feel like this story almost made me understand why this show is kinda popular.