Mark Grassick 
Has anyone ever stopped and taken note of exactly how many enemies Louise has made? It’s probably quite a worrying number. That collection of rivals is split into regular (Millie, Mr Frond, Logan) and occasional nemeses (food truck lady), the latter now including Tripp, the manager of Family Funtime arcade. Really, if Bob and Linda were more responsible parents, they’d preface each encounter a stranger has with Louise with a warning not to get into any battles with her. Sure, that’s not the kind of behaviour you want to just accept or condone in your child, but it’s clear that Louise is steadfastly Louise and the path of least resistance is the only sensible route left. For the poor unsuspecting souls who take her on, only misery awaits.
Tripp’s first mistake is not just believing Louise’s blatant lie that her 85 tickets are really the 10,000 she needs to win an actual dune buggy. Of course, he’s right, but that’s hardly the point. His second mistake is unplugging the game in which Louise discovered a loophole. All that ensures is that Louise will do whatever it takes to win. Enter Mr Fischoeder. There’s no other character who guarantees an A+ episode of Bob’s Burgers like Fischoeder. Sure, Kevin Kline is an Oscar winner (A Fish Called Wanda) who has been in great movies from Silverado to The Big Chill, but I’m still convinced this white-suited megalomaniac is his best ever performance.
Fischoeder sells the kids on his plan to take down Family Funtime. He wants to put an end to their dune buggy prize because it will force him to give out better prizes on the wharf, instead of a giant mammoth on roller skates (who he’s very fond of). If a prize is too valuable, people start looking for ways to exploit loopholes in the games and they have to be taken out of commission, like those he has in his warehouse (all because of a boombox with a three-inch TV screen). In true heist movie fashion, Fischoeder gets the kids to put together a team all of whom have different skillsets: Zeek is the brawn, Daryl is the brains, Andy and Ollie are weirdly in sync (Ollie also apparently knows how everyone is going to die) and Jimmy is there just because Tina wants him to be there.
As with all heists, there’s a last-minute snag. Louise goes back to Family Funtime and gets herself banned for life, forcing the gang to change the plan. That plan is just getting going when they discover that Fischoeder has double-crossed them. But Louise, being the only person in town who’s sneakier and more of an evil genius than Fischoeder, has double-crossed him in a series of twists and turns worthy of Mamet or The Sting. We’re only two episodes into the new season and this is already worthy of a place in the all-time Bob’s Burgers top ten, which is an excellent sign that season nine will be every bit as wonderful as season eight was.
Burger of the week: The ‘Won’t Baguette Fooled Again’ burger (No details but I’m guessing it comes in a baguette?)
Store next door: We’ll Always Have Ferrets
Pest control van: A Farewell To Ants
Random facts:
- Family Funtime has some bizarre-sounding games: Driving Fast, Jeff Vs Geoff, Battle Bellies, The Legend Of Zelda Fitzgerald, Manchester By The Sea. I’ve no idea what that last one could entail but I’m pretty sure you end up traumatised by the end of it.
- Jimmy Jr: It smells weird in here
Fischoeder: It smells weird everywhere. That’s how you know you’re alive.
Leave a Comment