This week we have a child-centric episode of a season full of child-centric episodes. IF this was another show this would be a complaint but with Bob’s Burgers kids are our window into the more and more bizarre lives of the Belcher kids and the rest of the gang at Wagstaff Elementary. “Millie-churia Candidate” or as I like to call it “House of Burgers” (even though this week adults and burgers are pushed into the background) begins with Louise insulting Jimmy Jr.’s class presidential campaign. against the ever-welcome Henry, who accidentally sets Millie (Louise’s Nemesis from the previous episode) on her way to the tiny White House with a little bit of an amazing speech about how she controls people to help them. Of course, Millie argued that if she won, she would have the ability to control the Wagstaff students. Specifically by starting a “bestie” system which would allow the school to assign students in alphabetical order (and when Louise and Millie came after one another, they would be matched). This makes us see Louise who we do not often see when she is amongst kids her age, here her usual calm and sly demeanor is largely because of her own fault. He instantly led Jimmy’s campaign and with every step of the tank he ran farther and farther into the ground. In the end Jimmy leaves the race when Millie offers him a choice of songs during the dance, which was the original reason he wanted to run (“I want ten fast songs, then ten slow songs!”). This causes Louise to throw her hat into the race, after a sarcastic comment from Henry, she ends up causing such a commotion that she has her and Millie thrown out of the race leaving only Henry. It turns out that Henry is the dry, sarcastic young Frank Underwood, realizing he cannot win through normal means so he ends up playing everybody against themselves. First, he puts Millie in a race knowing Louise will overtake Jimmy’s campaign and ruin it with his strong negative feelings for Millie. Then once Jimmy was out he set Millie up against Louise to annul one another; leaving only one person remaining on the run.
The reason this episode got a B+ rather than an A+ is the secondary storyline involving the show’s adult characters. This story provides lots of laughs but not much substance. Teddy and Bob end up in a pissing match revolving around their favourite toy and which is better in ways you cannot measure, Bob’s insanely expensive new knife or Teddy’s hammer. Linda stepped in to create the Knife/Hammer Olympics which provided plenty of jokes based on how half baked and pointless it was. The final round involves Bob trying to destroy Teddy’s hammer with his knife and Teddy trying to destroy Bob’s knife with his hammer. It ends very predictably with Bob’s knife being smashed and Teddy’s hammer becoming the new apple to Bob’s eye. The better part about this storyline is how the adults switch places with the kids and end up acting like kids who are childish, petty and self-destructive. Also Bob’s high pitched anthropomorphic voice for his knife gets me every time. Bob, please do not ever change.
Grade: B+
“Millie-churia Candidate”
Bob’s Burgers
Season 5, Episodes 12
