“Tweentrepreneurs”, has become one of my top favorite episodes of the series so far. The reason I liked this episode wasn’t because it was action-packed, had plenty of musical numbers or even a hilarious joke around every corner but rather it was so real in terms of life. We had the young entrepreneurs (the Belcher children along side of reoccurring secondary characters often seen in the series) coupled with Bob and Linda’s struggle with a dine and dasher.
Photo Source : FOX – Bob’s Burgers
In the Belcher children’s school (educational facility fans have seen attempt to establish multiple extracurricular and classes) sets up Tweentrepreneurs as a new class meant to teach the children about what it means to be an entrepreneur. Mr. Frond (the reoccurring guidance counselor/ teacher) has been placed in charge of this new class but is not so enthusiastic about it since it reminds him of his own past failed entrepreneurial endeavors. Like most business startups, everyone starts to pitch ideas about what their product is going to be. The majority of ideas presented are rather unrealistic until Jimmy Jr. presents Woodchuck (a block of wood with googly eyes attached). Everyone decides that Woodchuck is their best bet at success and with the idea cemented Mr. Frond leaves. Since Mr. Frond is so uninterested in the class he decides its a good idea to leave the children to their own devices which allows the kids to act without supervision and eventually leads to problems. In the beginning, there is almost an immediate division of who is a higher up versus a line worker with no intention of equal treatment or fair division of labor. Tina, Gene Louise, and Rudy all start out making the Woodchucks with quality in mind but later wish to voice concerns with management.
In an attempt to maintain the current balance, the other children, who have placed themselves at the top, promote Tina to relations manager. The newfound power coupled with the treats like snacks and a soda machine (all bought with the Woodchuck profits) start to twist her ideals. Watching Tina stray from her beliefs as the power of reaping the reward for others work really struck a chord with me. I feel a lot of people can relate to how Gene, Louise, and Rudy felt as their former coworker who promised to hear their concerns (not even unreasonable ones but necessary ones like face mask to prevent sawdust from entering their lungs) were now being forced to work faster/ harder and weren’t seeing the benefits of their efforts or even humane treatment. Finally, her selfishness catches up to her as she takes out a large debt in an effort to secure more profit but can no longer move product due to its severe drop in quality. The stress of failing the course, losing the line workers along with responsibility for paying the bill leads Tina to try a poor alternative to Woodchuck (Woodchuck 2) leading to an unethical choice. Before she decides to go through with this bad decision, she realizes just how horrible she has been and wants to make an effort to find a proper solution (which she does and it resolves the whole issue).
Photo Source : FOX – Bob’s Burgers
I haven’t forgotten about Bob and Linda so don’t worry. The previous two episodes side stories were not all that interesting in my opinion but this week I was pleasantly surprised by this one. We follow Bob and Linda’s struggle to deal with a dine and dasher. For those unfamiliar with the term, a dine and dasher is someone who eats at a restaurant but leaves without paying the check forcing the restaurant to write their meal as a loss. This can be a really frustrating situation because the second they leave there is no real way of tracking them down so the restaurant can’t be compensated and the person receives next to no punishment. The fun little twist of this side plot was that this guy managed to dine and dash on them three times. Overall, it wasn’t crazy interesting but interesting enough to keep me invested. In the end, the guy comes back once more to admit that he really enjoys Bob’s food and wants to be able to eat there. After paying back all the money he owes them and the use of some duck tape, the episode ends with Bob agreeing to serve him.
So far, this has been my favorite episode of season nine although it’s only the third released ( this opinion is subject to change as more episodes get released). It was so relatable and had so much deeper meaning to it that I just felt a connection to multiple characters and wanted to see how it would end. I’ve known multiple people who attempt entrepreneurship so I know it is not for everyone and it certainly isn’t easy. Anyone can be swept up by the corporate world and choose to ignore problems. It’s those few out there that put quality and ethics above all else who offer proof that you don’t have to cut corners to be a success. Furthermore, the side story of our customer wasn’t without meaning either. Personally, I thought it showed that if you live dishonestly your actions will eventually catch up to you and punishment will most likely be involved. Consequently, it was the symbolism and message offered that made me invest in this latest installment with hope for the rest of the season.
Be sure to leave a like or comment on what you thought of the episode and stay nerdy.
