It seems like Bob’s Burgers just ended its 15th season (which was extended into the summer), but it is already back for Season 16 and its 300th episode entitled “Pre-Pre-Pre-Opening”
The episode begins with Bob agonizing over raising his burgers prices by one dollar, which is relatable currently, while the Belcher kids use a cd recorder to work on a very niche musical album about their life in Bob’s Burgers. From there it mostly becomes a flashback episode to Bob and Linda deciding to open a burger restaurant just as Linda become pregnant with Tina and of course we get some cameos and fun nods along the way.
After 300 episodes it is finally good to see us a get an origin story, even if it was not particularly needed. It was still a fun episode. Personally, I enjoyed seeing the evolution of Speedo Guy, a much-liked side character in the present day from potential lawyer to the speedo-wearing roller-skater we see many years later.
It was also good to get a little backstory for both Mort (and his toupee) and Teddy, who is first introduced to the Belchers after his divorce from his ex-wife Denise and who is also a little bit skinnier
The episode is almost 90% flashback so unfortunately, we do not see a lot the Belcher children, except for a fair amount of Baby Tina towards the end. Despite this the episode manages to be entertaining throughout with plenty of screentime from secondary characters like Mort, Teddy, and even Mr. Fischoeder to pick up the slack. It was nice to see even Harold and Edith show up at the first opening of Bob’s Burgers which was a nice nod for longtime fans
One thing I will say was missing from this episode was songs. The kids are coming up with a whole album during this episode, but we really only hear one song about Bob smelling like grease and fear, which is good, but felt like we could have used more because I think it could have added more to this episode, but I also think it would have subtracted from the flashbacks and Bob and Linda taking that leap and pursuing their dreams.
At this end of the day this was really Bob’s story as he leaves his line cook job, cooking surf and turf all day and opens the burger restaurant he has always been dreaming of, with a little push from his wife Linda. Some of Bob’s best moments are when he is freaking out over something and this episode has plenty of those moments, I feel like almost too many. The Bob nervous vomiting on opening day bit was ok at first, but fell a little flat after a while and watching him leave without any clothes on with Linda who was going into labor was a little uncomfortable.
It was nice to see animated darling Bob’s Burgers reach three hundred episodes when a lot of shows do not even reach one hundred. This episode was fun and captured the Bob’s Burgers spirit pretty well although I would have liked to see Tina, Gene and Louise play a bigger role(maybe for episode 400) but at the end of the day this episode, and the show in general is about a man named Bob who loves making burgers and to get to see the start of his journey with his loving wife and also the birth of first-born Tina was a good use of an episode, especially a premiere. So hopefully we will see many more and for the most part I am excited to see what else Season Sixteen has in store now that they have hit this great milestone.
