For me, Bob’s Burgers hit its peak in its third season, with every episode being plenty enjoyable and several of them among the show’s very best. “Speakeasy Rider” isn’t on par with that season in terms of quality—in fact, I didn’t even like it as much as last week’s episode—but it does have the feel of a season three episode, mainly because it brings back old season three characters. There’s Critter (who first appeared in the season three premiere “Ear-sy Rider,” the first Bob’s Burgers episode to parody the title of Easy Rider), Hugo (a major recurring character in the first three seasons who hasn’t been seen since “My Fuzzy Valentine”), and Bryce, a character from the Halloween episode “Full Bars” who I hardly even remembered.
“Speakeasy Rider” begins with the Belcher kids trying to go go-karting. They aren’t allowed in due to league racing, however, and after being insulted by racer Bryce (an old enemy), they decide to try entering the league. They’ll need their own kart, though, which cost at least a grand. Luckily, they are able to buy a broken down bumper car from Mr. Fischoeder and, with the help of their old biker friend Critter, they turn it into a working go-kart.
Louise and Tina begin to quarrel over who gets to drive the kart, and when Tina turns out to have a knack for racing, she gets chosen to drive for another racing team. The two, of course, end up in a rivalry that culminates with them competing against each other in a major race. This kind of plot represents the show at its most fun, but they have kind of exhausted them recently, and while Tina helping Louise win the race in the end is sweet, you can also see it coming from a mile away.
Despite this, “Speakeasy Rider” still works, both because it’s just an overall hilarious episode and because of the terrific b-plot. In it, Bob and Linda begin selling Teddy’s homebrewed beer, turning the restaurant into a speakeasy and gaining more customers than they’ve ever had. They then have to cover their tracks when Hugo begins suspecting them. Really, the episode could have been called “Breaking Bob.”
Rating: 8/10
Memorable lines and moments:
Best “Burger of the Day” ever: “Blue is the Warmest Cheese Burger.”
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“Is it safe to drink? You know, it’s just that you brewed it in a bucket.” “Of course it’s safe. It’s alcohol.” I think I am Linda Belcher.
“I’ll be like Al Capone with breasts.”
I loved hearing them reference the events of “Tina-Rannosaurus Wrecks,” another season three episode and my personal favorite of the entire series.
“Hey, maybe you’ve got what it takes to be a junior Gus in training.” “I’ve waited my entire life to hear those exact words.”
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“So yeasty.” “Okay, you need to stop saying that word. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
“Honey, if I was hitting on you, you’d know, because you’d be terrified.” “Trust me. You’re hitting on me.”
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