Season 15 of Bob's Burgers started off with drama and now, we're taking it back with "Saving Favorite Drive-In."
For the most part, Bob's Burgers doesn't veer too much into nostalgic territory yet when the show does, it's usually for a good reason. In looking back at the show's first Valentine's Day, we watched as Bob went on the hunt for a love-test-o-meter to surprise Linda with which still remains one of the best Valentine's Day episodes.
However, it's really great to see the Bob's Burgers writers, trying something new which is something the show has been praised for since the start of season 14. Heading into season 15, there are a lot of expectations from viewers and we can only hope that Bob's Burgers can deliver.
if you haven't watched "Saving Favorite Drive-In," then there will be spoilers from this point on. This is your spoiler warning.
Here's what you missed on "Saving Favorite Drive-In."
The episode begins with the Belcher family, heading out to the Cosmic Drive-In and it's chaos from the start as we find out this is where Bob went with Ramona who is the first girl that talked to him. Linda is trying to puzzle out some confusing PTA texts and Tina becomes the Candy Queen as she's saved up her Halloween and Easter candy.
While at the drive-in, Bob is having a flashback to meeting Ramona and Linda accidentally texts the wrong text chain. Bob starts feeling nostalgic and he wants to save the Cosmic Drive-In although things aren't as wonderful as he remembers. Bob tries to save the drive-in by going around with a petition while Louise and Gene dig into Tina's candy during her bathroom break.
After Gene and Louise both eat one piece of candy, Tina comes back with her candy rules and the two immediately realize they screwed up. Meanwhile, Bob has another flashback to his time with Ramona and the drive-in worker tells Bob to do an online petition to get money for the Cosmic Drive-In. To get the word out, he decides to put it on the drive-in sign and enlists Teddy to help fix the sign.
While Bob is climbing up to look at the sign, he remembers going up there with Ramona. In the present, Teddy thinks he's able to fix the sign, and Bob puts the link on the sign. Bob tries to get down but drops the ladder and his phone. He tries to climb down the pole and ends up falling but still gets down. Back at the car, Tina tells Gene and Louise that she knows about them eating her candy while Linda calls the woman she texted and is able to clear everything up.
Bob tells Evelyn about the link and she says that it's a nice idea, but she's ready to retire. The episode ends with the Belchers all watching the movie together as a final hurrah to the Cosmic Drive-In.
Bob's Burgers gives us a triple feature in "Saving Favorite Drive-In."
If there's one thing Bob's Burgers can juggle, it's two storylines in an episode. If the show adds three, one always seems to be the outlier. This time though, the show managed to give us three different storylines. In watching the episode, it's clear that Bob's memories and his effort to save the theater serve as the main plot.
"Saving Favorite Drive-In" could have been a one-plot episode in all honesty. Instead of having Linda's PTA gossip storyline and Tina sharing her candy with Gene and Louise, it could have been a Belcher family affair. The kids could have worked together to get flyers and get people excited while Bob and Teddy fixed the sign. Linda could have kept everyone entertained while they were waiting for the technical difficulties to get fixed.
While every episode can't be completely heartfelt, it feels like the writers missed a major opportunity with "Saving Favorite Drive-In." With the adorable flashback to Bob as a teenager, this could have been a more impactful story. Even though the moments with Bob were great, Linda and the kids' storylines don't make this episode nearly as memorable.
All in all, "Saving Favorite Drive-In" is a good episode but not a great one. Thankfully, we're early into season 15 so no need to go ordering off-menu just yet. There are still plenty of great holiday episodes and tons of fun moments with the Belchers to come.
Bob's Burgers airs on Sundays on Fox at 9/8c.
What did you think of "Saving Favorite Drive-In?" Be sure to let us know your thoughts!