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Thanksgiving has always been the middle child of holidays. It doesn’t bring the same initial holiday excitement as Halloween nor does it inspire the same celebrations as the winter holidays. Instead, it’s squarely in the middle, awkward clamoring for attention while rarely being anyone’s favorite. Most of time, our favorite shows treat Thanksgiving with the same level of apathetic disregard; they’ll make a Thanksgiving episode, but they won’t put much effort into the affair. However, Bob’s Burgers has never been most shows.
Whereas other sitcoms use the holiday as a barely-disguised excuse to cash in on familial love and good cheer, for seven seasons, Bob’s Burgers has used this holiday to shine. It makes sense. The show and the Belchers have one strength over the rest of the world: Bob’s (H. Jon Benjamin) expertise with food and the family’s undying love for one another. What’s more Thanksgiving than an appreciation for food and the love of your family? There have only been four Thanksgiving specials to date, but each one has gone above and beyond when it comes to holiday cheer. Here are the four Belcher Thanksgivings you need to enjoy in order this holiday season. Pass the cranberry sauce!
“The Quirkducers” Season 7, Episode 6
Out of all of the show’s Thanksgiving specials to date, this musically-focused episode is the weakest, grossest, and yet weirdly the sweetest. Much like “Work Hard or Die Trying Girl,” this episode focuses on some more musical theater drama with Louise (Kristen Schaal) and Gene (Eugene Mirman) pulling the strings. Louise decides to adopt Tina’s (Dan Mintz) holiday-themed erotic friend fiction into the school’s musical, hoping that it will be so terrible, the play will be shut down and the kids will be given a half day off. The episode follows a lot of expected beats, but it’s Louise’s sacrifice for her oh-so-weird sister at the end that saves the episode.
“Dawn of the Peck” Season 5, Episode 4
Linda (John Roberts) decides to compete in the first annual Thanksgiving run, much to the dismay of her holiday-loving husband. However, what’s supposed to be a light-hearted festival soon turns into a turkey-filled nightmare that puts the kids, Linda, and Teddy into actual danger. Between the episode’s Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) insanity, Bob’s moody breakdown over his family leaving him yet again on his favorite holiday, and antics of Darryl (Aziz Ansari), Regular-Sized Rudy, and Andy (Laura Silverman) and Ollie (Sarah Silverman), this episode has it all. It’s a strong episode, but Bob’s Burgers still has some tastier Thanksgiving specials out there.
[Watch the Bob’s Burgers episode “Dawn of the Peck” on Netflix]
“An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” Season 3, Episode 5
Is there anything better than an insane Mr. Fischoeder episode? In an attempt to court an old flame, the Belchers’ landlord hires the family to be his pretend family. Naturally this infuriates Bob’s inner Thanksgiving traditionalist as much as the prospect of performing excites Linda and the kids. In this expertly constructed half-hour episode, Linda makes up the perfect (and much-needed) Thanksgiving song, the kids compete to be the perfect fake Fischoeder child, and Bob has an absinthe-fueled breakdown that involves a My Neighbor Totoro homage. There are so many amazing moments in this special it’s hard to pick a favorite.
[Watch the Bob’s Burgers episode “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” on Netflix]
“Turkey in a Can” Season 4, Episode 5
The best thing about Bob’s Burgers is that its characters are so well defined, each Belcher can confidently have his or her own episode without the show ever feeling contrived. However, there is one aspect of the series that comedically stands above the rest: Bob’s many breakdowns. Whereas Bob’s freakouts typically play in the background, this Thanksgiving special brings the patriarch’s panic to center stage as Bob tries to get to the bottom of why his turkeys keep disappearing. Bob’s extreme passion for this one holiday and his family’s relative indifference should be relatable to anyone who’s had to spend the holidays with family. Also, as an added bonus, the episode’s big reveal is equally parts sweet and a little gross, a line that this great series has mastered.
[Watch the Bob’s Burgers episode “Turkey in a Can” on Netflix]
