Bob’s Burgers: Lorenzo’s Oil? No, Linda’s is an essential disaster

Bob’s Burgers is finally back for their 1st episode of 2019 and their first Linda-centric episode of season 9 that’s essentially a disaster.

With the holidays come and gone, Bob’s Burgers is back for the rest of season 9 and their 1st episode of 2019. This week’s episode is unlike anything that’s happened this season as it’s about Linda. Usually, Linda is kept out of the spotlight in favor of the kids so it’ll be nice to see an episode focused on her. With a title like “Lorenzo’s Oil? No, Linda’s,” there’s no telling what’s going to happen with her.

If you haven’t watched this week’s episode of Bob’s Burgers, there will be spoilers for “Lorenzo’s Oil? No, Linda’s” from this point on.

“Lorenzo’s Oil? No, Linda’s” starts with the Belchers and Teddy in the restaurant where he smells something and Linda explains it’s essential oils. Linda’s new friend Angie brings her more essential oils and invites her to an oil party. Linda goes to the party where she meets new people and Angie tries to entice her to sell essential oils as a full-time job.

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While Linda’s at the party, Gayle calls the house and finds out Linda is into essential oils. Gayle freaks out and drives to the kids over to Angie’s to “save” Linda. They sneak inside but Angie sends the kids to hang out with another kid while Gayle tries to convince Linda to leave. Louise tries to get out but Angie brings her puppy in so she gets distracted.

Gayle keeps trying to convince Linda until Angie brings out the peppermint oil. The kids come out as soon as Angie sets up her credit card swiper and she sends them back to the room. Louise tries to fake an allergic reaction but Linda gets angry and tells Gayle to take them home.

Finally, Gayle explains her failure but Linda pushes them outside the door. Back at the party, Linda finds out that the other sellers are failures. The episode ends with Linda realizing Gayle was right and Louise stealing Ringo from Angie’s house.

Bob and Teddy head over to help Mr. Huggins. They drive to pick up a mattress for him which is a disaster. They get to his apartment where Bob gets pinned against the door before they get it inside. Once it’s set up, Mr. Huggins explains he got a new mattress because he’s dating and he wants to ask them a few questions.

Mr. Huggins gets undressed and they see how hairy he is. They decide to shave his back and help him set the mood. Despite their difficulties, Bob explains that all Mr. Huggins needs to do is be himself to have a good night.

As previously noted in my recap, Bob’s Burgers is incredibly fond of splitting up the family this season. That trend continued this week but similar to last week, the two plotlines were given the right amount of attention and it didn’t feel like they were adding plotlines for the sake of it.

Linda’s plotline was the stronger and it was a fun way to include Gayle. It was a slightly different characterization of Linda but it worked. By the end, she was able to recognize her faults and snap out of Angie’s spell. Making the episode center on essential oils was definitely a modern concept but it worked for Linda. As for Bob’s plotline, it was a typical Bob-Teddy storyline. Bob plays the stick in the mud and Teddy is the comic relief.

What really made the episode was the pairings. I loved seeing the kids paired up with Gayle and Linda. They really played off each other and it was awesome to see Louise bonding so much with Gayle. I’d like to see that relationship explored more especially after “The Kids Run Away.” As per usual, Bob and Teddy continue to be #friendshipgoals.

Personally, I found this episode to be really enjoyable. I don’t really have any major complaints about the episode. They could’ve cut out some of the stuff with Mr. Huggins but that’s pretty much it.“Lorenzo’s Oil? No, Linda’s” probably won’t be anyone’s favorite but it shines on its own. I think it was a great way to start 2019 for Bob’s Burgers.

I give “Lorenzo’s Oil? No, Linda’s” a B.

Bob’s Burgers airs Sundays on Fox at 8:30/7:30c. 

What did you think of “Lorenzo’s Oil? No, Linda’s?” I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!