Bob’s Burgers: The Bleakening remains the best Christmas episode
If you’re planning on watching the Bob’s Burgers Christmas episodes to get you in the spirit, The Bleakening should be atop the list and here’s why.
Getting in the holiday spirit isn’t always easy. Thankfully, there are a lot of solutions to that problem including watching some of your favorite holiday TV specials. In particular, Bob’s Burgers is among the best when it comes to holiday specials. The Thanksgiving episodes get a lot of hype but the Christmas episodes are some of the best, too.
Since 2011, Bob’s Burgers has only produced a handful of Christmas episodes. There has been one annually since Season 3, totaling eight episodes. While each has its merits, one stands above the rest in almost every single way. Airing during Season 8, “The Bleakening: Parts 1 & 2” is easily the best Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode. It could be surpassed one day but for now, it’s easily at the top of the list.
Before getting into what happened in the episodes, let’s get into the significance of it. “The Bleakening” is the show’s first hour-long episode. While it was split into two different parts, the episodes ran back-to-back so it was an hour-long. It almost seemed like a movie musical since there were some songs but it was very cinematic. Overall, the episode was unlike anything that had come before it and there’s still nothing to compare it to.
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Moving ahead to the episode, “The Bleakening” is told in two parts. The first half of the episode is more light-hearted. It starts off with Linda dreaming about hosting the most amazing Christmas party and the family works to make that happen. It’s all going great until Teddy tells the kids about the Bleaken, a monster who steals presents from kids and Linda’s little Christmas tree from outside is stolen. With little help, the kids go on a hunt to find the Bleaken who they believe stole the tree.
In the second half of the episode, the kids are joined by Bob and Linda who go into the warehouse to explore. Eventually, they find out that it’s a Christmas rave being put on because the gay nightclub in town was shutdown. Linda confronts them about her stolen things and hears them out before revealing that she called the police. Once the police arrive, Bob distracts them, dressed as the Bleaken before hiding out with Teddy. The episode ends with Linda getting her tree back and everything working out.
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It’s hard to pinpoint what makes “The Bleakening” such a special episode. It could be the juxtaposition of the two episodes, in which one is light while the other is darker. It could be the incredible musical numbers including one sung by Todrick Hall. It could be the fact that the episode is an hour-long. The list goes on and on but what makes the episode the best is that it focuses on family and helping those who need it. While it didn’t bring the club back, Linda’s decorations helped the rave feel more festive.
Whether it’s for the reasons mentioned above or others, “The Bleakening” set the bar for all of the future Bob’s Burgers Christmas episodes. It also gave us a small preview of what the movie could look like. Even though it’s going to be longer, it gave us a good idea. Two seasons later, it remains one of the “can’t-miss” holiday episodes for Bob’s Burgers fans.
Next. Bob’s Burgers: Linda’s 5 best Christmas moments. dark
Do you think “The Bleakening” is the best Christmas episode? Be sure to let me know in the comments!